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News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Inside downfall of iconic Sydney theme park
It was meant to be Sydney's answer to Disneyland – a neon-lit, multi-level temple to gaming glory that promised to bring the future of entertainment Down Under in the late 90s. But by 2000, Sega World had pulled the plug. Now, more than two decades on, former employees have reflected on the ambitious indoor theme park that opened with a bang but quietly fizzled out just a few years later. Sega World Sydney was a short-lived icon of 90s optimism, housed inside Darling Harbour's Pavilion building with a rumoured price tag of over $80 million. Its colourful corridors, virtual reality (VR) simulators, parades and under-18 dance parties were a far cry from Luna Park's rickety charm. Instead, Sega was supposed to be a cutting-edge 'high-tech adventure playground' backed by Sega's global gaming empire. Featuring nine rides and simulators, a bustling food court, live entertainment and over 200 arcade games, it seemed that Sega World had something for everyone – big or small. It was officially launched on March 18 in 1997 by Michael Knight, the Minister at the time responsible for the Sydney Olympic Games and the bustling Darling Harbour precinct. 'They were anticipating huge crowds coming to Sydney and Sega World for the Olympics,' former staff member Andrew said in an interview with Sega fanatic DrScottnik. 'They didn't get they wanted and they weren't making any money,' he added. A big bet that didn't pay off The park was a joint venture between Japanese gaming giant Sega and Sydney Harbour casino developer Jacfun. They poured millions into the project, banking on Olympic tourism and the growing popularity of video games. Instead, ticket sales dwindled despite desperate initiatives such as free entry and free rides. 'We tried various schemes to make people come including free entry, buy passes as you go or buy a ticket at the gate which covered everything. We also tried making games completely free,' said ex-staffer Peter. 'But I guess ultimately, the interest wasn't there.' By early 2000 – just months after the Olympics – Sega had quietly pulled out of the operation, leaving the theme park to gather dust. Not even an auction to sell off the contents of the park in 2001 was able to draw a crowd, with a few hundred-odd punters gathering to pick up arcade games for bargain prices. Jacfun managed to keep the lights on at the site for another three years but by 2003, the dream was officially over. Today, there's little sign that Sega World ever existed at all. Gone, but not forgotten 'I can vividly remember going into the control room and saying, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, Sega world is closed for this evening,' for the very last time,' former manager Jonathon recalled. For many others, Sega World remains a brightly-coloured memory of their childhood. 'My favourite place was shut down for reasons as a kid for reasons that I just couldn't understand,' said ex-visitor Nick. 'It brought us all so much joy and memories. I always remember this as the beginning of the end for that area of the city. For me, the city has never been the same after that,' he said. An online fandom of Sega Sydney lovers still exists, with X accounts dedicated to keeping the memory alive. On eBay, you can even score the iconic Sonic swipe access pass for $277. Many other nostalgic 90s babies weighed in on the clip, sharing their fond memories of the park. 'I went there on my first big Sydney trip. Monorail, aquarium, National Museum and Sega world! Was absolutely ecstatic!,' said one. 'What a nostalgia trip, I think I almost bankrupt my parents by begging to be taken there every school holidays back in the day,' said another. 'I went there as a kid and made friends with another kid after checking out the 3D/4D VR simulation. A few months later he ended up moving away. Fast forward 25 years, he was the best man at my wedding – I'll always have a huge soft spot for Sega World because of that,' shared a third.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
One shouted word ruins the vibe at star's otherwise-stunning Sydney concert
One shouted word from a heckler was all it took to momentarily kill the vibe during British singer Alison Moyet's Sydney show over the weekend. Moyet, 63, is touring to mark the 40th anniversary of her solo career – a career that started even before that, as one-half of the chart-topping electro duo Yazoo (of Only You fame) in the early 80s. Moyet, though, has always bristled at any notion she's a heritage act, only here to play 80s retro circuit – and her musical output has long backed that up. Perhaps her finest work, 2002's Hometime, arrived shortly after she'd turned 40; in recent years, a fruitful collaboration with producer Guy Sigsworth saw her return to her edgy electro roots across two stellar albums. Songs from 1982 to 2024 got an airing during Saturday's near-sold-out show at Sydney's Darling Harbour Theatre. Moyet was in fine voice throughout, and was charming, frequently hilarious company, stopping to sip tea between songs and offer self-effacing stories from throughout her life. After one cheer from the dark, she made a confession: In-ear monitors meant she could never really hear anything audience members yelled at her during gigs, and therefore interpreted all muffled noise only as praise. It's just as well, because about half a dozen songs into the show, a lone heckle began. 'EIGHTIES!' one man yelled, filling the brief silence between songs. And again, echoing through the theatre a couple of songs later: 'EIGHTIES!' Not even a 'play the hits,' or 'sing Only You ' (which she did, by the way). Just a barked, one-word order, reducing an artist's 40-plus-year career to the brief period several decades ago when she was a twenty-something, radio-ready pop star: EIGHTIES. Thank god she didn't hear it – but the rest of us did, and it momentarily soured the atmosphere at an otherwise stunning show, as fans lapped up a precious two hours with an artist who visits our shores all too rarely. And as the concert wore on, guess what happened? Moyet did sing the eighties hits, delivering Yazoo bangers Situation and Don't Go, along with her classic debut solo single, Love Resurrection, during an encore set that had the audience out of their seats and rushing to the front of the stage to form an impromptu dance floor. It's almost like she … knows how to structure her set, sending the show out on a high with her best-known songs rather than burning through them early? This entitled, 'just play the hits' attitude is common here in Australia. In 2023, the Red Hot Chili Peppers copped a fierce audience backlash when they dared leave Under The Bridge off the setlist during one of their Aussie stadium shows. resident RHCP superfan Jasmine Kazlauskasan leapt in to give an impassioned defence of the band amid a backlash that saw some concertgoers declare they'd never see them live again. More recently, Kylie Minogue's latest tour made its world debut here in Australia amid complaints from some fans that she was playing too much new material – and from others, that she wasn't playing enough. Moyet had even tried to tackle the issue head-on at the top of Saturday's show, warning the audience that a setlist comprised solely of faithful renditions of her early material would feel like 'bad karaoke' – something that holds no interest for her as an artist. Perhaps her heckler would've been better off staying home and doing some 'bad karaoke' of the 80s hits he was only interested in hearing.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Why more than 250,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for reconciliation in May 2000
On a crisp Sunday morning in May 2000, a crowd of around 250,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the head, Elders wrapped in woollen blankets travelled in golf carts, while more and more people poured out of North Sydney and Milsons Point train stations — a continual unfurling of the crowd's serpentine body heading for Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park. Warning: The following contains names and images of First Nations people who have died. That march on May 28, 2000 has become known as the 2000 Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk — an historic walk in support of reconciliation and Indigenous rights, bringing people together from all corners of Australia. However the event was more than mere symbolism. It was the culminating action in a weekend that started with the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation holding a ceremonial gathering at the Sydney Opera House and presenting the federal government with the Australian Declaration Towards Reconciliation and the Roadmap for Reconciliation. And 25 years later, the ripples of this weekend continue to be felt. So, what did it take to energise a nation into turning up in support of reconciliation with Blackfullas? The word "reconciliation" is broadly understood today, but in the decade before the Bridge Walk it was rarely associated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. So when the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation was established by legislation in 1991 by the Hawke government with unanimous cross-party support, they had their work cut out for them. Professor Jackie Huggins is a member of the Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru peoples, and served two terms on the Council between 1996-2001. Speaking with ABC Radio National's Awaye!, Huggins says the Council was starting from "ground zero". "The baseline was people didn't know about us Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our own country. They didn't know the history, they always just shoved it in the 'too hard' basket". Bringing awareness and getting people involved in reconciliation was the first phase of the Council's plan. "The second phase was to start documenting all those policies and programmes that the government had around Indigenous affairs … almost like an audit of what was around and what was being done," she explains. "And then the third phase was that we would put all that we knew into a document, to display that and give it to the Australian public as our wishes. It was a bit like the Uluru Statement from the Heart." With a tight deadline, Huggins knew she and her 24 fellow council members had their work cut out for them to deliver by 2000. "The Council felt very under pressure in those years leading up to providing a document and a declaration for reconciliation … We knew we would never have it done in 10 years," Huggins says. The members of the Council travelled extensively across the country, gathering information and raising awareness of their mission. Then in 1997, they faced a major test in the form of the inaugural Australian Reconciliation Convention at which the Bringing Them Home Report was handed down. Held in Melbourne, the convention was open to the public and attracted around 2,000 people from across the country. However proceedings hit a snag during the opening address of then-prime minister John Howard. "People [were] getting up and turning their backs because we [the Council] had a set of demands [regarding] where we'd like to take reconciliation. He was against most of it, certainly against the apology [to the Stolen Generations]," Huggins remembers. Although the convention continued, the actions of the attendees seemed to demonstrate a significant shift in people's understanding and support of First Nations people and issues. Veteran journalist Ray Martin also attended the convention. He had first been appointed to the Council by the Hawke government in 1991, and reappointed by the Howard government for a second term. Reflecting back on the day, Martin is still struck by the "powerful political statement" made by those who turned their backs on the prime minister. "I think that John Howard showed his lack of courage in not going forward on the 'Sorry' question that Kevin Rudd was able to do a couple of years later," Martin says. Martin believes that as a lawyer and "an old-fashioned conservative" Howard was afraid that by apologising to the Stolen Generations, there would be legal action against the government and multi-billion dollar compensation claims. "But I just think he was wrong and I think he misunderstood … He was certainly not a racist … but he was ignorant, as most Australians have been and are about Indigenous affairs," Martin explains. As the Council's deadline approached, an ambitious plan was devised to punctuate the delivery of their work: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge together with non-Indigenous people. "It was a great symbol, the idea of bridging the gap, which [still] hasn't been bridged, but the idea of the walk was to go from one community to another, effectively to try and fill up the gap of discrimination or disadvantage. So the bridge was a good symbol of that, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge is better than almost anywhere in terms of the symbol," explains Martin. Along with Linda Burney, the New South Wales council representative, Martin was integral to the planning of the day. He says that for about a year it was up to the two of them to "plan and raise the money that was needed for all the ancillary staff, security, and all that sort of stuff for the walk". When Corroboree 2000 finally arrived, state and federal government leaders came together with the Council and other First Nations people to gather at the Sydney Opera House. Huggins says the event was "finely tuned" to ensure the moment the Council's chairperson Evelyn Scott handed the documents to Prime Minister Howard would carry the full weight of the Council's 10 years of work. "We were very proud and relieved. [It] felt like all these 10 years had amounted to something that would be real and tangible," she says. The following day, Huggins and many others walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. "[While walking] I thought about our ancestors and our history and where we had come to the present day, and [thanked] them for delivering such a beautiful day, even though it was a bit cool and windy," she says. She also remembers being struck by the diverse mix of people who attended: young and old, community groups, schools and trade unions, all coming together to walk across the bridge for reconciliation. "I'd never seen a crowd like that before. Never in my entire life," she says. "I must say that was the first time I ever felt that I was an Australian, that day in 2000 walking over the Sydney Harbour Bridge with all those other people. "And you know, that's why I'm forever a convert and a disciple, because I saw how people's minds would change when you gave them a little bit of information and story and truth-telling — which is the big one now — and we knew that that day would lead to more truth-telling." The Bridge Walk had a profound impact on Martin too. "It was an extraordinary occasion … I'd say the bulk of the people who were there were people who hadn't been involved in campaigns, political campaigns of any kind before, but just felt the need, especially the last two or three years of the Council leading up to that walk. It had become very much a people's movement," Martin says. Reflecting on Corroboree 2000 and the Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk 25 years on, Martin says it was a "really important step forward" — although one that's "still not far enough". It's a sentiment reflected in this year's theme for National Reconciliation Week 'Bridging Now to Next' that urges people to allow lessons of the past to guide the way forward. "As we saw with the last election, it's too easy for politicians on both sides of the fence — especially after the failure of the Voice referendum — it's too easy to say it's too hard and put it in that basket and turn away. So the end result is we had next to no discussion of Aboriginal [issues] during the [last] election," Martin explains. For Huggins, one way forward would be to implement the recommendations put forth by the Council, along with the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Deaths and Custody (1991), the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families (1997), and the Little Children are Sacred Report (2007). "They're all still with us. They're still valid. And I often wonder what would have happened if they were all ticked off and implemented … and whether we would be having the wide disparity [between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people]," she explains. "And I think the legacy of the Council was to show that we are still here. We've survived, and we will continue to do the good work, no matter how hard and difficult the situation. "And you know what? Nobody will ever ask the question: 'Reconciliation what? Or reconciliation who?' because it's deeply in the minds of people now".
South China Morning Post
18-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's To Kwa Wan to be transformed into ‘world-class' cove for dining, concerts
Transforming idle barges into restaurants, concert venues and swimming pools are among ideas Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority has floated to develop an old residential area in the city into a world-class cove area in the style of Sydney's Darling Harbour. The authority's managing director Wai Chi-sing said on Sunday that its consultant was studying suggestions on developing To Kwa Wan, an old district in Kowloon along Victoria Harbour, and its vicinity, into a 'Victoria Cove Area'. A preliminary study of the harbourfront development would be ready in the latter half of the year, he said. Wai said the study, which covered about 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of land and water, would take reference from Darling Harbour in Sydney and Aker Brygge in Oslo. The former Australian working port and old Norwegian shipyard had been revitalised into retail, entertainment and tourism facilities. Hong Kong's version would 'explore repurposing some idle barges to offer catering services, host outdoor music shows, display distinctive light installation art or turn them into swimming pools or floating beaches,' Wai wrote of the study in his blog post.
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Geraldine Doogue to present 2025 Andrew Olle Media Lecture
15 May 2025 The ABC is delighted to announce the 2025 Andrew Olle Media Lecture will be presented by Geraldine Doogue AO on Friday 25 July at the W Hotel in Darling Harbour. Doogue is one of Australia's foremost journalists and broadcasters with a career across print, television and radio spanning more than 50 years. "I'm honoured to be presenting the Andrew Olle Media Lecture,' she said. 'Andrew represented a terrific example of broad, generalist and above all curious journalism that needs lionising, now more than ever." In 2003, Doogue was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for services to the community and media. Her other awards during her career with both the ABC and commercial media include two Penguin Awards for excellence in broadcasting from the Television Society of Australia and a UN Media Peace Prize. In 2000 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship for social and cultural reporting. In 2018 she was inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame alongside Andrew Olle. Since 2024 Doogue has co-presented popular world affairs podcast Global Roaming with Hamish Macdonald for ABC Radio National. Each week the half-hour current affairs program does an in-depth examination of a single issue of national or international importance. Robyn Leonard OAM, Founder and Director of Brain Cancer Australia, said the organisation was proud to be the charity partner for the 2025 Andrew Olle Media Lecture. 'Brain cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers and it's unacceptable that survival rates have barely changed in the 30 years since we lost Andrew Olle to this devastating disease,' Leonard said. 'The Andrew Olle Media Lecture plays a vital role in raising both awareness and funds to support our mission. Brain Cancer Australia is building the infrastructure, collaboration and national momentum that will drive breakthroughs in brain cancer – and bring hope to patients and their families.' Tickets for the 2025 Andrew Olle Media Lecture can be purchased here. About the Andrew Olle Media Lecture The Andrew Olle Media Lecture is held in honour of one of the ABC's iconic broadcasters, Andrew Olle. Andrew Olle was one of Australia's most admired broadcasters and a presenter on a number of the ABC's flagship current affairs programs including Four Corners , The 7.30 Report, Nationwide and A Big Country . In 1987 he began presenting the mornings program on ABC Radio Sydney (then 2BL), a role he held until his death in 1995. In 1995, Olle died suddenly at age 47 after collapsing at home due to an undiagnosed brain tumour. The Andrew Olle Media Lecture is an annual event held in his honour that focuses on the role and future of the media and was first given in 1996. Funds raised from the evening are donated to Brain Cancer Australia to further research and awareness of the disease. Previous Andrew Olle Media Lecture speakers include Fran Kelly, Leigh Sales, Ita Buttrose AC OBE, Peter FitzSimons, Lisa Wilkinson, Caroline Wilson, Joseph Kahn, Waleed Aly, Helen McCabe, Kate McClymont, Mark Colvin, Laurie Oakes, Ray Martin AM, John Hartigan, John Doyle AM, Lachlan Murdoch, Kerry Stokes AC and Jana Wendt. Media contact Laura Todd, ABC Communications
