Due to a lower-than-expected attendance and repeated financial losses, the park closed in November 2000. ``We compete pretty hard with them so we expect to pick up (group bookings) Christmas parties, school excursions. The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. If you could have told me for sure that I had found even a small part of that ride I would have taken it home and hung it on the wall., To join the conversation, please 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. "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. 2003-04: 91,000 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. But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Mr Eddy said yesterday his park had just registered its best summer holiday period, and visitor numbers were soaring. "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. Beasties two blue PTC Trains under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. He was a regular visitor. Water park Magic Mountain in Glenelg opened opened in 1982 and closed its doors in 2004. 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's relegation this week to the theme park scrap heap highlights just how tough the business of selling fun has become. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. Attractions included a waterslide, chairlift, double-decker carousel, plane ride and giant cargo nets. dodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. To improve your experience. Jim Eddy, who runs Jamberoo Recreation Park, does not buy Wonderland's argument and says business could not be better. Similar to a scaled-down Chair-O-Planes, riders were instead seated in two-seater 'flying boats'. The Bush Beast was identical in layout to the Wild Beast at Canada's Wonderland and Grizzly at Kings Dominion. 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. 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. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Tweet. Bush Beasts Red PTC Train and two Yellow PTC carrages in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. The land value has put the viability of the site for development way ahead of it being used as a theme park." Speaking to Nine News at the time, Mr Naylor said visiting the site brought back memories he had as a child. Among the rides to find new homes was The Demon, which served as Wonderland's unofficial flagship attraction for more than a decade. 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. Of all the rides on the 540 acre site, he has always been most fond of Wonderland's two wooden roller coasters, The Beastie and The Bush Beast. Sega World Sydney (1997-2000) Tomteland, Williamtown; White City, Rushcutters Bay; Wonderland City (1906-1911) Wonderland Sydney, Eastern Creek (1985-2004) Queensland. It is now a housing estate, with the only reference to it being a street called Leisureland Drive. down the monasteries! Taking the technology and making it move in a different direction.. Wonderland's 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.Stephen Galbraith. 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. This amusement park in Frankston, opened its doors in 1966 and operated for almost 10 years. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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 officially closed. Wonderland Sydney, which was in Eastern Creek, opened in December 1985 with the aim of providing an alternative to Luna Park. The parks flagship ride was The Bush Beast which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia at the time. Its headline feature was a jungle boat cruise which allowed visitors to pass large concrete dinosaurs, with speakers set into the grass. Vekoma said it was not uncommon for its rides to remain in service for decades at a time. But other operators and analysts place the blame closer to home. it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. According to Khan, the construction of the Park would take three years. While few probably still play this game or even heard of it, it was one of the few turn based MMORPGs out there. A former employee made a list of what happened to some of the rides. By Property News:Sunny playground where the growth is only just beginning - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. themagician It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. 3.8 . Sydney electrician Dave Naylor made a similar visit, Aussie travel predictions will surprise you, Familys plea months after climbers death. You cannot paste images directly. ), but I don't think it's something that can be seen as. Domestic tourism accounted for 96 per cent of the park's business, and 68 per cent of visitors were from Sydney. After being installed at the Malaysian theme park in 2005 it was rebranded the Pirate's Revenge and remains one of the park's most popular attractions. The articles may make some of you even more angry but they are well worth a read. 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. 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. Publication: Illawarra Mercury The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. Wonderland Sydney , was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. While some of Wonderland's rides disappeared long before the park's closure, former employee Mr Khan said many were relocated to make way for bigger and better attractions. Your link has been automatically embedded. In the mid 1990s he said Wonderland was consistently attracting 1 million visitors a year. "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.". By Richard Wilson 26 April 2004 1 Shares. However, media lambasted the company for using those as scapegoats for poor management. 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. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. A spokeswoman from Wonderland declined to comment on the allegations that the park had been neglected. It was put into voluntary liquidation in 1934, with its rides dismantled and sent to Luna Park in Sydney. Well-known circus family, the Bullens, also had other lion parks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. 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. 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. 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. Watts' obsession with the derelict site shows the impact Wonderland had on his formative years when it was alive and functioning. Followed categories will be added to My News. A look back at Australias forgotten theme parks. Henry VIII and were earning lots of money so they decided to close But finally, in 2004, persistent losses incurred and difficult market conditions saw the theme park shut its doors for the last time. Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. Author: Kathy Mac Dermott [5][6], The gates shut for the last time on 26 April 2004,[7] the day after the Anzac Day public holiday, and a complete demolition of the park was undertaken in September 2005. 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. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. 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. 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 theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. Started November 23, 2022, By Wonderlands 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.. International guests aren't attracted to Australian theme parks by big thrill rides, they are attracted by uniqueness, diversity and in particular wildlife. Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. ``We had 91,000 visitors over December and January, compared to 81,500 last year and 79,600 the year before." Australia's forgotten theme parks hold unforgettable memories for visitors. Plans for the park include a water park, a wildlife park and the return of the Wonderland. 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. Don't have an account? Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe was so impressed with the honesty of a liquor he tasted while working in Dublin he bought shares in the company. Keep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter! Are bills set to rise? 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 This all comes from marketing pretty much. Little Monsters Flying School was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. The Demon is completly down but still on site. Wonderland Sydney (Closed) Sydney, Australia I've done Wonderland Sydney. Sydneys Wonderland was the largest amusement park in the southern hemisphere. The park featured alarge lake with an island, steam train, go-karts and merry-go-round. "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. 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. Problems around Wonderland Eurasia arose quickly: just two days after its opening, a train got stuck. 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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. Dazzeland, Adelaide Political turmoil, uneven ride quality, and a lack of attendance caused the massive park to. 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. The Fox Studios Backlot in Moore Park was also a much-loved treasure among film buffs. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. mini golf, ice cream kiosk and a miniature railway. Technology has changed so drastically between decades, he said. 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. The ride closed in 2002. Luna Park, Glenelg, operated from 1930 until 1935. Ashley Jeffery It is critical to snare visitors for two meals because significant margins are sourced from food and beverage sales, he explains. New logo look for Wonderland Sydney - 2002, A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure, 2003 Retail Plaza Marvel Make-over Completed. The four cars would be pulled to the top of a 30-metre tower, then released. It was built in 1980 and closed after a decade of operating. Five-centuries-old saffron and ginger found preserved in shipwreck off Sweden, Chinese migrants walked a gruelling 500km to Victoria's goldfields in the 19th century. Produced by Kings Entertainment Company. Wonderland Sydney is set to be operating within 3 to 5 years time. 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 Real Reasons for Wonderland's Closure, Dreamworld announces Wave Swinger, Dreamland (DreamWorks retheme) and new coasters. Several rides were closed in 2002 due to the reduction in operational area of the park. 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. It remained open for almost nineteen years and was. At the time, the park hadthe largest water-slide setup in the southern hemisphere. Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons,it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. When the aforementioned "excuses" hit, this portion of the attendance did take a huge hit. 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. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Paste as plain text instead, He describes its closure as a tragedy. Please try again. 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.