The former Fantasy Glades site's environment and location, along with its stunning look and history, appealed to Jeff Crowe when he bought the unique property eight years ago.
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Fast forward to 2023 and Mr Crowe continues to work towards reopening the site to the public, not as a theme park, but as a nod to nostalgia.
The latest milestone is the granting of deferred commencement consent for a caravan park development application.
The development, on a portion of the site, will have one short-term site and eight long-term sites, predominantly for manufactured homes.
The deferred commencement consent is due to the project's reliance on completion of an access road approved under a separate development consent.
Cinderella's castle will be converted into a cafe with development consent in place.
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Other buildings dating back to the theme park days have been restored.
Fantasy Glades, which operated for about 35 years, closed in 2002.
Mr Crowe said it would nice to see Fantasy Glades Estate, as it will be called, up and running within 18 months to two years.
He said visitors will be able to have a cup of coffee and lunch at the cafe, and walk through the nostalgic remnants from the Fantasy Glades days.
"They will absolutely love it - [especially] the people who are 50 years of age that were here when they were a child," Mr Crowe said.
"Port Macquarie should really be proud it will be returned and people can enjoy it again."
Mr Crowe bought the former theme park site, situated off Parklands Close, in 2015.
Back then, vandals and white ants had left their marks.
Much work has since been completed at the park and planning done behind the scenes.
Cinderella's castle has been repaired to lock-up stage, awaiting a construction certificate to convert the fairytale building into a cafe.
The moat and bridge entry to the castle have been reinstated.
The work doesn't stop there. The witch's cottage has been restored to lock-up stage including a new roof, the church completely revamped and Snow White's cottage has been restored from scratch.
Mother Hubbard's shoe has a new roof with fibreglass work and repainting still to be done.
Other attractions retained include the three bears' cottage and the glasshouse.
Security measures are in place on the site.
Mr Crowe thanked consultancy Land Dynamics Australia for its expertise in the planning process.
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Lisa Tisdell
I'm a Port Macquarie News journalist, keen traveller, angler and cricket fan.
I'm a Port Macquarie News journalist, keen traveller, angler and cricket fan.
