No claim is made as to the accuracy or currency of the content on this site at any time. 1:07pm Feb 2, 2017. . A former employee made a list of what happened to some of the rides. Anzac Day - April 25, 2004The gates shut for the last time. Wonderland's 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.Stephen Galbraith. 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. The first thing we saw was the paddleboats and a few old signs to do with ice cream and The Flintstones. Obsessed with travel? Many rides closed, the rest lacking quality, incomplete landscaping in places, and Lightspeed breaks down and has people evaced from the brake run. by Anna Mendoza. [1] It opened on Saturday, 1 December 1906 and closed in 1911. Wonderland Online from IGG is officially shutting down on January 15, 2019 after running for more than 10 years (launched Dec, 2008). 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. This all comes from marketing pretty much. Well-known circus family, the Bullens, also had other lion parks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. And my friend wanted to take a drone, so we went out again this month.. When the aforementioned "excuses" hit, this portion of the attendance did take a huge hit. The parks flagship ride was The Bush Beast which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia at the time. Half the size and height of, 'Antique Autos' opened 1985. 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. Some wouldn't survive. Date: 18/02/2004 The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. Several rides were closed in 2002 due to the reduction in operational area of the park. Publication: Illawarra Mercury 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. Wonderland will shut its doors on April 26. 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. 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. When it shut its doors to the public in April 2004, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his childhood. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. 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. Its Rewind Week at BuzzFeed Oz! Display as a link instead, But finally, in 2004, persistent losses incurred and difficult market conditions saw the theme park shut its doors for the last time. He describes its closure as a tragedy. After this contract expired, the ride dropped the '7' from its name). The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Your link has been automatically embedded. 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. 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. August 22, 2005Demolition is allowed to continue only in Gold Rush, this is because Probe and Zodaic have not been removed. Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. From foraging for food to prepping for an apocalypse, holidaying in the metaverse and bondage retreats: Youll never believe the holidays Aussies are most excited for in 2023. The Bush Beast was identical in layout to the Wild Beast at Canada's Wonderland and Grizzly at Kings Dominion. Balnaves started working on feasibility studies for Wonderland in the early 1970s and opened the park in December 1984. Wonderland Sydney's relegation this week to the theme park scrap heap highlights just how tough the business of selling fun has become. You cannot paste images directly. Wonderland, Sydney. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. 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. 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. By Richard Wilson 26 April 2004 1 Shares. [8] Two of the park's camels were adopted by a family in Goulburn. I don't think anything will surprise you though, most of us were aware of what has been going on for some time. But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. Taking the technology and making it move in a different direction.. Watts' obsession with the derelict site shows the impact Wonderland had on his formative years when it was alive and functioning. 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. But will it be safer for women? Eventually, in 1992, all of the Taft Broadcasting Parks were sold to Viacom and re-branded as Paramount Parks. 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. [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. During his exploration, Mr Van Gerwen discovered remnants of rides and pieces of signage that made up the Wonderland fun. Water park Magic Mountain in Glenelg opened opened in 1982 and closed its doors in 2004. "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.". [5] Sydney Morning Herald stated that Sunway Group "blames Wonderland's demise on everything except poor management". Sydney electrician Dave Naylor made a similar visit, Aussie travel predictions will surprise you, Familys plea months after climbers death. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Now, new images show how the theme park was left to rot. 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. Convincing the operator on the Tasmanian Devil to go backwards. Strongline Engineering removed the attraction in September 2005 and. Marvel characters - Never produced Wonderpass and staff ID cards. Go here for more 90s and 00s nostalgia. The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. 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 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 was famed for its pyramid which displayed sculptures made of human teeth. In the mid 1990s he said Wonderland was consistently attracting 1 million visitors a year. Ten years following its closure, property developer and former Wonderland employee Ammar Khan announced his plan to resurrect the amusement park. Childhood shattered. At its peak the amusement park featured 24 rides across five themed sections. 'Skyhawk' opened 1991. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. We couldnt get the smiles off our faces, he said of the visit. 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. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 . The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Join the conversation with your fellow The New Daily readers and see their replies. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 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; The park only operated for two years, with the reason given for its closure the loss in international tourism caused by 9/11. The Western Sydney marvel deemed as "Wonderland" was a world of escape for families for almost 20 years. [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. November 30, 2004They started removing The Demon Station. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. While few probably still play this game or even heard of it, it was one of the few turn based MMORPGs out there. Firstly I'd like to say that this is my first post here at themeparkinsider, and that I too am an employee at Wonderland Sydney. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. The articles may make some of you even more angry but they are well worth a read. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. 'Tasmanian Devil' opened 1985. The park opened in 1991 and closed in 1998. 1.0 3.0 5.0. Any unauthorised use of Parkz content is expressly prohibited. Some amusementparks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. Luna Park, Glenelg, operated from 1930 until 1935. Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. 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. 'Ned Kelly's Getaway' opened 1985. When we took over eight years ago, the park's future was uncertain, Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. We are thinking ahead of time, he said. Later that year it was shipped to Sydney and installed in 1992 where it was re-christened The Demon. 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). A spokeswoman from Wonderland declined to comment on the allegations that the park had been neglected. 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. 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. 'Little Monsters Flying School' opened in 1985 as Dastardly's Flying Circus. 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. In 1990 Wonderland opened the 'Australian Wildlife Park'. Sydney's Luna Park has closed and re-opened numerous times. 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). Magic Kingdom Amusement Park. Warner Village have been a bit slow on the uptake (and some badly timed attractions and aquisitions targeting international guests didn't help), but they're pretty well back. According to Khan, the construction of the Park would take three years. Leisureland Fair 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. All times AEDT (GMT +11). ``But in the longer term it's going to have a negative impact on the industry. mini golf, ice cream kiosk and a miniature railway. The beauty of the SARS et al excuses is that they are actually quite true. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. Before Jurassic Park, Paradise Gardens operated during the 1970s alongside the Hawkesbury River at Cattai. Wonderland relied on I believe about 25% of its attendance from international guests. BuzzFeed Staff, Australia. 'Scooby's Silly Stix' opened in 1985. However, media lambasted the company for using those as scapegoats for poor management. 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. "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. It had several attractions including the popular Gee-Wizz ride, flying boats, merry-go-rounds, shooting and archery galleries. It was put into voluntary liquidation in 1934, with its rides dismantled and sent to Luna Park in Sydney. 'Magilla Gorilla's Flotillas' opened 1985. The Great Balloon Race was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. January 2005ING now own the park outright, all the rides should have been removed and demoliton well under way but everything is still delayed. But instead of being cleared away, the bones of the theme park still haunt the grounds in which they were dumped as rubbish all those years ago. Don't have an account? Wonderland Project Surrounded by Controversy In addition to the major losses, Wonderland creators have been under scrutiny in recent times. The Bush Beast Roller Coaster . Ltd. the operator of Wonderland Sydney would close its theme park operation by middle of 2004 as part of the Group's overall rationalization exercise to exit from non-performing business units. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to . Leisureland Fair was in Langwarrin, in Melbournes south-east, and operated from 1984 to 1992. 09/03/04 - What do you think of Australia's Wonderland closing down? At the time, the park hadthe largest water-slide setup in the southern hemisphere. Both parks had at least twodeaths as well as injuries which contributed to their eventual closure. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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. Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it. Badgerys Creek is ideal but the sites are still under investigation, he said. 'Funnel Web' opened in 1985, and removed in 1990. He was there to witness his childhood favourites being torn to the ground. 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. 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. By "It was basically a 'wear-out' process," he says. He said Merimbula's Magic Mountain attraction was also considering subdividing parts of its land for residential development. 'Skyway' opened 1997. See also How Much Self-Employed Income Do You Have To Report Canada? Closed in 1990 to make way for the Australian Wildlife Park. You can post now and register later. GoGoBoy, 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. Urban Estate Developments Pty Ltd owner Ammar Khan said a Badgerys Creek site would be the best location for Worlds of Wonderland. Theme parks need a capital injection of between $3million and $4million each year to survive. 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. A steep sled slide, finishing in water. Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. 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. Perhaps put more eloquently than Daniel, but yeah, there was really nothing there that is terribly new. 3.8 . 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. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye.

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