Is Disneyland coming to Australia?

Is Disneyland coming to Australia?
By James Harrison


South Australian winemaker and businessman Warren Randall has appealed for an Australian Disneyland backed by a consortium of business leaders and governments.

Randall is proposing a bid to create the world’s seventh Disneyland in South Australia and has offered part of his McLaren Vale land holdings for a location.

The attraction would be investigated and potentially funded by governments, leading to a boost in local tourism and creating jobs and investment in the area.

The Advertiser reported earlier in the year that a South Australian Disneyland was considered by state economic advisers, which Randall seized upon, arguing that the theme park would be a massive attraction for domestic and international visitors.

“I think, in tourism, we’re all a little bit sick and tired of Adelaide being the place you fly over when you go from Sydney to Perth. It is time we made a statement, a few statements, in our state,” Randall told The Advertiser.

“McLaren Vale would be my spot – wide, open, flat, next to the beach, next to the ranges – makes a lot of sense.”

As to whether Randall would make some of his Wine Group’s land available for the attraction, he said much of his property at McLaren Vale was for vineyards.

“But, definitely, I would love to make land available for the location to kickstart it. Definitely. Either you sell the land into a consortium or you lease it or you gift it – you find a way,” he said.

“Firstly, you find the right location, on the right area. I think because we are so close to the beach, the hills and the city, particularly with the two-way Southern Expressway, that makes all the difference.

“Anaheim, the Disneyland in California, has fantastic resources, great infrastructure in terms of traffic, getting there, buses, parking et cetera.

“But we already have the model. We have the land. We’ve just got to have the will, the desire and the energy to put it together.”

Randall is greatly in support of the SA government investigating the proposed attraction further, saying it will be a huge source of jobs for the state and “have a huge knock-on effect” on South Australia’s growth.

Travel Weekly has reached out to Disney for a comment on the matter but have not yet received a response.

A spokesperson for SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said its government had not yet received any official proposal but said: “Mr Randall is a bold entrepreneur who has made a significant contribution to the state.”

The proposal also has support from SA Liberal leader David Speirs but questioned whether the state Labor government had sufficient cash for the endeavour.

Featured Image: iStock/anilakkus

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