1999: The birth of Eastern Creek Business Park

Source: Buchan, N. 1999. "$500m silicon valley for west". The Daily Telegraph, November 13:17.

The Eastern Creek Business Park is managed by Frasers Property. Two decades ago, it was owned by Malaysian company Sungeiway.

In 1999, plans were unveiled to develop a business park on land located just to the south of Australia's Wonderland at Eastern Creek known as the Wonderland Business Park. The first stage was to cost $40 million and was to be anchored by Malaysia House. Malaysian companies including Malaysia Airlines and carmarker Proton were interested in participating in the project. An estimated 5000 jobs were to be created.

Five years later (2004), Australia's Wonderland closed after mounting financial losses. The land was purchased by ING Industrial Fund (IIF) who teamed up with developer The PacLib Group. This  contributed to the evolution of the business park.

The proposed hotel, convention centre and world's largest indoor wave pool were not built.

Since conception, the business park has been built in five stages. Stage 6 offers 35 000 sq/m of land for development subject to council approval.

Companies based within the business park in 2020 include:

• LG
• Fujitsu
• Fisher & Paykel
• Bunnings (Distribution Centre)
• H&M (Warehouse)
• Best & Less (Distribution Centre)

Remember This? Australia's Wonderland Daypass Special (1986)

Last year, I shared a preview feature from 1985 of Australia's Wonderland at Eastern Creek as published in The Daily Telegraph.

This week, I share an advertisement from its first season of operation where a day pass was available for just $10.95.  It is equivalent to $27.95 in today's money according to the RBA Inflation Calculator. Good value even though you could only visit on a Saturday or Sunday.

Source: Australia's Wonderland. 1986. "Hurry! Only 2 Weekends To Go." (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, May 29: 12. 

1985: Rare Preview Feature on Australia's Wonderland

Just three months before Australia's Wonderland opened in 1985, The Daily Telegraph went inside "the Down Under version of Disneyland".

Source: Coombs, R. 1985. "A Down Under land of wonder". The Daily Telegraph, August 24: 23 & 23. 

Australia's Wonderland traded until April 24, when the site was redeveloped into a business park. There are plans for the theme park to be resurrected at a site in Western Sydney. 

It never evolved into the Aussie Disneyland that was envisioned. 

As a bonus, below is a video containing rare footage from opening day in December 1985, plus a short history of the theme park. It was presented as Seven News Flashback Report by Mark Ferguson in 2013 on Seven News.

Property Advert of the Week: Homeworld II Television Advertisement (1993)

I have shared over the course of time some newspaper advertisements for Homeworld II. I was eight years old and can recall very well back in 1993, this television advertisement promised that Homeworld would make "All your Dreams come true". It is through this advertisement how I came to be aware of Homeworld.

Property Advert of the Week: Neeta Homes House & Land Packages, Rooty Hill (1986)

This week, I've decided to share a television advertisement, this time for house and land packages at Charlotte Road, Rooty Hill. It was developed by Neeta Homes.

 

Does anyone know what actually happened to Neeta Homes?

Note: Advertisement had been removed from Youtube as of December 2018.

1973: Mt Druitt Grace Bros Opening Advert

When I came across this clipping several years ago, I did not believe that Mt Druitt actually had a Grace Bros. It was the anchor tenant in "Marketown". In 1992, it would land in the hands of Westfield and become Westfield Mount Druitt.

Source: Grace Bros. 1973. "Mt Druitt Grace Bros Opening Advertisement," The Sydney Morning Herald, October 9: 4. 

I had to do a quick scan of the internet to find out a little as to what happened to the store. Going by what I have read, the store closed in 2004. The space is now occupied by Coles and other speciality stores.

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