The lost theme parks and attractions of Queensland
From Gondwanaland at South Bank, the Australian Woolshed at Ferny Hills and Magic Mountain on the Gold Coast, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane for Qld’s lost theme parks and tourist attractions.
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Queensland is home to many tourist attractions and theme parks that are predominantly based in the southeast corner of the state, but there are many that are no longer here or have changed locations.
Brisbane had its fair share of amusement parks, theme parks, water parks, and wildlife attractions over the years, however the most-well known and popular attractions were located on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
In the present day, the Gold Coast is home to world-famous theme parks such as Dreamworld, Movie World, Wet n Wild, and Sea World, while the Sunshine Coast has iconic attractions such as Australia Zoo, Aussie World, and Sea Life aquarium.
However, there are plenty of theme parks and tourist attractions that have been and gone across the state.
See a list of the lost and forgotten theme parks and tourist attractions across Queensland.
Adventureland, Samford
Adventureland was an amusement park that opened on the northside of Brisbane in the late 1960s and operated through the 1970s.
The amusement park was an outdoor play property located at 83-87 Mt O’Reilly Rd in the Samford Valley.
Attractions at the site included a flying fox and a go-kart track.
Nearby, the Samford Grass Ski Park was a popular attraction from 1984 until 1993 .
The ski park had a bobsled ride, horse riding, paddle boats, swimming, and a barbecue area.
Alma Park Zoo, Dakabin
SEQ has always had a love affair with zoos. Alma Park Zoo, the first to open in Queensland, was a 16ha venue north of Brisbane.
It included Australian and exotic species and was owned by Bill Williams.
The zoo closed in 2014 and many of the animals were transferred to Queensland Zoo.
There were plans for the zoo to open in Logan but that plan was cancelled in 2015.
Amazons Aquatic Adventureland, Jindalee
Amazons Aquatic Adventureland was one of the more popular water parks in the Brisbane area throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The waterpark opened at Amazons Place, Jindalee in 1982 and was a popular tourism destination that featured adventure-based obstacle courses, pools, and waterslides.
There was also a movie screen where visitors to the waterpark could watch films.
The park experienced declining patronage in the late 1990s, with the park closing briefly in 1997, before re-opening later in the year.
Safety concerns were raised in 1999 after the drowning death of a five-year-old boy that led to an inquest in 2000, with the water park permanently closing the following year in 2001.
The site by the Centenary Highway now contains DFO Jindalee.
Australian Woolshed, Ferny Hills
This attraction at Ferny Hills opened in 1982, in a bid to lure tourists and offer locals a place to visit on the weekends and school holidays.
It featured displays, animals and shows illustrating what life was like in the country, and was the brainchild of farmer Ken Mander-Jones.
The water slides were popular with local teens and were often used by schools for sport events.
It closed in 2006 to make way for a housing development.
Black Hole Waterslides, Currimundi
The Black Hole Waterslides were a major attraction on the Sunshine Coast during the 1980s.
Built and run by Max and Denise Morris and family, the Currimundi attraction featured three waterslides, mini-golf, video games, food, and a bar.
The inside of the slides at the attraction were dark so riders were unaware which direction they were heading in or where they would turn next.
When it was open from 1982-1985, it was the second largest tourist attraction on the Sunshine Coast.
Bullens African Lions Safari, Yatala
This animal park may have been before its time but would never be given planning permission today.
It opened in 1969 allowing customers to drive their cars through the park while wild animals were free to roam around and even jump up on stationary cars to the shock of the vehicle’s occupants.
There were often long lines waiting at the opening of the attraction to get in, with cars often banked up or crawling along at snail’s pace.
There were several incidents including the 1973 case of an attendant being dragged off by a lion and killed in front of a family in their car.
Staff had stories about being bitten by hyenas or clawed by tigers before it eventually shut in 1989.
Jumbo, the park elephant, was also a public celebrity and once escaped to Beenleigh for dinner after rummaging through local rubbish bins.
He also was the source of many rumours including once chasing out of the park a lion who was never seen again.
The animals were sold off and the land is now the headquarters for Ashton’s Circus.
Bunya Park Sanctuary, Eatons Hill
The Bunya Park Sanctuary was a popular tourist attraction in the north of Brisbane in the late 20th Century.
The privately-owned wildlife park and zoo operated from Bunya Pine Ct, Eatons Hill from 1968 to 1994 and contained Australian animals like dingoes, emus, koalas, kangaroos, and wombats.
There was also a maze near the car park.
The wildlife sanctuary at Bunya Park ultimately re-located to Yandina on the Sunshine Coast, near the Ginger Factory.
Following the closure of the Bunya Park Sanctuary at Eatons Hill, part of the Bunya Park land was subdivided for residential development in 1996-97.
The most environmentally sensitive land was acquired by the former Pine Rivers Shire Council for wildlife habitat and corridor purposes.
This land would form the basis of the Kumbartcho Sanctuary, a six-hectare flora and fauna sanctuary that is nestled on the banks of the South Pine River at the back of Eatons Hill.
The Kumbartcho Sanctuary is owned by the City of Moreton Bay and operated by volunteers and staff.
Dino’s Fun Park (formerly Tanawha World), Tanawha
Dino’s Fun Park was an iconic attraction on the Sunshine Coast that featured a life-sized replica of a dinosaur that roamed Australia.
Originally opened on the Old Bruce Highway as Tanawha World in 1978, Dino’s Fun Park later got its name from a to-scale replica on site of Australian dinosaur Rhoetosaurus which roamed an area that is now part of eastern Australia.
The theme park contained waterslides, dodgem cars, mini golf, pony rides, maze, boat rides, scale model steam train rides, and a Mad Max roller coaster.
The attraction also had Australian and African animals, birds, and ponies on display.
Interestingly, Dino’s Fun Park contained Australia’s first skid pad where children were allowed to drive motorised vehicles and learn how to control them in a skid situation, while in a safe environment.
The theme park was put up for sale in 1983.
Gondwanaland, South Bank
It’s hard to forget this exotic playground complete with a canal for boat rides, a monorail, and a butterfly house on the banks of the Brisbane River.
It opened in 1992, after Expo 88, but a rainforest populated by plaster-cast dinosaurs dated the site and it closed in 2005.
It was set up as an Australian wildlife sanctuary and tourist attraction with about 500 animals.
Offices and restaurants and cafes were built on the site and the canals and Venice-style bridges were demolished.
Hyperdome Playground, Shailer Park
The Hyperdome Playground was a popular attraction at the Logan Hyperdome shopping complex during the late 1980s.
The playground opened alongside the Hyperdome in 1989.
Located in the middle of the centre, the playground featured a play area, slide, swings, rides, and a fun house that featured automaton clowns that popped up every now and then.
Other features included statues from Expo 88 and a hot-air balloon.
Funland Water Park, Bribie Island
This multi-storey, 183m water slide and water park, at the corner of Goodwin Drive and Cotterill Ave, opened in November 1986.
It had a swimming pool, wading pool, kart track and 15-hole mini golf course.
There was also a kiosk, picnic grounds, playground, video games, and barbecue area.
It was a popular hangout for youths in the 1980s, as well as families.
The structure was sold and moved to Lawnton in the early 1990s where it stayed until maintenance became an issue and it was dismantled.
Magic Mountain, Gold Coast
Magic Mountain, its castle and chairlift were favourites with visitors to Queensland and the southeast during the 1970s until 1991, when it shut.
The amusement park opened in 1962 on top of a peak overlooking Nobby Beach and apparently had 40,000 people in the first year.
The site is now home to some very ritzy Gold Coast mansions and apartments.
Families who went to Magic Mountain usually topped off a day of Gold Coast fun with dinner at the Spaghetti Factory, a two-storey building painting pink with a large mural of twisted spaghetti splashed down the side and across its windows – very avant-garde for the late 1970s.
Marineland, Gold Coast
Before SeaWorld on the Gold Coast there were a number of marine parks with performing dolphins and Marineland was the biggest on The Spit.
It opened in 1965 and was originally called the Seaquarium with a focus on looking after sea creatures.
It changed its name to Marineland and thrived as the Gold Coast’s major marine life park.
However, when Sea World opened, the market could not sustain two parks and in 1976, Sea World’s Keith Williams reportedly paid $1.2 million to buy Marineland and it later closed.
Nostalgia Town, Pacific Paradise
Offering a “a laugh at the past”, Nostalgia Town was a historically-inspired theme park on the Sunshine Coast.
Starting out as the Pioneer Village, Nostalgia Town at Pacific Paradise was a theme park that provided a glimpse into the past.
The theme park featured attractions including a scaled reproduction of an 1863 steam train that took visitors on a ride through environments including such an enchanted tunnel and a dinosaur swamp.
Other attractions included graveyard putt-putt, remote-controlled boats, silent movies, mini cars, and Albert’s Incredible Time Machine.
In 2013, the Nostalgia Town site at Pacific Paradise was purchased by Queensland manufactured-home park developer, Peter Puljich, director of the Living Gems company.
Olympia Theme Park, Alexandra Headland
The Olympia Theme Park was a major attraction right by the beach on the Sunshine Coast.
Originally known as the Pacific Super Slide, the Alexandra Headland theme park opened in 1986, with five slides.
The attraction was created following constant nagging from the grandchildren of mechanical engineer Andrew Vizis.
It was renamed Olympia Theme Park when it was sold to new owners in 1988.
After providing fun in the sun for Sunshine Coast children from almost two decades, the theme park was demolished in 2006.
Scarborough Fun Fair, Scarborough
The Scarborough Fun Fair was one of the earlier amusement parks to open near Brisbane and was especially popular at Easter and Christmas.
The fun fair at Redcliffe opened in 1946 and was started by Father B.J. Frawley, a catholic parish priest in the area.
The popular northside attraction contained a mini-car track, mini-golf, and a miniature train ride.
It is understood that the car track was also used as a roller skating rink.
The fun fair was closed around 1977 and was demolished in 1983 to make way for a church.
Superbee, Tanawha
A humble honey business that started on the Sunshine Coast, Superbee has gone onto become a leading privately owned manufacturer of honey.
The Superbee Honey Factory was established at Tanawha in 1968.
The two-acre tourism facility introduced locals and tourists to the wonders of Australian honey.
Staff at the site conducted live bee shows to educate visitors about the important role bees play in the eco-system, while providing a glimpse into what occurs within the beehive.
The Superbee shows had become so popular at Tanawha that by 1987, the business expanded to hosting shows at Currumbin, on the Gold Coast.
The Superbee Honey Factory closed on the Sunshine Coast in 2008 and moved to its current location at Forbes, New South Wales.
The Big Cow, Kulangoor
A former tourist attraction at a dairy farm on the Sunshine Coast, the Big Cow has moved to greener pastures at Toowoomba.
The Big Cow was built in 1976 to attract tourists to the Suncoast Dairy farm at 9-11 Ayrshire Rd, Kulangoor.
One of Australia’s big things, at 7.9m high the sculpture was seven times the size of an Ayshire cow and was made of concrete.
The display was accessible via a walkway and a platform.
The attraction was created by Hugh Anderson, the artist who was also behind the iconic Big Bulls in Rockhampton.
Following the closure of the dairy farm, the Big Cow remained on the property before falling into a state of disrepair.
The mammoth cow was then donated to the Highfields Pioneer Village near Toowoomba and was moved from Kulangoor on January 10, 2020.
The Big Cow was officially re-opened on September 20, 2020 by Clive Berghofer AM.
Tops Amusement Centre - Myer Centre (Uptown)
Tops Amusement Centre was a popular attraction in the heart of the Brisbane CBD that included a rollercoaster on the top level of the Myer Centre in the Queen St Mall.
A popular venue from the late 1980s until 2000, the Tops Amusement Centre contained a ferris wheel, pirate ship, arcade games, dodgem cars, and the ever-popular Dragon Coaster, which could be seen nine-floors up and heard throughout the shopping centre.
The amusement park closed at the turn of the century to make way for a cinema complex that still occupies the space.
Historic photos depicting the construction of the Myer Centre and Tops Amusement Centre were publicly released last year by the State Library of Queensland.
Wild Waters Water Slide, Shailer Park
Wild Waters Water Slide was a popular attraction that operated in the Logan area.
Six years before the Hyperdome opened, the Shailer Park site had a varied history as a water slide park and a zoo.
Built in 1982 on the site now occupied by the Hyperdome Shopping Centre, the park featured a large tap gushing water into five slides down the hill into a pool, next to heated spa baths.
Before the slide, the site was vacant but many would remember a red teepee.
The water slide was next to Ashton’s Circus, which sold its land on Bryants Rd and the Pacific Highway to Myer in 1977.
Myer held off opening a shopping centre after the Loganholme Shopping Village opened on Bryants Rd in 1987.
Ongoing negotiations for the Hyperdome site involved the sale of Wild Waters in 1984.
Prior to its opening, part of the Hyperdome site was home to Ashton’s Animal Kingdom 88-acre safari park from 1969.
Willows Waterworld, Townsville
Willows Water World was a popular water park in the Townsville region in the 1980s.
Built by the Battle family on the site of the current Willows Shopping Centre, the water park included water slides, hot spa, toboggan rides, barbecue area, and toddlers pool.
There were also Ferrari racing car rides and bumper boats.
The area was the place to be for those who loved to have fun with a skating rink close by on the site of the current Shell service station on Thuringowa Drive.
World Expo Park, South Brisbane
World Expo Park was an amusement park that was constructed for World Expo 88 in Brisbane.
Opened on April 30, 1988, the theme park was located in South Brisbane, where the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition is located in the present day.
The main features of the Brisbane attraction were three thrill rollercoasters, including the Centrifuge, Supernova, and the Titan.
The park contained several other attractions, including rides more suitable for smaller children.
World Expo Park closed on October 30, 1989 due to lack of visitors.
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