Wonderland Sydney facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | Eastern Creek, New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°48′04″S 150°50′51″E / 33.80119°S 150.84754°E |
| Opened | 7 December 1985 |
| Closed | 26 April 2004 |
| Owner |
|
| Slogan |
|
| Operating season | All year round |
| Area | 219 hectares |
| Attractions | |
| Total | Approx. 24 at peak |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
Wonderland Sydney was a super fun amusement park located in Eastern Creek, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was first called Australia's Wonderland.
The park officially opened in December 1985. It was opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran. Wonderland Sydney was the biggest amusement park in the southern hemisphere at that time. It stayed open for more than 18 years. For most of its time, it was the top theme park in New South Wales until it closed in 2004.
Contents
Discovering Wonderland Sydney's History
Wonderland Sydney, which was then known as Australia's Wonderland, opened with lots of excitement on December 7, 1985. It had money from several big companies. The park was built in Eastern Creek, right where Wallgrove Road and the M4 Motorway meet.
The people who built Wonderland wanted to create a new, exciting place. They hoped it would be a great alternative to Luna Park Sydney, which had faced some challenges. Later, in 1990, the Eastern Creek Raceway also opened nearby as Sydney grew bigger towards the west.
Exploring Themed Lands
When Wonderland first opened, it had three cool themed areas:
- Goldrush: This area made you feel like you were in a gold mining town.
- Medieval Faire: This section was like a medieval fair. It was later renamed Old Botany Bay.
- Hanna-Barbera Land: This land was full of rides and attractions based on famous cartoon characters. You could see characters like Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and The Flintstones. This area was later renamed Little Wonders Land in 2001–2002.
The park was designed a lot like Canada's Wonderland, another theme park in Canada. Both parks were built by the same company, Taft Broadcasting, which also owned Hanna-Barbera.
Exciting Rides and Attractions
For many years, the most famous ride at Wonderland was 'The Bush Beast'. This was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia. Wonderland Sydney even said it was the biggest wooden roller coaster in the entire Southern Hemisphere!
Another original ride was 'The Beastie'. This was a smaller version of The Bush Beast. It was perfect for younger riders who wanted a taste of the roller coaster fun. Later, the park added more thrilling rides. These included 'Demon' (in 1992) and 'Space Probe' (in 1995).
Wonderland Sydney kept growing! In 1988, it added a brand new water park called 'The Beach'. While the rest of the park was open all year, The Beach was a seasonal attraction. It closed during the colder winter months. In 1990, the park also opened the 'Australian Wildlife Park'. In 1995, they added 'The Outback Woolshed' and a restaurant.
Who Owned Wonderland Sydney?
In 1992, the company that owned Wonderland, Taft Broadcasting, sold its theme parks to another company called Viacom. These parks were then renamed Paramount Parks. However, Taft only owned a small part of Australia's Wonderland. So, they sold their share to other investors in Australia.
Many of the rides at Australia's Wonderland were similar to rides at other Paramount Parks. For example, 'The Bush Beast' had the same design as the 'Wild Beast' at Canada's Wonderland.
In 1997, the park was sold again to the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Sunway Group. After this, only one new ride was added before the park closed. This ride was called Skyrider. It used to be a cable car at the Sydney Showgrounds.
Why Wonderland Sydney Closed
The park's CEO, Stephen Galbraith, explained that many challenges led to the park's closure. These included global events and local issues like the Iraq War and the 2003 bushfires. These events made it harder for the park to attract enough visitors.
The gates of Wonderland Sydney closed for the very last time on April 26, 2004. This was the day after the Anzac Day public holiday. In September 2005, the park was completely taken down. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks around the world. However, 'The Bush Beast', 'The Beastie', and 'The Snowy River Rampage' were taken apart.
Some parts of the park can still be found today. The big sign at the entrance, which had Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk on it, was sold to a junkyard in Londonderry. The land where the park once stood is now an industrial area called Interchange Park. One of the streets there is still named "Wonderland Drive."
Exciting Rides at Wonderland Sydney
Roller Coasters
- The Beastie (1985–2002): This was a wooden roller coaster designed for younger riders. It was about half the size of 'The Bush Beast'. It was located in the Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land area.
- The Bush Beast (1985): This was a huge 975-meter long wooden roller coaster. It was based on the 'Wild Beast' ride at Canada's Wonderland. It was the tallest wooden roller coaster in the southern hemisphere for many years.
- The Demon (1992): This was a steel roller coaster called a Boomerang. It had been at Expo '88 before coming to Wonderland. After Wonderland closed, this ride was moved to other parks in the US and India.
Amusement Rides
- Antique Autos (1985): You could drive cool, scaled-down Ford Model T cars on a special track.
- Bounty's Revenge (1985): This was a huge pirate ship that swung high and even went upside down! It could hold 50 riders at once.
- Dragon's Flight (1985): A large swing ride, similar to a 'Chair-O-Planes'.
- Fred Flintstone's Splashdown (1994): A fun log flume ride where you'd get splashed!
- HMS Endeavour (1985): This ride was originally called Sea Demon. It was moved in 1990.
- Jousting Ring (1985): A classic dodgem hall where you could bump into other cars.
- Little Monsters Flying School (1985): Originally named Dastardly's Flying Circus.
- Snowy River Rampage (1985): A 960-meter River Rapid ride. You'd sit in a big raft and float down a winding river with water cannons.
- Space Probe (1995): This was a thrilling drop tower ride. Riders were lifted high up, then dropped suddenly, giving a feeling of freefall!
- Tasmanian Devil (1985): A large spinning ride that would tilt and spin so fast that riders would be almost parallel to the ground.
- Wizard's Fury (1985): This ride came from Kings Island. It was a long train that spun around a circular track, going through a building with steep ups and downs.
- Zodiac (1989): This was a double Ferris wheel with 24 gondolas. It could lift riders up to 58 meters high!
There was also a miniature golf course called Top Cat's Putt Putt Park.
Some rides closed in 2002 because the park decided to make its operational area smaller. Visitors were told that the rides would be moved closer together. Some were moved, but others were taken apart.
Fun Shows at Wonderland Sydney
Wonderland Sydney also had many exciting shows for visitors to enjoy.
- Blinky Bill (2004) – This was the final show performed at the park.
- Millennium Magic (1999–2004) – A magic show by Tony & Juleen Laffan.
- Action Man Lives (2001)
- Tooheys Tall Ship – Pirate Show (1985–2000)
- Hanna-Barbera Gala Celebrity Night (1997)
- Magic Spectacular (1992–1993) – Featuring Timothy Hyde & The Amazing Lynda.
- Fireworks – There were fireworks every Saturday night and during school holidays!
- Solid Gold (1985–1986) – This was one of the first shows when the park opened.
Will Wonderland Sydney Return?
A property developer named Ammar Khan, who used to work at Wonderland Sydney, has shared plans to build a new amusement park. He wants to call it Sydney’s Wonderland. He has been looking for money to make this happen since 2009.
The plans for the new park include a water park, a wildlife park, and the return of the "Wonderland" theme. While Khan doesn't have a specific location yet, he hopes it will be around Eastern Creek or Hoxton Park. He believes it would take about three years to build the new park. In September 2015, the proposal received a big financial boost from a group of investors.
Images for kids
-
Wonderland Sydney logo
-
Logo when the park was known as Australia's Wonderland, used from its foundation in 1985 until 1997.
