Tomteland

[mickey_079]

Does anyone remember the park Tomteland? It was a park with mainly carnival rides, i think the only permanate rides were the water slides, putt-putt golf and laser tag. I remember always going there for the miners work picnic (that was when my dad was a miner). It also remember it was bought by aboriginals and they changed the name and the theming to Indigenous Australians and that. I'm not sure if it is still open, but i was wondering if anyone had any information or if anyone had visited that park at all. I would love to know. Thanks *MICKEY*

[Dylaan]

As far as I know it's still there. Whether it's still open for business, I have no idea. My Grandparents live down that way so we pass it every time we visit them. Actually, I just had a look around on the internet and found this:

One fairground attraction, one nightmare of a ride! Up in Port Stephens a land council's dreams for a fun park ended in debt and disaster, writes Debra Jopson. Its ferris wheel gone, its dodgems dismantled, the fun park once called Tomteland is now a place of sadness. When Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council bought it last year as a business venture, they renamed it Murrook, meaning "place of happiness". But it would end in tears for the Aboriginal people of Port Stephens. To pay for the five-hectare park, Worimi council took a $2million deposit from a Sydney developer on its most treasured property, a 64-hectare slice of bushland at Gan Gan, the gateway to Nelson Bay. Now it may have to sell other land to repay the deposit money to the Winten Property Group. Three parcels have been earmarked for sale to pay Worimi's debts if the Gan Gan deal does not proceed. "This is the Government's fault because they let unskilled people run land councils and they don't monitor them," she said. Her son, Terry Ridgeway, said: "They have dispossessed us totally." Worimi's woes are founded in the purchase of the fun park formerly known as Tomteland which it bought for $1.493 million - $118,000 more than the valuation of $1.375million. This was in breach of the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act. So was the failure to get approval from the state land council. Worimi has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars through trading losses and expenditure on the amusement park. Now it is just a venue for its 309 members to hold meetings to work out how to extract themselves from the mess.

Well there you have it. Another amusement park gone! Shame, even though it was a small park, would've liked to go there. Oh well!

[mickey_079]

Awww man, that sucks. I know it was a small park but hey, ne park is good. It was the closest park to me. Although i hadn't been in there in years. Yeah i think you would of enjoyed it, buuut, than again you prob. would of been bored after the first few hours. thanks for that.

[Bussy]

I used to go to Port Stephens all the time, and therefore drove past Tomteland all the time. I stopped in there once to have a look and pretty much walked in, turned around, and walked back out the prices were so bad. They were just about on par with the Easter Show. Last time I drove past there was a couple of months ago and it had been several years since I had been past it and I was suprised at how much it had declined. I think the only "rides" left were the water slides pretty much everything else had gone. Anyway if you drive about 30 minutes further on into Port Stephens you can go on the toboggans which are jolly good fun. "The Bus is now leaving for Toboggan Hill, Queensland"

[Dylaan]

Yeh, I go there every time we go that way. Shame it's so expensive though. (It's become a tradition). I remember when they used to have heaps of things to do there, but due to the damage caused by a huge storm in 2002 or whenever it was. Now all that's left is a giant maze randomly themed to a wombat, indoor rock-climbing, these weirdo petrol-powered bumper cars and the toboggan its self. The last time I went, I think it was last holidays, I recorded an on-ride video of the toboggan out of boredom. I know it isn't a real coaster but it was still fun. Unfortunately, about half way down, a slow girl got in the video and kind of wrecked it as I had to almost stop and wait. I'll see if I can find it, and I'll put a link on here.

[mickey_079]

Yeah the prices for tomteland were extremly expensive, at one stage it was $60 for an adult, ridiculous, no wonder its closed now. Hey that would be great if you could find it WnW rocks. Lol dont you hate it when your flying along and then next minute you get the slow one