Western Sydney forgotten amusement parks ranked
They’re the gone but never forgotten attractions that provided decades of fun for generations past. Take a trip down memory lane with our top 8 lost gems of western Sydney.
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They were a source of joy and thrilling adventures in their heyday, but now all that remains are fond memories of western Sydney’s lost theme parks and attractions.
The region has seen many attractions come and go in the past 50 years, but one thing is for sure – while they might be gone, they’ll never be forgotten.
Here’s eight of our best loved lost gems of western Sydney.
8. El Caballo Blanco – Catherine Field
The Spanish-themed attraction was one of Macarthur’s most popular attractions when it opened in Catherine Field in 1979.
Western Australian businessman Ray Williams was behind the park and opened a similar attraction in Perth several years prior.
The park was part of the larger Australiana Park and featured Spanish dancing horses, train rides, water slides, go karts and a wildlife enclosure.
The family attraction ceased operations in 1999, but remained open for weddings, until fully closing its doors in 2000.
7. Bullen’s Animal Park – Wallacia
A sister park to the African Lion Safari, founder Stafford Bullen launched the attraction in 1969 after wrapping up Bullen’s Circus in Parramatta.
The Wallacia park was also a family favourite with its circus and drive-through petting zoo.
Seven circus elephants called the park home until rising operating costs and growing opposition from animal rights groups led to the park’s closure in 1985.
The shutdown of the park foreshadowed the final years of the African Lion Safari in 1991.
6. Funland – Warragamba
Sydney’s outskirts was also home to the Funland, which provided years of family fun with its popular train rides, slides, merry-go-round and ferris wheel.
The park opened in the 1970s near Warragamba Dam, providing a fun day trip for families.
The nearby African Lion Safari and Bullen’s Animal Park are rumoured to have put the smaller attraction out of business by the late 70s.
Much of the park’s history remains a mystery online but derelict remnants of the attraction provided delight to urban explorers for many years after its closure.
5. African Lion Safari – Warragamba
Long before Joe Exotic’s zoo, park goers were in for a thrill when they had the chance to get up close to the big cats at the African Lion Safari.
The Warragamba attraction was founded by circus owner Stafford Bullen in 1968, and featured a drive-through ‘safari’ with lions and tigers on display.
Stories linger about the ‘up close and personal’ experience of many visitors, with car parts, such as bumpers and side mirrors, falling prey to the big cats.
The park’s dolphinarium was also a big drawcard before its closure in 1991.
Animals remained on the site until 1995, when a series of incidents involving escaped lionesses and a bear – which terrorised the nearby suburbs of Wallacia and Silverdale and killed a dog – forced the operation to completely cease.
4. Magic Kingdom – Lansvale
During its heyday, Magic Kingdom was a crowd pleaser for families looking for a suburban day out.
Located on Hollywood Dr in Lansvale, the park operated from the 1970s until the early 1990s.
The Lansvale park sourced some of its rides from Luna Park following the 1979 Ghost Train tragedy.
The small park featured more than 15 rides, including water slides and a giant slide, radio-controlled cars, bungee jumping and petrol powered mini boats.
The park copped a hit following the opening of the popular Wonderland Sydney in 1985 and struggled to keep up with the competition.
The site was sold to developers in 2017 but construction on the site has proven difficult due to flooding from a nearby creek.
3. Mt Druitt Waterworks
Long before Raging Waters became the ultimate summer destination in western Sydney, the Mt Druitt Waterworks was the place to be.
The long-lost attraction was situated on the northern side of the Mt Druitt railway line, near the footbridge, and featured water slides, a beach pool, bumper boats, white water rapids and a slippery dip.
The park was a huge success from its opening in 1981 until costly upgrades and rumours about razor blades being planted on slippery dips.
The razor blade claims were an urban myth, but costly upgrades and competition from Wonderland saw the park eventually turn off the tap in 1994.
2. Ermington Putt Putt – Ermington
Miniature golfing enthusiasts from far and wide mourned the loss of the much-loved Ermington Putt Putt when it was lost to unit development in 2017.
The Victoria Rd attraction was a family icon for almost 50 years, with four million visitors making memories on the Fun Run, Waterways and Jungle Trail courses.
Tom Wykoff founded the park in 1969, and will be fondly remembered as Sydneys ‘mini golf king’.
The closure of Ermington Putt Putt was the end of an era, with redevelopment of the site attracting criticism and efforts to relocate the amusement proving unsuccessful.
1. Wonderland Sydney – Eastern Creek
Coming in at number one, is Sydney’s favourite long-lost amusement park – Wonderland Sydney.
The famed attraction left the competition for dead when it opened in 1985, and quickly became a family favourite with its popular rides The Beastie, The Bush Beast and the Space Probe.
Originally known as Australia’s Wonderland, the park was the largest theme park in the Southern Hemisphere and was known for its themed attractions ‘Goldrush’, ‘Medieval Faire’ and ‘Hanna-Barbera Land.
Just a few years after its opening, the park expanded to include water-based attraction ‘The Beach’ as well as the Australian Wildlife Park.
In 2004, the parks closed its gates for good, with park owners citing the September 11 attacks, the 2002 Bali bombings and SARS virus as contributors.
The site was redeveloped into an industrial estate after it was completely demolished in 2005.
However, fondness of the park remains strong, with local developer Ammar Khan flagging his dream to revive the park as Sydney’s Wonderland at a cost of $150 million.
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