Expo 88 & World Expo Park: Australia’s Shortest Lived Theme Park | HistoryTyme 

My mum was a cartographer in Brisbane the 80s, and she drew the plans for Expo 88! She’s going to love this video 🥰

Great memories as an 8 year old going and thinking how big everything was.

It really was the best thing to happen to Brisbane. We really grew up from then on.

Who remembers the "Expo Hangover" when it was finished ? but afterwards they made Southbank & that's the best thing that was ever done for Brisbane.

Now I know why there’s a pagoda there when I visited Brisbane, five years ago.

My dad worked on the monorail maintenance crew so we all got session passes. The park was best after dark, as the queues were much shorter. Fireworks display was great and the night parade. Some amazing Street performers too like the robot impersonators. The theme park was fun but only while expo was there. I went in 89 and remember looking down from a coaster at the cleared park, with only the pubs and some telephone boxes left untouched. It was a little depressing. I think it was $8 in. During expo you would pay per ride. The Munster's car was there for paid photos. The alien ride burnt down.

Nice job. Many people would have no idea we had such an Expo event here in Australia. So thank you for covering this. While the event was successful it was initially clouded in controversy with the cost as you've mentioned. Wouldnt it be nice if it was 1988 again given all that is occurring in the world.

As a 6 year old we all received commemorative coins for the celebration, anyone still got theirs? Then 32 years later I find out I was living on the original site 20 years after the event? Haha.. Nice video!

I was there every day from two weeks before it opened until a week after it was closed ( I worked there) - I met so many great people and loved every second of it.

Ahh the memories....geez I’m old!

The Queensland pavilion is now a church. It’s located in Mackenzie QLD

Bicentennial, expo 88 and mortgage rates at 17%. What a crazy year.

The stories that you tell through these videos are why i love theme parks. Your stuff is by far, some of the best theme park content on this platform

Wow. This would have been an awesome expo to visit

I was posted to Australia for work in 85. Although based in Sydney. I seemed to be in Brisbane every other week. Back then it was really a big country town, built on farming and mining. I was never sure they would pull Expo off, but as it got nearer the whole of Queensland threw themselves behind it. There was an excitement in the final months before the opening that was hard to miss. Everyone was talking about it, or working on it. I was in Brissie many times while the expo was on, but never went. I saw the fireworks from my hotel room, heard the live bands across the river, but didn't make it. I was just too busy. Brisbane change for ever. It became an international City. But I still remember those few years that I knew it as a country town.

My grandmother was a volunteer at this event. As a visitor, you could get a passport to be stamped at every pavilion. Also, there was a weekly art poster that was released for the theme of the week. We still have these posters and some are framed on our walls.

Brisbane is good at hosting. Next stop 2032 Olympics.

Thank you so much for this video world expo was a big influence on me going as a kid in 88 you really captured the essence excitement and electric atmosphere it created Brisbane rapidly grew into an world class city after expo and continues to I love going to the southbank the old expo site and sitting in the expo padgoda that was left on the site as a legacy piece and thinking of the magical time it was for me

Brisbane Gang! My parents and family worked at Expo 88 and have a lot of stories about the event!

Awesome. I love that they transformed a lot of the space into the South Bank Parklands. Super nice area to walk around and relax in.

I was the first person to enter Expo, have a certificate and photo with that huge platypus.

19 million in it's first year...most new parks don't see that for half a decade.

I worked at World Expo 88 Fun Park as a Ride Attendant and had a great time operating all the roller coasters and the other rides. I will always remember how awesome it was as a 17 year old to be operating huge rollercoasters and then getting to go to World Expo 88 after my shift...best job ever.

God, what a time to be alive. I was only 7 when I went but I have such vivid memories of my time there with my family. Whether it was standing in awe at the monorail running overhead or being seated during the mesmerizing hi-tech laser show, loved it all. Of course, my fondest memory was ironically the last thing I did there just as nightfall hit, and that was ride the Gravitron.

Really interesting video. I remember the bicentennial of Australia we did a lot about it at school in England, We even made captain cook sailors hats! Would,loved to have visited the expo, hopefully there will be another one in Oz in the future

Terrific video, and even though I know the focus was on World Expo Park, I’m beyond thrilled you covered so much of the World Expo ‘88 itself, because that truly was the main attraction that changed Brisbane for the better, forever. If you ever expand and do another Expo 88 video covering more of the Expo itself, (Aquacade, the day and NIGHT parades, the Night Companion sky needle which is still upstanding and now part of an other development), it would be great seeing the legacy it left over on that side of the river, with the phenomenal South Bank development. I trace my absolute love of (especially Disney) theme parks back to visiting Expo’88 twice and Disney On Ice productions. Formative events for me. Thanks for this awesome mini documentary, I would certainly watch a longer one on the topic if you ever made one as you do such a great job!

My Mum worked at Expo house and at 13 years old I had a season pass and used to stay alone till they closed at 10:30 at night on Friday and Sat nights as well as every night on school holidays and catch a bus home alone to Jindalee!! I wouldn't get home to near midnight and we didn't have mobile phones so no one knew where where we were but no one cared!! I went 135 times and saw every single pavilion!! It was my favourite hang out!! If you knew what to do you could skip lines and get free food!! I still have my Expo Passport!! I got stuck on the Titan Roller Coaster twice. It had a sophisticated safety system that would let it release if the brakes were wet, and they got wet a lot from rain!! I got so many free ride credits for being stuck on it!! I got to see the closing day from the Roof of Expo House, it was amazing!!

I remember me and my family driving there from the Blue Mountains and got a 3-day pass. I don't remember much of it, but I do remember a long wait for the Switzerland chairlift, which was considered the must-do attraction.

aww man, this makes me miss Brisbane so much... i loved living there

wow. that almost brought tears to my eyes. proud of my city :)

I was 4 at the time and remember so much of this. Thanks for the flashback mate 👍

Remember going there quite a few times. It was absolutely wonderful.

A lot of people don’t know at the same time as expo 88 there was also a plan to build a replica of the Queen Mary and moor it at the base of kangaroo point cliffs. It was going to have restaurants, theatre, bowling ally etc. My friend was on the planning committee, but it was never approved.

I went as a 2 year old, I wish I could remember it other than photos. It truely did transform Brisbane and I loved growing up and now raising my own family in Brisbane and visiting South Bank as it is today.

Wow. It's so interesting to see the land/skyscape difference between then and now.

I remember the beautiful little musical groups Barley Corn frok Ireland and that group with pan piped from South Anerica. Wonderful times

I remember starting work in March and they would give us free rides on the Titan roller coaster while they were testing and adjusting it....we loved every second of it.

that was a really good video! so many memories. Post expo depression reignited... 😢 hopefully we'll do something just as good for the 2032 Olympics

WOW SHORT LIVED!

I was in my early 20's at the time & had a season pass. It was a great venue after work & on weekends.The pavilions were excellent & the entertainment was first rate. The sky needle was a handly landmark, especially after a few drinks.

I had the season pass, in fact I still have it. I worked in Spring Hill and at the end of the day at 5pm would walk home through the city, across the Victoria Bridge, and spend a few hours at Expo, often grabbing dinner and trying different cuisines. I would exit the Vulture Street gate then take the short walk to Highgate Hill to be home by 9pm. We’d all watch the fireworks from our front verandah. Never got old. I went almost every day. I saw Crowded House, John Farnham, Johnny Denver, Julie Anthony and so many other big acts perform. It was bloody brilliant! The amusement park was fairly rubbish unfortunately.

The only pavilion to remain was the Pavilion of Promise, becoming the Maritime Museum, Expo 88 was one of the best experiences of my life having worked there for 3 months at the POP

EXPO 88!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely loved this place when I was 8 ❤

I travelled from Melbourne. The expo was so popular I couldn't get a flight to Brisbane! Flew to Sydney and then bused it to Queensland. Went with my 8 year old son and mother. We loved it! I remember the Indonesian pavilion as beautiful and the German one celebrating Oktoberfest. My son got a "passport" which was stamped by each country which I still have. Would rather another Expo in Brisbane instead of the Olympics

Cheer's to Brisbane!! My best was when Stefan brought the lighthouse!!! 1988 just GOLD heavy mother it was!! Would of loved to ride the Mono rail but it happens!!

Dude this is BRILLIANT. I was 11 at the time in Brisbane and I thirst for expo info. We only had a 3 day pass.and we only we limited time to a walk through of world expo park as my family couldn't afford anything but 4 3 day passes for my family

I’m 15 in 2022. And I always see my dads world expo 88’ pin or something in the safe cabinet. I’m not sure if my mum went because she was having he first lot of kids in the late 80s-early 90s. She would’ve been 18 in 1988. My dad 15 (my age lol). God it would’ve been good to experience this. We live in Brisbane and Southbank looks so different now. I didn’t even realise this was Southbank. 😂 they still have the botanic gardens and the temples

Such good memories ❤️

Great video. I love your insight into the history of World Expo. It's a shame they didn't keep too much of it around (save for the Nepal Peace Pagoda). Keep up the amazing work!

Goosebumps

I lived across the river in bulimba at that time the Lazer lights in the clouds at night and listening to the bands playing great days I had 3 day passes

Don't forget about failed park Wobbies World in Melbourne. You had to pay to enter the park and then you still had to buy tickets for each ride. My parents only took my sister and me there one as kids.

I just visited Brisbane for the first time this past July, and spent much time at South Bank...never got to see Expo 88, but I felt a lot of comparisons between this and Expo 86 in my hometown of Vancouver, both of which were coming out parties for their respective cities on the world stage.

Loved expo 88, got to it a few times and it was a great event.

Best thing to ever happen to happen to Brisbane abd QLD. South Bank and South Brisbane are some of the most valuable real estate now.

I turned 12 the year expo came. I remember most of it,especially KITT being the first left hand drive car I ever sat in.( still waiting for autograph from under the dash lol). 88 was an awesome time in my life and for Qld ,for Australia also.( respects to first nations of course). Expo Park might have lasted a year but NSW and VIC don't have anything noteworthy and tan us qlders down for years as hicks,but guess where they love to come to,?to the point where they'll sneak here and bring filthy covid 19 and give us lockdowns. I love our Southern States don't get me wrong,but the road north is the best. We need more fun parks and more adventures like expo so that everyone enjoys it,not just for the rich,smug stuck up and so called "exclusive" ones.

I'm a Sydney resident and I had no clue this was ever a thing. Dang, makes me wish I was born a couple of decades earlier.

The Laser Tag facility at the Big Banana in Coffs is from Expo 88 👍

what's crazy is now brisbane is now holding the 2032 Olympics which is basically going to be the sequel to expo 88

I went to BSHS across the road from expo...we would sit in classes and watch people get stuck on the titan for hours before rescue. It really broke a lot.

Just returned from the south bank. It is a great family friendly place.

And to think outdoor eating was not very popular, expo 88 made Brisbane grow up.

The Expo Amusement Park failed because it was just an amusement park and not really a theme park. It was never something that would appeal to all ages. I think all Queenslanders and visitors alike would agree that South Bank Parklands was the more enduring replacement that appeals to all ages and tastes.

Sounds like this was Australia's Expo '67 only with a more tragic end rather then the legacy being an active theme park, casino and F1 track.

Amazing review and footage! My earliest memory was being 3 years old and going on some rides at expo. This was such a cool video, thanks!

I was there! Happier times..

Great video. You should do a video on Luna Park Melbourne or Sydney history.

I remember you could get a passport and get it stamps from each country. Didn't get it till the second day of a three day pass so had to sneak into the countries I'd visited on day one to get it stamped

Used to walk up the street every night to see the fireworks

Holy shit, I think that's my mum at 1.59!

This is a great video. Well researched and well presented! I don't think I had a great time at Expo. Just waited in lines all day only to visit the Vatican pavilion, which wasn't great for a 6 year old haha.

The coaster now has been shifted to Wonderla, India renamed recoil coaster

As the video is showing The Pieta and that has to be a copy, I'm going to guess perhaps that is the one that is in St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney?

Still got my little platypus figurine somewhere 😝

The monorail there was also seemingly manufactured by the same company that manufactured the Sydney Monorail as the expo monorail had the exact same trains! :)

I remember they had a fairly large video game arcade as well and my 12 year old self was impressed by all the new games, particularly the Indiana jones game. I vaguely remember it had the top half of an android (humanoid robot) at the front entrance. I wonder what happened to the android.

Hi Dom and Luke, excellent video as always! May I use some clips in an upcoming video? I will credit this video in the description and footage. Cheers

I drove the fosters four X monorail. There was actually 4 monorails. 1. Fosters Fourex Australias favourite beer 2. ANA All nippon Airlines. 3. Westpac 4. Iberia Air

I learned to queue at Expo 88

Pretty sensational send off lol

Love this channel!

World's Fairs always look cool, even in today's world

A story I tell everyone: my grandparents were building managers in Brisbane at the time of expo. The Russians stayed in their building, including Putin, who they actually spoke to. True story

I have the last remaining neon tube from Expo 88

Thanks for your efforts in putting this vid . I'd pretty much forgotten Expo 88. This is _my_ interpretation of how the public saw Expo 88. Could be wrong. Queensland then was a backwater. Provincial, parochial banana-benders were fiercely proud of Expo as only simple folk with small-town outlooks can be. They rated it very highly. Interstate and overseas visitors, who tended to be more worldly, more travelled, more sophisticated, were more... "meh". They'd seen similar events, similar shows, similar productions. many of which were better. They rated it a fair bit lower than the natives. Many found the food very average, not up to the standard expected by international diners and frequent restaurant patrons. Nobody hated it, nobody saw it as a failure. But many saw it as a bit disappointing considering the distance they travelled. It lost money, but most expos do. Not knocking it. It put backward, sleepy Queensland on the world map. Queenslanders, few of whom had travelled much, marveled at the scope & colour. Not knowing any better, most gave it a huge thumbs up. More seasoned, cultured visitors from the south and distant lands gave it a pass.

Great video 👍

I didn't know Australia had its own Luna Park, I always thought it was just a Coney Island NY thing. Sydney's had a troubled history theme park wise. Reminds me of Houston. The Expo 88 monorail looks similar to the one that used to run in Sydney. Disney designed the mascot? Nice! But the superior platypus is of course Agent P

Where did the old footage come from?

The music at around 111.24 where can I buy it from?

Sydney's Luna Park is still in operation.

💯Cook Islands Pavilion ❤️

THE slogan was together Will show the world 🌎 and we did 👍🦘🐨i still have my rare expo 88 number plates on my hearse Rip SIR LLEW. EDWARDS 🕯️🙏

My dad helped build the monorail

This reminds me of Epcot

This was the year joh bejeilke peterson got kicked out of office the longest serving premier in Queensland's history ! Should have named it Ex joh 1988 ???😂😂😂

Huh, sounded like fun.

🚨The occultic and esoteric nature of the World Expo events ought to be carefully examined by those possessing an inquiring mind on the matter 🚨

I'll always remember how amazing it was.. and sadly how Australia has gone downhill ever since. 1988 was the peak of Australian culture.

Australia isn’t meant for theme parks. Theme parks are commercial, and Sydney/Australia is all about the beauty of nature and the amazing natural areas in both New Zealand, and Australia. No one goes to Australia for a theme park, they go for the beauty, and the atmosphere of the natural setting. Go to Orlando, California, Germany and Japan, to see theme parks; not Australia.