MEDIA RELEASE – 12 October 2010
The popular Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk, located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales with breathtaking views of the Illawarra Escarpment, will next month play host to a special 24 hour charity event to raise money for children with cancer. It will be the first time a tree top walk in Australia has been open for 24 hours straight.
Illawarra Fly’s General Manager, Sean Haylan, came up with the innovative idea along with several other business and community leaders, who were keen to do more for kids with cancer in the Illawarra region. It’s a cause very close to Sean’s heart after watching his own daughter, Jessica, suffer with cancer.
” At 14 months old Jessica was diagnosed with cancer. Subjected to operations and seven months of chemotherapy, she went into remission but unfortunately was affected again when she was four. Further operations and chemo for several years took her into remission, and at age 11 she was considered ‘officially cured’,” said Illawarra Fly General Manager, Sean Haylan.
“We are extremely lucky but I know all too well the difficulties families of children with cancer face, and the hardships of travelling from regional areas for treatment,” he continued.
Appropriately titled ‘Rise Above’, the event will take the form of a 24 hour charity walk along the famous Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk, a 500 metre walk in the treetop canopy, some 20-30 metres above the ground, on November 5 and 6. The walk will raise money for children with cancer from the Illawarra region through the University of Wollongong’s new initiative, Southern Children’s Care, which aims to acquire equipment, resources and facilities.
“I’d encourage people to get on board by raising money, taking part in the walk or making a donation via the website,” Sean concluded.
For more information on Illawarra Fly and the Rise Above 4 Local Cancer Kids Charity Walk, or to make a donation go to www.illawarrafly.com or www.riseabove.com.au
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
- Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk is located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, less than two hours from Sydney or Canberra, and offers a unique way to experience the rainforest and breathtaking views of the Illawarra Escarpment.
- Unique to Illawarra Fly is the 500 metre walk in the treetop canopy, some 20-30 metres above the ground. The walk culminates in a spiral tower that rises to 45 metres above the forest floor which opens to breathtaking views from the escarpment over the Illawarra to the Tasman Sea.
- Illawarra Fly Treetop walk is one of only 4 steel canopy walks in the world. All of the others are located in Australia in the Great Otway National Park, along the Great Ocean Road, Tahune State Forest in Tasmania, and the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk in Walpole-Normalup National Park in Western Australia.
- Illawarra Fly Treetop walk is open every day apart from Christmas Day from 9am to 5pm and the walk takes approximately 45-60 minutes.
- Special Sunrise Walks take place on the second Saturday of every month, , and run for three hours from 6 – 9am, with times varying slightly depending on the time of year. Visitors will take the hosted Sunrise Walk with a guide followed by a delicious hot buffet breakfast at Cafe 106. Numbers are limited and bookings are essential. Sunrise Walks cost $50 per person, including breakfast, and a 10% discount is offered to groups of ten or more.
More information on Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk can be found at www.illawarrafly.com