Disneyland Australia site near Melbourne’s Avalon Airport outside Geelong
Australia could soon be getting its own Disneyland theme park in Melbourne with the city’s top official voicing her support for the idea – and an ideal site for the development named.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the city was regaining its reputation as the country’s tourism capital after a few hard years of Covid lockdowns and the entertainment giant would be exactly the right fit.
A Down Under Disney has been floated in the past, but now a prime piece of land is already earmarked for an entertainment precinct near Avalon Airport, which is south-west of Melbourne and near Geelong.
The owner of the Seppeltsfield and Penny’s Hill wineries previously called for the McLaren Vale region in South Australia to host the world’s seventh Disneyland.
However, Ms Capp firmly believes Melbourne’s surrounds would be the ideal spot for Disneyland.
Disney has grown to one of the world’s largest media companies in recent years after snapping up brands like Star Wars and 21st Century Fox and has already set foot in Melbourne with a deal to name Marvel Stadium in Docklands.
Other cities such as Sydney, Adelaide and the Gold Coast have attempted to lure Mickey and friends previously but were unsuccessful.
Ms Capp said a deal with Disney could revitalise Melbourne and help it regain its status as a world class tourism destination.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp is a huge fan of the idea which could lend some weight to the push
Warren Randall, the owner of the Seppeltsfield and Penny’s Hill winery, is calling on a consortium of business leaders and governments to look into the creation of the world’s seventh Disneyland in the state.
‘I know a Disney theme park in our municipality would be a huge hit with residents – myself included – visitors, students and traders,’ Ms Capp told The Herald Sun
Ms Capp said the city already had world class hotels and shopping and dining precincts that could accommodate interstate and overseas visitors.
And while she painted a picture of rollercoasters towering over the Yarra at Fisherman’s Bend as part Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, there is a far more likely site already on offer.
A huge tract of land at Avalon Airport north of Geelong and about half an hour south of Melbourne’s CBD has already been set aside for an entertainment precinct.
David Fox, chairman of Avalon Airport and son of billionaire trucking magnate Lindsey Fox, has reportedly previously held meetings with Disney.
‘There’s an entertainment precinct that we’ve defined. I wouldn’t say (for a) Disneyland at this moment in time, but anything is possible,’ Mr Fox said in March this year of the plan.
‘In regards to other parts of the precinct, we need to get the rail connectivity lined up,’ he said.
A petition has been circulating online since 2020 demanding Disneyland come to Australia and has gained tens of thousands of signatures.
Disney theme parks have already expanded out of the United States with locations established in France, Japan, and China.
Ms Capp’s term as Lord Mayor will finish later this year but she is expected to run again.