Gold Coast almost got Disneyland.

[New display name]

Interesting story on the Gold Coast Bulletin site  today when Disneyland was almost secured to be built on the Gold Coast.  I will paste it on here when I get to my computer.  What I found interesting was the numbers that they had projected to go through the doors.   Plans were drawn up for it and the person behind it still wants it to go ahead one day.   Gives me hope that one day it could happen but with Disneyland a lot closer now I just don't know.  

 

 

Edited September 4, 2015 by skeetafly

[Reanimated35]

Was it that important to you to be the thread starter that you just couldn't wait until you got home in case someone else created the thread? If you have a phone capable of posting on the forum, you have a phone capable of copying and pasting an article, or at least a link to the article. 

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/entertainment/how-the-gold-coast-almost-became-the-happiest-place-on-earth/story-fnj94hgr-1227513359485

The lion-hearted man behind the mouse-eared plan, Runaway Bay-based developer Gordon McAlister, said the 1990s deal was down to formalities when Disney chief executive Michael Eisner pulled out.

...

“We got to the last meeting in Burbank, California, when Michael Eisner stepped in and said ‘No, I want to go to China’.

...

“We estimated about five million visitors each year, which is small for Disney but huge for us. That was one of the arguments against us, that we would be too small — and yet that’s exactly what Hong Kong Disney turns over.

[New display name]

Thanks for you advise.   To tell you the truth I was just waiting on someone else to do the work and that person was you.    I was going to creat the link but my phone would not pick it all up and if I did a copy and paste it would have brought all the crap with it.     

[iwerks]

I bet the local parks are breathing a sigh of relief. I would love a Disney park in Australia, even a small one. However, Disney plays to win and usually kills the competition eventually.

Edited September 5, 2015 by iwerks

[rappa]

Very smart business decision to not go ahead with the project. 

No way it would be financially viable. And if the head of the division is anti Tokyo Disney, probably good reason why he is the FORMER head of the division. 

[New display name]

I bet the local parks are breathing a sigh of relief. I would love a Disney park in Australia, even a small one. However, Disney plays to win and usually kills the competition eventually.

yea me too.   We have to remember DW & MV are big companies now and have a lot of money available to them if they needed.  It is not like back when DW was owned by one person.  But it has always come back to getting enough people in the gates. 

[themagician]

I remember a few years back a friend of mine went for an interview at DW and was told that a Disneyland was in the plans, and could have an affect on the park, which may result in the people being hired to loose their jobs.

[Zanstabar]

Competition tends to be a good thing, but going up against one of the biggest companies in the world would not heed good results. It would be like a daschund going up against a doberman.

[joz]

Ocean Park in Hong Kong, and Universal Studios and Sea World seem to do quite well with the mouse in town.  Hell Knott's would be a small fairly uninteresting regional park anywhere else in the states, but being next to Disneyland makes it an international attraction.

 

Really couldn't see 5million at Dosneyland in Australia though.  3 maybe but 5 million with our population is a bridge too far IMHO

[XxMrYoshixX]

I think Eisner made a good decision not to build Disneyland in Australia. At that time in the 1990's, Australia would be too small  of a country to back something in the scale of a Disneyland, despite the amount of tourism we get. In the future, Australia should be looked at by Disney for a park since Australia has a massive tourism industry, our population is steadily growing (Sydney alone is expected to have another 1million residents in 10 years), and massive infrastructure projects are being developed as we speak (ie Badgerys Creek airport, major transport and hospital upgrades) that will back Sydney's rapid population growth. With all this development going on, Australia could in the future be viable for Disneyland.

[Ashley]

Well it would also all depend on what rides Disneyland would have would depend on how competitive  it would be.

If they did DW would certainly have some competition.

[iwerks]

Much earlier thread:

[KingdaKa]

If Australia gets a larger population, we could totally have a disneyland. We have a very strong disney culture, are a wealthy country and have a strong tourism industry. Glad it wasn't done on GC though and hope if it is done in the future it won't be there. Would kill the other parks.

[Brad2912]

I remember a few years back a friend of mine went for an interview at DW and was told that a Disneyland was in the plans, and could have an affect on the park, which may result in the people being hired to loose their jobs.

your friend lied. 

This 'proposal' was near on 20 years ago. 

DW would also not be telling people at interviews, where they are hiring more staff, that they may be layed off due to disneyland opening. 

[iwerks]

According to the older threads, the proposals seem to range from late 90s to 2007.

[downunder]

Perhaps Banky could be enticed to build (or deconstruct) a Dismaland from scratch.

I don't think the business case would be strong enough yet for Disney, but if it came, the crumbs from Disney would possibly lift attendance at the other parks, just like Knott's in OC.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

I could see a legoland come to Australia but not a disneyland now. The population is too small here and are too far away from the rest of the world.

[Tim Dasco]

What about a universal studioes?

[iwerks]

Isn't USS close enough?

[Tim Dasco]

Yeah I guess so.

[pushbutton]

I could see a legoland come to Australia but not a disneyland now. The population is too small here and are too far away from the rest of the world.

Legoland IS coming to Australia. It was annouannounced a few months ago. 

[taronga]

Pushbutton - that was only a Legoland Discovery Center, not a full size Legoland park.

[pushbutton]

That's right. 

[pushbutton]

Wasn't there a rumor about 10yrs ago that Disney wanted to buy Dreamworld?

[Brad2912]

I thought it was a more of a pipedream, as DW was really aging and not getting much TLC