Old Sydney Town was an Australian

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

and

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

which operated from 1975 until 2003 in Somersby on the

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Central Coast. Once a living tribute to the early years of Sydney's colonial settlement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was complete with historical reenactments and authentic construction methods. The site is now used as a location for film and television production. It borders the Australian Reptile Park. Robert Hughes, author of

The Fatal Shore ''The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding'' by Robert Hughes is a history of the early years of British colonisation of Australia, and especially the history and social effects of Britain's convict transportation system. It also ad ...

called the site "the only theme park in the world devoted to punishment and repression." During its lifetime, the park had 6 million visitors.

History

Development

Old Sydney Town was initially developed by architect Frank Fox after he was inspired by a trip to

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location a ...

, in the United States. While Fox had originally set out to create an Australian Disneyland, his experience at Williamsburg and the terrain of his Somersby site inspired him to recreate Sydney Cove in 1810. Fox and his family spent four years researching the pre- Macquarie period for the site. Initial preparations saw the site's creek dammed to create a makeshift Sydney Cove. Robert Irving, a senior lecturer at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

(UNSW) headed up the site's permanent four person research team. Irving assigned his 1972 first year architecture cohort with designing and erecting the site's first buildings as a mandatory component of their studies. The UNSW Student Union Council condemned the Faculty of Architecture for its use of unpaid labour for a commercial enterprise. Initial plans were for development of the site's 80 planned structures to continue into the park's operation, with historically accurate construction techniques becoming part of the attraction. At Old Sydney Town's peak, it employed a range of specialised tradespeople like a thatcher, blacksmith and shipwright, to help the maintain the site's authenticity. It was also home to the only mechanical shingle maker in Australia. Two boats were converted to be period replicas for the site; one of the first Brig built in Sydney, the Perseverance and the

HMS Lady Nelson (1798) His Majestys Armed Survey Vessel ''Lady Nelson'' was commissioned in 1799 to survey the coast of Australia. At the time large parts of the Australian coast were unmapped and Britain had claimed only part of the continent. The British Government ...

. The

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

announced it would purchase a 25.5% equity in Old Sydney Town on 22 April 1974. They joined Frank R. Fox's Developments and

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and N ...

(Westpac) as investors in the attraction.

Frank Stewart Francis Eugene "Frank" Stewart (20 February 192316 April 1979), Australian politician and rugby league footballer, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing Lang between 1953 and 1977 and subsequently Grayndler betw ...

, Minister for Tourism and Recreation, stated the venture would be "a focal point for recreation and learning about Australia's past".

Operation

The park began admission on the 27th of November 1974, before being officially opened on 26 January 1975, by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the ...

. Upon entry visitors would walk through a tunnel that would 'transport' them back to the past. In addition to the site's colonial buildings, staff members were dressed in period-accurate costumes and depicted of soldiers, convicts, teachers, villagers, shop attendants and town criers. Several staff were assigned the roles of colonial figures like

Samuel Marsden Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden was a prom ...

, Lt. William Dawes and Elizabeth Rafferty. Activities included historical re-enactments like convicts being flogged and thrown in the stocks, pistol duels and a convict rebellion. People were invited to partake in feeding farm animal, bullock rides, and interactive classrooms. Visitors could purchase handmade goods from the tinsmith, leathermaker, potter and the candlestickmaker. On occasion Bush dances would be held in the site's wool shed. The park's program was particularly popular amongst families and schools. In November 1975, the Federal Government approved a $200,000 loan to the site to allow its operations to continue until after the December Federal Election. This increased the Government's loans to the park to $1.9 million. The Whitlam Government expressed concern for the project's management and stated it was "grossly undercapitalised". Whitlam had earlier sought to invest $3.5m into the site over 3 years but negotiations had faltered. A review of the Government's financial stake in the site by the newly elected Fraser government in March 1976, opted to ask the NSW Wran state government to take over the Government's investment in the project. None of the currently investing parties were willing to give the park more funds and admissions were unable to generate enough income to cover the site's debts. The NSW Government took over the federal government's ownership share and was gifted Frank R Fox's Developments 49% shareholding in the site. In 1983, the NSW Government approved an emergency interim funding grant to prevent the closure of the site. The park was faced with having to immediately fire 27 maintenance and repair staff to reduce operating costs. In 1984, the NSW Government advertised the opportunity to lease the site in hopes of developing the site's unused land into an entertainment park and tourist accommodation. During a bid to lease out the site in 1986, the NSW Government revealed the site had bled $6 million over the previous 10 years, at a rate of up to $800,000 a year. An agreement was finally reached with Warwick Amusements, a subsidiary of Warwick Hotels and Resorts, in 1987 for an 80-year lease. The company would take over operations of Old Sydney Town and outlined a three-phase plan for the site that included a renovation of old Sydney Town, an 18-hole golf course, a theme park and a low-rise international hotel. In 1994, The Eastern Seaboard Fires destroyed the site's wheel making and carriage workshop. Mike Hendrickson, who operated the workshop, said the biggest losses were his tools and a prized horse-drawn double-decker bus they had been rebuilding. The vehicle had been the last of its kind. The site remained closed for a week after the fires. In 1998, NSW's Work Safety Authority fined the site $35,000 after three workers suffered burns and lacerations in a cannon firing accident. No written safety instructions were given to the actors and they only had two days to learn the firing procedure. Warwick Amusement purchased the site for $2.6 million from the NSW Government in 2000.{{cite news , last=Minogue , first=Katie , date=2000-07-14 , title=Historic theme park sold., work=

The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) ''The Daily Telegraph'', also nicknamed ''The Tele'', is an Australian tabloid newspaper published by Nationwide News Pty Limited, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of News Corp. It is published Monday through Saturday a ...

State MP Arthur Chesterfield-Evans opposed the privatisation and accused Warwick Amusements of running down the site to reduce the sales price. Chesterfield-Evans said "The Government shouldn't have a problem with managing a theme park on Australian history. The National Trust could have done it." Visitors were concerned the park's boats were sinking and thought the buildings were in desperate need of repair. Warwick Amusements general manager, Paul Kiley, defended the site saying "It's meant to be buildings and constructions from the 1788-1810 period, so it's not Disneyland." Robert Hughes featured Old Sydney Town in his documentary ''Australia: Beyond the Fatal Shore'' (2000). The segment gave an insight into the performers of the site and what drew them to the experience. Hughes called the site "the only theme park in the world devoted to punishment and repression." The park permanently closed on January 3, 2003. Warwick Amusement had allegedly lost $1.4 million on the site since it was purchased outright in 2000.{{Cite web, url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/farewell-to-old-sydney-town-forever-20030125-gdg5yu.html, title=Farewell to Old Sydney Town forever, website=Sydney Morning Herald Warwick Amusement partly blamed the park's closure on a lack of youth engagement with the site due to temptations of new technologies. Employees complained about minimal maintenance and lack of marketing. Former MP Barry Cohen, called for an inquiry into the conditions of lease and sale of the site as Warwick Amusement had never progressed with their three-phase development plan.

Dormancy

In February 2012 residents of the Central Coast formed a committee to re-open the park. In February 2013 the '' Daily Telegraph'' reported that the family of Frank Fox (Michael and Peter Fox) were in negotiations with the current lease holders about reviving the town. In the early hours of 20 February 2014, fire claimed Heritage Hall (the entrance and reception complex), on site and a significant part of the artefacts and documentation stored therein were lost. The park was sold in May 2018 to World Cultural Tourism Village. Proposed plans for the site include tourism, residential and environmental conservation areas alongside a smaller refurbished old Sydney Town. The site was heritage listed by the National Trust of Australia in 2019.

Park layout and attractions

The town was set out according to James Meehan's map of Sydney in 1803 and consisted of over 30 authentically reconstructed buildings.

Activities and Re-enactments

* Soldiers on parade * Thundering cannons * Pistol and sabre duels * Convict rebellion * Public Floggings * Magistrate's court * Convict punishment * Bullock rides, horse-drawn wagons * Craft stores * Kiosk, tea shop, barbecue facilities * Storming of the brig Perseverance * Timber Task Works * Animal feeding * Bush dances * Noonday Fair * Convict Weddings *

Minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer ...

Shows

Sites and Buildings

The site featured a range of historical buildings, that included but was not limited to:{{cite web , url=https://centralcoast.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p20041coll17/id/4005 , title=Old Sydney Town brochure map , website=Central Coast Library, date= 1988 * "Sydney Cove" - a recreation of Sydney Harbour * Parade Ground * Tea Shoppe * Magistrates Court * Coach and Harness Museum * Bonded Store * Church and Graveyard * Bullock Pen * Mrs Rafferty's (Cottage Store) * Seamstress * Military Windmill * Dawes Observatory * Potter's Hut and Kiln * Candlemaker * Tinsmith * Barracks * Gaol * King's Head Tavern * Wood Turner * BBQ Area * The Brig Perseverance * Dockyards * Blacksmith * Rosetta Stabler's Eating House * Mary Bryant's * Tank Stream * Kenny's School * Bennelong's Hut * Wool Shed

Filming Location

Throughout its life and since closing, the park has been hired for film and television productions. The ABC also used the site to record documentary resources for schools.

Filmography

- Polly Me Love - The Little Convict - In 1994/95 the park was used in the second season of ''

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is a superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along ...

'' for the three-part episode ''Return Of The Green Ranger'' as colonial Angel Grove. -

The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce ''The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce'' is a 2008 Australian-Irish film directed by Michael James Rowland starring Irish actors Adrian Dunbar as Philip Conolly and Ciarán McMenamin as bushranger Alexander Pearce and an ensemble Australian c ...

- Beast No More

References

{{reflist

External links

Old Sydney Town websiteOld Sydney Town television commercialHeritage List Old Sydney Town Facebook page