The company who did the Waterworks actually built three of them: Manly, Mount Druitt and Cairns. All three had the similar 4 enclosed slides and were built in 1980/81. Cairns in the 80’s didn’t have much for us kids to do and going to the Waterworks was the greatest.
The best thing about these types of slides is that the water could be blocked at the top by a few people and their mats sitting side by side, creating a dam. Then when the water was high enough everyone would launch into the slide. You and ten mates and a torrent of water with arms and legs going everywhere. You could get pretty beat up, especially when you hit the ‘big’ corner on the fastest slide.
The Cairns Waterworks closed in about 1988 to make way for an office tower but the slides themselves were relocated to Sugarworld, a small park in the Cairns suburbs next to a sugar mill. They lasted until 2010 when they were removed due to rusting steel supports. The fibreglass slides were offered for sale for $22 000.
Unfortunately the slides at Sugarworld were replaced by modern but low capacity open air flumes and a four person racer. That was the great thing about the old slides, high capacity and a crap load of fun, not to mention barely enforced safety rules. The good old days I guess.