Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. 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. [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. Wonderland Sydney officially closed | Parkz - Theme Parks WORLDS of Wonder is destined to propel Western Sydney to the nation's top theme park destination, knocking off the Gold Coast. It was famed for its pyramid which displayed sculptures made of human teeth. A. Unlike the Demon, Space Probe's future wasn't as fruitful. 'Magilla Gorilla's Flotillas' opened 1985. 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. 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. 21 Eerie Photos Of Wonderland Sydney After It Closed - BuzzFeed 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. Your Rating. Mr Eddy said yesterday his park had just registered its best summer holiday period, and visitor numbers were soaring. 2001-02: 165,400 The Demon is completly down but still on site. 'Funnel Web' opened in 1985, and removed in 1990. Wonderland to close - ABC News 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. Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Some amusementparks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. This is how we got here and what needs to change, 'Please confirm what Muslim refers to': Why Ali's birthday payment for his nephew was flagged by his bank, Kade was a fit 31-year-old when he died from a heart attack, Sherpa are world famous for their work, which is synonymous with their name. dodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Luna Park, Scarborough Beachopened in 1939 and closed after 33 years of operation. Jim Eddy, who runs Jamberoo Recreation Park, does not buy Wonderland's argument and says business could not be better. Some of the rides were moved, whereas others were scrapped. 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. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. The content of this website is provided for information purposes only. New logo look for Wonderland Sydney - 2002, A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure, 2003 Retail Plaza Marvel Make-over Completed. June 2004A Heritage Order for the Bush Beast was submitted to Blacktown Council. This guy thought he could charge what he wanted ($500 an hour to be precise) because there was such urgency to get the Demon down and out. Sega World Sydney (1997-2000) Tomteland, Williamtown; White City, Rushcutters Bay; Wonderland City (1906-1911) Wonderland Sydney, Eastern Creek (1985-2004) Queensland. "It was devastating to see Wonderland close down because of how much fun it brought people over the years. The Bush Beast's wooden tracks were torn apart and carriages left to rust, and the. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to . Music by Jonny Higgins - http://www.jonnyhiggins.com/contact/For a lot of Australian's Wonderland Sydney is ingrained in their childhood, but internationally. Mr Eddy said he believed development pressures, rather than hard times, had prompted Wonderland's closure. Two years earlier, the Skyway had closed as construction began on the three massive E-Ticket attractions - The Matterhorn Bobsleds, The Submarine Voyage, and the Disneyland Monorail - that would herald the park's famed "second opening day." When that day came in '59, the Skyway had been rerouted also that it travelled THROUGH the . Cox says Wonderland also suffered because of its Eastern Creek location. DECEMBER 2004The Electricity to the park was turned off in the main high voltage switch room.Demolition of the park starts.DECEMBER 2, 2004They started removing The Demon Track. The Demon, or Boomerang as it classified by manufacturers Vekoma, originally operated at the shorty lived World Expo in Brisbane in 1988 under the name Titan. International guests aren't attracted to Australian theme parks by big thrill rides, they are attracted by uniqueness, diversity and in particular wildlife. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. Many of Australia's Wonderland's rides correlate to the rides at the former Paramount Parks still in operation today. Started Friday at 03:54 AM, By The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, based Sunway Group. Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons,it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. 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. 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. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! But other operators and analysts place the blame closer to home. Little Monsters Flying School was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. Park Musical Supervisor for the 19851986 opening season was Derek Williams. Dreamworld did well to counter this with very well times thrill and family attractions. At its peak the amusement park featured 24 rides across five themed sections. He describes its closure as a tragedy. Wonderland Sydney , was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Tweet. April 28, 2004"Wonderland IS CLOSED" sgin in the carpark. "I think most people in Western Sydney formed an attachment with the place," Watts told BuzzFeed. "There is always something fascinating about abandoned places," Watts said. "Theme park junkies want more than one theme park experience in their holidays," Cox says. 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. It had several attractions including the popular Gee-Wizz ride, flying boats, merry-go-rounds, shooting and archery galleries. 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". The creator of the park was reportedly a former dentist who had used the by-products from his old practice to make little dinosaurs and creatures out of molars and canines. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. The official shutdown schedule is as follows: 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. 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. Produced by Kings Entertainment Company. 09/03/04 - What do you think of Australia's Wonderland closing down? The Fox Studios Backlot in Moore Park was also a much-loved treasure among film buffs. In 1990 Wonderland opened the 'Australian Wildlife Park'. ``We compete pretty hard with them so we expect to pick up (group bookings) Christmas parties, school excursions. But I am glad that some of the rides have managed to survive," Ammar Khan, who operated rides at the park for nine years told nine.com.au. An "extravagant" project. 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). During that time he shot photos showing the remains of what was once a special part of many people's childhoods. I saw things I remember clearly as a child, pieces of rides I used to love that were still just sitting there, fading.. This amusement park in Frankston, opened its doors in 1966 and operated for almost 10 years. Don't have an account? Dazzeland, Adelaide 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. 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. "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. 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. He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. Now, new images show how the theme park was left to rot. 'Ned Kelly's Getaway' opened 1985. According to Khan, the construction of the Park would take three years. Im really surprised with how much stuff is still there, he said. Started February 23, By The land value has put the viability of the site for development way ahead of it being used as a theme park." [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. 'Skyway' opened 1997. The country's remaining theme parks of Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World work because of their clustering on the Gold Coast. 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. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. He was a regular visitor. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. Cartoon Network Characters To Debut at Wonderland Sydney The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. Subscribe for free to get the latest breaking news and analysis sent to your inbox. Special-needs schools connected to Morgan's Wonderland to close Wonderland Project Surrounded by Controversy In addition to the major losses, Wonderland creators have been under scrutiny in recent times. 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. Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. 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. OTHER NEWS: IS THIS LAST DRINKS FOR THE 1:30AM LOCKOUT? The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. Australias Wonderland opened in December 1985 on a 219-hectare parcel of land in western Sydney. 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. 14. Australia's Wonderland's predecessor, Magic Kingdom Amusement Park opened in the 1970s and promised a massive day out for just $6. 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. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. The park opened in 1997 and operated for four years. The park only operated for two years, with the reason given for its closure the loss in international tourism caused by 9/11. 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. 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 park featured alarge lake with an island, steam train, go-karts and merry-go-round. [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. Wonderland Online Shutting Down After 10 Years of Service 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. The Demon lives on after Sydney Wonderland's untimely demise 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. It takes another player out of the market." Watts' obsession with the derelict site shows the impact Wonderland had on his formative years when it was alive and functioning. "Many of our Boomerangs have been relocated over the years. Atlantis Marine Park is an abandoned theme park in Two Rocks, Perth. 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 Wonderland Online from IGG is officially shutting down on January 15, 2019 after running for more than 10 years (launched Dec, 2008). Travel and Tourism (Lifestyle and Leisure), Inside the family succession drama threatening to change the K-pop industry forever. Wonderland will shut its doors on April 26. The four cars would be pulled to the top of a 30-metre tower, then released. What did you think of Wonderland Sydney? 'Skyhawk' opened 1991. ``We had 91,000 visitors over December and January, compared to 81,500 last year and 79,600 the year before." Pasted as rich text. The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. With the CN characters, they've just had the Powerpuff Girls, but . It was put into voluntary liquidation in 1934, with its rides dismantled and sent to Luna Park in Sydney. We are thinking ahead of time, he said. Plans for the park include a water park, a wildlife park and the return of the Wonderland. The Broken Hill Mill Games Arcade in Gold Rush was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. For almost two decades, Wonderland operated more than 20 rides in Sydneys Eastern Creek. The ride closed in 2002. Upload or insert images from URL. The business had just invested $250,000 on a crocodile exhibit, he said. The most notable attractions included The Demon, The Beastie, The Bush Beast and the Snowy River Rampage. Snowy River Rampage In 2004, the theme park closed its doors. Don't have an account? Disneyland Closed: A History of Unplanned Closures Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. The master plan for the Western Sydney area is an entertainment precinct with attractions, resort . However, the 67m high ride was never erected reportedly due to the unforeseen costs in servicing and maintaining the attraction. Wonderlands 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.. List of defunct amusement parks - Wikipedia Leisureland Fair 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. Built in 1985 in Sydney's west, it was a good enough local substitute for . Paclib Industrial Pty Ltd a special purpose vehicle with a paid-up share capital of A$2.00. Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. 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. Your previous content has been restored. Wonderland Sydney / Via Twitter: @Wonderland_Syd Your parents wouldn't leave the park without one. Your link has been automatically embedded. Followed categories will be added to My News. Rides List | Wonderland History More than often new trains and improvements to keep the ride up-to-date are recommended," a spokeswoman said. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. However, it is still believed to be sitting in pieces in a paddock at the Malaysian theme park. The Real Reasons for Wonderland's Closure - Parkz [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. Lost Sydney: Australia's Wonderland Attractions included a waterslide, chairlift, double-decker carousel, plane ride and giant cargo nets. Serendipity Fun Park in Devonport opened in 1988, but closed only 16 months later, after facing financialproblems. Are bills set to rise? Kennedy had visited the park once, as a Senator, four years earlier in October 1959. . 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. November 30, 2004They started removing The Demon Station. Sydney electrician Dave Naylor made a similar visit, Aussie travel predictions will surprise you, Familys plea months after climbers death. Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. Id only been to Wonderland once before as a kid and I can barely remember it, he told news.com.au. Why did wonderland shut down? Charlene. The going got slow, and the getting practically stopped. "Everyone is not doing as well as they were because the fall in international tourists has dented theme park revenues," forensic valuer Brian Cox says. The Bush Beast was identical in layout to the Wild Beast at Canada's Wonderland and Grizzly at Kings Dominion. But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. [26] While Khan does not have a site for the Park he plans that it would occupy a site around 300 acres in and around Eastern Creek or towards Hoxton Park. You can post now and register later. There was also signage from an old food stand, listing ice cream for sale. Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 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. Sydney's Luna Park has closed and re-opened numerous times. However, Taft only had a minority stake in Australia's Wonderland and sold their stake to other Australian investors.