Everything you ever wanted to know about Wonderland

[Daniel]

Gold Nugget was still there when I left. The last thing I remember being in there was the Powder Puff Girls or whatever the frig it was and the last thing in Sundown in my time was New Years 2002. My memory is fading in old age so there was probably others since. I remember they used the area to paint Balloons Bussy was there right up until the end so I'm sure that he'll tell you of things in there during the last 12 months of the joint. Surely it was used after June 2003....???

[ScReAMmachine!]

What ever happend to Gold Nugget anyway? For that matter when do you think the last performance/even was held in Sundown (besides that dodgy stunt thing that is)?

Gold Nugget = Still there... not really used since the Jungle Jive Show over Dec-Jan 03 Sundown = Utopia Dance Parties and the X-treme Games Freestyle Bike competition.

[Bussy]

Gold Nugget was used nearly until the end, from memory the last thing that was on there was a dance competition where studios from all over the place competed. I think it was the state titles. Before that they had Wrestling. WWF style but it was the Sydney guys doing it. It was pretty funny watching the guys trying to get the crowd going with WWF tactics butt the crowd just sitting there thinking "these guys are ****ers", well that’s what I was thinking anyway. A couple of years back they had a Wiggles concert there and there was nearly a riot. Mothers were queuing up at the entrance to Goldrush from 10, and then at the entrance to Gold Nugget from 11, but the concert wasn't until 1 or 2 so in the meantime there were a few fights between Mum's some of which continued while the concert was on. Basically the park didn't expect the kind of crowd they got so didn't have proper crowd control and they also put it in the smallest theatre in the park, it should have been in Action Arena or Sundowner. The last thing in Sundowner was the MotoX competition during summer. "The Bus is now leaving for Theatre Rock, Western Australia"

[Wonderbuzz]

The dance competition was called "The Performing Arts Competition" which happend every year. One time it was called "Freestyl'n" The MotoX competition was called "The King of FMX" done by Planet X. I believe that one of the riders broke a record for the highest backwards summersault or something like that. It was on the news, but they didn't mention Wonderland, they just said Eastern Creek. The wrestling show was from the IWA. The WWE (no longer WWF) is the most dominent brand of pro wrestling in the world, so you can't help but make comparisons. I did laugh when my manager took his young boy to see the show, and he turned to his dad and said "Hey, he's not really kicking him!" He was quick to realise it, not surprisingly because he also watches his dad at karate training.

[joz]

When was the last time they used Action Arena?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

When Wonderland signed Marvel, they elected to switch to the spidermanhulk characters etc, and they canned Action Man. Originally the idea was to revamp action arena into something resembling a Marvel set, and have a new stunt show (as mentioned on this site somewhere previously by Wonderbuzz) featuring the marvel characters. But, as usual, crappy old wonderland did a half-cankered job of it. Because they didnt want to spend the money to revamp the arena, the characters did a bit of a fake-kick monkey magic style show outside Action Arena. they painted the wall of the arena as a marvel "skyscraper" style facade (i think) and the characters did it on the grass outside the arena, a mere 2 metres from the pathway where the guests were to stand (no seating) and directly in front of (from that side) Dragons Flight. I dont believe the arena itself was used for anything post-action man, although i could be wrong, and the last time i saw it, which was post-closure, all of the tin walls were gone, as was the theming and the metal seating cut off at floor level. the only thing of action arena that still stood was the facade building at the front of the arena enclave. I remember waiting in the wings of Action Arena for the show to finish. for anyone who has seen the show, they know that at the end, Doctor X jumps into a ventilation duct on top of the facade, where action man then throws a grenade into the duct, and a huge burst of fire pours out the duct as action man double pumps his arm (like a "you're out" signal in baseball) I was in the wings, and the guy playing Doctor X comes flying down this tube (about 1.5 metres long including the bend), crashes into a foam mattress, rolls off it onto another platform, and then swings himself across a walkway to the floor, before reaching over and pushing a big red "emergency stop" style button. (presumably to tell the stage manager at control that he was clear of the tube) While this was all happening, a little rubber bean bag kind of thing comes falling down the tube as well, and a few seconds later (after action man has thrown the "grenade" and run to his position for the "double pump") the room in the wings got searingly, and i mean FEROCIOUSLY hot, from a jet of fuel pouring out of the tube simulating the "Grenade" explosion. it was so simple some of the stuff they did, but I had nothing but respect for those guys. W**kers and posers though they were, they were good at what they did.

[Bussy]

it was so simple some of the stuff they did, but I had nothing but respect for those guys. W**kers and posers though they were, they were good at what they did.

Good at what they did? Hahahaha. The Action Man show was the worst 'acting' I have ever seen and I use 'acting' very loosely here. I have seen crappy kung-fu movies with better acting in them, and that’s saying a lot. Those guys thought they were king ****s around the park but really everyone laughed at them behind their backs, well ride ops did anyway. "The Bus is now leaving for Kungajee Pool, Western Australia"

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

oh no, don't get me wrong, i wet myself laughing over these guys. some of them were arrogant pricks while others were a bit better. the "backup" action man, that is to say not the guy featured in most of the paraphernalia and advertising was brilliant. yes it was bad acting, but you can't expect the guys to take full force kicks and punches. its the same in the movies, its just not as visible because they use clever camera angles. But mate, after that show, if you could see the amount of sweat that poured off this guy, you would still not believe it. AM's costume as times used to be soaked through, and im talking like - the purple went about 5 shades darker, all over. after the show finished, he would do nothing more than wipe his face with a towel, and then come back out and spend the next 30 minutes doing pictures. this costume was not the most breathable thing in the world... quite the opposite. he stood out there performing, for more than an hour in the sun, the heat, and absolutely no wind, wearing a costume padded with foam rubber, and covering himself from ankle to neck to wrist. THAT is what i mean about respect. I really feel sorry for fidget though. the main fidget (drop dead gorgeous, OMG!) was pretty short, but her costume was worse than AM's. while AM had strategic padding in various locations, Fidget's whole arms and whole legs were covered in padding that made them look like bell-bottoms in 3d. pity that girl.... (but sooooooo gorgeous. ill find a pick and post it when i can...)

[ScReAMmachine!]

Those guys thought they were king ****s around the park but really everyone laughed at them behind their backs, well ride ops did anyway.

In a nice way, of course!

[RAVER22]

I remember when i was a kid, Young Talent time would perform at Wonderland, i think that was in the days when Kylie was still in it ...and the place would be overflowing with ppl. Also on the note of characters, what happened to all the old Hanna Barberra character costumes?

[Bussy]

Alex I hope you are not talking about the brunette Fidget who always had her hair coming out of the side of her head. I think she was the original one but there may have been one before her. Damm she was ugly. Of course the smart arse comments made about the Action Hero's were nice Scream, even if they could hear them.

Also on the note of characters, what happened to all the old Hanna Barberra character costumes?

They are probably being used at Sunway Lagoon in KL. 600 posts! Again! "The Bus is now leaving for Melbourne College Of Hairdressing, Victoria"

[Gazza]

One thing I want to know about WL, why were the space probe freefall cars called "cabins"?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Alex I hope you are not talking about the brunette Fidget who always had her hair coming out of the side of her head.  I think she was the original one but there may have been one before her.  Damm she was ugly.

No, Bus... im talking about Jacqueline, the blonde. ill find photos for ya soon as i can...

One thing I want to know about WL, why were the space probe freefall cars called "cabins"?

This question has been asked before. Typically any ride that isn't a coaster (which has trains) have "pod" cars for passengers to travel in, and are called all sorts of things - cabins, gondolas, cars (or carriages). and are all just names of things people "travel" in. I dont see specifically why they can be called cabins, but what else you gunna call it? I know that the controls for probe name each one "cabin 1, cabin 2" etc. so assumably this one came from Intamin... but many other manufacturers use the term as well. *waits for bus to deliver a deeper insight*

[Bussy]

No, Bus... im talking about Jacqueline, the blonde. ill find photos for ya soon as i can...

Excellent. From memory the original cast of Action Man were all sacked and the show was off for a while, while they got a new cast. This is when they got rid of the ugly munchkin. I was going to say pretty much what Alex said about the cabins. Some people called them gondolas but in all the training and technical information I saw they were called cabins. How's that for deepful insight? "The Bus is now leaving for St Munchin's School, Western Australia"