Buyer of land including site of Old Sydney Town reveals plans for tourism and entertainment destination

The new owners of the former Old Sydney Town attraction on the NSW Central Coast have revealed plans to transform the 120 hectare site into an innovative tourism and entertainment precinct.

World Culture Tourism Village, which purchased the site last year for more than $20 million, has released a vision for the site which could reuse parts of the Old Sydney Town and potentially expand the Australian Reptile Park, the region’s premier tourist destination.

The Sydney-based consortium has announced plans to retain some of the former heritage park’s original buildings as the hub of a key attraction, along with a performing arts area, entertainment and attractions, retail and exhibition facilities, food and beverage outlets, water-based activities, a hotel and residential development.

With parts of the Old Sydney Town attraction recently heritage listed by the National Trust, World Culture Tourism Village Chief Executive, Guben Huang advised in a statement released on Friday that the consortium’s plans for the site had always been to deliver something respectful of the past but which also provides employment, recreation and tourism opportunities for the region into the future.

Huang explained “we have a team of experts and heritage specialists who are providing advice on our plans.

“We have always said we intend to retain some of the Old Sydney Town buildings to (pay) tribute to Sydney’s colonial past and (enhance) the historical and cultural heritage value of the site to the community.

“We are at the start of a long and ongoing conversation with the community and stakeholders about the site and we look forward to continuing this as plans and ideas develop.

“In the past, the site has failed because it has been limited to a single use, stand-alone tourism destination, dispersed over a wide area.

“The key to success is to deliver a destination that captures the best things about the past but that also offers contemporary experiences and land uses that will also ensure a bright future.”

The site includes Old Sydney Town (25 hectares) - which operated on the site between 1975 and 2003, before closing after many years of financial losses; the Australian Reptile Park (5.4 hectares), which operates on a long lease, as well as 89 hectares of land that wraps around both sites and is currently being used as farmland.

World Culture Tourism Village’s website said it has “a proud and extensive history in delivering world-class projects around the globe, including: resorts, hotels, office buildings, industrial parks and boutique residential developments.”

Image: Cast members at the former Old Sydney Town, which closed in 2003.