The Chinese proverb goes, "If you don't reach the Great Wall, you're not a hero." Sydney also has a similar saying, "If you haven't been to the old town of Sydney, it's like you haven't been to Sydney." - The weight of the old town of Sydney in the hearts of Sydney people is evident.
The old town of Sydney once created a peak of glory upon opening, and has been seeking to maintain normal operations for many years. Now, it is expected to revive under the wave of Chinese enterprises going abroad. Its future may be a great opportunity for Chinese cultural travelers to set sail.
For Sydney people born in the 1970s and 1990s, Old Sydney Town may be one of their unforgettable childhood memories. This open-air museum and theme park, operated in Somersby on the central coast of New South Wales, Australia from 1975 to 2003, is a vivid interpretation of Sydney's history, culture, and living scenes from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the architecture and performances full of historical significance, the old town of Sydney has gone through nearly 30 years of development, receiving over 6 million visitors. It is also known as the "only theme park in the world dedicated to showcasing punishment and repression" by Robert Hughes, a renowned contemporary art critic, writer, historian, and television documentary producer in Australia.
Now, this theme park, which carries the childhood memories of generations of Australians, will be rebuilt, and the stories behind it will also bring countless reflections to cultural travelers.
Origin and Completion: Salute to Australian History
Looking back to the 1960s, Sydney architect Frank Fox had a dream style theme park in his hometown with the desire to build a Disneyland belonging to Australia. However, after visiting the famous attraction Williamsburg in Virginia, USA (a colony established by Britain in the 18th century in Virginia with hundreds of restored and rebuilt buildings), Fox changed his mind: building a theme park that pays tribute to Australian history may be more promising.
After conducting multiple site investigations, Fox has chosen the site of the Somersby old colonial base as an ideal development site. He and his family spent four years studying the historical evolution of the site and traveled throughout Australia in search of related artifacts.
In order to perfectly replicate the old Sydney of the 18th and 19th centuries, Fox used the Sydney map drawn by James Meehan in 1803 as a blueprint, which was also the original appearance of Sydney built when the first British fleet landed in 1788. The New South Wales Department of Land and Resources has enlarged the map to a scale of 1:1200, while conducting photogrammetric surveys of the old Sydney area at the same scale. After comparing two maps, the specific location and terrain of the Somersby site were finally determined. Afterwards, Fox began the construction of the amusement park, striving to present the historical style of Sydney during the colonial period to contemporary people.
The amusement park vividly reproduces history and culture through the 30 replica ancient buildings designed and constructed by traditional craftsmen, as well as the performances of performers who dress, speak, and behave in accordance with that era. At the same time, the park also recreates two twin masted sailboats independently made by Sydney during the colonial era - the Perseverance and Mrs. Nelson. These two sailing ships from the sailing era quickly became landmarks of the park after opening.
In addition, the Australian Reptile Park adjacent to the old town of Sydney donated a group of grey kangaroos to the park, while the Taronga Zoo provided 10 seagulls. These adorable animals established new habitats in the old town of Sydney and provided more leisure and play options for parent-child family tourists.
As the prototype of the amusement park gradually took shape, the old town of Sydney attracted more capital to enter - on April 22, 1974, the Australian government announced the purchase of a 25.5% stake in the old town of Sydney, along with Frank R. Fox's Developments and Westpac, becoming investors in the attraction.
Waves and Rebirth: The Reappearance of Dawn after a Long Road
The old town of Sydney opened its trial business on November 27, 1974, and officially opened its park to welcome visitors on January 26, 1975. On the opening day, then Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam personally attended and announced the opening of the amusement park. He also took a century old carriage with his wife to visit the amusement park and entertainment projects. On that day, 11000 tourists flocked to the amusement park to witness its official opening.
The highlight of the amusement park is undoubtedly a historical replay of the history, culture, and life of Sydney and even early colonial Australia. In addition, tourists can also feed farm animals, ride cows, and participate in interactive classes at the amusement park, and purchase handmade products from tin smiths, leather smiths, pottery artists, and candlestick manufacturers. It is worth mentioning that these handicraft craftsmen are not played by the amusement park performers, but are invited by the amusement park to truly possess these skills and stay at the amusement park for manufacturing and operation all year round. During the peak period of two years before the opening of the amusement park, over 50000 people visited and played there every year.
However, this theme park, which carries the history of Sydney, has gone through a series of twists and turns in its operation. To this end, the old town of Sydney has launched a series of actions to maintain the normal operation of the amusement park, including borrowing from the government, selling equity, introducing professional leisure and entertainment management companies, and developing new amusement formats.
In 1987, Warwick Entertainment officially took over the operation of the old town of Sydney and formulated a three-stage revival plan. Unfortunately, Warwick Entertainment was unable to replicate the glory of the park's past, and the old town of Sydney, which had been in operation for nearly 30 years, closed on January 3, 2003. Warwick Entertainment believes that the amusement park lacks appeal to the youth community, and due to the lack of maintenance work, the equipment has been in disrepair for a long time and lacks relevant marketing, resulting in no progress in its three-stage revitalization plan.
Afterwards, the old town of Sydney entered a "dormant period", but as a filming site for movies and TV dramas, a playground site, and a childhood memory for Sydney people, it still has a high popularity in the local area. Therefore, World Village Culture and Tourism officially acquired the old town of Sydney in May 2018, planning it as a brand new cultural and tourism industry cluster area, and aiming to replicate a small-scale Sydney old town that can evoke people's memories.
In order to make the old town of Sydney prosperous again, World Village Tourism has completed a lot of preliminary planning and construction preparation work since 2018, including the conceptual planning of the first phase of the project, as well as the preparation work for detailed planning and construction commencement.
Schematic diagram of the planning of the World Village cultural and tourism industry cluster area
World Village Culture and Tourism has planned eight main theme functions for the first phase of the project: 1. Sydney Old Town Commercial Street; 2、 VR interactive entertainment area; 3、 Crafts, sculptures, second-hand goods, flea markets; 4、 Lake side painting art village and exhibition hall, 5. Lake side wedding chapel; 6、 Catering clubs and leisure areas; 7、 Camping and leisure area by the lake; 8、 Resort hotels, homestays, etc.
World Village Phase I Planning and Functional Zoning Diagram
epilogue
From James Meehan's creation of the first map of Sydney in 1803 to the cessation of operation of the old town of Sydney based on this map in 2003, it happened to be 200 years - the old town of Sydney came from a distant past, burned into the hearts of several generations, and became an unforgettable memory.
For this reason, rebuilding the old town of Sydney and revitalizing it is not only the vision of World Village Culture and Tourism, but also the common aspiration of many Australians. It carries not only the childhood of several generations of Australians, but also the profound historical and cultural sentiment of a city.
