Skyrider Before Wonderland

Before becoming Skyrider at Wonderland in 1997, the cable car had operated at the old Sydney Showground at Moore Park, the home of the Sydney Royal Easter Show from 1882 until 1997.

The Showground featured an enclosed gondola cableway that transported visitors above the grounds, providing an alternative to walking through the crowds below. Each gondola was designed to carry four passengers, who could enjoy views across the Showground while travelling along the suspended cable.

The gondola cableway dated back to the 1970s, although its exact year of installation has not been established. It was one of two separate overhead passenger attractions at Moore Park. The other was an open chairlift, which had been introduced for the 1969 Royal Easter Show. Both attractions provided visitors with an elevated journey across the Showground, but they were different cableway installations.

The cable cars became part of the Royal Easter Show experience during the final decades at Moore Park. Visitors continued to use the Showground’s overhead passenger transport attractions until the Show’s departure in 1997.

The final Royal Easter Show

The final Sydney Royal Easter Show at Moore Park took place from 21 March to 5 April 1997, bringing 115 years of Easter Shows at the location to an end. The Show subsequently relocated to Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay, where the first Easter Show was held in 1998.

With the closure of the old Showground, the gondola cableway was removed from Moore Park. Rather than being scrapped, it was purchased by Wonderland and given a new life at the theme park.

From Moore Park the cableway went to Wonderland, where it was reinstalled in 1997 and renamed Skyrider. That part of the story continues on the Skyrider Installation page.