why did wonderland sydney close why did wonderland sydney close

Built in 1985 in Sydney's west, it was a good enough local substitute for . The most notable attractions included The Demon, The Beastie, The Bush Beast and the Snowy River Rampage. During that time he shot photos showing the remains of what was once a special part of many people's childhoods. April 28, 2004"Wonderland IS CLOSED" sgin in the carpark. Eventually, in 1992, all of the Taft Broadcasting Parks were sold to Viacom and re-branded as Paramount Parks. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. This all comes from marketing pretty much. Unlike the rest of the park, which remained open year-round, The Beach was a seasonal attraction which closed during the winter months (JuneSeptember). Wonderlands 400 employees would get their full entitlements and help to find new jobs.. 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. 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. 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. Granted, it's the first time it's been published (what are the sources of the articles, by the way? Beasties two blue PTC Trains under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. All content copyright 2002-2023 Parkz and its respective copyright holder. The site is now mostly occupied by Riverside Oaks golf. Leisureland Fair Publication: Illawarra Mercury Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. The Fox Studios Backlot in Moore Park was also a much-loved treasure among film buffs. "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. Before Werribee Zoo, visitors to Ashtons Bacchus Marsh drove through a safari park where lions would latch their paws onto their cars. Retail Plaza Marvel Spider-Man dome Removal 2004, Wonderland Items at Valley View Park Horse Riding. 01/01/92 - Bursting At The Themes; . The park had a satisfactory couple of months, but for all their rides and investment they couldn't make very much of a profit. Produced by Kings Entertainment Company. Owners say the threat of terrorism, coupled with skyrocketing insurance premiums, SARS and the Asian bird flu have all taken their toll . In 1995 Wonderland installed what was to become its new flagship attraction, the Space Probe a Giant Drop developed by Intamin that cost almost $10 million. 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. Its headline feature was a jungle boat cruise which allowed visitors to pass large concrete dinosaurs, with speakers set into the grass. 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. 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. ", This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Magic Kingdom Amusement Park. Keep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter! New logo look for Wonderland Sydney - 2002, A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure, 2003 Retail Plaza Marvel Make-over Completed. 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. "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. It was where everyone went; it was just awesome. 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. Since then, we have lifted the overall performance of the park, completely rebuilt its image and brand awareness but this had not been enough. 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. But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. They started the diesel motor on Zodiac and manually operated the lift cylinders as per evac when no power is available, lowering the western arm ready for the gondolas to be removed. According to Khan, the construction of the Park would take three years. The park shut its doors in 2005 citing financial woes. in 2020 , leaving a strong feeling . Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons. An "extravagant" project. We are thinking ahead of time, he said. Unlike the Demon, Space Probe's future wasn't as fruitful. Watts also chanced upon piles of documentation that explained how some rides operated. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. Richard - the source, author and date for each article are written underneath each of the bold headlines. Symbio Wildlife Gardens owner John Radnidge said international tourism had fallen in the past few years but domestic tourism was up. 'Galleon's Graveyard' opened 1987 as "Captain Caveman's Clippers." Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. Author: By DAVID CRAWSHAW No claim is made as to the accuracy or currency of the content on this site at any time. The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Many of the attractions were demolished after the parks closure. Go here for more 90s and 00s nostalgia. 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). Half the size and height of, 'Antique Autos' opened 1985. 2002-03: 170,000 Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Mr Bakas is closely monitoring a new $5.5 billion theme park in China called Shanghai Disney Resort which opened last month. Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. Wonderland, Sydney. 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. Theme parks need a capital injection of between $3million and $4million each year to survive. August 22, 2005Demolition is allowed to continue only in Gold Rush, this is because Probe and Zodaic have not been removed. A parachute would then allow riders to slowly descend to the ground. Music by Jonny Higgins - http://www.jonnyhiggins.com/contact/For a lot of Australian's Wonderland Sydney is ingrained in their childhood, but internationally. 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. Crowd pleasers Overseas attendees provide a better yield once they pass through the gates, with Japanese visitors the best spenders. The first thing we saw was the paddleboats and a few old signs to do with ice cream and The Flintstones. Successive inconveniences and high costs caused Wonderland Eurasia to . Bush Beasts Red PTC Train and two Yellow PTC carrages in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. 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. [9], The entry way signage at the time of closure, featuring Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, was sold to a junkyard in Londonderry in Sydney's north west where it remains today.[10]. The ride closed in 2002. 2002-03: 81,500 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. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie' and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were demolished. Property News:Sunny playground where the growth is only just beginning - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. 3.8 . Wonderland Project Surrounded by Controversy In addition to the major losses, Wonderland creators have been under scrutiny in recent times. The New Daily takes a look back at Australias most loved and forgotten theme parks. 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. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 years living a short drive from amusement park Wonderland. The park featured dolphin shows, similar to Sea World at the time, and closed due to financial issues. Magic Mountain at Gold Coasts Nobbys Beach was built in 1962 and closed in 1991. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. "Overall the theme park industry is in great shape," he says. Balnaves dismisses claims that international events including September 11 and SARS drove Wonderland to the wall as "excuses". 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. Kennedy had visited the park once, as a Senator, four years earlier in October 1959. . 'Scooby's Silly Stix' opened in 1985. The Broken Hill Mill Games Arcade in Gold Rush was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. 2001-02: 79,600. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. 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. Publication: Financial Review Tweet. You can post now and register later. 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. The park was set to be an alternate option to Luna Park, and included rides that featured Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones. Don't have an account? Dazzeland was a two-storey, indoor amusement park occupying the top floor of the Myer Centre in Rundle Mall, Adelaide. The beauty of the SARS et al excuses is that they are actually quite true. Why did they decide to close down Wonderland in Sydney. The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, based Sunway Group. It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it.