An eerie, abandoned theme park lies derelict and forgotten in bush land just a one-hour drive west of Sydney.
Once a popular adventure park that sat alongside Australia’s first African Lion Safari, the rusted remains of old rides and swing sets are the only surviving relics of the half-century-old attraction.
A far cry from the more adrenaline-raising rides of today, the forgotten ‘Fun Land’ is a throwback to the more humble entertainment of yesteryear.
A strange kind of amusement park graveyard is all that remains.
An eerily abandoned theme park lies forgotten in bush land a one-hour drive west of Sydney
Once a popular adventure park that sat alongside Australia’s first African Lion Safari, the remains of rusty old rides and swing sets are now the only surviving relics
Set in overgrown bush land in Warragamba, 60km west of central Sydney, the rides are almost inaccessible by foot and barely visible through the broken branches and thick undergrowth of tree canopies.
Nature has now claimed the site: a casualty of Sydney’s dying theme park attractions.
From stationary trains and metal slides to a merry-go-round and a small ferris wheel, the rusted playground has returned to nature over the decades.
Concrete teepees, rusting playground equipment, the remains of a miniature passenger train sitting on a rusted train track, and a wishing well with two concrete wizards standing beside it once entertained throngs of children and their families.
A far cry from the more adrenaline-raising rides of today, the forgotten ‘Fun Land’ is a throwback to the more humble entertainment of yesteryear
From stationary trains (pictured) and metal slides to a merry-go-round and a small ferris wheel, the rusted playground has returned to nature over the decades
Nature has now claimed the site: a casualty of Sydney’s dying theme park attractions
Signs reading ‘private property trespassers prosecuted’ and ‘patrolled premises’ hang on barbed wire fences.
The scaffolding of a small ferris wheel remains in place among the trees and a rocket still stands mounted with its red and blue paint almost entirely faded.
Long grass and weeds grow up around the disintegrating fairground rides.
There is little remaining information available about the adventure park’s operation or the reasons behind why it closed.
In the early 70s, the park opened under the name ‘Funland’ and later changed its name to ‘Adventureland’.
The attraction went out of business around the late 70s, likely due to the greater commercial success of the nearby African Lion Safari (pictured) and Bullens Animal World
‘They were all a right of passage for us kids back in the day,’ Nev Dennard, an Urbex explorer and photographer who documents abandoned sites across Sydney told Daily Mail Australia
The scaffolding of a small ferris wheel remains in place among the trees
But less than ten years later, the attraction went out of business around the late 70s, likely due to the greater commercial success of the nearby African Lion Safari and Bullens Animal World.
The drive-through exotic animal park was the first of its kind in Australia where resident tigers and lions greeted car windows, climbing on roofs and sometimes taking a bite out of a tyre.
‘It’s the African Lion Safari … It’s scary but nobody cares!’ the TV jingle said.
Jeeps painted in zebra stripes patrolled the area and distributed large hunks of beef to the hungry lions.
‘If you break down, sound horn, do not get out!’ a sign read.
An old merry-go-round (pictured) sits in overgrown bush land, barely visible through the broken branches and thick undergrowth
Signs reading ‘private property trespassers prosecuted’ and ‘patrolled premises’ hang on barbed wire fences
Broken trampolines still stand with their tarpaulin removed (pictured). There is little information available about the adventure park’s operation or the reasons behind why it closed
The disintegrating fairground rides are just a reminder of Australia’s dying theme parks
The park closed in 1991 after a series of breakouts by lionesses and bears, though some animals remained on site over the coming years.
‘They were all a right of passage for us kids back in the day,’ Nev Dennard, an Urbex explorer and photographer who documents abandoned sites across Sydney told Daily Mail Australia.
Now, the rusted and disintegrating fairground rides are just a reminder of Australia’s dying theme parks, which once made for popular holiday spots and thrived along the outskirts of major cities.
Faded and peeling remains of a Peter Pan mural can be seen on a theme park wall
A rocket still stands mounted with its red and blue paint almost entirely faded