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. 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. 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. 'Ned Kelly's Getaway' opened 1985. 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. "It was a strange feeling to see a place I had loved so much reduced to such a decrepit level of decay and destruction.". A look back at Australias forgotten theme parks. Many of Australia's Wonderland's rides correlate to the rides at the former Paramount Parks still in operation today. The site itself has since been turned into Interchange Park, an industrial estate, where remnants of the park remain in the surrounding bushland. The most depressing thing was realising we were standing on the exact same spot where the actual Beastie used to be, he said, referring to the parks smaller wooden rollercoaster. 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. The official shutdown schedule is as follows: All times AEDT (GMT +11). Wonderland, Sydney. On several occasions in the period between the park's closure and its demolition, he jumped its fence and roamed the abandoned acreage. 'Galleon's Graveyard' opened 1987 as "Captain Caveman's Clippers." Watts, 42, and friends have built an online community to celebrate Wonderland, with the Wonderland History website and a Facebook group. But other operators and analysts place the blame closer to home. The Great Balloon Race was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. The ride closed in 2002. The park opened in 1997 and operated for four years. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. Technology has changed so drastically between decades, he said. Don't have an account? Date: 18/02/2004 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. 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. Wonderlands 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.. Ten years following its closure, property developer and former Wonderland employee Ammar Khan announced his plan to resurrect the amusement park. Paclib Industrial Pty Ltd a special purpose vehicle with a paid-up share capital of A$2.00. It is kind of like having a foot but you dont know the exact shoe size., SYDNEY WALK-THRU JUNKYARD THAT HAS EVERYTHING. The most notable attractions included The Demon, The Beastie, The Bush Beast and the Snowy River Rampage. 'Wizard's Fury' opened 1985. You can post now and register later. 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. Before Werribee Zoo, visitors to Ashtons Bacchus Marsh drove through a safari park where lions would latch their paws onto their cars. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The space probe and the demon were operating and the guysers on the snowy river rampage where going off. Mr Eddy said the park was on track to exceeding 200,000 visitors this financial year - up from 170,000 in 2002-03 and 165,400 in 2001-02. He was a regular visitor. March 10, 2004 in Theme Park Discussion, I have found a couple of articles which give a far more accurate account of why Wonderland is closing and the deceptiveness behind it. Started November 23, 2022, By "At lower elevations, where it did not snow 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. Balnaves dismisses claims that international events including September 11 and SARS drove Wonderland to the wall as "excuses". Jim Eddy, who runs Jamberoo Recreation Park, does not buy Wonderland's argument and says business could not be better. DECEMBER 14, 2004The Demon lift was taken down. Why did wonderland shut down? However, media lambasted the company for using those as scapegoats for poor management. A spokeswoman for Intamin told nine.com.au the amusement company lost track of the Giant Drop after it was removed from Wonderland. Its Rewind Week at BuzzFeed Oz! This amusement park in Frankston, opened its doors in 1966 and operated for almost 10 years. Produced by Kings Entertainment Company. The first thing we saw was the paddleboats and a few old signs to do with ice cream and The Flintstones. 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. However, Taft only had a minority stake in Australia's Wonderland and sold their stake to other Australian investors. The hit did come from SARS and whatnot, but only because of the lack of investment to make the difference with domestic guests as was appropriately done on the Gold Coast. Owners say the threat of terrorism, coupled with skyrocketing insurance premiums, SARS and the Asian bird flu have all taken their toll . Keep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter! 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). 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. [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. 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. Date: 21/02/2004 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. 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?! This week, the 27-year-old decided to go back for a second visit to Wonderlands graveyard complete with a drone to see what he may have missed during his first visit two years ago. [17][18], Property developer, and former employee of Wonderland Sydney, Ammar Khan, announced plans to develop a new amusement, entertainment and retail attraction to be named Sydneys Wonderland in Western Sydney and has been seeking financial backing for the relaunch since 2009. After a tourism boom, the park changed owners, and a Magic Castle was built in 1976 which saw attendance dramatically increase. The heartbroken family of Matthew Eakin, who died on the K2 in Pakistan, has made a desperate plea for help to retrieve his body. "There is always something fascinating about abandoned places," Watts said. Galleon's Graveyard was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. 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. Visitors were told that the rides were being relocated to the remaining sections, so that they would be closer (as the rides were spaced apart). By Richard Wilson 26 April 2004 1 Shares. There was also signage from an old food stand, listing ice cream for sale. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. 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 park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. In its recently released interim results, Macquarie Leisure reported a 29 per cent improvement in Dreamworld's profit at a time when its international patronage was at an historic low. Ninety per cent of what I want (for the master plan) I already have, Mr Bakas, operations manager of Orlandos Walt Disney World, said. Any unauthorised use of Parkz content is expressly prohibited. Copyright 2023 The New Daily. When it shut its doors to the public in April 2004, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his childhood. Sunway Group, who managed Wonderland, blamed a multitude of factors for its closure including the September 11 attacks and the collapse of Ansett Australia. Well-known circus family, the Bullens, also had other lion parks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. 3.8 . Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. You cannot paste images directly. 16 February 2004The Sunway company announced that International Theme Park Pty. Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 . 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. Florida-based manager David Bakas has researched some of the top theme parks across the world while developing the master plan that includes all the attractions, resort hotels, shopping precinct and water park. Mr Bakas is closely monitoring a new $5.5 billion theme park in China called Shanghai Disney Resort which opened last month. 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. However, it is still believed to be sitting in pieces in a paddock at the Malaysian theme park. 01/01/92 - Bursting At The Themes; . Luna Park, Scarborough Beachopened in 1939 and closed after 33 years of operation. 14. 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. Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons. ", This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. The park opened in 1991 and closed in 1998. The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Kennedy had visited the park once, as a Senator, four years earlier in October 1959. . 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. 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. Your Rating. Wonderland's 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.Stephen Galbraith. Bush Beasts Red PTC Train and two Yellow PTC carrages in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. Snowy River Rampage The business had just invested $250,000 on a crocodile exhibit, he said. According to Khan, the construction of the Park would take three years. Sydney's Wonderland theme park is dead and buried but some of its most popular rides live on after finding new homes at theme parks across the globe. The park was demolished to make way for what is now the Luna Shopping Centre. Australia's forgotten theme parks hold unforgettable memories for visitors. An electric track used to propel scaled-down, 'Bounty's Revenge' opened 1985. 2002-03: 81,500 The fact of the matter is that the place NEVER made a profit, even going back into the 80's and 90's. 1.0 3.0 5.0. 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. Ashley Jeffery 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. "I climbed up to the top of the lift hill [an upward sloping section of track] of The Beastie to take some photos and get a better idea of the devastation of the park," Watts said. The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Sydney's Wonderland theme park is dead and buried but some of its most popular rides live on after finding new homes at theme parks across the globe. That changed over the years to include Botany . Theme parks need a capital injection of between $3million and $4million each year to survive. By After the Demon was down and out of the park the original Canadian company, who were contracted to pull it down, decided not to pay guy his exorbitant fee using the distance between the two countries as a safe haven. The budget supermarket chain has done it again, sparking a frenzy over its latest Special Buys just in time for the holidays. He said some of the rides will stem from the now defunct Wonderland Sydney, such as the Bush Beast, but will harness cutting edge technology as well as setting new boundaries. Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. Started February 23, By They started the diesel motor on Zodiac and manually operated the lift cylinders as per evac when no power is available, lowering the western arm ready for the gondolas to be removed. With the CN characters, they've just had the Powerpuff Girls, but . Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. Mr Eddy expects Wonderland's closure to benefit his business, although he admits he is sad to see the icon go. Wobbies World in Melbournes east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. Sydneys Wonderland was the largest amusement park in the southern hemisphere. 2002-03: 170,000 And my friend wanted to take a drone, so we went out again this month.. There was an error submitting the form. International Theme Park Pty. Reporting on what you care about. 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. 'Scooby's Silly Stix' opened in 1985. The main attraction was its four water slides, particularly during the hot Adelaide summers. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie' and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were demolished. It was an institution for many, and a hotspot during school holidays. At its peak the amusement park featured 24 rides across five themed sections. It had several attractions including the popular Gee-Wizz ride, flying boats, merry-go-rounds, shooting and archery galleries. Australia's Wonderland Sydney - TV Commercial 1987 Watch on Children's author and good friend Andrew Levins has spent some time in lockdown researching the history of Wonderland, 35 years after it first opened, and shared some of his stories on Hope Breakfast. dodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. However, the 67m high ride was never erected reportedly due to the unforeseen costs in servicing and maintaining the attraction. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. Australias Wonderland opened in December 1985 on a 219-hectare parcel of land in western Sydney. Originally known as. Only one ride, Skyrider which was the former cable car at the Sydney Showgrounds, was added between the 1997 takeover and the park's closure. GoGoBoy, Attractions included a waterslide, chairlift, double-decker carousel, plane ride and giant cargo nets. 'Skyway' opened 1997. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. For many years, Wonderland's flagship ride was 'The Bush Beast' which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia. Adventure Parc, Tamborine Mountain; Amazons Aquatic Adventureland, Jindalee - closed down in 2001, the site has since become Centenary Quays, a gated community The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. Paste as plain text instead, Little Monsters Flying School was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. 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. Wonderland Sydney , was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. Park Musical Supervisor for the 19851986 opening season was Derek Williams. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. In 1995 Wonderland installed what was to become its new flagship attraction, the Space Probe a Giant Drop developed by Intamin that cost almost $10 million. Another attraction named 'The Outback Woolshed' was added in 1995, along with an -la-carte-style restaurant. Wonderland Sydney, which was in Eastern Creek, opened in December 1985 with the aim of providing an alternative to Luna Park. Now, new images show how the theme park was left to rot. themagician November 30, 2004They started removing The Demon Station. 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.
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