Wonderland Sydney 2.0

[Troy81]

http://www.scoopla.com/life/blog/2015/9/a-new-theme-park-is-coming-to-australia/

[CruiseSF]

Sydney's Wonderland is coming back, bigger and better than ever before after receiving $1billion funding! And if any of you have the privilege of visiting the old one, you'd know it was pretty darn amazing in the first place! 

Fox Petroleum Ltd has proposed to join Urban Estate Developments Pty Ltd for the development of the new theme park to be located in Western Sydney.

Western Sydney Theme Park Ltd is confident that this will drive Sydney's tourist market and will soon finalise the proposed site, and formally lodge a proposal to the NSW Government. 

Fox Petroleum's generous funding will help with the development over five years for stage one, this includes Wonderland, a wildlife park and a water park connected by a 'boulevard' with hotels, cinemas, restaurants and other entertainment. 

[Brad2912]

Will believe it when I see it!

if it happens, I'll be over the moon, but for now I'm in the 'not getting excited' basket until they have land secured and plans before council. 

[Rabbit2014]

This has been years working on getting funding Sydney will be so happy to finding get a real theme park again and the plans will finally get the big roller coasters we have always wanted as long as the land deal is reached 

[GoGoBoy]

THIS GUY again!! Why won't this die? It's not happening -- it's so obvious. Yet even Channel Nine Sydney is advertising it on the promo for its evening news bulletin. Talk about being sucked in! Maybe if Village was the proponent, it might hold a bit of weight. But how many times has this 'ex-employee of nine years' announced and re-announced this bizarre 'project'? How embarrassing for Channel Nine.

[Brad2912]

Still believe it's just one man's pipedream coupled with some political ambition 

[CruiseSF]

THIS GUY again!! Why won't this die? It's not happening -- it's so obvious. Yet even Channel Nine Sydney is advertising it on the promo for its evening news bulletin. Talk about being sucked in! Maybe if Village was the proponent, it might hold a bit of weight. But how many times has this 'ex-employee of nine years' announced and re-announced this bizarre 'project'? How embarrassing for Channel Nine.

It wont die because they guy is dedicated to bring the park "back" (not really back if its all new). It is hardly re-announced. The only reason it seems like that is because every time he makes another step the media reports it but needs to say it all again as the majority of people will not remember it or missed it completely. 

[GoGoBoy]

It wont die because they guy is dedicated to bring the park "back" (not really back if its all new). It is hardly re-announced. The only reason it seems like that is because every time he makes another step the media reports it but needs to say it all again as the majority of people will not remember it or missed it completely. 

Nonsense. It keeps coming up because he keeps announcing it. Won't happen. Have you seen his website? Have you seen the 'Fox Petroleum' website?

[Brad2912]

Shambles of a website with terrible grammar on every page. Looks like a year 8 computer studies job

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

It would be wonderful if we could search for existing threads for these things rather than create a new one every time.

 

Although being from February I must admit It took me all of 8 seconds to search for "Sydney's Wonderland" - I don't know how I find the time...

 

I realise the site doesn't do much for their image, but I have a feeling that for the very reasons cited above - that Ammar Khan isn't letting go of the idea, he'll eventually find his way towards backers or otherwise who pick it up and run with it.

It's the Pantene effect.

[Wil_i_am_not]

If he is, good on him! But if this is rubbish >:(

[CruiseSF]

Nonsense. It keeps coming up because he keeps announcing it. Won't happen. Have you seen his website? Have you seen the 'Fox Petroleum' website?

His announcements are just steps. No brand new announcements. 

Also what does the website have to do with anything. That website is much better then many websites made by companies who actually specialise in computer technology. Judging by the general set up it is a generic template that they just changed to meet their needs. There is nothing wrong with that since the company is an oil company and has nothing to do with a website and they would have no employees to create a personalised website so why waste money on personalising it when you already have a perfectly working website, even if it is not the most visually appealing (when in that industry it is not expected to)

 

I am not saying anything for or against the possibility of it actually happening.

[taronga]

If this is ever built it'll look more like an amusement park similar to Luna Park, it won't be anywhere near as big as Wonderland used to be. Since the original announcement for this Sydney has received Wet'n'Wild Sydney, and just last week plans for a new zoo to be built in western Sydney have been released.

[iwerks]

I'm all for it. Good luck to them. Maybe they'll read some of our suggestions and come up with a dream park. 

[downunder]

They were talking about in on TripleM this morning and it made news, must be a slow news day. I'll take a side of bullshit with my breakfast.

Well if he has got the $$$, I'll put in my wish list:

*Dueling wood coaster, one side Intamin prefab, the other RMC.

*Expedition GeForce clone, just double the size.

*Quadrupled sized version of Maverick.

*600 foot version of Millennium Force.

*A thousand foot Intamin rocket.

*And anyone should be allowed on the kiddie coasters.

*Oh and q-bots that teleport you to your ride.

I'll believe it when I see it with respect to Wonderland 2.0.

 

 

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

If this is ever built it'll look more like an amusement park similar to Luna Park, it won't be anywhere near as big as Wonderland used to be. Since the original announcement for this Sydney has received Wet'n'Wild Sydney, and just last week plans for a new zoo to be built in western Sydney have been released.

Shitty concept art done in a 3D design program as filler on a website is not indicative of real world construction. The imagery being used (over and over again) is the same imagery from when Ammar was just a guy with an idea.

Sure they could update it, but how about we wait and see if they secure some land (the next step). Once land is secured, they'll have an idea of what size the park can be, and then they'll start with some more concept art designed to fit the actual land they get.

And yes - since the original announcement, we've seen WnWS, and the announcement for the zoo. This means western sydney is forming a cluster of parks - just like the GC has. Although it will mean competition - it will also make the area a destination, meaning more people are likely to visit the area, because there is more than one thing to do, and this means they're likely to stay longer, and do them all.

This is not something that's going to happen tomorrow. I have it on good authority the funding announcement is legit, and the money is there. Land purchase won't be hard - what will be is getting the necessary government approvals for the usage of the land. After that it won't take much to break ground.

Time will tell.

[djmcbell]

Hope this happens, and it sounds like it may. Will keep an eye on it, especially since I'm looking at moving to Australia soon and, from the parks I've been to (both Luna Parks, the Gold Coast parks), there don't seem to be many coasters of a decent length (only Scooby Doo, and the Scenic Railway - which was quite painful).

[Noxegon]

For what it's worth, this story made the European news today...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3237915/Former-Wonderland-ride-operator-self-millionaire-plans-resurrect-beloved-theme-park-1-billion.html

I take it from the general level of cynicism that this is an ongoing saga?

[djmcbell]

Wow - admittedly only three responses on the DM so far, but all pretty sensible. I would have expected the usual "theem parks - graet for ppl who wantt o loose there legz!!1" or "waste of space - need more atr gallerys" responses (which are the usual any time a theme park is mentioned).

Cynicism - well, I'm new round here but apparently this has been going on a few years, so I'll adopt the same as what's being said - I'll believe it when I see it. Though apparently the guy behind the project has secured an extra $1bn in funding recently. Or something.

[Ranger Dude]

Most people are not aware that Australia's Wonderland / Wonderland Sydney never made money. The financial failure of the park was not something that came about in it's later years only due to lack of investment in new attractions (although accepted that did make things worse). Surely all the reasons why the original Wonderland failed (and Sega World, and Fox Studios, etc) are still relevant today. I can't see how any comprehensive feasibility study could support a development of the scale and type being described. The numbers would not stack up. It's hard to imagine how it could even come CLOSE to stacking up. The money may be there in principle, but any developer worth their salt would be hanging their hat on a feasibility study before some nice guy's dream of recreating a theme park that closed because it's very model was not feasible.

The reasons why the development being described is not feasible and not going to happen is endless.

This quite simply is not going to happen.

[XxMrYoshixX]

Sega World failed because the Sega Saturn failed, losing Sega millions of dollars. If it opened during the early 90's when the Megadrive was popular and Sonic was at the height of his popularity. 1997 was too late, if it opened in 1994 and the Sega Saturn never failed then it would have still be open today.

Surely all the reasons why the original Wonderland failed (and Sega World, and Fox Studios, etc) are still relevant today. 

[Brad2912]

I don't believe that is true Yoshi. The failure of their console didn't being apart their theme park arm, it was a lack of repeat business, high prices, lack of tourism dollars, and poor marketing. 

[Noxegon]

I find it difficult to believe that a city the size of Sydney can't support a decent sized theme park. You do after all have Luna Park sitting on what has to be some of the most expensive real estate anywhere in the world...

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^that may be true, but given the heritage listings for the site, nothing would happen to the site if it were to shut down. i'm not sure if the developer that operates the park has actually 'paid' for the land or whether it's some sort of trust... but LPS shouldn't be the yardstick for other parks.

I don't believe Wonderland 'never' made a profit - but i agree margins would have been slim. the lack of investment by sunway was ultimately what led to it's demise.

As for the cynicism - Ammar's dream is big, and he's driving everything to try and make it happen. he needs more experts in the field, as the current imagery is lacking - but with enough money and the right people he can make it happen. It was originally viewed as a publicity stunt by a guy running for parliament - however the dream and the concept of the park has been around a lot longer than that, and it didn't die quietly when the elections were over... so that is something...

[iwerks]

It might also be the mix of retail and theme park that makes it work. How much land they have and proximity to the population would also be factors.