Old Sydney Town theme park land for sale
The family that started the Old Sydney Town theme park has been negotiating to rebuild the park for a decade. They may finally get their chance after the site was put on the market.
Central Coast
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- Drone footage reveals state of decay of Old Sydney Town
- The suburb tired of being treated like the poor cousin
Fifteen years after the closure of the Old Sydney Town theme park, the site has been put up for sale.
The site is one of three portions of a 120 hectare parcel of land at Somersby which is expected to be sold for a multimillion-dollar sum.
Marketing of the site is expected to begin immediately.
The Old Sydney Town land accounts for just 10 per cent of the site — the rest of it is zoned rural. Nearby Australian Reptile Park is unaffected with lease arrangements continuing well into the future.
The decision to sell comes four months after owner, international hotel entrepreneur, Richard Chiu, said he was ready to seriously look at building a revamped Old Sydney Town — but only if Central Coast Council rezoned 30 per cent of his surrounding landholding for residential or commercial development.
Mr Chiu said at the time rezoning some of the land would make it feasible for his company to take the financial risk of resurrecting the theme park.
Mr Chiu said if “no resolution could be found” eventually he would have to sell the land.
“That would really be unpleasant for me personally to sell it because it’s been with us all these years,” he said.
“But what can you do — we are in business and you can’t sit on something for ever.”
STRONG INTEREST
The sale is expected to generate national and international interest because of it’s potential close the M1 and to Gosford and Sydney.
Among those interested in the sale are sons of Old Sydney Town architect and founder, Frank Fox — Peter and Michael.
The Fox brothers have been in negotiations with Richard Chiu for a decade to buy the land to resurrect their father’s visionary theme park.
Micheal Fox confirmed news of the land sale and said “in fact we are meeting to discuss it this afternoon”.
Mr Fox said he was still trying to confirm details of the sale.
The Fox family was heavily involved in the theme park including Peter performing as one of the town’s first “convicts” when it opened its gates in 1975.
Michael Fox, also an architect, worked closely on the design plans with his father and a team of experts.
In a 2013 interview, Michael Fox said his father was “meticulous about recreating 1810 faithfully”.
“Every piece of furniture and building was authentic. Even the menu for food served at the eatery was a replica of an 1810 menu.
“Characters depicted on site were taken from real life, with actors being familiarised with the life and work of each individual.”
Mr Fox said the family had never lost contact with the new owners of the site.
Another Fox brother Stephen was the first manager of the park.
STATE OF DECAY
Old Sydney Town made headlines once more last year after drone footage revealed the advanced state of decay of the once popular theme park.
Davistown drone enthusiasts Mitchell Hubbard’s drone images buildings slowly falling apart and rooves caved in. The replica tall ship Perseverance had sunk and weeds were growing on its decks. From above, the park resembled an 1800s ghost town.
TIME LINE
■ Frank Fox’s design of Old Sydney Town was inspired by a meeting with Walt Disney and was a passion project for the whole family.
■ The park was opened in 1975 by Gough Whitlam. It was developed by architect Frank Fox with the help of the Federal Government and the Bank of NSW.
■ The project faithfully recreated the pre-Governor Macquarie period with buildings constructed using traditional methods and featuring authentic costumes, furnishings, foods and activities from that period. Its overall control was initially in the hands of Mr Fox and the Bank of NSW.
■ The Wran state government took over the federal investment shortly after the Fraser government took power at the end of 1975.
■ The Park was leased to private company, Warwick Amusements, who under the terms of the lease eventually purchased it from the State Government, but later took a decision to close in 2003.
■ During its lifetime, the park had 6 million visitors.
■ In the early hours of 20 February 2014, fire claimed Heritage Hall the entrance and reception complex — and a significant part of the artefacts and documentation stored there were lost.