12 February 2004ING Industrial Fund teamed up with The PacLib Group to buy wonderland.Hartford Lane Pty Ltd entered into a Put and Call Option Deed with Paclib Industrial Pty Ltd to dispose off Wonderland Sydney, the land measuring 58.87 hectares (Lot 11, Plan 1025320) and buildings, structures and theme park rides thereon for a total of $52.5 million AUD, excluding Goods and Services Tax, paying $10 million at exchange and the balance payable on settlement in January 2005.Hartford Lane Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern Glory Enterprises Ltd.Hartford being the Trustee of Sunway Australia Unit Trust , the registered owner of the Property. Amidst record attendance set as a result of the announcement of the closure, Wonderland says goodbye. ``We compete pretty hard with them so we expect to pick up (group bookings) Christmas parties, school excursions. Tweet. "I guess it felt like I had a certain amount of closure by being able to climb The Beastie this one final time, it being the first roller-coaster I ever went on as a child.". At its peak the amusement park featured 24 rides across five themed sections. Demolition Time Line | Wonderland History 03/12/05 - Bush Beast's resting place revealed. Similar to a scaled-down Chair-O-Planes, riders were instead seated in two-seater 'flying boats'. Summer holiday (Dec - Jan) figures: People are not travelling overseas and Macquarie Leisure has been able to tap into this to bolster its domestic visits. ``I don't understand (Wonderland) suggesting SARS is to blame. 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 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. parks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. Wonderland relied on I believe about 25% of its attendance from international guests. The site is now mostly occupied by Riverside Oaks golf. It really was gone, he said. "I climbed up to the top of the lift hill [an upward sloping section of track] of The Beastie to take some photos and get a better idea of the devastation of the park," Watts said. 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. 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. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. Technology has changed so drastically between decades, he said. 2002-03: 81,500 That changed over the years to include Botany . The business had just invested $250,000 on a crocodile exhibit, he said. Wonderland (TIME) has lost 96.4% of its value since tapping a $10,063 ATH three months ago. BuzzFeed Staff, Australia. A parachute would then allow riders to slowly descend to the ground. 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. 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. See also How Much Self-Employed Income Do You Have To Report Canada? Luna Park, Scarborough Beachopened in 1939 and closed after 33 years of operation. This all comes from marketing pretty much. DECEMBER 18 2004The Wonderland Sign above the front gate was taken down and sold for $1,000 to a Junkyard in Londonderry. 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. By The park, aimed primarily at younger children, featured a static Bell helicopter plus a chopper-themedWhirliebird monorail, golf course, trampolines and several food and drink kiosks. Strongline Engineering removed the attraction in September 2005 and. Firstly I'd like to say that this is my first post here at themeparkinsider, and that I too am an employee at Wonderland Sydney. September 2004Bush Beast and Beastie carriages where moved from the maintenance area, out to the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoirBush Beasts Yellow PTC Train, minus two cars, under the cover of the stables in the back paddock behind Minchinbury reservoir. 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. But it was so popular I really wanted to explore it. 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". A large inverting, 'Fred Flintstone's Splashdown' opened 1994. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. Wonderland Sydney Proposal - Sydney - WeekendNotes "It's a real disappointment to see an asset of Sydney go like that because of a zoning change out of nowhere," he says. 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 did they decide to close down Wonderland in Sydney? 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. Some amusementparks have managed topersist for decades, but most have sadly shut their doors. Sydney's Wonderland is set to give our Queensland folk, a run for their money. Your link has been automatically embedded. Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. The first thing we saw was the paddleboats and a few old signs to do with ice cream and The Flintstones. The board of directors for CARE Inc., a nonprofit that oversees The Academy at Morgan's Wonderland and The Bridge at Morgan's Wonderland, has decided to close the schools, according to a news release. 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. Yes it does seem like an eternity, but remember you heard it hear, at Weekend . Among the rides to find new homes was The Demon, which served as Wonderland's unofficial flagship attraction for more than a decade. Balnaves dismisses claims that international events including September 11 and SARS drove Wonderland to the wall as "excuses". What did you think of Wonderland Sydney? Wonderland was designed in the late 1970s. The area would also see the opening of Eastern Creek Raceway in 1990 as the Sydney metropolitan area expanded to the west. 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's lack of branding also meant the park could not harness valuable merchandising sales. The Sydney park was immediately closed after the fire and most of the park was demolished. it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. Wonderland is closed forever! Some wouldn't survive. Wonderland Sydney's relegation this week to the theme park scrap heap highlights just how tough the business of selling fun has become. The park haddodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. It was where everyone went; it was just awesome. 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). Wonderland City - Wikipedia A look back at Australias forgotten theme parks. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. Author: By DAVID CRAWSHAW Wobbies World in Melbourne's east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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). Started Thursday at 09:35 PM. Jamberoo Recreation Park visitor numbers: The developers sought to provide an alternative to the troubled Luna Park Sydney, which had opened and closed multiple times in its recent history. Publication: Financial Review 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 . 16 February 2004The Sunway company announced that International Theme Park Pty. 1996. OTHER NEWS: IS THIS LAST DRINKS FOR THE 1:30AM LOCKOUT? The heartbroken family of Matthew Eakin, who died on the K2 in Pakistan, has made a desperate plea for help to retrieve his body. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. Its headline feature was a jungle boat cruise which allowed visitors to pass large concrete dinosaurs, with speakers set into the grass. When it shut its doors to the public in April 2004, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his childhood. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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. Jamberoo bucks trend The New Daily takes a look back at Australias most loved and forgotten theme parks. However, it is still believed to be sitting in pieces in a paddock at the Malaysian theme park. So What The Heck Happened to Wonderland Eurasia? Wonderland Sydney (originally known as Australia's Wonderland), was an amusement park in Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia. Magic Mountain at Gold Coasts Nobbys Beach was built in 1962 and closed in 1991. Pictured is the Big Dipper roller-coaster that was closed after only a year of operation in 1995 after noise complaints by . On several occasions in the period between the park's closure and its demolition, he jumped its fence and roamed the abandoned acreage. 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. By Richard Wilson 26 April 2004 1 Shares. 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. The 19-year-old thrill venue is being bulldozed for a traditional industrial estate, leaving Sydney without a major theme park attraction and Wonderland's Malaysian vendor with a hefty profit from the land sale. This amusement park in Frankston, opened its doors in 1966 and operated for almost 10 years. 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?! Now, new images show how the theme park was left to rot. 1.0 3.0 5.0. Australia's oldest running coal-fired power station is about to close. An "extravagant" project. Richard - the source, author and date for each article are written underneath each of the bold headlines. Before Werribee Zoo, visitors to Ashtons Bacchus Marsh drove through a safari park where lions would latch their paws onto their cars. A spokeswoman for Intamin told nine.com.au the amusement company lost track of the Giant Drop after it was removed from Wonderland. 21 Eerie Photos Of Wonderland Sydney After It Closed - BuzzFeed A Vekoma spokeswoman told nine.com.au that due to the Boomerangs' "thrill factor and a small footprint" it was snapped up by Alabama Splash Adventure in the US where it operated as the Zoomerang for seven years. During his exploration, Mr Van Gerwen discovered remnants of rides and pieces of signage that made up the Wonderland fun. Childhood shattered. 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. 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. "Theme park junkies want more than one theme park experience in their holidays," Cox says. The Western Sydney marvel deemed as "Wonderland" was a world of escape for families for almost 20 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. 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. The park was demolished to make way for what is now the Luna Shopping Centre. Caspers World In Miniature in Stawell, in regional Victoria, was a large tourist fun park which opened in 1976. Photo Wonderland Eurasia. Serendipity Fun Park in Devonport opened in 1988, but closed only 16 months later, after facing financialproblems. In the mid 1990s he said Wonderland was consistently attracting 1 million visitors a year. Far fewer know their real story. 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. 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). Wonderland's demise follows that of the disastrous Fox Studios Backlot theme park, which Lend Lease and News Corp were forced to shut down after less than two years of operation, and the closure of Old Sydney Town. Dazzeland was a two-storey, indoor amusement park occupying the top floor of the Myer Centre in Rundle Mall, Adelaide. To join the conversation, please Wonderland Sydney | Theme Park (Sydney, Australia) 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. 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. However, media lambasted the company for using those as, 'Celebration of unity': Thousands create history during WorldPride march, Reports indicating Stalin was murdered hidden for decades, WorldPride grand finale: Incredible show of unity for history-making march. 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.