Manly Fun Pier facts for kids

The Manly Fun Pier was a fun amusement park located on a pier in Manly, New South Wales, Australia. It was open for many years, from 1931 until it closed in 1989.

History of the Fun Pier

The Manly Fun Pier started out as a place for cargo ships in the 1850s. This was at Manly Cove. In 1927, the cargo wharf closed down.

Just a few years later, in 1931, it reopened as the Manly Amusement Pier. It was promoted with a catchy saying: "Built for fun in 31!"

Over the years, the Fun Pier was updated several times. A big renovation happened in 1980 and 1981.

The pier was eventually taken down in the late 1980s. This happened when the passenger wharf was made bigger and rebuilt in 1989. A new building opened in 1990. It even had an amusement center in its basement. This center was run by an American company called TILT.

The amusement center closed when the wharf was rebuilt again in 2000.

Exciting Attractions

When the Fun Pier was updated in 1980 and 1981, it had many cool attractions. Here are some of the things you could enjoy:

• Shark aquarium: The entrance to this aquarium looked like a giant shark's mouth!
• Dodgems: These were bumper cars where you could crash into your friends.
• Ghost train: This spooky ride had a special door. As the train got close, the door would open to the water. This made riders feel like they were about to fall into the ocean!
• Wax museum: Here, you could see lifelike wax figures.
• Fun castle: A playful area to explore.
• Ferris Wheel: A classic ride that gave you great views.
• Merry-go-round: A spinning ride with horses and other animals.
• The Octopus ride: A ride with arms that went up and down, like an octopus.
• The Space-Walk ride: An exciting ride that made you feel like you were walking in space.
• Miniature Crazy train ride: A small, fun train ride.
• Tumbling house and slide: A wobbly house with a slide.
• The Mexican Whip ride: A fast, spinning ride.
• Mirror Maze: If you made it through this tricky maze, you would get a medal!