Old Sydney Town facts for kids
Old Sydney Town was a special outdoor museum and theme park in Somersby, Australia. It was on the New South Wales Central Coast. This park was open from 1975 until 2003. It showed what life was like in Sydney when it was first settled by Europeans in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Today, the place is used to film movies and TV shows.
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History of Old Sydney Town
Old Sydney Town was created by an architect named Frank Fox. He got help from the Federal Government (the main government for all of Australia) and a bank called the Bank of New South Wales.
A famous historian named Robert Irving helped a lot with the research for Old Sydney Town. He worked with Frank Fox before any buildings were even put up. Robert Irving was a teacher at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He gathered a team to find out how the old buildings should look. The goal was to make everything look exactly like it did before Governor Macquarie's time.
Students Help Build the Town
Something really cool happened when the park was being built! First-year architecture students from UNSW helped build the very first buildings. All 130 students worked in groups. They researched their chosen buildings, made small models, and figured out what materials they needed. They even learned simple building skills.
Then, the students camped at the site for two weeks. They built 13 buildings, learning how to lay bricks, use mud and sticks (called wattle-and-daub), and put on roofs made of wood or straw. They built things just like the convicts did back then. One interesting building was Bennelong's Hut. It was the first private brick building in Sydney. Workers later finished what the students couldn't. This was a great learning experience for everyone!
Building More of the Town
The research team kept working to find out more about the town. They looked into how the land should look, what decorations were used, what furniture people had, what clothes they wore, and what food they ate. Frank Fox and his sons led the building work. They built the entrance area, called Heritage Hall, and more buildings like the first pub and restaurant. Some buildings, like the jail and the church, were never fully finished. A windmill was almost done but never opened to visitors.
Old Sydney Town officially opened on 26 January 1975. The Prime Minister at the time, Gough Whitlam, was there for the opening.
Changes and Closure
After a few years, a private company took over running the park. During its time, about 6 million people visited Old Sydney Town.
In 1994 and 1995, the park was used to film parts of the TV show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. It was used as a place called "colonial Angel Grove." The ABC also filmed a documentary for schools there.
Old Sydney Town closed to the public in 2003. The people running the park said that kids today prefer computer games and exciting rides. They thought kids weren't as interested in walking through history.
What Happened Next
After closing, the park was rented out for movie filming. In 2012, people from the Central Coast started a group to try and reopen the park. In 2013, a newspaper reported that Frank Fox's family was talking about bringing the town back to life.
Sadly, in February 2014, a fire destroyed Heritage Hall, the main entrance building. Many old items and important papers stored there were lost. Firefighters worked hard to put out the fire.
In May 2018, the park was sold for $15 million to a company called World Cultural Tourism Village. This company has built many projects around the world. They plan to build a new Old Sydney Town, but it will be half the size of the old one. They also plan to expand the Sydney Reptile Park, add public outdoor spaces, a shopping village, a hotel, and homes. They want to have water activities and conservation areas too.
As of April 2020, the company was working on getting permission to change how the land can be used. There is no date yet for when construction might start or when the park might reopen.
Attractions at Old Sydney Town
The town was designed to look like Sydney in 1803, based on an old map. It had over 30 buildings that were rebuilt to look just like the originals. The park closed exactly 200 years after the 1803 Sydney it recreated.
Visitors could see and do many things, such as:
- "Sydney Cove" - a recreation of Sydney Harbour.
- Soldiers marching in parades.
- Loud cannons firing.
- Pistol and sword fights.
- Convict rebellions.
- A magistrate's court (where legal cases were heard).
- Convict punishments (shown in a safe way).
- Rides on bullocks (male cows) and horse-drawn wagons.
- Shops selling handmade crafts.
- A kiosk, tea shop, and barbecue areas.
You can find more information about the park's history and research in the Mitchell Library and the Gosford City Council Local Studies Library.
