Disney Considers White Bay in Sydney

[KeithS]

Well, I woke up to that headline this morning!

Nothing has been signed and we know Disney have considered many resort options in Australia over the years, so we will still have to wait for anything official. The difference with this headline and previous rumours is that the State Government did confirm that Disney did look at this as an option. With all the previous rumours, all parties would refuse to confirm or deny meetings.

So, is White Bay a good location for a niche park or family resort hotel? Is the traffic too busy? Will the residents kick up a stink (remember Luna Park!)? Would it have rides, or will it be like the Hawaiian resort announced last year?

Here is the original news article from today's Sydney Morning Herald:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dis ... 46568.html

Let the speculation begin!

[Gerard]

Disney, looked , talked ,talked stopped
"Disney will only say that they are exploring various options for growth and while the Australian market is attractive, they currently have no plans for the region". (screamscape)

[ajp]

This story might get some traction, as our local radio station is even reporting it in their news, and they're picky on what they report on. And before I continue to comment, I would love to have something like that in Sudney. Give me a good reasons to start taking sickies after all these years, and I would definitely be an AP AP every year!

BUT

I'm not sure White Bay is the ideal spot. Yes it is prime land and has exquisite views of the city and harbour which would be fantastic. The issues that Keith has alluded to with the residents is a big one. And I also feel that the location is pokey and probably one of the worst spots in Sydney transport wise. Road traffic would be horrific and I think there is little room to move to expand or change the road system aorund there. There would be no chance of any decent rail infrastructure being anle to be put in there, and the way the government is treating critical road and rail infrastructure at present, there is no chance anyway.

Back on the residents, imagine the uproar when during the peak times Disney wanted to hold fireworks every night and a Fantasmic style show, and run rides until midnight, with the throng of crowds pouring out the doors early into the morning with the associated noise of that. They get upset when a plane tries to land at 11pm or 6am in the morning, and we do remember the Luna Park fiasco, which is still simmering I'm sure, Keith.

Sydney is the best spot anyway, mainly for climatic reasons as well as being the major airport into Australia (they'd have to say to the rsidents, stuff you and go 24 hours though). But is here the best spot? I'm not sure. There is so much land in the corridor west that runs North South that could be used, which would allow for a dedicated transport route to be developed. And I reckon too that the current BHP Steel works in Port Kembla would be the ultimate location.

So much more to say ...

[sandie]

Don't you think it would be too small for a theme park but I think a hotel would be great - a themed resort with one or two attractions would be nice

Sandie

[Gerard]

As it is a large shipping Dock now, my guess is they were proposing a Dock for the cruise line and maybe a hotel for the Adventures by Disney Tours in Australia

[KeithS]

my guess is they were proposing a Dock for the cruise line

I never even considered that, but I thought the State Govt was trying to get shipping out of the harbour lanes - except for the ocean terminals at Circular Quay and Darling Harbour? Wasn't that why they are closing all the other Sydney Harbour ports like White Bay? A terminal for the new Disney Cruise liners would be awesome though

Anthony, you mentioned that there is no rail infrastructure - that's not quite true, there is an existing goods line that goes right into White Bay - you'll see it on Google Earth - and it is still connected to the mainline. This could easily be upgraded to passenger standard. White Bay is also not too far off the Sydney Light Rail (tram) - and an extension to that could be built. Traffic will still be an issue though.

But as Gerard says - Disney have looked at it and talks have halted (for the time being - I guess the government is summing up its options).

This is my 900th post!!!!!

[ajp]

I had forgotten about the freight rail lines, that is a good pickup, thanks (I didn't google earth it, but I should have remembered having driven past the site regularly for years).

Sandie also had a point about the size of the area, but given that the parcel of land that DCA is on isn't all that big, they could do some amazing things in small places. But the thought of a themed hotel or simialr is also a big possibility in their thinking.

And adventures by Disney is growing with an Australian tour (however you'd need a holiday when it was finished, it covers alot in a short time), and providing a Disney site to complement that would work, as they're starting to do that with the LA tour they're now doing.

Is government stopping just heavy freight shipping from the harbour? Although I thought any passenger shipping would need to stop East of the Harbour Bridge, due to the height. Some ships can only pass under at low tide. It would be great though if Disney Cruise Lines did start running out of Sydney.

[churros]

Wow what a way to start the working day! The boss just heard it on NOVA - it's nice to know that Disney still acknowledges our existence on the other side of the world!

[BrizMarc]

dont go getting too excited. Disney pops up in Aussie news all the time and then it sparks rumors. I dont see us ever getting a Disneyland Magic Kingdom park. It just wont happen and I personaly hope it never does. Too many of these parks are just cheapening the brand. As for some resort hotel thing that could be an option. Or even a different type of disney park think disneysea. That I would LOVE to see. Something different.

Also note this line

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

and

And, while Australia is an attractive market, at this time we have no plans for this region

:(:(:(

[ajp]

brizmarc, I don't think those statements were missed on any of us, it was just fun speculating and thinking what could have been.

Having not been to any park with the exception of the Original in Anaheim, I cant comment on whether many parks cheapen the brand or not. I for one am extremely keen to cover them all eventually in life and there are some here who have (in one hop even). But if done correctly and with the intended purpose, I reckon it would be an exciting addition down here. Just whether the crowd support is enough to justify it. Having said that Honkers is struggling for crowds, so there is hope yet!

[churros]

Found another link to the story:

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/disne ... 3244600759

[KeithS]

Or even a different type of disney park think disneysea.

This is what I was thinking as well. There were also those Imagineer images in the 2006 Annual Report of a small scale resort with a Little Mermaid water theme.

Whatever they may have thought when they reviewed the site, their thinking would have to incorporate some sort of hotel, so that will take up a big chunk of land.

Although discussions have stopped with the government, it doesn't mean that they have stopped thinking about it inside Disney HQ - that land is still on the market (and Disney never confirm anything until an official press release - it doesn't surprise me that they said "no plans for this region" - there is always "no plans" from Disney until an official announcement!)

[churros]

Maybe a DVC!

[churros]

If you look at White Bay on Google Earth you can see that the port area is a little bigger than Darling Harbour but the land area in comparison is huge, perhaps not park-size though and I can't see all the Balmain residents warming to the idea!

[KeithS]

If you look at White Bay on Google Earth

I was doing exactly the same thing! I was also measuring the perimeter of the area with the ruler function. It is about half the size of Tokyo DisneySea (including its hotel Miracosta - but not counting car parking). I figure you could squeeze in a decent hotel and a heavily themed, two-land park in the space.

I notice that to the north there are some other (newish-looking) docks that could contain the Disney car park, or you could build a multi story car park on the other side of the Anzac Bridge approach where the old container terminal used to be - it is only a short walk under the bridge to the White Bay Disney site.