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?! For many years, Wonderland's flagship ride was 'The Bush Beast' which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia. 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. Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 . Far fewer know their real story. 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 Real Reasons for Wonderland's Closure - Parkz The four cars would be pulled to the top of a 30-metre tower, then released. 'Wizard's Fury' opened 1985. 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). The Enchanting Existential Dread of Aussie Theme Parks: Chapter Four A small lake equipped with paddle boats. However, the 67m high ride was never erected reportedly due to the unforeseen costs in servicing and maintaining the attraction. Later that year it was shipped to Sydney and installed in 1992 where it was re-christened The Demon. 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. 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers; 1992. Your Rating. Problems around Wonderland Eurasia arose quickly: just two days after its opening, a train got stuck. Upload or insert images from URL. The first thing we saw was the paddleboats and a few old signs to do with ice cream and The Flintstones. 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. Wobbies World in Melbournes east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. 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 Lost Sydney: Australia's Wonderland Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. 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. Relocated from, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 00:58. Crowd pleasers Richard - the source, author and date for each article are written underneath each of the bold headlines. 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. log in. 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. Closed in 1998. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. Closed in 1990 to make way for the Australian Wildlife Park. The ride closed in 2002. "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.". [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. Are bills set to rise? The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Henry VIII and were earning lots of money so they decided to close log in. Started November 23, 2022, By The site is now mostly occupied by Riverside Oaks golf. That changed over the years to include Botany . Waterslides, astro spin, dry slides . Sydneys Wonderland revamp gets $1 billion funding. Charlene. 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. Go here for more 90s and 00s nostalgia. An "extravagant" project. A spokeswoman for Intamin told nine.com.au the amusement company lost track of the Giant Drop after it was removed from Wonderland. 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. Obsessed with travel? The park appears to have been abandoned since 2015. Tweet. 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. Adventure Parc, Tamborine Mountain; Amazons Aquatic Adventureland, Jindalee - closed down in 2001, the site has since become Centenary Quays, a gated community Five-centuries-old saffron and ginger found preserved in shipwreck off Sweden, Chinese migrants walked a gruelling 500km to Victoria's goldfields in the 19th century. A. Plans for the park include a water park, a wildlife park and the return of the Wonderland. Join the conversation with your fellow The New Daily readers and see their replies. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Don't have an account? It was built in 1980 and closed after a decade of operating. New logo look for Wonderland Sydney - 2002, A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure, 2003 Retail Plaza Marvel Make-over Completed. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Little Monsters Flying School was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. It takes another player out of the market." Also interesting to read about Jamberoo and Magic Mountain - a great example of the difference between capital and no capital expenditure. "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. down the monasteries! All content copyright 2002-2023 Parkz and its respective copyright holder. Wonderland Sydney | Theme Park (Sydney, Australia) [8] Two of the park's camels were adopted by a family in Goulburn. 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. 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. International guests aren't attracted to Australian theme parks by big thrill rides, they are attracted by uniqueness, diversity and in particular wildlife. But other operators and analysts place the blame closer to home. Its main attraction was a figure-eight roller-coaster called Jazz Junction, with its track running overhead along the fifth level. Forgotten memories: 8 long-lost theme parks in Australia Property News:Sunny playground where the growth is only just beginning - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. An electric track used to propel scaled-down, 'Bounty's Revenge' opened 1985. Wonderland relied on I believe about 25% of its attendance from international guests. The Fox Studios Backlot in Moore Park was also a much-loved treasure among film buffs. The country's remaining theme parks of Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World work because of their clustering on the Gold Coast. 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. Please try again. The going got slow, and the getting practically stopped. Before Werribee Zoo, visitors to Ashtons Bacchus Marsh drove through a safari park where lions would latch their paws onto their cars. The park had three separate themed areas, including Hanna-Barbera Land, which featured rides and attractions based on characters 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. Some wouldn't survive. However, Taft only had a minority stake in Australia's Wonderland and sold their stake to other Australian investors. This amusement park in Frankston, opened its doors in 1966 and operated for almost 10 years. At the time it was the largest open air amusement park in the southern hemisphere. 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 closure of several rides in 2002 was due to the reduction in operational area of the park. Reporting on what you care about. Jim Eddy, who runs Jamberoo Recreation Park, does not buy Wonderland's argument and says business could not be better. The professional gardener said the site is still filled with rotting material, with some parts of the land holding more debris than he expected. parks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. The Bush Beast Roller Coaster . Subscribe for free to get the latest breaking news and analysis sent to your inbox. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. According to Khan, the construction of the Park would take three years. 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. Where Alice in Wonderland, Now 150 Years Old, Came From It is kind of like having a foot but you dont know the exact shoe size., SYDNEY WALK-THRU JUNKYARD THAT HAS EVERYTHING. Originally known as. Vekoma said it was not uncommon for its rides to remain in service for decades at a time. June 16 2004The yellow Bush Beast train was sitting at the top of the lift hill.Dragons Flight, Merry-Go-Round and Baby Bumpers were put in shipping containers and sent to 'Sunway Lagoon' Malaysia.Dragons Flight in the shipping container. Childhood shattered. For almost two decades . Owners say the threat of terrorism, coupled with skyrocketing insurance premiums, SARS and the Asian bird flu have all taken their toll on the number of visitors to the park. Water park Magic Mountain in Glenelg opened opened in 1982 and closed its doors in 2004. The park would later add rides such as the 'Demon' (1992) and 'Space Probe 7' (1995; sponsored by the Seven Network, who bought naming rights to the ride. Wonderland Online from IGG is officially shutting down on January 15, 2019 after running for more than 10 years (launched Dec, 2008). Wonderland closed 10 years ago today : ( : r/australia 'Little Monsters Flying School' opened in 1985 as Dastardly's Flying Circus. The sublime Irish gin which stole Rustys heart, Parallel roads which are streets apart in temperature. DECEMBER 18 2004The Wonderland Sign above the front gate was taken down and sold for $1,000 to a Junkyard in Londonderry.