Rumours of a Disney theme park in Werribee
Wyndham City Council has responded to swirling rumours about a possible Disneyland in Werribee. Here’s what it had to say.
Victoria
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Dreams of a possible Disneyland in Werribee have gone up in flames, with Wyndham City Council saying it has not been approached about a future park.
“Wyndham City has not been approached by any organisation in relation to plans for a
‘Disney-style’ park in our municipality,” a spokesman said on Wednesday night.
Rumours swirled on Wednesday morning that Disney was eyeing off Werribee for a future major theme park.
The Walt Disney Company in September last year revealed it was developing plans “to accelerate and expand investment” in its parks and experiences to nearly double capital expenditure over a decade, to $60bn.
It said this included investing in international theme parks.
“We have an ambitious growth story that is supported by a proven track record and a bold vision for the future of our parks business,” Disney parks, experiences and products chairman Josh D’Amaro said.
The expansion revelations gave rise to hope across the globe — including in Australia — that Disneylands, in new countries, were being planned.
Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief, Felicia Mariani, told the Herald Sun on Wednesday the state desperately needed more major attractions like theme parks.
However, she stressed a future Werribee Disneyland was “very much a rumour”, of the kind that had been circulating for many years.
“Whether it is Disney or some other type of major attraction, the reality is those sort of new attractions are really critical to driving visitation into Victoria, and in particular having something that sits in the greater Melbourne region, as opposed to Melbourne CBD,” Ms Mariani said.
“We need more attractions in greater Melbourne to really encourage that broader dispersal across the whole of the metro area, we need experiences.
“It’s great that we’ve got such a plethora of new hotel rooms that are being built across the city, but you need attractions and experiences for people to do, not just places for them to lay their heads. Visitors need both. We need both sides of that equation firing.”
It’s not the first time grand plans have been mooted for burgeoning Werribee, located between Melbourne and Geelong.
African Safari World was a $220m proposed amusement park to hold some of the world’s biggest and best adventure rides, set in the grounds of Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Warner Village Theme Parks, who already own and operate several properties on the Gold Coast in Queensland, was behind the proposal.
The park was scheduled to open in 2010, but the state government rejected the plan in 2008, saying the cost to taxpayers would be too great.
Whispers this week that Werribee — home to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, Werribee Mansion and western sewage treatment plant — may be in the mix as a future location for new Disney park follows speculation last year that the entertainment juggernaut was canvassing potential sites in Australia for a park.
It led to Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp putting Fishermans Bend forward as the ideal location.
“As Australia’s capital city of fun, of course we should have a Disney theme park in Melbourne … I know a Disney theme park in our municipality would be a huge hit with residents — myself included — visitors, students and traders,” Ms Capp said.
There have also been past attempts by Avalon Airport in Victoria, the Gold Coast in Queensland, Sydney in New South Wales and Adelaide in South Australia, to lure Disney to Australian shores.
David Fox, the man behind Avalon Airport’s business opportunities and son of trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, has previously revealed an entertainment precinct has been earmarked for the airport’s vast tract of land, near Geelong, and said a future Disney park had not been ruled out.
Disney Parks are currently located in four countries across the three continents of North America, Europe and Asia (China and Japan).
Disney amusement and theme parks around the globe draw about 50,000 visitors per day, with the company Walt Disney founded in 1923 now employing about 223,000 people.
According to Disney’s earnings report for the first quarter of 2023, total revenues exceeded $23.51bn, an eight per cent increase on last year, and net income was $1.28bn, up from $1.15bn in 2022.
The most visited Disney theme park globally in 2022 was Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, with about 17.13m guests visiting the park.
Second most visited was Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, with about 16.81m visitors in 2022.
EXISTING DISNEY PARKS
Disney has twelve theme parks located on six resort campuses worldwide. Six of Disney’s twelve worldwide theme parks are Disneyland-style “castle parks,” while the remaining six are parks that have other themes. These twelve parks are located in four countries.
Disneyland Resort (California)
Disneyland
Disney California Adventure
Walt Disney World Resort (Florida)
Magic Kingdom
EPCOT
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Park
Walt Disney Studios Park (to be renamed Disney Adventure World in 2025)
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland Park
Shanghai Disney Resort
Shanghai Disneyland
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