There was an error submitting the form. Sonfena demolitions was given the go ahead to finish and complete a non recoverable demolition on the intire park as quickly as possibal, the only areas they where instructed not to touch was the fenced off area around the Zodiac, Space Probe. The Bush Beast's wooden tracks were torn apart and carriages left to rust, and the. The professional gardener said the site is still filled with rotting material, with some parts of the land holding more debris than he expected. ``I'm saddened by (the closure) because I don't like it to be happening to the industry," he said. Reporting on what you care about. A large wheel-shaped machine which laid on one of its faces, with several rocking rider cars attached around the circumference. The park had three separate themed areas, including Hanna-Barbera Land, which featured rides and attractions based on characters such as Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. [26] While Khan does not have a site for the Park he plans that it would occupy a site around 300 acres in and around Eastern Creek or towards Hoxton Park. Wonderland's chief executive Stephen Galbraith said the park would close its gates because of a number of challenges faced by the tourism and leisure industry in recent years. A spokeswoman from Wonderland declined to comment on the allegations that the park had been neglected. 'The Beastie', a smaller version of The Bush Beast which catered to younger riders, was also one of the original rides. With whispers of a future Wonderland in Sydney, it begs the question whether some of these rides may one day find themselves coming back to Australia or counterparts built to pay homage to the original attractions that made Wonderland a historic piece of nostalgia. People are not travelling overseas and Macquarie Leisure has been able to tap into this to bolster its domestic visits. 'Skyhawk' opened 1991. The park opened in 1999 and featured a $26 million Titanic walk-through attraction based on James Camerons film. The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. The park had a satisfactory couple of months, but for all their rides and investment they couldn't make very much of a profit. The fact of the matter is that the place NEVER made a profit, even going back into the 80's and 90's. A steep sled slide, finishing in water. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. Australias Wonderland opened in December 1985 on a 219-hectare parcel of land in western Sydney. March 31 2005A cyclone fence went up around the Bush Beast while the Heritage Order for the Bush Beast was being reviewed by Blacktown Council. Just 14 years ago, Sydneys Wonderland was filled with the screeching of roller-coasters, the scent of dagwood dogs and the laughter and excitement of schoolkids spending their pocket money at Australias most loved theme park. The closure of several rides in 2002 was due to the reduction in operational area of the park. BuzzFeed Staff, Australia. June 16 2004The yellow Bush Beast train was sitting at the top of the lift hill.Dragons Flight, Merry-Go-Round and Baby Bumpers were put in shipping containers and sent to 'Sunway Lagoon' Malaysia.Dragons Flight in the shipping container. It wouldn't be so bad if we got something neat to replace it, such as Luna Park Sydney doing the heavy lifting once Wonderland Sydney closed, but even Luna Park is a bit skint in the attractions compared to how it was in the nineties before noise complaints killed the Big Dipper. Balnaves dismisses claims that international events including September 11 and SARS drove Wonderland to the wall as "excuses". In September 2015 the proposal received financial backing with a $1 billion cash injection from a consortium of investors via the multinational, Fox Petroleum Limited.[28]. During his exploration, Mr Van Gerwen discovered remnants of rides and pieces of signage that made up the Wonderland fun. Wonderland Sydney, which was in Eastern Creek, opened in December 1985 with the aim of providing an alternative to Luna Park. August 2005Site access is granted after 5 months of delays. The content of this website is provided for information purposes only. THE Illawarra's only theme park is proving more popular with visitors, despite Sydney's Wonderland closing its doors citing the impact of terrorism, SARS and Asian bird flu. The 19-year-old thrill venue is being bulldozed for a traditional industrial estate, leaving Sydney without a major theme park attraction and Wonderland's Malaysian vendor with a hefty profit from the land sale. Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. themagician To improve your experience. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. June 2004A Heritage Order for the Bush Beast was submitted to Blacktown Council. Leisureland Fair was in Langwarrin, in Melbournes south-east, and operated from 1984 to 1992. February 17, 2004Wonderland's chief executive Stephen Galbraith said the park would close its gates because of a number of challenges faced by the tourism and leisure industry in recent years. Your Rating. The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. Display as a link instead, All this mess with lawsuits to play out helped cause the lateness of the approvals to demo rest of the park which then caused heat for a certain ex-Wonderland CEO. The parks flagship ride was The Bush Beast which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia at the time. This also impacted on Visionland who purchased the ride and they were also chased for payment even though it was outside their contract with the Canadian "experts". "At a time when international tourists want to do Cape York to Melbourne in one day, Wonderland was too far out of Sydney," he says. I honestly think I would have gone to Wonderland every second day in the school holidays. "I think most people in Western Sydney formed an attachment with the place," Watts told BuzzFeed. The space probe, demon and the snowy river rampage where reported to be seen operating from outside the park. Owners say the threat of terrorism, coupled with skyrocketing insurance premiums, SARS and the Asian bird flu have all taken their toll on the number of visitors to the park. The park shut its doors in 2005 citing financial woes. The new project to resurrect Wonderland Sydney has been earmarked for completion by 2021 with a new location in Western Sydney still to be finalised. [27] He was a regular visitor. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/wonderland-to-close/136728, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, These engineers break their silenceafterdecade of criticism over2011 Queensland flood handling, Tens of thousands of pigs and buffalo pegged for mass culls in Kakadu, in bid to curb feral animals, With Russian forces closing, Svyat rolled the dice in the last days before Bakhmut fell, Anna called police to report an assault, but it backfired and she lost her home, Home ownership remains in fantasy territory for many. 1:07pm Feb 2, 2017. The park, aimed primarily at younger children, featured a static Bell helicopter plus a chopper-themed Whirliebird monorail, golf course, trampolines and several food and drink kiosks. It remained open for over 18 years and was the premier theme park in New South Wales for much of its life until its closure in 2004. Snowy River Rampage The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Quite an interesting couple of articles, on many fronts and confrims what many of us have been saying about the theme park industry being overall, quite strong. 09/03/04 - What do you think of Australia's Wonderland closing down? The only ride installed after the Sunway Group acquisition of the park, the Skyway was the old cable car from the old Sydney Showgrounds stretching from Goldrush to Hanna-Barbera Land. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. It was an institution for many, and a hotspot during school holidays. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 . Wonderland Sydney , was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Luna Park, Scarborough Beachopened in 1939 and closed after 33 years of operation. Many rides closed, the rest lacking quality, incomplete landscaping in places, and Lightspeed breaks down and has people evaced from the brake run. Saturday August 27 6am, 2005The Bushbeast was demolished.One of the steal cables from the Sky Rider was taken down and wrapped around the bushbeast and then connected to two D9 bulldozers which tried to pull the bush beast over, the bulldozers moved towards the Snowy River Rampage pushing everything in there path into the Snowy River Rampage with the cable around the Bush Beast and a dozer on each end of the cable they tried to pull the Bush Beast over, The Bush Beast did not go down without a fight, the SkyRider cable snapped several times and in the end they just drove the dozers through the supports with the structure coming down behind them.. Monday August 29, 2005 They started seperating Bush Beasts sleel track from the wood and demolished the station. The park opened in 1991 and closed in 1998. "At lower elevations, where it did not snow The first one has some insight from Neil Balnaves from Dreamworld (Macquarie Leisure). Please try again. Summer holiday (Dec - Jan) figures: Eventually, in 1992, all of the Taft Broadcasting Parks were sold to Viacom and re-branded as Paramount Parks. A new 'veloway' is welcome news for Melbourne's cyclists. Jim Eddy, who runs Jamberoo Recreation Park, does not buy Wonderland's argument and says business could not be better. When the Wonderland closed down in 2004, the Space Probe remained on site for more than year and acted as a nostalgic beacon for anybody that drove past. "Overall the theme park industry is in great shape," he says. September 2004Bush Beast and Beastie carriages where moved from the maintenance area, out to the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoirBush Beasts Yellow PTC Train, minus two cars, under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. A look back at Australias forgotten theme parks. After a tourism boom, the park changed owners, and a Magic Castle was built in 1976 which saw attendance dramatically increase. The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, based Sunway Group. 3.8 . Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Leisureland Fair Jamberoo bucks trend The new project to resurrect Wonderland Sydney has been earmarked for completion by 2021 with a new location in Western Sydney still to be finalised. Sydneys Wonderland was the largest amusement park in the southern hemisphere. Far fewer know their real story. Wonderland Project Surrounded by Controversy In addition to the major losses, Wonderland creators have been under scrutiny in recent times. Paste as plain text instead, He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. Perhaps put more eloquently than Daniel, but yeah, there was really nothing there that is terribly new. One of the streets through the site retains the name "Wonderland Drive". down the monasteries! The park only operated for two years, with the reason given for its closure the loss in international tourism caused by 9/11. GoGoBoy, [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. "It was basically a 'wear-out' process," he says. "I guess it felt like I had a certain amount of closure by being able to climb The Beastie this one final time, it being the first roller-coaster I ever went on as a child.". But I am glad that some of the rides have managed to survive," Ammar Khan, who operated rides at the park for nine years told nine.com.au. By Originally known as. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. In 1990 Wonderland opened the 'Australian Wildlife Park'. The park was modeled heavily around Canada's Wonderland, a theme park located north of Toronto, with both parks being constructed by Taft Broadcasting, a company which also owned Hanna-Barbera. The sublime Irish gin which stole Rustys heart, Parallel roads which are streets apart in temperature. The first thing we saw was the paddleboats and a few old signs to do with ice cream and The Flintstones. Why this 'quiet' 1970s farmhouse has been added to the NSW heritage list, Barb has been boating around her outback station for months but she's not complaining, Driver of ute charged with manslaughter after teen dirt bike rider dies in hit-and-run accident, Alex De Minaur into Acapulco final after tough win over Holger Rune, Racing around Scotland from a garage in regional Queensland. Plans for the park include a water park, a wildlife park and the return of the Wonderland. There's not too many attractions you can add that will ultimately effect this demographic. 'Galleon's Graveyard' opened 1987 as "Captain Caveman's Clippers." Date: 21/02/2004 The main attraction was its four water slides, particularly during the hot Adelaide summers. Bush Beasts Red PTC Train and two Yellow PTC carrages in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Visitors were told that the rides were being relocated to the remaining section, so that they would be closer (as the rides were spaced apart). 27/04/04 - Laughter turns to tears as sun sets on Wonderland, 23/07/04 - Family seeks theme park ticket refund. The park would later add rides such as the 'Demon' (1992) and 'Space Probe 7' (1995; sponsored by the Seven Network, who bought naming rights to the ride. ``I don't understand (Wonderland) suggesting SARS is to blame. This all comes from marketing pretty much. Tweet. The Bush Beast Roller Coaster . Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. DECEMBER 2004The Electricity to the park was turned off in the main high voltage switch room.Demolition of the park starts.DECEMBER 2, 2004They started removing The Demon Track. Sega World Sydney (1997-2000) Tomteland, Williamtown; White City, Rushcutters Bay; Wonderland City (1906-1911) Wonderland Sydney, Eastern Creek (1985-2004) Queensland. November 30, 2004They started removing The Demon Station. He said Merimbula's Magic Mountain attraction was also considering subdividing parts of its land for residential development. 12 February 2004ING Industrial Fund teamed up with The PacLib Group to buy wonderland.Hartford Lane Pty Ltd entered into a Put and Call Option Deed with Paclib Industrial Pty Ltd to dispose off Wonderland Sydney, the land measuring 58.87 hectares (Lot 11, Plan 1025320) and buildings, structures and theme park rides thereon for a total of $52.5 million AUD, excluding Goods and Services Tax, paying $10 million at exchange and the balance payable on settlement in January 2005.Hartford Lane Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern Glory Enterprises Ltd.Hartford being the Trustee of Sunway Australia Unit Trust , the registered owner of the Property. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. The creator of the park was reportedly a former dentist who had used the by-products from his old practice to make little dinosaurs and creatures out of molars and canines. Publication: Illawarra Mercury Relocated from, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 00:58. What we have available now is on such a different level.. Attractions included a waterslide, chairlift, double-decker carousel, plane ride and giant cargo nets. 2002-03: 170,000 The park appears to have been abandoned since 2015. They may have made a verbal agreement to get things moving but verbal agreements can have a nasty habit of changing or disappearing. Luna Park, Glenelg, operated from 1930 until 1935. Technology has changed so drastically between decades, he said. An electric track used to propel scaled-down, 'Bounty's Revenge' opened 1985. The official shutdown schedule is as follows: The park opened in 1997 and operated for four years. A large inverting, 'Fred Flintstone's Splashdown' opened 1994. New logo look for Wonderland Sydney - 2002, A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure, 2003 Retail Plaza Marvel Make-over Completed. Australia's oldest running coal-fired power station is about to close. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. The Great Balloon Race was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. Domestic tourism accounted for 96 per cent of the park's business, and 68 per cent of visitors were from Sydney. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. Pictured is the Big Dipper roller-coaster that was closed after only a year of operation in 1995 after noise complaints by . Wonderland's demise follows that of the disastrous Fox Studios Backlot theme park, which Lend Lease and News Corp were forced to shut down after less than two years of operation, and the closure of Old Sydney Town. It was where everyone went; it was just awesome. [1] It opened on Saturday, 1 December 1906 and closed in 1911. Two years earlier, the Skyway had closed as construction began on the three massive E-Ticket attractions - The Matterhorn Bobsleds, The Submarine Voyage, and the Disneyland Monorail - that would herald the park's famed "second opening day." When that day came in '59, the Skyway had been rerouted also that it travelled THROUGH the . The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. He describes its closure as a tragedy. November 2004The Lake was drained, there was heaps of stuff under there that had fallen out of people'e pockets over the years while on Bountys Revenge. When we took over eight years ago, the parks future was uncertain, Wonderlands then chief executive Stephen Galbraith said two months prior to the theme parks last day of trade. The park featured alarge lake with an island, steam train, go-karts and merry-go-round. But other operators and analysts place the blame closer to home. March 12, 2005Ambulances were called to reports of a person fallen at the 'Space Probe'.On arrival ambulance officers found a male in his early 30s trapped on a platform inside the tower approximately 30 metres above the ground. 14. It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. Grundys, on the Surfers Paradise beachfront, opened in 1981 and closed in 1993. There was a miniature golf course called Top Cat's Putt Putt Park; prior to the installation of Fred Flintstone's Splashdown there was a putting course known as Old McScrappy's Golfing Farm. Similar to a scaled-down Chair-O-Planes, riders were instead seated in two-seater 'flying boats'. Author: Kathy Mac Dermott Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. During main operation of the ride, the ride spins so fast that the rider cars rise in the air, so the rider is horizontally parallel to the ground. This week Wonderland's chief executive Stephen Galbraith cited a litany of reasons for the park's demise, including Asian bird flu, SARS and the collapse of HIH. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. Wonderland Sydney officially closed. Obsessed with travel? Despite the ride being 23 years old, it was sold again in 2011 to Wonderla in India where it took on its fourth name, Recoil and is still operational to this day. Several rides were closed in 2002 due to the reduction in operational area of the park. Mr Bakas is closely monitoring a new $5.5 billion theme park in China called Shanghai Disney Resort which opened last month. The Western Sydney marvel deemed as "Wonderland" was a world of escape for families for almost 20 years. It remained open for almost nineteen years and was the premier theme park in New South Wales for much of its life, but was closed in 2004 after becoming unprofitable, The last lot of stors close on the 5th of January 2009. he closed down the monasteries because they were over powering Watts also chanced upon piles of documentation that explained how some rides operated. All times AEDT (GMT +11). After this contract expired, the ride dropped the '7' from its name). 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers; 1992. It really was gone, he said. 1996. To join the conversation, please Watts, 42, and friends have built an online community to celebrate Wonderland, with the Wonderland History website and a Facebook group. Publication: Financial Review A. Australia's Wonderland also claimed that it was the largest wooden rollercoaster in the Southern Hemisphere. International Theme Park Pty. Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. See also How Much Self-Employed Income Do You Have To Report Canada? More than often new trains and improvements to keep the ride up-to-date are recommended," a spokeswoman said. Any unauthorised use of Parkz content is expressly prohibited. The country's remaining theme parks of Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World work because of their clustering on the Gold Coast. Jamberoo Recreation Park visitor numbers: I saw things I remember clearly as a child, pieces of rides I used to love that were still just sitting there, fading.. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. Author: By DAVID CRAWSHAW Its headline feature was a jungle boat cruise which allowed visitors to pass large concrete dinosaurs, with speakers set into the grass. The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. 'HMS Endeavour' opened 1985. The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Wonderland Sydney / Via Twitter: @Wonderland_Syd Your parents wouldn't leave the park without one. You can post now and register later. log in. Some amusementparks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. TBoy Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. The four cars would be pulled to the top of a 30-metre tower, then released. Many of Australia's Wonderland's rides correlate to the rides at the former Paramount Parks still in operation today. [1] Officially opened in December 1985 by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran,[2] the park was the largest in the southern hemisphere. 16 February 2004The Sunway company announced that International Theme Park Pty. Charlene. June 17th 2004Wonderland became a danger-land training environment for soldiers of 5 Bdes Reserve Response Force (RRF) during the conduct of Exercise Ferris Wheel.The space probe, demon and the snowy river rampage where reported to be seen operating from outside the park. Theme park analyst David Barbuto, of JPI Consulting, says Wonderland had lost its identity and did not offer a sufficient menu of attractions to lock people into a four- to six-hour stay. Followed categories will be added to My News. Paclib Industrial Pty Ltd a special purpose vehicle with a paid-up share capital of A$2.00. Get The New Daily free every morning and evening. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. 'Ned Kelly's Getaway' opened 1985. If there had been one thing I wish could have found when I was out at that boneyard it would have been a piece of the Bush Beast. It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. It was famed for its pyramid which displayed sculptures made of human teeth. Wonderland Sydney's relegation this week to the theme park scrap heap highlights just how tough the business of selling fun has become. close its doors. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. Strongline Engineering removed the attraction in September 2005 and. 19/09/86 - Why Wonderland is riding the J-Curve; 1991. "It was a strange feeling to see a place I had loved so much reduced to such a decrepit level of decay and destruction.". At the time it was the largest open air amusement park in the southern hemisphere. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. Keep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter! Well-known circus family, the Bullens, also had other lion parks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. I don't think anything will surprise you though, most of us were aware of what has been going on for some time. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. For almost two decades, Wonderland operated more than 20 rides in Sydneys Eastern Creek. April 28, 2004"Wonderland IS CLOSED" sgin in the carpark. While few probably still play this game or even heard of it, it was one of the few turn based MMORPGs out there. News 4; More attractions at Wonderland Sydney Top rated experiences at Wonderland Sydney. Sydneys Wonderland revamp gets $1 billion funding. in 2020 , leaving a strong feeling . International guests aren't attracted to Australian theme parks by big thrill rides, they are attracted by uniqueness, diversity and in particular wildlife. log in. The master plan for the Western Sydney area is an entertainment precinct with attractions, resort . It was built in 1980 and closed after a decade of operating. It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. The Real Reasons for Wonderland's Closure, Dreamworld announces Wave Swinger, Dreamland (DreamWorks retheme) and new coasters. The Bush Beast was identical in layout to the Wild Beast at Canada's Wonderland and Grizzly at Kings Dominion. It hadfamous waterslides that twisted across each other, and other rides such as dodgem cars, mini golf, a carousel, an alligator-themed roller- coaster and a video game arcade. Once the largest amusement park in the southern hemisphere where there was magic on every corner, the Wonderland management company, Sunway Group, blamed a multitude of factors for its closure including the September 11 attacks and the collapse of Ansett. [9], The entry way signage at the time of closure, featuring Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, was sold to a junkyard in Londonderry in Sydney's north west where it remains today.[10]. DECEMBER 20, 2004The Demon was taken off site.DECEMBER 22, 2004Demolition and all other work on site is put on hold!The Canadian company came over to pull the Demon down did not have the relevant demolition licence so they subcontracted it out to some guy at the last minute. Also interesting to read about Jamberoo and Magic Mountain - a great example of the difference between capital and no capital expenditure. 29 / 37. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to .