27/04/04 - Laughter turns to tears as sun sets on Wonderland, 23/07/04 - Family seeks theme park ticket refund. They may have made a verbal agreement to get things moving but verbal agreements can have a nasty habit of changing or disappearing. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 years living a short drive from amusement park Wonderland. I saw things I remember clearly as a child, pieces of rides I used to love that were still just sitting there, fading.. In September 2015 the proposal received financial backing with a $1 billion cash injection from a consortium of investors via the multinational, Fox Petroleum Limited.[28]. Urban Estate Developments Pty Ltd owner Ammar Khan said a Badgerys Creek site would be the best location for Worlds of Wonderland. parks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. Childhood shattered. After a tourism boom, the park changed owners, and a Magic Castle was built in 1976 which saw attendance dramatically increase. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. Similar to a scaled-down Chair-O-Planes, riders were instead seated in two-seater 'flying boats'. 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. The Bush Beast Roller Coaster . To join the conversation, please The site is now mostly occupied by Riverside Oaks golf. Balnaves dismisses claims that international events including September 11 and SARS drove Wonderland to the wall as "excuses". Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. themagician 01/01/92 - Bursting At The Themes; . Wonderland Eurasia, billed as "Europe's biggest theme park," opened in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2019. Also thought it was interesting to hear from Neil Balnaves and it pleases me that he is obviously well aware of the need for capital investment in a park. Any unauthorised use of Parkz content is expressly prohibited. Copyright 2023 The New Daily. [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. 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. 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. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. Here Are 21 Photos of Wonderland After The Theme Park Closed Its Doors To The Public. Property News:Sunny playground where the growth is only just beginning - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. 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. 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. It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. Its main attraction was a figure-eight roller-coaster called Jazz Junction, with its track running overhead along the fifth level. 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. Cox says Wonderland also suffered because of its Eastern Creek location. Wonderland Sydney (Closed) Sydney, Australia I've done Wonderland Sydney. "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.". 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. SCAT paramedics and a doctor from Careflight arrived on scene to assist in treating the patient.He was released two and a half hours later and taken to Westmead hospital with a back injury in a stable condition. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. "It was a strange feeling to see a place I had loved so much reduced to such a decrepit level of decay and destruction.". 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. Id only been to Wonderland once before as a kid and I can barely remember it, he told news.com.au. The Demon is completly down but still on site. 'HMS Endeavour' opened 1985. 2001-02: 165,400 Your previous content has been restored. The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. 1996. A small lake equipped with paddle boats. [1] Officially opened in December 1985 by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran,[2] the park was the largest in the southern hemisphere. Sega World Sydney (1997-2000) Tomteland, Williamtown; White City, Rushcutters Bay; Wonderland City (1906-1911) Wonderland Sydney, Eastern Creek (1985-2004) Queensland. 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. Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. 3.8 . The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. It is now a housing estate, with the only reference to it being a street called Leisureland Drive. 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 Eventually, in 1992, all of the Taft Broadcasting Parks were sold to Viacom and re-branded as Paramount Parks. 'Galleon's Graveyard' opened 1987 as "Captain Caveman's Clippers." Wobbies World in Melbournes east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. 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. Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. Strongline Engineering removed the attraction in September 2005 and. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! The Great Balloon Race was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. Wonderland Project Surrounded by Controversy In addition to the major losses, Wonderland creators have been under scrutiny in recent times. Pictured is the Big Dipper roller-coaster that was closed after only a year of operation in 1995 after noise complaints by . Yes it does seem like an eternity, but remember you heard it hear, at Weekend . 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). 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. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. Tweet. GoGoBoy, Waterslides, astro spin, dry slides . 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. By The space probe and the demon were operating and the guysers on the snowy river rampage where going off. This decision was taken in view of persistent losses incurred and difficult market conditions. The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, based Sunway Group. International Theme Park Pty. TBoy The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. There was an error submitting the form. . Sydneys Wonderland revamp gets $1 billion funding. Crowd pleasers Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. log in. Ashley Jeffery The park opened in 1991 and closed in 1998. 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. Followed categories will be added to My News. Beasties two blue PTC Trains under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. I think he is spot on. 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. 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. [1] It opened on Saturday, 1 December 1906 and closed in 1911. 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. ", This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Vekoma said it was not uncommon for its rides to remain in service for decades at a time. To improve your experience. It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it. 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 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. The site itself has since been turned into Interchange Park, an industrial estate, where remnants of the park remain in the surrounding bushland. The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. We couldnt get the smiles off our faces, he said of the visit. Wonderland is closed forever! Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. For almost two decades . Another attraction named 'The Outback Woolshed' was added in 1995, along with an -la-carte-style restaurant. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. The content of this website is provided for information purposes only. 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. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. The professional gardener said the site is still filled with rotting material, with some parts of the land holding more debris than he expected. The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. ``We compete pretty hard with them so we expect to pick up (group bookings) Christmas parties, school excursions. The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Shooting an 18-minute video this time around for his YouTube channel Abandoned Oz, Mr Van Gerwen was able to see more detail than what he captured last time. Before Jurassic Park, Paradise Gardens operated during the 1970s alongside the Hawkesbury River at Cattai. There was also signage from an old food stand, listing ice cream for sale. 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. The articles may make some of you even more angry but they are well worth a read. Subscribe for free to get the latest breaking news and analysis sent to your inbox. 09/03/04 - What do you think of Australia's Wonderland closing down? More than often new trains and improvements to keep the ride up-to-date are recommended," a spokeswoman said. "I think most people in Western Sydney formed an attachment with the place," Watts told BuzzFeed. Closed in 1998. 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. The Board of Directors wishes to inform the Exchange that International Theme Park Pty Ltd (a company incorporated in Australia), the operator of Wonderland Sydney in Australia will be closing its theme park operation latest by middle of this year. The closure of several rides in 2002 was due to the reduction in operational area of the park. 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." 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. However, media lambasted the company for using those as scapegoats for poor management. A parachute would then allow riders to slowly descend to the ground. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 . Please try again. For many years, Wonderland's flagship ride was 'The Bush Beast' which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia. 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. Mr Eddy said yesterday his park had just registered its best summer holiday period, and visitor numbers were soaring. Some of the rides were moved, whereas others were scrapped. Wonderland City was an amusement park located at Tamarama, on Wonderland Avenue near the point at which it joins Fletcher Street, in Sydney, Australia. 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. He was there to witness his childhood favourites being torn to the ground. Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. Why did wonderland shut down? 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. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to . This also impacted on Visionland who purchased the ride and they were also chased for payment even though it was outside their contract with the Canadian "experts". Convincing the operator on the Tasmanian Devil to go backwards. And my friend wanted to take a drone, so we went out again this month.. 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 ride was sold in 2005 to Fly Coaster, a small. Watts' obsession with the derelict site shows the impact Wonderland had on his formative years when it was alive and functioning. The business had just invested $250,000 on a crocodile exhibit, he said. Wonderland Sydney / Via Twitter: @Wonderland_Syd Your parents wouldn't leave the park without one. Publication: Illawarra Mercury Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. 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. "There was a kind of strange air of serenity after years and years of screams and shouts and the noise of all the rides and the music, the place was tranquil and relatively peaceful in the fading afternoon light. Taking the technology and making it move in a different direction.. However, the 67m high ride was never erected reportedly due to the unforeseen costs in servicing and maintaining the attraction. Anzac Day - April 25, 2004The gates shut for the last time. Date: 21/02/2004 "It was basically a 'wear-out' process," he says. The main attraction was its four water slides, particularly during the hot Adelaide summers. 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. "There is always something fascinating about abandoned places," Watts said. Selling fun just not the Wonderland it used to be For almost two decades, Wonderland operated more than 20 rides in Sydneys Eastern Creek. Watts, 42, and friends have built an online community to celebrate Wonderland, with the Wonderland History website and a Facebook group. [27] 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. 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. down the monasteries! The going got slow, and the getting practically stopped. On several occasions in the period between the park's closure and its demolition, he jumped its fence and roamed the abandoned acreage. A former employee made a list of what happened to some of the rides. 'Little Monsters Flying School' opened in 1985 as Dastardly's Flying Circus. Publication: Financial Review One of the streets through the site retains the name "Wonderland Drive". 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. 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. Speaking to Nine News at the time, Mr Naylor said visiting the site brought back memories he had as a child. 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. Wonderland Sydney officially closed. "At lower elevations, where it did not snow It is kind of like having a foot but you dont know the exact shoe size., SYDNEY WALK-THRU JUNKYARD THAT HAS EVERYTHING. 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. 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. The most notable attractions included The Demon, The Beastie, The Bush Beast and the Snowy River Rampage. 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. There's not too many attractions you can add that will ultimately effect this demographic. 16 February 2004The Sunway company announced that International Theme Park Pty. It is critical to snare visitors for two meals because significant margins are sourced from food and beverage sales, he explains. 'Skyway' opened 1997. News 4; More attractions at Wonderland Sydney Top rated experiences at Wonderland Sydney. This in turn damaed the negotiations for Visionland to buy the Bush Beast and Beastie coaster cars. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. 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. Technology has changed so drastically between decades, he said. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. Produced by Kings Entertainment Company. The park appears to have been abandoned since 2015. The Bush Beast's wooden tracks were torn apart and carriages left to rust, and the. Join the conversation with your fellow The New Daily readers and see their replies. 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. April 28, 2004"Wonderland IS CLOSED" sgin in the carpark. The park opened in 1997 and operated for four years. Symbio Wildlife Gardens owner John Radnidge said international tourism had fallen in the past few years but domestic tourism was up. Water park Magic Mountain in Glenelg opened opened in 1982 and closed its doors in 2004. Magic Mountain at Gold Coasts Nobbys Beach was built in 1962 and closed in 1991. August 22, 2005Demolition is allowed to continue only in Gold Rush, this is because Probe and Zodaic have not been removed. It remained open for almost nineteen years and was. That changed over the years to include Botany . Problems around Wonderland Eurasia arose quickly: just two days after its opening, a train got stuck. 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. Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. In the mid 1990s he said Wonderland was consistently attracting 1 million visitors a year. 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