Magic Mountain was a theme park in Glenelg, a beachside suburb of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, South Australia. It opened in December 1982 and closed on 18 July 2004. Magic Mountain was popular among the young and "young at heart", but had also been criticised for its design, which was likened to a "giant dog dropping".Farewell Magic Mountain
, ''891 ABC Adelaide'', 18 July 2004 It was

demolished Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apa ...

amid controversy late in 2004 as part of the final stage of the Holdfast Shores development and replaced by The Beachouse in 2006.

Operation

Magic Mountain was popular more with locals than

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

, and especially with younger people. The main attraction of Magic Mountain was its four

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...

s, particularly during the hot Adelaide summers. (These were accessible on Level 2 of the facility. They were also the largest water slide setup in the southern hemisphere at the time.)

Currency

To reduce the risk of stolen money from customers (many children), Magic Mountain took a page from Disney's book and made their own tokens for all of the attractions in the buildings. No matter which machine, One Token equalled One Game. ( Dazzeland and

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

also made their own tokens.) Each token was similar to Australian $1 coins, one side showing the Magic Mountain logo, surrounded by both ''"NO CASH VALUE"'' above and the year of use below. The other side either had a sponsor's logo (e.g.:

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

) or ''"NO CASH VALUE"'' in big font around a logo shaped like

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

labelled ''"SA"''.

Attractions

GROUND FLOOR: *

Pinball machines Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

(20+/- approx.) ''Titles included:'' * Star Trek: The Next Generation *

The Addams Family (pinball) ''The Addams Family'' is a pinball machine released in March 1992. It was designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar and released by Midway (under the '' Bally'' label). It was based on the 1991 film of the same name, and features custom speec ...

* Doctor Who (pinball) * The Twilight Zone (pinball) * Back to the Future: The Pinball (pinball) *

Arcade Machines An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...

(35+/- approx.) ''Titles included:'' *

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK, first released on the Neo Geo system. Gameplay The original ''Fatal Fury'' is known for the two-plane system. Characters fight from two different planes. By step ...

Final Fight ''Final Fight'' is a series of beat 'em up video games by Japanese publisher Capcom, which began with the arcade release of '' Final Fight'' in 1989. Set in the fictional Metro City, within the '' Street Fighter'' universe, the games focus on ...

Golden Axe is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video games developed by Sega. The series takes place in a medieval fantasy world where several heroes have the task of recovering the legendary Golden Axe, the mainstay element of the series. M ...

OutRun (also stylized as ''OutRun'') is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and ...

Rampage Rampage may refer to: People * Rampage (rapper) (born 1974) * Quinton Jackson (born 1978; nicknamed "Rampage"), American mixed martial artist and actor * Randy Rampage (1960-2018), Canadian musician Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional chara ...

Air Hockey Air hockey is a tabletop sport where two opposing players try to score goals against each other on a low-friction table using two hand-held discs (mallets/pushers) and a lightweight plastic puck. The air hockey table has raised edges that al ...

(3+/- approx.) * A

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

(1 - which has now been preserved) * Mini-Golf Course (1) LEVEL 1: * A Light-Rifle

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

themed Shooting Gallery (1): A red sanded Old West desert plain area, red and white bullseye targets everywhere, one for each interactive target, doing comical actions when shot. For example, The Piano Player would jerk around then play a short tune on his piano. The Can - attached by a strong antenna-like wire to the ground - would fly up then back down again. ''Targets included:'' * The Piano Player * The Snake * The Tin Can * The Bottle *

Bumper Boats Bumper boats are an amusement park ride that uses inner tube shaped watercraft that can be steered by the rider. Some are driven by electric motors, some by gasoline engines, and some require the rider to propel the craft by pedaling. Most ar ...

(1) *

Dodgem Cars Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are ...

(1) * Sky Cycles (1) LEVEL 2: *

Water Slides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. So ...

(4)

Closure and demolition

Demolition of Magic Mountain was part of the second stage of the Holdfast Shores development, and was required in order to maintain the stipulated amount of open space. The plan, signed in 1997, included a profit-sharing agreement between the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

and the Holdfast Shores consortium, and a separate agreement concerning public infrastructure with the local government (the

City of Holdfast Bay The City of Holdfast Bay is a local government area in the south-western coastal suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. History The council was formed on 1 January 1997, when the City of Glenelg and City of Brighton councils were amalgamated ...

). Stage 1 saw the construction of the marina, the Marina Pier and two apartment blocks. The second stage was construction of the Pier Hotel. Agreements changed before Stage 2 began. The state government withdrew from the now-considered risky hotel development and sold the land to the consortium. The plan also changed, with the separation of the hotel from the Platinum Apartments – the new plan became known as Stage 2B. Meanwhile, a public-opinion survey in the lead-up to the May 2003 local government elections caused the council to rethink its support of the new plan. Their new-found opposition to the proposed beachfront high-rise apartments focused on Magic Mountain as the one parcel of land within the project that was under their control.Cracks in the plan
, ''The Adelaide Review'', February 2004 The council's campaign was ultimately unsuccessful and the development received Government approval in early 2004.Glenelg’s Holdfast Shores Project near Completion
,

, 24 August 2006 Magic Mountain closed for the last time on 18 July 2004 and was demolished soon after. The new development included construction of The Beachouse, replacing Magic Mountain, which opened on 1 July 2006.

The Beachouse

The Beachouse family entertainment complex replaced Magic Mountain, located on the foreshore in Glenelg in

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. The five-story complex includes attractions such as waterslides, dodgem cars, bumper boats, mini golf, playcastle, train and arcade games. The historic carousel also stands at The Beachouse complex, having been fully restored and now a popular photo destination. The Beachouse also features a function room located on level 3, The Function at the Beachouse, which is hired for various events including weddings, birthdays, social events, corporate events and conferences.

References

{{Authority control 1982 establishments in Australia Amusement parks opened in 1982 Buildings and structures demolished in 2004 History of Adelaide Defunct amusement parks in Australia Demolished buildings and structures in South Australia Amusement parks in South Australia 2004 disestablishments in Australia Amusement parks closed in 2004