At Last the Truth About the Disneyland Australia Project

Six years ago i've posted here on Disney and more an article titled "Disneyland Australia : Finally, it was not a mirage", showing that there has been for real a project to build a Disneyland down under. And the rendering above was so far the only one available to show - in the background - a Disney Magic Kingdom. Why it never happened remained a mystery ...until now as thanks to a great article from Ann Moore in the Gold Coast Bulletin we finally know the truth.

Ann did an interview of Developer Gordon McAlister at his Runaway Bay home, and Gordon was the one who was behind the Disneyland Australia plan. As Ann says, it is a secret chapter in Gold Coast history as the park was envisioned to be build at Australia Gold Coast, on the East of Australia, in Queensland, South of Brisbane.

The day the project died “was a bitter blow,” says Gordon McAlister - who was behind the original Jupiters Casino development in the early 1980s, the creator of the SeaWorld Nara Resort and Brisbane’s Treasury Casino. And guess because of who it died? That's right, Michael Eisner.

Gordon McAlister explain what happened during the talks with Disney in the 1990's, after DLP opening: "The president of Disney theme parks absolutely loved the plan. He was really our No. 1 fan. He liked that culturally we were so similar to where Disney has come from,” he said. Disney executives flew to the Gold Coast a number of times, scouting the site and laying plans. We were so far down the line, we had all the impressions drawn up, the site mapped out, the land optioned. We had the state and federal governments on our side and it all just fell at the final hurdle.

“We got to the last meeting in Burbank, California, when Michael Eisner stepped in and said ‘No, I want to go to China’.

“That was it, he was the boss. He wanted Disney dollars in China, he was looking at Disney as a whole corporation, not just a theme park. And that’s how Hong Kong got a Disneyland instead.

“We got that close.”

So, the day this international meeting was held to turn a 810ha Coomera plot into a world centre of tourism, became the day that Disneyland Australia died. There won't be a Magic Kingdom at the Gold Coast.

Gordon McAlister said he is still hopeful Disney would one day open an Australian-based park:
“The impact that Disneyland would have had on the Gold Coast is almost unimaginable,” he said. “Orlando was in the middle of nowhere when Disneyworld was built, but look at it now. That could have been our story too.

“We estimated about five million visitors each year, which is small for Disney but huge for us. That was one of the arguments against us, that we would be too small — and yet that’s exactly what Hong Kong Disney turns over.

“Many Asian tourists would prefer to come here to do Disney than Tokyo or Hong Kong, and it would be a deciding factor for a lot of tourists from farther afield — the cherry on top that wins them over."

Let's hope it will happen one day and that our friends down under will finally have a Disney Magic Kingdom. In the meantime, there is much more to learn about the whole story in the Gold Coast Bulletin full article so make sure to jump to Ann Moore full article HERE to finally learn the whole story on this Disneyland Australia that never was.

Picture: copyright Disney, Scott Fletcher

Disney Proposed in 2007 - 2008 a Disney Resort in Australia : 'Disney Wharf at Sydney Harbour'

The Sydney Morning Herald reveal the secret plans that in 2007-2008 Disney had to build a Disney Resort in Australia! And it was so secret that "it was discussed in whispers with a special code name "Project Lester" inside the state government, and flew under the radar." The Walt Disney Company's plan was to put a Disney Resort on prime waterfront land around Sidney's White Bay and Glebe Island. "Glossy proposal documents" seen by Fairfax Media reveal for the first time that the company "was deadly serious in its pitch for what it called ''Disney Wharf at Sydney Harbour''.

More details about the project from the Sydney Morning Herald article: "It was a grand vision, incorporating not just so-called ''classic Disney'' elements, but also themed hotels, a marina and ferry wharf, two new light-rail stations, a retail space, an entertainment quarter and a residential development. The old White Bay power station was to have been reborn as a design studio and arts centre, the concrete waste of Glebe Island would have blossomed into ''Fantasia Gardens'' with hedges cut in the shape of Disney characters, and just a short stroll away would have been what the designers termed a ''high-energy NY theatre-style 

district''.

There would have been a yacht club family resort and ''upscale'' residential developments in Disney Village on the northern end of White Bay, together with a Disney town centre (billed as offering ''prime waterfront office space'') and a Disney university and hospitality school. There would have been Nemo-themed attractions in the theme park area, Peter Pan and Dumbo rides and actors in Disney character costume entertaining visitors as they traipsed in and out of retail outlets such as the ''Goofy Candy Store'' and the ''Princesses'' boutique.

''Project Lester'', as it was code named, was described as ''an integrated Disney destination to live, work, play and learn'' with the promoters promising it would enhance real estate values on the site itself and in the immediate neighbourhood.

The company said the proposed harbourside complex would ''refresh the city's tourism offerings'' and draw patrons from ''all over Australia and the world''.

But the response inside the state government was mixed. The local politics were seen as a huge challenge for a Labor administration, with one insider recalling fears that it ''wouldn't have gone down at all well with the denizens of neighbouring Balmain and Rozelle''. Among ministers, the most enthusiastic was the now-disgraced Ian Macdonald, who held the state development portfolio. Then-premier Morris Iemma and then-treasurer Michael Costa were involved in high-level talks on the project but their interest waned as the scale of infrastructure investment expected by Disney became apparent. 'When they started looking at the infrastructure costs, they just went cold,'' said one senior insider, who recalled a starting figure of $500 million for the rail wharf and road changes that the project would have required.

Another objection from senior members of the bureaucracy was that the plan from Disney was really a ''development proposal dressed up as fun park''. ''One of the main reasons we entertained the idea at the start was that … it was a fabulous site, close to the city, and instead of more million-dollar apartments, we thought why not look at something potentially more interesting'' said one source who looked closely at the project. ''But in the end, it was difficult to get detailed proposals from them in writing, and there was always doubt over whether it could work.''

A spokeswoman for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts said the company was always looking to grow its business and ''as part of that process, we have conversations with many different entities''. The company would not comment on the Sydney proposal.

The site remains largely a concrete expanse, housing a temporary exhibition centre and a cruise passenger terminal."

I also remind you a previous Disney and more article called "Disneyland Australia: Finally, it was not a Mirage" that you can rad HERE in which i was already talking about the White Bay project.

Text: copyright Sydney Morning Herald

Picture: copyright Disney

Disneyland Australia : Finally, it was not a mirage

Do you remember the "Disneyland Australia" rumor we heard more than a year and a half ago in February 2008? At that time, Disney denied that they had plans for an Australian theme park, but you know what? finally, the Disneyland Australia project was not a rumor or a mirage, but was true.

Let's go back in time to remember the whole story. On February 27th, 2008 Jano Gibson, a Sydney Morning Herald journalist, wrote this article:

WHITE BAY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AU -- The Walt Disney Company has been eyeing off a prime piece of real estate on Sydney Harbour as it seeks to expand its global empire of theme parks and resorts.

The State Government has confirmed Disney recently held unsolicited discussions with the Dept of State and Regional Development about the redevelopment of White Bay, a working port next to the Anzac Bridge.

A spokesman for the Minister for State Development, Ian Macdonald, would not elaborate on what was proposed during the discussions, saying only that they took place in the past few months and had been discontinued.

Disney, which has 11 theme parks, 8 resorts and a cruise line across 3 continents, was one of a number of unnamed companies that have approached the Government with unsolicited proposals for the site, the spokesman said.

There were no "active concepts" at present, he said.

A spokesman for Disney, John Nicoletti, said his company was constantly exploring opportunities to grow. "As part of that process, we have conversations with lots of entities," he said. "And, while Australia is an attractive market, at this time we have no plans for this region."

He would not comment on what Disney had envisioned for the White Bay site, including whether it was for a Disneyland theme park, a Disney resort or some other venture.

The Government has established the Bays Precinct Taskforce to formulate a development strategy for White Bay, Glebe Island, Blackwattle Bay and Rozelle Bay.

Details are expected to be released when the sub-regional strategy for Sydney's inner west goes on display this year.

The executive director of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, Patricia Forsythe, said a Disneyland at White Bay would be a wonderful opportunity for Sydney. "It is a spectacular site worthy of an iconic development," she said.

She said a world-class arts facility would also be suitable.

The secretary of the White Bay Precinct Committee, Christina Ritchie, said locals must have a say on the site's development. She could not comment on the Disney discussion without more detail".



Personally, when I heard that news back in 2008, I thought it was a rumor. And, although I wish all of my Australian D&M readers to have a Magic Kingdom close to their homes as soon as possible, I thought that something was missing to make the project viable: not enough people living in Australia, and not enough tourists visiting the country.

The entire country of Australia has 21 million people and there are probably around 5 million tourists coming in the country each year. Most of them are coming from New Zealand and they could be interested by a Disney theme park as they don't have another one nearby. But for Japanese or British tourists, who are the other biggest tourists category visiting Australia, it's different. Japanese have two great Disney theme parks in their country (TDL and TDS) and the British have a great one just two hours from London (Disneyland Paris). Maybe they'd be counting on a heavy influx of other tourists from Asia, but why would they trek all the way to Disneyland Australia when they could just visit Disneyland in Hong Kong or Tokyo?
Also, Australia indeed has 21 million people, but considering that a Disney theme park needs at least 8 million visitors per year to have good financial results, I thought we could decide that there was not the required number of people/tourists to build a Disneyland in Australia, and that it was only a rumor.

And then last week Randy, a faithful Disney and more reader, sent me a link with these words: "Disneyland Australia? Have a look at this web site". Needless to say, I rushed to the link, and what a surprise it was.

This is the site of a company called JPI, with offices in many countries and two in Australia, including one called JPI Imagineering! But it's on their "most innovative projects" page that we can find the confirmation of the Disneyland Australia project, consisting of the map below and this description: "Nominated by Walt Disney Attractions, we were appointed by the Star Land Company, the Australian Government JV company, as the masterplanners and concept design architects for the proposed Disneyland Australia set within the $2.7 billion Star Land Project located on the Gold Coast Highway and rail-link between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in South-East Queensland."



Strangely, apart from a "hidden Mickey" in the map, it doesn't really look like a Disney park blue-print. Maybe the map includes other projects part of this $2.7 billion Star Land project, but it's on another page of the web site that I found what I was looking for: the first and only rendering available of a Disneyland Australia project. I should even say a Disneyland Australia Resort, as the artwork shows many hotels around a lake. You can see in the background one hotel with a kind of "Grand Floridian" architecture - and, always in the background, the castle lights in the sky. Sure, we would prefer to have a more detailed artwork of the theme park itself, but for now that's all that's available!



Over this artwork, are these words: "In association with the Harrison Price Company which was appointed at the direction of Walt Disney Attractions, we undertook the following on behalf of the Victorian and Queensland Governments:

* Site assessments
* Attendance, seasonality
* Per cap spends and economic profile including warranted capital costs
* Support infrastructure requirements
* Size and areas including required transport capacity"

So, yes, I think we can finally say that this Disneyland Australia was not a rumor or a mirage. As for Disney saying that "at this time we have no plans for this region," let's say that it's half-true. There is no doubt that Shanghaî Disneyland is the top priority for the company, but to say that they never had plans in Australia...well, um, we're going to be kind and say that it was a perfect corporate answer.


Many thanks to Nate Walz for the editing of the text.

Pictures: copyright JPI - Disney

The two first pictures/logos are my own creation, but they're copyright Disney

Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat