A PRIME parcel of real estate in the heart of Port Macquarie, once home to one of the region’s most popular children’s theme parks, has been slashed in price by $65,000 and attracted the interest of several potential buyers.
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The former Fantasy Glades theme park, currently owned by Shane and Karen Hay, has been on the market since November after family health concerns forced the couple to give up on their dream of reinvigorating the park to its former glory.
Real estate agent acting for the Hays, Tom James, has been encouraged by the interest over the Christmas-January holidays and currently has two potential buyers keen on redeveloping the 1.5 hectare property.
Mr James said while the property comes with several restrictions including a natural habitat zoning and specific fire ratings, those who have shown interest were taken by the property’s sub tropical location in the heart of town.
“I had two inspections (on Monday) - one has family in Port Macquarie and the other was an outside interest based in Sydney looking at commercial opportunities,” Mr James said.
“Considering the complexities of the site, the interest has been more commercially based rather than private residential.”
The history of the former Fantasy Glades site dates back more than four decades to the 1960s when George and Rosemary Whitaker, their two children James and Lynette and Rosemary’s parents, Aub and Lin Gribble, moved to Port Macquarie from Sydney with a vision to create a theme park based on the world’s most popular Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
The first building constructed on the Parklands Close site was Snow White’s cottage and the miniature church with all the furnishings hand made by Aug Gribble. The park opened to the public in August 1968. In 1987, the park was sold to the Spry family and Brian Hutchinson, who operated the park until its closure in 2002.
When the Hays called for interest from the public about whether to restore the park in 2011, the response was overwhelming. The current sale has prompted the public to once again call for a return of more family-oriented attractions to the Hastings with many identifying the site as an ideal location for a water park.
The site today remains but a shell of its former glory with dilapidated, vandalised cottages and the parkland surrounds overgrown.
The Port Macquarie Koala Society showed strong interest in purchasing the property and converting it into an urban koala food habitat and sanctuary for the region’s 4000 strong koala population. Society president Bob Sharpham said without a significant financial contribution to the voluntary organisation, the current price tag has forced them out of contention.
“We had two people offer us some financial support but the reality is we are not able to go ahead with it. Even if council was able to support us as much as we would like them to is irrelevant because we don’t have the wider support,” Mr Sharpham said.
The Society is meeting with council this week to discuss the processes involved in purchasing a 250 acre Blackman’s Point property which is already fully stocked with an abundance of healthy koala food trees.
Anyone wanting to support the Port Macquarie Koala Society can contact Mr Sharpham by email at president@koalahospital.org.au or by phone on 0411 757 879.