Abandoned Mandurah Castle Fun Park

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Posted 2013-12-03 by Tom ⇒ follow

The Abandoned Castle Fun Park in Halls Head, Mandurah was a miniature village full of famous buildings that rose to prominence in the 1980's. Now unloved and overgrown, there's still remnants of what was once a favourite stopover for kids on the road south.

Castle Fun Park was built in 1979 and included the miniature village complete with castle, an Australian shaped swimming pool, mini golf course and kiosk. It was popular for weddings and kids parties throughout to 80's and 90's before becoming yet another victim to changes in taste for kids entertainment (i.e. video games and TV).

When the Mandurah bypass bridge was built Castle Fun Park lost a large portion of it's visitors. Many of the buildings were razed when the park closed in the early 2000's and a bushfire destroyed more of what was left in 2007.

Today it is another reminder of what we once had, and what kids will never get these days. The lone caste stands tall above the scrubs, covered in graffiti with evidence of living quarters for the homeless inside it's walls (the hobo here must be the king of the castle!).

The Australia pool is hidden behind the trees, still clearly defined but now filled with shredded pool liner and household rubbish. The rock waterfall remains tucked into the corner, but water hasn't graced it's sides for nearly a decade.

Unlike many abandoned places such as Ascot and the power station , Castle Fun Park is pretty easy to get in to. The gates on Leisure Way are permanently open and large chunks of fence are missing. Just be mindful of snakes and lizards as the paths are very overgrown.

The park is now divided into three lots, with plans under way to develop the lost treasure. There is some resistance through social media but surely it is only a matter of years before the abandoned Castle Fun Park becomes just another memory of a better time to be a child.