Gold Coast Disneyland: The Magic Down Under

ScorpionX

ScorpionX

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Over the last few months, I have been armchair Imagineering an original Disney resort. Like MEW, it will be placed in Australia, but unlike him, I have a specific location within Australia in mind. This resort is to be located on the Gold Coast, joining such theme parks as Dreamworld, Sea World, Wet n' Wild Water World, and Warner Bros. Movie World.

The Gold Coast Disney Resort will consist of two theme parks, three hotels, a water park, and a shopping/dining complex.

Stay tuned for the first chapter in our journey through Disneyland Australia!
 
ScorpionX

ScorpionX

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
To all who come to this magical place: welcome! Many years ago, a master storyteller named Walt Disney brought to life the tales we all know and love in a place called Disneyland. Today, his spirit and imagination come to Australia in new and exciting adventures where children and their parents can have fun together. May Gold Coast Disneyland be a source of unlimited joy and may it be a symbol of eternal friendship between the great nations of Australia and the United States of America.​



If you’ve ever wished upon a star, and your dream came true, then you know a little something about the magic of Gold Coast Disney Resort. The year was 1955 when Walt Disney introduced the world to a totally new concept in family entertainment. It was called Disneyland and it was indescribable. Gone was the crazy-filled chaos of the typical amusement park. Instead, guests found themselves surrounded by a land of three-dimensional fantasy. It was like walking onto a movie set or into a dream. Walt’s dream was later brought to four countries and three continents around the world. Encompassing two spectacular theme parks, three resort hotels, a water park, and a nighttime entertainment complex, Gold Coast Disney Resort has something for everyone of every age.

The crowning jewel of Gold Coast Disney Resort is Gold Coast Disneyland, a magic kingdom of six fanciful lands. Entering Gold Coast Disneyland, we see turnstiles designed in a Victorian fashion and a flowerbed depicting the shining face of Mickey Mouse. Above that is the Walter E. Disney, one of four antique steam trains transporting guests from the main entrance to Frontierland, Toontown, and Tomorrowland. To the left of the train depot is The Newsstand, selling things like newspapers and magazines, while to the right is The Antique Photo Emporium, where you can have your picture taken anywhere in time, from primeval days to the near future and beyond.

As you begin to see posters advertising various attractions found within the park, you see a plaque under the train station that reads: "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy." Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of going back to the quintessential small-town America of the early 20th century. That dream comes to life all around you on Main Street, U.S.A.
 
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ScorpionX

ScorpionX

Well-Known Member
Original Poster


"Main Street, U.S.A. is America at the turn of the century-the crossroads of an era. The ags lamps and the electric lamp-the horse-drawn car and the auto car. Main Street is everyone's hometown-the heart line of America." - Walt Disney​

Music fills the air as we step foot in small-town America at the turn of the 20th century. Here, we find the America that once was and always will be. In great contrast to the monotony of everyday life, Gold Coast Disneyland’s take on small-town America is pure magic. The Main Street Vehicles travel up and down the street while the citizens of Main Street roam the sidewalks. On our left is City Hall, where you can store your valuables, get insider tips, find lost children, file complaints, or get into other mischief. A pet kennel is also available here, as well as a picnic garden. Next door is The Elias Square Opera House, where you can experience Big Band Beat, an exciting show featuring energetic tap dancers, classic Disney characters, and the extraordinary sounds of a live big band. Across Elias Square, which features the American and Australian flags with the park’s dedication plaque, is The Walt Disney Story, the inspiring story of a man who beat all the odds to become one of the most well-known names in the entertainment industry.

The rest of Main Street, U.S.A. is just a nice place that gives you an energetic vibe that you can only get in such a place. Such locales include The Emporium, the foremost gift shop in the park, The Station Break, a counter-service restaurant located just under the train station serving hot dogs, Walt's favorite chili and beans, and various soups, Liberty Candy Kitchen, a candy store and ice cream parlor in one, Cam Era’s Photography Studio, Bull Moose Booksellers, Weiss House of Magic, selling various sorts of unique souvenirs and many, many other items. Each building is designed and decorated in its own special way, marked by inconspicuous details. For instance, some of the two-story buildings have signs on their second floor windows, such as “MR B. GURR; DESIGN IMPRESARIO. HIS VEHICLES PASS THE TEST OF TIME. FAST, FAULTLESS, AND FADELESS.” It’s little thing like that that make Main, Street, U.S.A. one-of-a-kind.

At the other end of Main Street, U.S.A. Garden Plaza, a nature-filled plaza with paths leading to the other five lands of Gold Coast Disneyland. At an ornate dock on the banks of a moat, you can board The Plaza Swan Boats for a leisurely cruise around Garden Plaza. In the very center of Garden Plaza is a collection of statues known as Legacies, featuring bronze versions of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. In comparison to other Disney parks with this statue, Walt and Mickey are not alone. Surrounding them are smaller statues, each featuring a different Disney official and a different character. You can see Roy Disney and Minnie Mouse having a picnic, Frank Miller and Goofy shaking hands, Michael Eisner having a serious discussion with Roger Rabbit, and Bob Iger sitting at a bench with a very frustrated Donald Duck. All five statues lead up Gold Coast Disneyland's icon: Storybook Castle.

At night, Main Street, U.S.A. comes alive with the "electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds" of The Main Street Electrical Parade. Reimagined for a new generation of visitors, the newest iteration of this Disney classic borrows heavily from Paint the Night at Hong Kong and Anaheim. While using the original 1967 rendition of "Baroque Hoedown," the parade now includes scenes from such films as The Lion King, Toy Story, Cars, and Frozen. To send it all off, a new unit called "To Honor Australia" does just that with a techno rendition of "Waltzing Matilda."

If we make a left after exiting The Wagon Wheel Café, we see what looks like the ruins of a city straight out of an Arabian Nights adventure.
 
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