He said Merimbula's Magic Mountain attraction was also considering subdividing parts of its land for residential development. 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. For many years, Wonderland's flagship ride was 'The Bush Beast' which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia. I think he is spot on. 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. 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. Any unauthorised use of Parkz content is expressly prohibited. The site itself has since been turned into Interchange Park, an industrial estate, where remnants of the park remain in the surrounding bushland. The Fox Studios Backlot in Moore Park was also a much-loved treasure among film buffs. International Theme Park Pty. 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. Crowd pleasers Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. Vekoma said it was not uncommon for its rides to remain in service for decades at a time. When it shut its doors to the public in April 2004, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his childhood. However, media lambasted the company for using those as, 'Celebration of unity': Thousands create history during WorldPride march, Reports indicating Stalin was murdered hidden for decades, WorldPride grand finale: Incredible show of unity for history-making march. The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Waterslides, astro spin, dry slides . The park was demolished to make way for what is now the Luna Shopping Centre. Well-known circus family, the Bullens, also had other lion parks in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. 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. 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. The park opened in 1991 and closed in 1998. The four cars would be pulled to the top of a 30-metre tower, then released. 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. Ltd. the operator of wonderland is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Estonia Enterprises Ltd which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern Glory Enterprises Ltd. Eastern Glory Enterprises Ltd is a 60% owned subsidiary of Sunway Lagoon Sdn Bhd which is a 51% owned subsidiary of Suncity.Both Estonia Enterprises Ltd and Eastern Glory Enterprises Ltd are companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to . "There is always something fascinating about abandoned places," Watts said. Tweet. A steep sled slide, finishing in water. That changed over the years to include Botany . The ride was sold in 2005 to Fly Coaster, a small. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Im really surprised with how much stuff is still there, he said. Paclib Industrial Pty Ltd a special purpose vehicle with a paid-up share capital of A$2.00. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. 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. close its doors. The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. The Western Sydney marvel deemed as "Wonderland" was a world of escape for families for almost 20 years. Yes it does seem like an eternity, but remember you heard it hear, at Weekend . With the CN characters, they've just had the Powerpuff Girls, but . The most notable attractions included The Demon, The Beastie, The Bush Beast and the Snowy River Rampage. It remained open for almost nineteen years and was. Sydneys Wonderland was the largest amusement park in the southern hemisphere. 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. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The space probe, demon and the snowy river rampage where reported to be seen operating from outside the park. Keep track of all the parks and rides you've experienced, Rate and review your favourite attractions, Join the discussion in our forums to find out what new rides/attractions are on their way. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. Pasted as rich text. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. 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. It was built in 1980 and closed after a decade of operating. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. Luna Park, Scarborough Beachopened in 1939 and closed after 33 years of operation. January 2005ING now own the park outright, all the rides should have been removed and demoliton well under way but everything is still delayed. 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. 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). BuzzFeed Staff, Australia. The New Daily takes a look back at Australias most loved and forgotten theme parks. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. Australia's forgotten theme parks hold unforgettable memories for visitors. It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it. 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. Domestic tourism accounted for 96 per cent of the park's business, and 68 per cent of visitors were from Sydney. But finally, in 2004, persistent losses incurred and difficult market conditions saw the theme park shut its doors for the last time. Wonderland Eurasia, billed as "Europe's biggest theme park," opened in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2019. 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. 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. Adventure Parc, Tamborine Mountain; Amazons Aquatic Adventureland, Jindalee - closed down in 2001, the site has since become Centenary Quays, a gated community 2003-04: 91,000 A small lake equipped with paddle boats. What did you think of Wonderland Sydney? See also How Much Self-Employed Income Do You Have To Report Canada? Overseas attendees provide a better yield once they pass through the gates, with Japanese visitors the best spenders. A spokeswoman for Intamin told nine.com.au the amusement company lost track of the Giant Drop after it was removed from Wonderland. Canada's Wonderland will retire its standup roller-coaster SkyRider on Sept. 1 to make way for a new attraction. Wonderland Sydney officially closed. A Magic Mountain spokesman said all options were being explored, but for now the centre was still trading as a theme park. 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. 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. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. I don't think anything will surprise you though, most of us were aware of what has been going on for some time. 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. Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. 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. It had several attractions including the popular Gee-Wizz ride, flying boats, merry-go-rounds, shooting and archery galleries. "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. Your link has been automatically embedded. It is critical to snare visitors for two meals because significant margins are sourced from food and beverage sales, he explains. Featured as the world's tallest and fastest free-fall ride at the time, Space Probe quickly became a crowd favourite with guests often queueing up for almost an hour to ride the attraction that lasted only 3.8 seconds as it dropped guests at 120km/h. dodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. In 2017, amateur filmmaker Phil Van Gerwen decided to take a trip down memory lane, and venture to the site where rides have been dumped following the parks demise. The ride closed in 2002. 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. Wonderland Sydney , was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. 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. 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. 'Little Monsters Flying School' opened in 1985 as Dastardly's Flying Circus. The heartbroken family of Matthew Eakin, who died on the K2 in Pakistan, has made a desperate plea for help to retrieve his body. ``But in the longer term it's going to have a negative impact on the industry. 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. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Plans for the park include a water park, a wildlife park and the return of the Wonderland. After this contract expired, the ride dropped the '7' from its name). We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. Water park Magic Mountain in Glenelg opened opened in 1982 and closed its doors in 2004. 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. Copyright 2023 The New Daily. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. Many rides closed, the rest lacking quality, incomplete landscaping in places, and Lightspeed breaks down and has people evaced from the brake run. The fact of the matter is that the place NEVER made a profit, even going back into the 80's and 90's. 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. Eventually, in 1992, all of the Taft Broadcasting Parks were sold to Viacom and re-branded as Paramount Parks. 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. Please try again. themagician The park shut its doors in 2005 citing financial woes. Reporting on what you care about. Australia's Wonderland's predecessor, Magic Kingdom Amusement Park opened in the 1970s and promised a massive day out for just $6. 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. 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. 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers; 1992. 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. Leisureland Fair Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. Wonderland Online from IGG is officially shutting down on January 15, 2019 after running for more than 10 years (launched Dec, 2008). "It was basically a 'wear-out' process," he says. Don't have an account? 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). 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 'Scooby's Silly Stix' opened in 1985. Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 3.8 . 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. 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. Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. Half the size and height of, 'Antique Autos' opened 1985. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. I honestly think I would have gone to Wonderland every second day in the school holidays. The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. Tricoart 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. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie' and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were demolished. ``We had 91,000 visitors over December and January, compared to 81,500 last year and 79,600 the year before." Retail Plaza Marvel Spider-Man dome Removal 2004, Wonderland Items at Valley View Park Horse Riding. Bush Beasts Red PTC Train and two Yellow PTC carrages in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. The Broken Hill Mill Games Arcade in Gold Rush was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. 2002-03: 81,500 Id only been to Wonderland once before as a kid and I can barely remember it, he told news.com.au. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. The going got slow, and the getting practically stopped. 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. During that time he shot photos showing the remains of what was once a special part of many people's childhoods. "It was devastating to see Wonderland close down because of how much fun it brought people over the years. Wonderland Sydney is set to be operating within 3 to 5 years time. Beasties two blue PTC Trains under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. Originally known as. The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, based Sunway Group. Travel and Tourism (Lifestyle and Leisure), Inside the family succession drama threatening to change the K-pop industry forever. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. Jamberoo bucks trend Balnaves started working on feasibility studies for Wonderland in the early 1970s and opened the park in December 1984. 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. Anzac Day - April 25, 2004The gates shut for the last time. Also interesting to read about Jamberoo and Magic Mountain - a great example of the difference between capital and no capital expenditure. [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. They may have made a verbal agreement to get things moving but verbal agreements can have a nasty habit of changing or disappearing. 'Skyhawk' opened 1991. 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. All rights reserved. The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. To join the conversation, please 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. 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." Attractions included a waterslide, chairlift, double-decker carousel, plane ride and giant cargo nets. DECEMBER 15, 2004The Snower River Rampage Station, Conveyor and Plant room where destroyed. The professional gardener said the site is still filled with rotting material, with some parts of the land holding more debris than he expected. Park Musical Supervisor for the 19851986 opening season was Derek Williams. 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. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. Childhood shattered. Closed in 1998. Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons,it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. Why did wonderland shut down? Date: 18/02/2004