By Bonny Burrows
Stage one of Gumbuya Park’s $50 million transformation into the “Disneyland of Victoria” will open 18 December.
In an email circulated to members of the Gumbuya community on 27 November, it was announced that the rebranded Gumbuya World would be open to the public just in time for Christmas.
Over the next five years the beloved wildlife park, known for its iconic giant pheasant mascot, will undergo a major facelift with plans to bring it on par with internationally renowned adventure parks.
The revamp has been spruiked as a major boom to the local economy, expected to boost annual visitor numbers by 300,000.
Stage one of the works commenced in July and the park was closed during the development of a new wildlife area, water park, an assortment of roller coasters and conference and function centre.
Once complete and after plans for the 166 hectare site are approved by council, stages two and three – to include Aboriginal and dinosaur displays, a microbrewery, vineyard, chocolate factory, helipad and various accommodation venues – will commence as a “side activity”, during which the park will remain open.
It is hoped the workforce will jump from its 24 full-time staff to about 150 workers come its summer re-opening and again to more than 500 employees once the redevelopment is complete.
When announcing the transformation in July, the tourist park’s business director Ron Weinzierl previously said the changes would see Gumbuya become one of the flagship employees in the area and a popular tourist destination.
“We are excited to develop Gumbuya into a world-class destination for all ages, a great place for our employees to work every day and for customers to enjoy,” he said.
Public tickets for the official opening are expected to go on sale mid this week.
Presale tickets for a select audience were available from noon on 28 November.
