Why did they decide to close down Wonderland in Sydney. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. 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. 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. Australia's oldest running coal-fired power station is about to close. "Theme park junkies want more than one theme park experience in their holidays," Cox says. Wonderland Sydney officially closed. Copyright 2023 The New Daily. 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. 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. 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). The heartbroken family of Matthew Eakin, who died on the K2 in Pakistan, has made a desperate plea for help to retrieve his body. The Sydney park was immediately closed after the fire and most of the park was demolished. 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. 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. A large inverting, 'Fred Flintstone's Splashdown' opened 1994. The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, based Sunway Group. Lost Sydney: Seven Theme Parks That Made Our Childhoods Id only been to Wonderland once before as a kid and I can barely remember it, he told news.com.au. Balnaves dismisses claims that international events including September 11 and SARS drove Wonderland to the wall as "excuses". Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. These two parallel streets are only 100m apart but an astonishing 20 degrees apart in temperature because one is tree-lined and the other is not. 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. "Overall the theme park industry is in great shape," he says. 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. 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. OTHER NEWS: IS THIS LAST DRINKS FOR THE 1:30AM LOCKOUT? Wonderland Online Shutting Down After 10 Years of Service Many of Australia's Wonderland's rides correlate to the rides at the former Paramount Parks still in operation today. IS THIS LAST DRINKS FOR THE 1:30AM LOCKOUT? To join the conversation, please 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. Closed in 1998. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. 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. To improve your experience. 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. An electric track used to propel scaled-down, 'Bounty's Revenge' opened 1985. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. Park Musical Supervisor for the 19851986 opening season was Derek Williams. He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. 2003-04: 91,000 But finally, in 2004, persistent losses incurred and difficult market conditions saw the theme park shut its doors for the last time. 29 / 37. The Enchanting Existential Dread of Aussie Theme Parks: Chapter Four Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. 2001-02: 79,600. Obsessed with travel? But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. But will it be safer for women? 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. Friday August 26, 2005The Beastie was demolished. Before Werribee Zoo, visitors to Ashtons Bacchus Marsh drove through a safari park where lions would latch their paws onto their cars. When we took over eight years ago, the parks future was uncertain, Wonderlands then chief executive Stephen Galbraith said two months prior to the theme parks last day of trade. Some wouldn't survive. The country's remaining theme parks of Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World work because of their clustering on the Gold Coast. Your Rating. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Little Monsters Flying School was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. 2002-03: 170,000 Wonderland Sydney is set to be operating within 3 to 5 years time. It is now the site of the Forest Hill police station. Why did they decide to close down Wonderland in Sydney? [5] Sydney Morning Herald stated that Sunway Group "blames Wonderland's demise on everything except poor management". Sega World Sydney (1997-2000) Tomteland, Williamtown; White City, Rushcutters Bay; Wonderland City (1906-1911) Wonderland Sydney, Eastern Creek (1985-2004) Queensland. Waste and neglect: Turkey's quirky amusement park that ran for just one Wonderland City - Wikipedia Childhood shattered. 01/01/92 - Bursting At The Themes; . Keep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter! More than often new trains and improvements to keep the ride up-to-date are recommended," a spokeswoman said. Disneyland Closed: A History of Unplanned Closures The sublime Irish gin which stole Rustys heart, Parallel roads which are streets apart in temperature. "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. 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. News 4; More attractions at Wonderland Sydney Top rated experiences at Wonderland Sydney. Wonderland Online from IGG is officially shutting down on January 15, 2019 after running for more than 10 years (launched Dec, 2008). The park appears to have been abandoned since 2015. Subscribe for free to get the latest breaking news and analysis sent to your inbox. 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 Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. 14. 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. SUNWAY CLOSURE OF WONDERLAND SYDNEY; The Final Day; The Last Day; A visit to Wonderland 12/10/2004 after closure; Demolition Time Line; Wonderland Galleries; Wonderland History; Wonderland Wedding; No claim is made as to the accuracy or currency of the content on this site at any time. 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. The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. 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 This goes against everything the CEO said and what Sunway would like the general public to believe. Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. 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. Richard - the source, author and date for each article are written underneath each of the bold headlines. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. "At lower elevations, where it did not snow 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. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. He said Merimbula's Magic Mountain attraction was also considering subdividing parts of its land for residential development. Followed categories will be added to My News. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. 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. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. [4] Today, the five Paramount Parks continue successful operation, purchased in 2006 by amusement park operator Cedar Fair. Dazzeland was a two-storey, indoor amusement park occupying the top floor of the Myer Centre in Rundle Mall, Adelaide. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. 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. [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. I know there is not really any new info as such in the articles (as I said I was not expecting any of you to be surprised) but as you said Richard it is the first time this angle has been published, unfortunately. Wonderland Sydney officially closed | Parkz - Theme Parks The park only operated for two years, with the reason given for its closure the loss in international tourism caused by 9/11. Go here for more 90s and 00s nostalgia. 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. Jamberoo bucks trend GoGoBoy, Sydney electrician Dave Naylor made a similar visit, Aussie travel predictions will surprise you, Familys plea months after climbers death. However, Taft only had a minority stake in Australia's Wonderland and sold their stake to other Australian investors. Wonderland Sydney (Closed) Sydney, Australia I've done Wonderland Sydney. He cited events including September 11, the Ansett and HIH collapses, bushfires and SARS. Charlene. 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. 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. Waterslides, astro spin, dry slides . Western Sydney resident Chris Watts spent 19 years living a short drive from amusement park Wonderland. 'Skyway' opened 1997. At the time it was the largest open air amusement park in the southern hemisphere. Sydneys Wonderland revamp gets $1 billion funding. Before Jurassic Park, Paradise Gardens operated during the 1970s alongside the Hawkesbury River at Cattai. The park opened in 1997 and operated for four years. The ride closed in 2002. Paste as plain text instead, Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons. Wonderland is closed forever! Here Are 21 Photos of Wonderland After The Theme Park Closed Its Doors To The Public. 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?! Wonderland Eurasia, billed as "Europe's biggest theme park," opened in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2019. 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. Pictured is the Big Dipper roller-coaster that was closed after only a year of operation in 1995 after noise complaints by . Balnaves started working on feasibility studies for Wonderland in the early 1970s and opened the park in December 1984. 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. One of the streets through the site retains the name "Wonderland Drive". While few probably still play this game or even heard of it, it was one of the few turn based MMORPGs out there. The Real Reasons for Wonderland's Closure - Parkz Wonderland Abandoned: The Swift Fall of "Europe's Biggest Theme Park" Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. The Demon lives on after Sydney Wonderland's untimely demise See also How Much Self-Employed Income Do You Have To Report Canada? Vekoma said it was not uncommon for its rides to remain in service for decades at a time. 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. Half the size and height of, 'Antique Autos' opened 1985. ", This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. The site itself has since been turned into Interchange Park, an industrial estate, where remnants of the park remain in the surrounding bushland.