Drone footage of Old Sydney Town theme park shows state of decay
DRONE images of Old Sydney Town show the full extent of decay of the massively popular theme park which was once the pride of NSW tourism.
Central Coast
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IT has been almost 15 years since iconic Central Coast theme park Old Sydney Town closed, and now, a drone enthusiast has captured views of the abandoned theme park as you’ve never seen it.
Davistown carpenter Mitchell Hubbard’s drone images show the full extent of the ongoing decay of the once massively popular theme park which shut its gates in 2003.
Buildings are slowly falling apart and rooves have caved in. The replica tall ship Perseverance has sunk and weeds now grow on its decks. From above, the park resembles an 1800s ghost town.
A flurry of proposals to “bring back Old Sydney Town” took off about five years ago, but all of them bit the dust when it became clear that it was not economically viable to resurrect the much loved facility.
This included a failed bid in 2013 involving the family of Frank Fox who founded the iconic Somersby tourist attraction. Talks between his sons Michael and Peter and site owner French businessman Richard Chiu, came to nothing. Mr Chiu’s plans for the site are unknown.
Community Group Bring Back Old Sydney Town also sprung up around this time, fuelled by nostalgia for the attraction which boomed in the 1970s.
They organised a petition with 11,000 signatures in support of the facility but could not find any politician willing to table it in parliament.
At one time the group put forward an idea of establishing an entertainment precinct around a revived Old Sydney Town which might include a drive-in theatre and a grey nomads caravan park — all supporting the existing Australian Reptile Park.
Group spokesman Jake Cassar said all levels of government needed to “take on” the Old Sydney Town cause on behalf of the Central Coast community.
“We’ve had support from some “high places” but they essentially expect our non profit Community organisation to make it all happen, Mr Cassar said.
“While we are very keen to support in any way we can, our group is a community lobby group, and is not in a financial position to get Old Sydney Town up and running,” he said.
“I actually find it quite frustrating that our elected leaders seem to be displaying a total lack of vision here. They have shown very little genuine interest in all of the benefits of revitalising and bringing back Old Sydney Town.
“Our group would like to see all tiers of Government and all sides of politics getting behind this initiative, which would be a massive boost to our region by bringing hundreds of local jobs back to the Central Coast.”
“LIKE SHOOTING A GHOST TOWN”
Drone enthusiast Mitchell Hubbard said he was just another citizen who wanted to see Old Sydney Town reopened.
“I feel it was a bit before its time and would fare better in today’s tourism industry,” he said.
“A revamped OST could have aboriginal culture on display and include the indigenous story in the some of the scenes. I think it would be great for Central Coast tourism but personally, it’s the historical aspects that interest me most.”
Mr Hubbard said he was passionate about aerial photography and was intrigued by the possibilities of taking drone images of Old Sydney Town.
“It felt like flying through a ghost town from the 18th century. Seeing it in this condition
was bittersweet to say the least.”
■ You can see more of Mitchell Hubbards work on Instagram @switchy3