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. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie' and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were demolished. "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.". Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Disneyland closed its gates for a national day of mourning on November 23, 1963, marking the first unplanned closure unrelated to weather in its history. 'Wizard's Fury' opened 1985. Tweet. Drowning, 08/05/85 - The frame goes up for new coaster, 26/04/85 - Whoosh - and up she goes (Bush Beast), 16/07/85 - Wonderland Rises up from Suburbia, 15/08/85 - Hair-raising Beastie is ready to roll, 28/08/86 - It's as exciting as Disneyland, 19/09/86 - Why Wonderland is riding the J-Curve, 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers, 11/09/92 - Life's Ups And Downs Can Send You Loopy, 28/03/97 - Australia's Wonderland sold for $50m, 01/07/97 - Kelair keeps the rides running, 24/07/97 - Wonderland hosts feast of country music, 31/01/98 - Scooby's life not all happy snaps, 08/04/99 - Tie ends `Whirl till you Hurl'. People are not travelling overseas and Macquarie Leisure has been able to tap into this to bolster its domestic visits. Sydney's Wonderland theme park at Eastern Creek is to close. The professional gardener said the site is still filled with rotting material, with some parts of the land holding more debris than he expected. Wobbies World in Melbournes east opened in 1970 and closed in 1999. But finally, in 2004, persistent losses incurred and difficult market conditions saw the theme park shut its doors for the last time. 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. 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. it had had lions, tigers, bears, elephants and giraffes. Wonderland was an Aussie theme park that created fond memories for many kids of the '80s and '90s. It was an institution for many, and a hotspot during school holidays. 2003-04: 91,000 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 featured dolphin shows, similar to Sea World at the time, and closed due to financial issues. While few probably still play this game or even heard of it, it was one of the few turn based MMORPGs out there. July 3 2004The Demon was completing several cycles.Snowy river rampage geysers where operating.Aug 7 2004The space probe and the demon were operating and the guysers on the snowy river rampage where going off. The park opened in 1991 and closed in 1998. "Overall the theme park industry is in great shape," he says. 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. By Richard Wilson 26 April 2004 1 Shares. IS THIS LAST DRINKS FOR THE 1:30AM LOCKOUT? by Anna Mendoza. 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. Despite the ride being 23 years old, it was sold again in 2011 to Wonderla in India where it took on its fourth name, Recoil and is still operational to this day. "It was devastating to see Wonderland close down because of how much fun it brought people over the years. 'Little Monsters Flying School' opened in 1985 as Dastardly's Flying Circus. Your link has been automatically embedded. Among the rides to find new homes was The Demon, which served as Wonderland's unofficial flagship attraction for more than a decade. All this mess with lawsuits to play out helped cause the lateness of the approvals to demo rest of the park which then caused heat for a certain ex-Wonderland CEO. 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. We are all aware of Sea World, Dreamworld and Movieworld. I don't think anything will surprise you though, most of us were aware of what has been going on for some time. On several occasions in the period between the park's closure and its demolition, he jumped its fence and roamed the abandoned acreage. "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.". The main attraction was its four water slides, particularly during the hot Adelaide summers. 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. down the monasteries! Warner Village have been a bit slow on the uptake (and some badly timed attractions and aquisitions targeting international guests didn't help), but they're pretty well back. 15/06/91 - Holiday fun with famous Wrestlers; 1992. Plans for the park include a water park, a wildlife park and the return of the Wonderland. "It was basically a 'wear-out' process," he says. He was a regular visitor. 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. in 2020 , leaving a strong feeling . "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. The beauty of the SARS et al excuses is that they are actually quite true. Marvel characters - Never produced Wonderpass and staff ID cards. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. 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). Started February 23, By By Later that year it was shipped to Sydney and installed in 1992 where it was re-christened The Demon. The budget supermarket chain has done it again, sparking a frenzy over its latest Special Buys just in time for the holidays. Wonderland will shut its doors on April 26. Luna Park, Glenelg, operated from 1930 until 1935. With China's rise and democracy's decline, what will the global order look like in 2050? 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. Closed in 1990 to make way for the Australian Wildlife Park. Wonderland Sydney officially closed. 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. Australia's forgotten theme parks hold unforgettable memories for visitors. 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. 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. A new 'veloway' is welcome news for Melbourne's cyclists. Speaking to Nine News at the time, Mr Naylor said visiting the site brought back memories he had as a child. 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. The park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Bounty's Revenge was dismantled and sent to Sunway Lagoon. Wonderland was designed in the late 1970s. DECEMBER 18 2004The Wonderland Sign above the front gate was taken down and sold for $1,000 to a Junkyard in Londonderry. What we have available now is on such a different level.. Perhaps put more eloquently than Daniel, but yeah, there was really nothing there that is terribly new. TBoy It was sad to look out and see there really was nothing left of it. Urban Estate Developments Pty Ltd owner Ammar Khan said a Badgerys Creek site would be the best location for Worlds of Wonderland. Started Friday at 03:54 AM, By At the time, the park hadthe largest water-slide setup in the southern hemisphere. ``I'm saddened by (the closure) because I don't like it to be happening to the industry," he said. Symbio Wildlife Gardens owner John Radnidge said international tourism had fallen in the past few years but domestic tourism was up. All times AEDT (GMT +11). This all comes from marketing pretty much. Your Rating. But I am glad that some of the rides have managed to survive," Ammar Khan, who operated rides at the park for nine years told nine.com.au. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Some of the rides were moved, but others were scrapped. During Mr Van Gerwens recent voyage to the wasteland, he documented the condition of six paddle boats from Magilla Gorillas Floatillas, plastic water slide tubing, piles of wooden planks possibly from the Wizards Fury train ride, parts of the Fred Flintstones Splashdown sign and the carcass of an old water raft. Owners say the threat of terrorism, coupled with skyrocketing insurance premiums, SARS and the Asian bird flu have all taken their toll . 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. Due to a lower-than-expected attendance and repeated financial losses, the park closed in November 2000. ``We compete pretty hard with them so we expect to pick up (group bookings) Christmas parties, school excursions. The Western Sydney marvel deemed as "Wonderland" was a world of escape for families for almost 20 years. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. Some wouldn't survive. 19/09/86 - Why Wonderland is riding the J-Curve; 1991. In 2017, amateur filmmaker Phil Van Gerwen decided to take a trip down memory lane, and venture to the site where rides have been dumped following the parks demise. The park, aimed primarily at younger children, featured a static Bell helicopter plus a chopper-themed Whirliebird monorail, golf course, trampolines and several food and drink kiosks. More than often new trains and improvements to keep the ride up-to-date are recommended," a spokeswoman said. The park opened in 1999 and featured a $26 million Titanic walk-through attraction based on James Camerons film. Unlike the rest of the park, which remained open year-round, The Beach was a seasonal attraction which closed during the winter months (JuneSeptember). The park included the Big Dipper roller-coaster,mini golf, ice cream kiosk and a miniature railway. The park opened in 1970 and closed by 1980, it was run by the Ashton family, of Ashtons Circus fame. Sydney is on track to reopen a wonderful memory in our West. . dodgem cars, a roller-coaster, an arcade, mini-golf, bumper boats and gravity-defying ride called The Scat. Display as a link instead, Watts, 42, and friends have built an online community to celebrate Wonderland, with the Wonderland History website and a Facebook group. The articles may make some of you even more angry but they are well worth a read. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The site is now mostly occupied by Riverside Oaks golf. Id only been to Wonderland once before as a kid and I can barely remember it, he told news.com.au. August 22, 2005Demolition is allowed to continue only in Gold Rush, this is because Probe and Zodaic have not been removed. The Broken Hill Mill Games Arcade in Gold Rush was dismantled and taken off site by its new owner. 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. DECEMBER 15, 2004The Snower River Rampage Station, Conveyor and Plant room where destroyed. 2002-03: 81,500 The park included a steel roller-coaster, waterslides and log flume. [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. 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. Built in 1985 in Sydney's west, it was a good enough local substitute for . April 28, 2004"Wonderland IS CLOSED" sgin in the carpark.