Fantasy Glades facts for kids

Fantasy Glades was a small theme park that operated until April 28, 2002, in Port Macquarie, Australia. The park was open for 35 years in its lovely rainforest setting. It was a popular spot for families with children.

History

Fantasy Glades first opened its doors in 1968. It was started by George and Rosemary Whitaker. In 1986, the park was sold to The Spry family and Brian Hutchinson. They ran the park until it closed in 2002.

Some of the park's rides and attractions were later bought by Tony Williams. He had plans to open a new park in a different spot. However, this idea seems to have stopped around 2006.

Fantasy Glades was located at 44 Parklands Close in Port Macquarie. In 2008, the land where the park stood became available to buy. Shane and Karen Hay from Queensland bought the property in 2009. They hoped to reopen the park in the future. This depended on getting permission from the local council and having enough money.

In 2015, Jeff Crowe bought the Fantasy Glades site. He is currently working to fix it up. His goal is to create new, eco-friendly places for tourists to stay in the Port Macquarie area.

The cover of the band Jagwar Ma's first album, 'Howlin'', shows Jono Ma and his brother Dave Ma in front of the park's famous Dragon.

Fun Attractions

Fantasy Glades had many cool and magical attractions. Here are some of the things you could see and do:

Dragon at Fantasy Glades, before the park closed

• Cinderella's Castle – This was a big pink castle. Inside, you could walk through and see scenes from the Cinderella story. Life-size figures were behind glass windows. You could press a button to light up and move each scene. One special scene showed Cinderella's dress changing from rags to a beautiful ball gown. The walk-through went upstairs, and you could even look out over the park from the castle walls. A train ride also passed through an arched tunnel in a side part of the castle.
• Witch's Cottage – This wooden house was added later. You looked through a large glass wall into a room full of cobwebs. When you pressed a button, things would move and make sounds. The witch stirred her cauldron, and spiders moved up and down. It was funny, but a bit spooky for some younger kids!
• Snow White Diamond Mine – This was a large walk-through mine. It had many animated scenes that told the story of Snow White and the seven dwarves. Some parts were lit with special black-light, while others were bright. The moving figures were simple but well made.
• Snow White Cottage – This was a tiny copy of the house where Snow White and the Seven Dwarves lived. Downstairs was the kitchen and living room. Upstairs was the bedroom. It was sized for children, but adults could go inside too if they ducked their heads.
• Crooked House – This attraction was added later. It was based on the story of the crooked man. It was amazing because no wall or post inside was straight! Upstairs, walls would wobble, and painters on ladders would sway. The floor was also at different angles. Downstairs, you could see yourself in funny, distorting mirrors.
• Wishing Well – A classic spot to make a wish.
• Monorail – This was a later addition. It was a people-powered monorail that went through the rainforest. Each car held two people. You had to push and pull to make it move.
• Dinosaurs – These were large dinosaur sculptures located near Cinderella Castle.
• Dragon – This was a big pink dragon. Its eyes would flash, and it would spray water and smoke from its nose at people walking by. It also made a loud sound. Sensors made it come to life when someone got close.
• Coin-powered Cars – These small cars were for children to ride around a paved area. You could operate them by putting in a 20-cent coin.
• Old Woman's Shoe – This was a huge red shoe, about 3 meters tall. It was like the one from the nursery rhyme There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. Children could play inside it.
• Train – This electric road train went around the entire theme park in a loop.
• Miniature Chapel – This was a tiny stone church. It was a real church and sometimes hosted weddings. Organ music played inside, and the stained-glass window at the back was lit up. It was next to Snow White Cottage. Like the cottage, children could easily enter, but adults had to duck.
• Hansel and Gretel – A display behind a glass window showed scenes from the story.
• Humpty Dumpty – A large figure of Humpty Dumpty. When you pressed a button, he would fall backward off his wall.
• Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother's House – This scene showed the big bad wolf dressed as grandma in bed.
• Kiddies Corner – This was a later addition. It had a selection of coin-operated rides, like those you might see in a shopping mall.
• Wildlife Park – This area had animals like goats, kangaroos, and emus.
• Golden Goose – A goose that laid a golden egg.
• Hickory Dickory Dock – A grandfather clock where a mouse would slowly climb up. The clock hands would spin. When the mouse reached the top, the clock would strike one, and the mouse would run down.
• Jack in the Box – Press a button, and he would pop out!
• The Mouse House – This was a small cave-like house with a cat painted on it. Inside were moving robot mice, like musical mice, fishing mice, and dancing mice. They were adult-sized and behind a glass screen. When you pressed a button, the mice would move or sing.
• Dungeon – Around the back of Cinderella's Castle was a scary wooden door. It had a small window with a sign that said "Look if you dare." When you pulled a lever, the window opened. You could look through the bars into a creepy, dark dungeon. It was full of cobwebs, and many things moved when you pulled the lever.
• Doll Room – A room filled with a collection of beautiful, detailed dolls from all over the world.
• Musical Piano Wall – A wall with piano keys you could touch to make music.
• The Three Bears Cottage/Blinky Bill's House – A small house themed after these stories.
• Various Little Mushrooms – Small mushroom shapes you could sit under.
• Crocodile Bridge – A bridge with a giant crocodile underneath it.
• Pirates Corner – A spot near the coin-operated cars with pirate-themed games, like lifting gold out of a well.
• Jack and the Beanstalk – Press a button to watch Jack chop the beanstalk and the goose lay a golden egg.