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"Overall the theme park industry is in great shape," he says. Mr Eddy said yesterday his park had just registered its best summer holiday period, and visitor numbers were soaring. 2003-04: 91,000 Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. WORLDS of Wonder is destined to propel Western Sydney to the nations top theme park destination, knocking off the Gold Coast. Wonderland's demise follows the closure of Old Sydney Town on the Central Coast and the Kinkuna Country Fun and Fauna Park at Lakes Entrance, Victoria. in 2020 , leaving a strong feeling . Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons. It remained open for almost nineteen years and was. Theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Mother's Consumer Guide to Australia's Wonderland, New South Wales State Superannuation Board, 'A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure', "The lights go out at Wonderland, where millions got their thrills", "Australia's loneliest camel gets a new home", "Wonderland History: Demolition Timeline", "Theme Parks, Australian Theme Parks | Parkz Theme Parks", 'Australia's Wonderland Sydney Space Probe', 'Australia's Wonderland Sydney Blinky Bill Show', "Sydney's Wonderland to be a superpark on par with Gold Coast's theme park strip", "Sydney's Wonderland theme park set to make its home in the west", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wonderland_Sydney&oldid=1137703503, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Greatest Fun You'll Ever Have" (19851986), "Too Much Fun To Have In One Day" (19871988), "Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world was Wonderland (19881995), "No Wonder They Call It Wonderland" (19951998), 'The Beastie' opened 19852002. Wonderland Sydney, then known as Australia's Wonderland opened amid much media attention and publicity on 7 December 1985 with financial backing from the New South Wales State Superannuation Board, James Hardie, Leighton Holdings and Taft Broadcasting (through Kings Entertainment Company)[3] at Eastern Creek on the junction of Wallgrove Road and the M4 Motorway. 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. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. One of the pioneers of Wonderland and now chairman of Macquarie Leisure, Neil Balnaves, said the park's vendor, Sunway City Berhad, had not invested any money into the complex during its eight years of ownership. Beasties two blue PTC Trains under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. The park shut its doors in 2005 citing financial woes. Dimly lit, hard-to-watch Disney trailer is further proof Hollywood has embraced the dark side, From Aussie politics to catering funerals: Here are 10 new books to check out in March, Introducing the worlds smartest suitcases. Started February 23, By Mr Eddy expects Wonderland's closure to benefit his business, although he admits he is sad to see the icon go. Are bills set to rise? Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. themagician Relocated from, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 00:58. 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. It is now a housing estate, with the only reference to it being a street called Leisureland Drive. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. ``I'm saddened by (the closure) because I don't like it to be happening to the industry," he said. No claim is made as to the accuracy or currency of the content on this site at any time. He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. But a small handful didn't suffer the same unceremonious fate and were packed up and shipped off to other amusement parks all around the world. 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. 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. Richard - the source, author and date for each article are written underneath each of the bold headlines. For almost two decades Wonderland operated as New South Wales answer to Disneyland, offering more than 20 rides from its Eastern Creek home until its eventual closure in 2004. Unlike the rest of the park, which remained open year-round, The Beach was a seasonal attraction which closed during the winter months (JuneSeptember). Why did wonderland shut down? While few can forget the thrill of their first roller-coaster ride or twirlingon a merry-go-round, the theme parks wherethese memories were forged are being increasingly forgotten. Badgerys Creek is ideal but the sites are still under investigation, he said. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. I saw things I remember clearly as a child, pieces of rides I used to love that were still just sitting there, fading.. A large inverting, 'Fred Flintstone's Splashdown' opened 1994. Wonderland is closed forever! The closure of several rides in 2002 was due to the reduction in operational area of the park. The park featured dolphin shows, similar to Sea World at the time, and closed due to financial issues. Clear editor. The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. This in turn damaed the negotiations for Visionland to buy the Bush Beast and Beastie coaster cars. Sunway Group, who managed Wonderland, blamed a multitude of factors for its closure including the September 11 attacks and the collapse of Ansett Australia. The going got slow, and the getting practically stopped. Drowning, 08/05/85 - The frame goes up for new coaster, 26/04/85 - Whoosh - and up she goes (Bush Beast), 16/07/85 - Wonderland Rises up from Suburbia, 15/08/85 - Hair-raising Beastie is ready to roll, 28/08/86 - It's as exciting as Disneyland, 19/09/86 - Why Wonderland is riding the J-Curve, 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers, 11/09/92 - Life's Ups And Downs Can Send You Loopy, 28/03/97 - Australia's Wonderland sold for $50m, 01/07/97 - Kelair keeps the rides running, 24/07/97 - Wonderland hosts feast of country music, 31/01/98 - Scooby's life not all happy snaps, 08/04/99 - Tie ends `Whirl till you Hurl'. 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. 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. A large wheel-shaped machine which laid on one of its faces, with several rocking rider cars attached around the circumference. The site is now mostly occupied by Riverside Oaks golf. Wonderland's lack of branding also meant the park could not harness valuable merchandising sales. Control Switches - other than operator's console, New entrance to carpark - Concept Art - 2003, Proposed Colour Design - Retail Outlet - 2003, The Batty Chicken Proposed Colour Design - 2003, Australia's Wonderland 1985 Limited Edition Souvenir Book, Australia's Wonderland Facts Sheet - 1997, ATTENTION ALL STAFF - Feb 4. Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. Magic Kingdom Amusement Park. Bush Beasts Red PTC Train and two Yellow PTC carrages in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. Property News:Sunny playground where the growth is only just beginning - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. It is kind of like having a foot but you dont know the exact shoe size., SYDNEY WALK-THRU JUNKYARD THAT HAS EVERYTHING. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Later that year it was shipped to Sydney and installed in 1992 where it was re-christened The Demon. One of the streets through the site retains the name "Wonderland Drive". However, it is still believed to be sitting in pieces in a paddock at the Malaysian theme park. He describes its closure as a tragedy. "If nothing else, travelling down the M4 and seeing The Bush Beast, Demon and Space Probe every time they drove by, it was part of the landscape.". Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie' and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were demolished. "Theme park junkies want more than one theme park experience in their holidays," Cox says. June 2004A Heritage Order for the Bush Beast was submitted to Blacktown Council. Jamberoo bucks trend Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. Many rides closed, the rest lacking quality, incomplete landscaping in places, and Lightspeed breaks down and has people evaced from the brake run. 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. But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. 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. The high velocity ride which sling-shotted passengers at more than 70km/h forwards and then backwards operated in Wonderland's Transylvania Land until its closure in 2004. Sonfina demolitions is contracted in and they start in Gold Rush near where HMS was and work they way down towards the Bush Beast.August 25, 2005The overgrown ground around the Space Probe and the Zodiac was cleared and a cyclone fence was put up around them.The back road was opened up at the end of the new wonderland drive and a path cleared to allow direct access from Probe & Zodiac to the back paddock. This all comes from marketing pretty much. There was also signage from an old food stand, listing ice cream for sale. Any unauthorised use of Parkz content is expressly prohibited. Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. SUNWAY CLOSURE OF WONDERLAND SYDNEY; The Final Day; The Last Day; A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure; Demolition Time Line; Wonderland Galleries; Wonderland History; Wonderland Wedding; To improve your experience. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 . [8] Two of the park's camels were adopted by a family in Goulburn. IS THIS LAST DRINKS FOR THE 1:30AM LOCKOUT? These two parallel streets are only 100m apart but an astonishing 20 degrees apart in temperature because one is tree-lined and the other is not. mini golf, ice cream kiosk and a miniature railway. The Broken Hill Mill Games Arcade in Gold Rush was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. Dazzeland, Adelaide Also interesting to read about Jamberoo and Magic Mountain - a great example of the difference between capital and no capital expenditure. In 2016, Sydney electrician Dave Naylor made a similar visit to the site with friends, describing the area as a boneyard of fond childhood memories. Owners say the threat of terrorism, coupled with skyrocketing insurance premiums, SARS and the Asian bird flu have all taken their toll . Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. A spokeswoman for Intamin told nine.com.au the amusement company lost track of the Giant Drop after it was removed from Wonderland. Followed categories will be added to My News. 19/09/86 - Why Wonderland is riding the J-Curve; 1991. The park was demolished to make way for what is now the Luna Shopping Centre. Please try again. 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 professional gardener said the site is still filled with rotting material, with some parts of the land holding more debris than he expected. Friday August 26, 2005The Beastie was demolished. Sydney's Luna Park has closed and re-opened numerous times. The 100ha site in western Sydney was worth about $100million, and its owners could make more money from subdividing the site than they could from a theme park, he said. August 2004All 14 Bush Beast and 10 beastie carriages where moved out to the maintenance area by one of the wonderland maintenance crew still working at wonderland after is closure.Who would've thought that they would ever see all 4 trains together?! However, media lambasted the company for using those as scapegoats for poor management. Another attraction named 'The Outback Woolshed' was added in 1995, along with an -la-carte-style restaurant. Some of the rides were moved, whereas others were scrapped. Mr Bakas is closely monitoring a new $5.5 billion theme park in China called Shanghai Disney Resort which opened last month. There was an error submitting the form. The park featured alarge lake with an island, steam train, go-karts and merry-go-round. Started November 23, 2022, By Strongline Engineering removed the attraction in September 2005 and. 3.8 . Wonderland Sydney officially closed. It had several attractions including the popular Gee-Wizz ride, flying boats, merry-go-rounds, shooting and archery galleries. In 2004, the theme park closed its doors. Travel and Tourism (Lifestyle and Leisure), Inside the family succession drama threatening to change the K-pop industry forever. Devastating reason Tanya Plibersek abandoned leadership plans, The Moon is on track to get its very own timezone, Cocaine valued at a staggering billion dollars seized in Australias biggest drug bust, Greens want twice as many people taxed twice as hard on super, Bee populations are shrinking, but the buzz about robot bees to the rescue is premature, PM joins Pride marchers on Sydney Harbour Bridge, Tony Burke: Super account tax changes vital to raise additional revenue, Judge ponders limits on FTX fraud suspect Sam Bankman-Frieds phone and laptop, Hollywood mourns gruff, tough and troubled action star Tom Sizemore, dead at 61, Hong Kong court convicts dissident trio for marking date of Tiananmen massacre, King Charles sacred coronation oil blessed in Jerusalem. A Magic Mountain spokesman said all options were being explored, but for now the centre was still trading as a theme park. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. After this contract expired, the ride dropped the '7' from its name). "Many of our Boomerangs have been relocated over the years. The ride was sold in 2005 to Fly Coaster, a small. Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. ", This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Canada's Wonderland will retire its standup roller-coaster SkyRider on Sept. 1 to make way for a new attraction. It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it. 2001-02: 165,400 Leisureland Fair was in Langwarrin, in Melbournes south-east, and operated from 1984 to 1992. But will it be safer for women? During that time he shot photos showing the remains of what was once a special part of many people's childhoods. Started Thursday at 09:35 PM. Obsessed with travel? 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. The articles may make some of you even more angry but they are well worth a read. 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. Many of Australia's Wonderland's rides correlate to the rides at the former Paramount Parks still in operation today. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to . Technology has changed so drastically between decades, he said. In the mid 1990s he said Wonderland was consistently attracting 1 million visitors a year. You cannot paste images directly. Domestic tourism accounted for 96 per cent of the park's business, and 68 per cent of visitors were from Sydney. The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. Okay, so the official reason given by the park was that it was a combination of a downturn in air-travel post 9/11, SARS, Bird-Flu, HIH Insurance collapse, (stuff outside it's control). The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. 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). The sublime Irish gin which stole Rustys heart, Parallel roads which are streets apart in temperature. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. The park had a satisfactory couple of months, but for all their rides and investment they couldn't make very much of a profit. 'Wizard's Fury' opened 1985. Wonderland Online from IGG is officially shutting down on January 15, 2019 after running for more than 10 years (launched Dec, 2008). Display as a link instead, By Pasted as rich text. 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. down the monasteries! If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. 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. Im really surprised with how much stuff is still there, he said. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. A Vekoma spokeswoman told nine.com.au that due to the Boomerangs' "thrill factor and a small footprint" it was snapped up by Alabama Splash Adventure in the US where it operated as the Zoomerang for seven years. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. On several occasions in the period between the park's closure and its demolition, he jumped its fence and roamed the abandoned acreage. Political turmoil, uneven ride quality, and a lack of attendance caused the massive park to. "I think most people in Western Sydney formed an attachment with the place," Watts told BuzzFeed. Closed in 1990 to make way for the Australian Wildlife Park. Galleon's Graveyard was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. A. It was where everyone went; it was just awesome. It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. When the aforementioned "excuses" hit, this portion of the attendance did take a huge hit. Other proposals just never progressed beyond the drawing board, including the $485million Studio City proposal for Melbourne's Docklands and the canning of Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede planned for Surfers Paradise. I don't think anything will surprise you though, most of us were aware of what has been going on for some time. Australia's Wonderland also claimed that it was the largest wooden rollercoaster in the Southern Hemisphere. 01/01/92 - Bursting At The Themes; . Cox says Wonderland also suffered because of its Eastern Creek location. 'Galleon's Graveyard' opened 1987 as "Captain Caveman's Clippers." Australia's Wonderland expanded, and rebranded as Wonderland Sydney it featured an all-new water park known as 'The Beach', which first opened in 1988. 'Funnel Web' opened in 1985, and removed in 1990. Ashley Jeffery Originally known as. A spokeswoman from Wonderland declined to comment on the allegations that the park had been neglected. During Mr Van Gerwens recent voyage to the wasteland, he documented the condition of six paddle boats from Magilla Gorillas Floatillas, plastic water slide tubing, piles of wooden planks possibly from the Wizards Fury train ride, parts of the Fred Flintstones Splashdown sign and the carcass of an old water raft. Started Friday at 03:54 AM, By 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. While Intamin's Giant Drop failed to live on after Wonderland, its Bounty ride which operating in Wonderland as the Bounty's Revenge was also shipped to Sunway Lagoon. 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. 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers; 1992. Lewis Carroll's classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, starts with a plunge down a hole in pursuit of a white rabbit before things turn "curiouser and curiouser." "We had a lot more rides coming in than going out and some of the smaller ones were moved to other sections when we got new additions like Space Probe," he said. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. CEO Stephen Galbraith stated the September 11 attacks, the 2002 Bali bombings, the collapse of HIH Insurance, the SARS virus, the bird flu virus, consistent losses on the Asian financial crisis, the collapse of Ansett Australia, the Iraq War and the 2003 bushfires all contributed to the park's closure. Wonderland Sydney / Via Twitter: @Wonderland_Syd Your parents wouldn't leave the park without one. 3.8 . We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. 'Magilla Gorilla's Flotillas' opened 1985. The park opened in 1999 and featured a $26 million Titanic walk-through attraction based on James Camerons film. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Disneyland closed its gates for a national day of mourning on November 23, 1963, marking the first unplanned closure unrelated to weather in its history. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. July 3 2004The Demon was completing several cycles.Snowy river rampage geysers where operating.Aug 7 2004The space probe and the demon were operating and the guysers on the snowy river rampage where going off. Wonderland opened with three separate themed areas within the park: 'Goldrush', 'Medieval Faire' (later renamed Old Botany Bay), and 'Hanna-Barbera Land' (later renamed 'Little Wonders Land' in 20012002) which featured rides and attractions based on characters from Hanna-Barbera animation shows such as Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. August 22, 2005Demolition is allowed to continue only in Gold Rush, this is because Probe and Zodaic have not been removed. Retail Plaza Marvel Spider-Man dome Removal 2004, Wonderland Items at Valley View Park Horse Riding. Well-known circus family, the Bullens, also had other lion parks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. The Demon is completly down but still on site. After Wonderland shut Watts roamed the abandoned lot and took the liberty of entering sections of the park that were off-limits to visitors when it was open, including climbing to the top of The Beastie roller coaster structure. Sega World, which was on Sydneys Darling Harbour, was a nod to the Sega gaming franchise, primarily Sonic the Hedgehog. Problems around Wonderland Eurasia arose quickly: just two days after its opening, a train got stuck. Grundys, on the Surfers Paradise beachfront, opened in 1981 and closed in 1993. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. Get The New Daily free every morning and evening. 1996. The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. We are thinking ahead of time, he said. Closed in 1998. Your link has been automatically embedded. it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. This is how we got here and what needs to change, 'Please confirm what Muslim refers to': Why Ali's birthday payment for his nephew was flagged by his bank, Kade was a fit 31-year-old when he died from a heart attack, Sherpa are world famous for their work, which is synonymous with their name. November 30, 2004They started removing The Demon Station. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. The country's remaining theme parks of Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World work because of their clustering on the Gold Coast.