Park Visit

[Bussy]

You will not get any decent photos from Red Rooster on the M4 unless you want a pic of the top on Bush Beast, Space Probe and the very top of Demon's lift. Also if you go into the car park you will get the top of Space Probe, Bounty's and again the top of Demon's lift. You can see the crane that is removing the bits of track but it is through trees so it’s difficult to get photos. "The Bus is now leaving for Red Rooster Yard, South Australia"

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

So we arrived at the park at about 9.30. met up with my contact, and came into the administration building. all of the office cubicles etc have been ripped out and relocated to the training room, and the office floor is covered with an assortment of junk from the park. old floodlights, cash registers, stuffed toys, framed pictures and other paraphernalia. We took a tour upstairs to the executive offices, where there is more framed pictures etc etc. lots of old black and white photos of the park, and canada's wonderland (the park Sydney was based on). lots of other posters from years gone by litter the floor all over the place. (for those interested, they have a slice of timber log, with the original Australia's Wonderland logo burned into it... its nice but i wasn't prepared to buy it.) Then we took a tour out into the park. A lot of backstage fencing has been removed on the way up to the park entrance at the front gates. As we walk into international village (or botany bay) all of the chairs and tables have been removed outside bounty burgers, and the roof has been removed off the bounty's revenge side of the food outlet. The fountain is drained, the paving has lots of weeds growing through it, and a lot of the pavers have been removed, with removal still underway in transylvania, with pallet upon pallet of pavers stacked up ready to be removed. Bounty's revenge still stands, and we walked up to the lake. now fully drained (maybe a small pool in the bottom from rain) but the lake for those interested is about 6 metres deep in the middle, and it drops sharply at the sides. Lakeside has been completely demolished, all chairs and tables gone, and the piers over the water are gone. all of the signage has fallen apart and is sitting on the bottom of the lake in pieces. As we walk up along "IV" toward dodgems, the carousel space is now just a plain concrete slab. all of the skill games have been stripped bare. Entering Transylvania, it is strange not to have the "creature" growling from its tunnel. more weeds, and the grass in the gardens has overgrown. it is from here we got our first close up view of Demon, undergoing demolition. the "demon" gates are closed, with all sorts of safety and contruction signs posted on it. two cranes are around the ride, and the entire boomerang is now removed. both lift hills remain standing, the 3rd loop, and the drop from the boomerang is still up there, so the drop looks like an evil hook just sticking up in the middle of the sky. We could not go inside of probe, but the only thing that has changed there is the pre-show tv's have been removed. Heading up towards HBL, the pathway is covered in dirt and muck from all the trucks going up and down. Zodiac, contrary to popular belief, is holding up well. it is still completely intact, however is completely level due to the equalisation of the hydraulic fluids. all gondola's are still complete. Galaxy Theatre - Tony Laffan's old home, is in a shambles. the marquee has fallen down everywhere, the roof has collapsed. we took a tour of the stage areas, including the secret trap doors, the tiger-run, dressing rooms etc. The rest of HBL have fallen apart. the only rides still within HBL was Beastie and Skyrider. all of the shops, outlets, etc we pathetic. grass, dirt and garbage were everywhere. the magic tree theatre still stands, although looks slightly worse for the wear. Dragon's flight having been removed prior to the park closure, nothing has changed here. still a big empty concrete slab. "planes" as most people know them, have been removed from transylvania, and captain cavemans clippers (galleon's graveyard) was in the process of being torn down during our visit. Action Arena has no seats, walls, fences or anything else, however the oriignal building housing the dressing rooms etc are still there. Although we had some photos posted recently on the state of the park, "Balloons" has disappeared. Endeavour is dismantled, but still remains on its original site in pieces. tassie devil's site is still as was at closure. the bakery is all boarded up with pretty much anything they could find, including old signage etc. the skill games in goldrush are torn down, some without even a roof. the blacksmith's shed still stands, and still has a few items here and there. old time photos has its velveteen drapes, a piano, some coathangers, and thats about it. the arcade is a shell, the remote controlled boats have been drained, although most of the facades are still there, but all the controller units etc are gone. the heli-tours building, which used to be a retail gift shop, and before that who knows is levelled. nothing but a concrete slab. the eating areas in goldrush have been levelled, no chairs, tables, or roofs. Ampol's Antique Autos still stands as is, with cars still on the tracks, however the entire ride has been purchased. Skyrider still stands in goldrush as well. all of the games down the bottom of goldrush are standing, but nothing is there, and the arcade building has been levelled. Snowy River Rampage could still be operated in its current condition. everything is in readiness, and it appears the pumps and all the rest of its associated equipment are intact. the control panel has gotten a little filthy, but looks ok. the holding lake for snowy has NOT been drained. Bush Beast also still stands, but as with a previous post somewhere, the trains have been moved out to the back of the property. The Beach walkway, from bush beast to the pool area used to have pine poles lining it as a fence. these have been cut off at ground level to allow vehicles easier maneuvering in and out. the beach pools are stagnant, with all sorts of things in the pool themselves. there are no shade sails or anything still up, and all of the palm trees etc have been removed. Maintenance around the back of the beach is littered with parts of rides, although Tassie Devil has been removed from the maintenance area. There is a mould for the plates of the space probe shell, and some carousel items that were HB themed such as jabberjaw, yogi, scooby etc. the only thing in the whole park that looked like it was in decent condition was the garbage disposal unit out the back of maintenance, which was a brand new cleanaway compactor. On our return to admin, I took a trip down memory lane by walking down through into wardrobe and the lockers. i came across bits and pieces of operaitonal paperwork littered across the floor. So all in all, i cannot describe how I felt going through the park one last time. I was happy that i got to see it again before it was levelled, but sad to see what it had become. out of my visit, i picked up - assorted park brochures, maps, blank tickets, french fry boxes and fast food paper bags, hat pins, badges, keyrings, magnets, drink bottles, posters from 2004, and posters from 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1990, and also one circa 1994. thimbles, photo frames, as well as the "demon ride photo" frames, hats, flags, pennants, a few stock photos from 1986 or thereabouts, and overhead black and white photo from 85 of HBL in its original state, stickers, bottle openers, as well as the old style 1 litre glass Coke bottles used on one of the skill games - these are collectors items! as well as all sorts of little bits and pieces. i picked up a couple of promotional videos the park used to have, from way back in its original days to current, the park music cd, and a lot of memories. I will always remember Wonderland Sydney..... ....but i would prefer to remember it as Australia's Wonderland, build by Kings Entertainment company in conjunction with Paramount, based on canada's wonderland, and funded partly by the New South Wales government. Whilst I am appreciative of the opportunity to tour the park prior to its closure, I am still dismayed at the decision Sunway made to close the park. I do sincerely hope that in the near future, someone else will come along and build a world class theme park here in sydney, and have the backing and the determination to keep it running for many years to come, while still holding firm to the traditional values like those so instilled by the original management of Australia's Wonderland, rather than a money hoarding corporation that only cares about its bottom line. Theres a world i'd like to live in, A World I'd like to see, Where theres too much fun, for everyone, and thats where I Wanna be. Wouldn't It Be Wonderful, If the World Was Wonderland? Rest In Peace - 1985 - 2004 19 years of memories 19 years of fun

[joz]

Very moving, heres to hoping that doesn't happen on the Gold Coast (only 70 years until SW's lease is up). Thanks for the taking the time to keep us posted Alex.

[SeanM]

AlexB, Thanks for the very informative information. Cheers Sean

[Jobe]

Yes Alex B you are to be applauded. A very moving piece indeed..I felt I was almost there with you......great stuff!! Who has purchased Antique Autos??? Do you have any other information on who has purchased the other rides???(Endeavour, Galleons, Balloons,Planes)?? Also to my knowledge Tassie Devil was relocated to Malaysia,so is this true or is it only partial remains left at the Wonderland site..?? Any info on what is happening with Space Probe,Bounty's Revenge SnowyRiver or Bush Beast or Beastie?? Thanks again... Cheers Jobe

[T-bone]

Thank you Very much Alex. I will always Remember Wonderland. And even though it doesn't compare to any other Theme Park, i still loved it. Heres to Wonderland, and never loosing any of the Wonderful times we have had in the park.

[dr_teeth]

Sounds amazing (but sad). Hart to picture what it actually looks like now. Alex you mentioned that you got a lot a photos, maps etc...any chance of you scanning them and posting them up???

[steve$]

It would have been amazing in two ways,amazing to see what it had become and amazing to see behind the scenes of a closed theme park

[Guest galbraith]

Wouldn't you rather have obviously your extremely fond memories, as your last memories of the park? Not a dilapidated **** hole months after it closed?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

ok ill try and answer everything. firstly, everyone is most welcome for the info. I honestly did it for myself rather than anyone else, but to share is a better thing. Joz, i certainly hope so too, it would be a shame if they closed down... Jobe, i have no idea about the identity of the persons who have purchased any of the rides. unlike wonderbus, i haven't done any in depth research to find out about it. tassie is no longer in the open, so either they have put it in a container, or it is already in shipping. snowy, beast and beastie, i cannot imagine anything but a bulldozer in their future, or perhaps a heritage listing on beast if some people get their way. as far as bounty, it is old but still works, so I imagine it going somewhere else. As far as probe, I'm not aware of any other intamin drop that has been relocated. i don't know if it would be financially viable to do so. all we can do is speculate. I was not permitted to take any photos while inside the park. i have a lot of historical photos, and stock photos from the period of 2000-2002, as I was a photographer for the park during that time. as far as scanning etc, i do not currently have a scanner that is out of a box, so it won't be happening anytime soon.

[steve$]

They could just leave the lift hill as a memento to Wonderland, so that everytime someone drove the freeway they would remember wonderland

[ripcurlboy_81]

i was also at wonderland on wed 1/12 and goin back this comming tues to pick up memorabillia i have purchased, the park is very badly detirorated.

[Guest galbraith]

Get over it Steve!

the park is very badly detirorated.

Of course it is. It's been the best part of 8 months now. Why would they maintain it for the bulldozers?

[Slick]

Perhaps to be demolished in style? So Galbraith can you tell us a bit about yourself? Are you an ex-employee of the Wonderland saga? Meh. It's midnight. mmmm....

[SeanM]

Maybe Galbraith was the guy with the petrol can and the cig lighter!..hehe 1am.....mmmmm

[Slick]

"...I've already told you officer, those 345 jerry cans delivered in a very inconspicuous semi-trailer aren't mine......" 12:16am. mmmmmmmm.....

[SeanM]

...."and why dont you tell me Sir..about that silly bow-tie your wearing @ 1.30am in the morning"

[Slick]

"...again making the entire project inconspicuous...errr... I mean, I have a right to look good at this hour of the morning. I have every right to wear a bow when ever I like, whether it be normal or multi-coloured. It's in a great pride..... Oh wait, I'm sorry officer, i'm acting as a decoy while we throw in more jerry cans..." 1:00am here. mmm...... But still, everyone who's reading this, it must mean you at least like WLS, and so you should go to the News Flash thread now! Yes, yes, grab your caffinated beverages and then check it out.

[Guest galbraith]

Yes I was an employee of Wonderland. I should say get out of Queensland and come join us in Australia where we have the right time. Wally World really meant a lot to some didn't it?

[SeanM]

Yes, you actually look like Uncle Dave from Wonder World (i.e B.Hills Cop 3) I can see he must be your mentor..with the bow-tie and stuff!

[GoGoBoy]

This thread has just re-confirmed my hatred for Sunway. I am surprised the park has now been ripped apart as they originally announced that it would be kept intact and everything maintained (including gardens) for some time to come. I guess that time has lapsed. It also once again proves just how disgracefully money hungry Sunway are. They have gone to great lengths to sell EVERY last piece of the park. It is unbelievable. They are obviously not content with the hundreds of millions they have already made from the land sale

[Bussy]

This thread has just re-confirmed my hatred for Sunway. I am surprised the park has now been ripped apart as they originally announced that it would be kept intact and everything maintained (including gardens) for some time to come. I guess that time has lapsed. It also once again proves just how disgracefully money hungry Sunway are. They have gone to great lengths to sell EVERY last piece of the park. It is unbelievable. They are obviously not content with the hundreds of millions they have already made from the land sale

The park was maintained for about 3 months after the park closed, however it is now 8 months since the closure. Do you really expect them to be able to maintain the park? There are currently a maximum of 20 staff on site, down from around 400 when the park was open. Of course Sunway is money hungry, it is a multinational corporation, they don't loose money from assets, they make the most out of them. To think that they would sell off the land and not get anything from the assets on that land is naive and idealistic. It's time that everyone got over their hatred of Sunway, their decision was a business one and nothing personal, which you all seem to think it is. "The Bus is now leaving for National Falls, NSW"

[DaveB]

The park was maintained for about 3 months after the park closed, however it is now 8 months since the closure.

Why did they even bother maintaining the park for the 3 months? There doesn't seem to be any commerical gain in doing so, other than perhaps keeping it looking nice for potential buyers of equipment.

[steve$]

Of course their not going to maintain it for 8 months but for the first three months there would be heaps going on inside the park,so they would want to keep it neat and organised

[Mickazee]

Further to that, wasn't some of the rides even operated after the closure and some events held? I remember hearing about the defence force having some sort of training exercise at the park, and then letting them on the rides afterwards.