Destroyed - The rise and fall of Australia's Wonderland theme park [AH015] 

Back when Sydney was exciting and a happy place to exist

even as a dirt poor kid from the west, a day at wonderland made you feel like a million bucks, it truly was a magical place...

Our family was so poor when I was a kid but one year I was given a Wonderpass that was $80 and gave you access all year round. Best god damn year of my life

This is a perfect example of why we shouldn't sell out to foreign investors.

This is the core reason of what's happened in sydney over the past 20 years selling off iconic and private business to overseas investors , who just want a quick turnover and lack zero interest in the locals.

sydney is a horrible place to live these days

Just before it closed, i took my sons. It was so quiet, we rode Bush Beast over 20 times in a row without having to get off. We could have kept going but they wanted to ride other things and then come back later. I miss the park - it felt very much like Magic Mountain in California when it first opened. Thanks for nothing Sunway........

I’m 42, and that was the coolest place when growing up!

Wonderland was a great park and Sydney used to be fun and exciting. For a ‘world city’ of over 5 million, Sydney doesn’t offer much these days. It is such a shame that the State Government allowed Wonderland to be destroyed. That was a truly family friendly and top notch theme park. Corporate greed destroyed it.

Let’s not forget SegaWorld in darling harbour, gosh how times have changed, Sydney use to be a great place to be.

I was a ride operator at Australias Wonderland in the 90's and it was fun. Not only the memories but the free entry we and our family got. Those pricks at sunway never intended to extend or do anything for Wonderland, All they wanted was an Industrial park. The industrial park was initially meant to be build around Wonderland. But after the useless Council caved and allowed those asshole Sunway bitches to build they ran the park into dis-repair. Onething that stood proud was the Bush Beast, they tried and tried to bring that thing down, but the Bust Beast said "F*** you" and wouldn't budge. They tried using the cables from the ride 'Skyrider' to bring it down, the cables just snapped. Such good times, it would have been nice to send my own kids to that place. That's what happens when you allow foreign companies to buy Australia land.

Australia's Wonderland hosted one of the most special days of my childhood. My parents worked hard but despite this, we didn't have a lot of money. But they always worked out a way. When Wonderland first opened, I begged them to go. It was decided that just my Dad would take me for my birthday, unfortunately they didn't have enough for the whole family to go. So I got Dad to myself to discover this new park, going on all the rides for the very first time. That memory will forever be treasured.

I worked at Wonderland for 3 years in my teenage years. Was my first job. Worked in the games section near the pirate ship. Good times.

Some of the best memories I had as a child....we went once a year religiously throughout the late 80s....I remember being to short to do the pirate ship and bush beast roller-coaster I remember the year I finally was tall enough....it's was a highlight of my childhood like a graduation 😂

I loved Wonderland! I spent many weekends in the wildlife park area, especially when the main park & rides area got too busy. I miss it!

I remember the last time I went there. My friends and I had all left school, and were working our first jobs, driving our first cars, still on p plates, and we all head down there one summers weekend since we were all independent, and didnt need our parents permission to go anywhere. Had an amazing day I'll never forget. Our final hour was spent on the water trikes and the dodgem cars before the park closed and kicked us out. I dont see those people anymore, we all moved and went our separate ways decades ago, and the place that held those precious memories is long gone.

I remember about 15 of us used to get the train to Rooty Hill station then get the wonderland bus and spend all day there as teenagers

As one of the administrators for Wonderland History, I want to categorically state, for the record, that not one animal was abandoned or forgotten. These claims are false.

My mum was a single mum working multiple jobs and putting herself through university. She figured out a wonderpass for me and my brother was cheaper than child care. We would get dropped there in the morning with $10 each to get lunch and picked up in the afternoon...it was indeed way better than childcare

I do a lot of work on the site where Wonderland originally was. It's a concrete jungle of warehouses now, it kept the name "wonderland drive", though it serves an insult to what used to be. Such a shame