why did wonderland sydney close

It was where everyone went; it was just awesome. There was also signage from an old food stand, listing ice cream for sale. 2003-04: 91,000 The park was renamed Harbourside Amusement Park for a while before resuming its old name. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. Later that year it was shipped to Sydney and installed in 1992 where it was re-christened The Demon. On several occasions in the period between the park's closure and its demolition, he jumped its fence and roamed the abandoned acreage. [8] Two of the park's camels were adopted by a family in Goulburn. Friday August 26, 2005The Beastie was demolished. A look back at Australias forgotten theme parks. on top of a roller coaster, and passengers had to get off on foot. The heartbroken family of Matthew Eakin, who died on the K2 in Pakistan, has made a desperate plea for help to retrieve his body. "Theme park junkies want more than one theme park experience in their holidays," Cox says. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. 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). Followed categories will be added to My News. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. 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. When the aforementioned "excuses" hit, this portion of the attendance did take a huge hit. The fact of the matter is that the place NEVER made a profit, even going back into the 80's and 90's. The park opened December 7 1985 with just three themed areas - Hanna Babera Land, Medieval Fair and Goldrush. 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. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. It hadfamous waterslides that twisted across each other, and other rides such as dodgem cars, mini golf, a carousel, an alligator-themed roller- coaster and a video game arcade. Jamberoo bucks trend At the time, the park hadthe largest water-slide setup in the southern hemisphere. "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. "It was devastating to see Wonderland close down because of how much fun it brought people over the years. 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. 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. . Leisureland Fair The Bush Beast was identical in layout to the Wild Beast at Canada's Wonderland and Grizzly at Kings Dominion. Wonderland Sydney was a theme park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Removed in 2000. ``We had 91,000 visitors over December and January, compared to 81,500 last year and 79,600 the year before." Some amusementparks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. Lots of money, Jewellery and Mobile phones.Most of the rides still on site where removed. 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). Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. Rebase Market Carnage: TIME Slips 61%, Wonderland Admin Allegedly Co 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. He found these particularly fascinating, and has even applied some of the technological principles to his own tech business. 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. Lost Sydney: Seven Theme Parks That Made Our Childhoods Started Friday at 03:54 AM, By DECEMBER 14, 2004The Demon lift was taken down. It has a Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure attraction specifically based on the Hollywood blockbuster series which uses trackless technology allowing the ship to freely move. Attractions included a waterslide, chairlift, double-decker carousel, plane ride and giant cargo nets. Just 14 years ago, Sydneys Wonderland was filled with the screeching of roller-coasters, the scent of dagwood dogs and the laughter and excitement of schoolkids spending their pocket money at Australias most loved theme park. 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. 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. Retail Plaza Marvel Spider-Man dome Removal 2004, Wonderland Items at Valley View Park Horse Riding. 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. We couldnt get the smiles off our faces, he said of the visit. Author: Kathy Mac Dermott One of the pioneers of Wonderland and now chairman of Macquarie Leisure, Neil Balnaves, said the park's vendor, Sunway City Berhad, had not invested any money into the complex during its eight years of ownership. January 2005ING now own the park outright, all the rides should have been removed and demoliton well under way but everything is still delayed. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie' and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were demolished. March 10, 2004 in Theme Park Discussion, I have found a couple of articles which give a far more accurate account of why Wonderland is closing and the deceptiveness behind it. In 2004, the theme park closed its doors. Display as a link instead, WORLDS of Wonder is destined to propel Western Sydney to the nation's top theme park destination, knocking off the Gold Coast. There's not too many attractions you can add that will ultimately effect this demographic. 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. The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Bullens African Lion Safari in Rockbank also operated during this time and, much like Ashtons. 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. Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. 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. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. 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. Beasties two blue PTC Trains under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. The budget supermarket chain has done it again, sparking a frenzy over its latest Special Buys just in time for the holidays. Don't have an account? Dreamworld did well to counter this with very well times thrill and family attractions. Many of the attractions were demolished after the parks closure. Crowd pleasers Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Your Rating. "I think most people in Western Sydney formed an attachment with the place," Watts told BuzzFeed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Wonderland City - Wikipedia The Bush Beast Roller Coaster . Wonderland Sydney officially closed. 'Funnel Web' opened in 1985, and removed in 1990. Waterslides, astro spin, dry slides . Sydneys Wonderland revamp gets $1 billion funding. Also interesting to read about Jamberoo and Magic Mountain - a great example of the difference between capital and no capital expenditure. 27/04/04 - Laughter turns to tears as sun sets on Wonderland, 23/07/04 - Family seeks theme park ticket refund. [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]. However, media lambasted the company for using those as scapegoats for poor management. Sydney's Last Real Theme Park - The History of Wonderland Sydney 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 . Sydney electrician Dave Naylor made a similar visit, Aussie travel predictions will surprise you, Familys plea months after climbers death. Speaking to Nine News at the time, Mr Naylor said visiting the site brought back memories he had as a child.