Australia's Wonderland - Eastern Creek, NSW, Australia
S 33° 47.633 E 150° 51.179
56H E 301231 N 6258624
Australia's Wonderland
Waymark Code: WMQ00Q
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 11/20/2015
Views: 17
Australia's Wonderland was modeled heavily around Canada's Wonderland near Toronto, Canada.
Wonderland opened with three separate themed areas within the park: Goldrush, Medieval Faire (later renamed Old Botany Bay), and Hanna-Barbera Land (later renamed 'Little Wonders Land' in 2001-2002) and featured rides and attractions based on characters from Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear.
Wonderland's flagship ride was The Bush Beast which was the largest wooden roller coaster in Australia and the largest wooden rollercoaster in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Beastie, was a smaller version of The Bush Beast and catered for younger riders.
Wonderland later added the Demon (1992) and Space Probe 7 (1995) rides.
Following an expansion it featured a new seasonal water park known as The Beach, which first opened in 1988. In 1990 Wonderland opened the Australian Wildlife Park and in 1995 The Outback Woolshed, along with an à-la-carte-style restaurant.
Eventually, in 1992, all of the Taft Broadcasting Parks were sold to Viacom and re-branded as Paramount Parks. However, Taft only had a minority stake in Australia's Wonderland and sold their stake to other Australian investors.
The park was sold in 1997 to the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Sunway Group.
The gates shut for the last time on 26 April 2004, and a complete demolition of the park was undertaken in September 2005. Most of the rides were sold to other amusement parks, while "The Bush Beast", "The Beastie" and "The Snowy River Rampage" were demolished.
RIDES
Roller coasters
The Beastie - Opened 1985-2002. Half the size and height of The Bush Beast, The Beastie was a wooden roller coaster designed for younger riders. The ride was 460 metres in length, and ran with two 20-rider trains. The Beastie was located in Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. In 2002, the Little Wonders Land area of the park was permanently closed.
The Bush Beast - Opened 1985. A 975 metre long wooden roller coaster. The coaster operated with two trains, each capable of carrying 28 people. It was the tallest wooden roller coaster in the southern hemisphere, until the construction of Montezum in Brazil in 1999.
The Demon - Opened 1992. A Vekoma Boomerang steel roller coaster. The Demon was installed in 1992, after having previously operated at Expo '88 (under the name Titan). After Wonderland closed, it was dismantled and sold.
Amusement rides
Antique Autos - Opened 1985. An electric track used to propel scaled-down Ford Model T cars through themed scenery.
Bounty's Revenge - Opened 1985. A large inverting pirate ship that could carry 50 riders at a time, in ten rows of five seats. At the time of its opening it was only the second of its kind in the world.
Dragon's Flight - Opened 1985. A large Wave Swinger (similar to the Chair-O-Planes ride).
Fred Flintstone's Splashdown - Opened 1994. A log flume ride.
Galleon's Graveyard - Opened 1987 as "Captain Caveman's Clippers." Given the current name after being relocated to Transylvania, following the closure of Little Wonders Land/Hanna-Barbera Land. Similar to a scaled-down Chair-O-Planes, riders were instead seated in two-seater 'flying boats'.
Great Balloon Race
HMS Endeavour - Opened 1985. Originally known as Sea Demon, HMS Endeavour received its later name when the ride was moved in 1990 to the old location of the Funnel Web.
Jousting Ring - Opened 1985. A dodgem hall.
Little Monsters Flying School - Opened in 1985 as Dastardly's Flying Circus.
Magilla Gorilla's Flotillas - Opened 1985. A small lake equipped with paddle boats. Closed in 1990 to make way for the Australian Wildlife Park.
Ned Kelly's Getaway - Opened 1985. A steep sled slide, finishing in water. Closed in 1998.
Funnel Web - Opened in 1985, and removed in 1990.
Scooby's Silly Stix - Opened in 1985. Removed in 2000.
Skyhawk - Opened 1991. A 'Parachute Tower' built by Vekoma, the Skyhawk consisted of four cars; two for sitting passengers, two for standing. The four cars would be pulled to the top of a 30-metre tower, then released. A parachute would then allow riders to slowly descend to the ground. The ride was sold in 2005 to Fly Coaster, a small Gold Coast park
Skyway - Opened 1997. The only ride installed after the Sunway Group acquisition of the park, the Skyway was the old cable car from the old Sydney Showgrounds stretching from Goldrush to Hanna-Barbera Land. The ride closed in 2002.
Snowy River Rampage - Opened 1985. A 960-metre River Rapid designed by Intamin. Riders sit in a 6-person raft resembling a large tyre and float down a wide winding river with occasional water cannons which fired straight up in the air when the raft approached.
Space Probe - Opened 1995. Originally known as Space Probe 7. The Intamin Giant Drop was installed in 1995 and was similar to the Giant Drop at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. As its passengers are raised to the top of the tower, the car would enter a fully enclosed area (unique to this type of ride) within, TV screens would display a countdown. The riders were dropped at random - a few seconds before the countdown reached zero, or held till after the countdown had finished.
Tasmanian Devil - Opened 1985. A large wheel-shaped machine which laid on one of its faces, with several rocking rider cars attached around the circumference. During main operation of the ride, the ride spins so fast that the rider cars rise in the air, so the rider is horizontally parallel to the ground.
Wizard's Fury - Opened 1985. Relocated from Kings Island. A Bayern Kurve ride. A long train is propelled around a small circular track. The track passes over a steeply ascending and descending section housed within a themed building. A single ride consisted of twenty to thirty revolutions around the circular track. Removed 2002.
Zodiac - Opened 1987. Relocated from Kings Island. A double Ferris wheel designed by Intamin, Zodiac consisted of 24 gondolas mounted on either end of a large hydraulic arm. Zodiac would be operated so that while one wheel was rotating at 58 metres in height, the 12 cars of the opposing arm would all be on the ground and taking on riders simultaneously. When loaded, the hydraulic arm would be moved, lowering those who had been in the air back to the ground.
There was a miniature golf course called Top Cat's Putt Putt Park; prior to the installation of Fred Flintstone's Splashdown there was a putting course known as Old McScrappy's Golfing Farm.
Shows
Blinky Bill
Action Man Lives
Tooheys Tall Ship - Pirate Show
Magic Spectacular - Timothy Hyde & The Amazing Lynda 1992 - 1993
Millennium Magic - Tony & Juleen Laffan
Hanna Barbera Celebrity Gala Night
Fireworks - Every Saturday Night
Date Park Opened: 12/07/1985
Date Park Closed: 04/26/2004
Address:
100 Wallgrove Road
Eastern Creek, NSW Australia
2766
Current Use or Function:
Wet'n'Wild water park
Is the park still there?: No
If not, what is in its place now?:
Wet'n'Wild water park
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Visit Instructions:
You must post at least one original picture at the posted coords to post a visit log for this waymark. Extra points if you are in the spirit of the park (i.e., in costume, etc.).