Sega World Sydney
The Sega World Sydney building in 1998
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| Location | Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Opened | March 1997 |
| Closed | November 2000 (demolished 2008) |
| Operating season | Not anymore |
| Rides | |
| Total | 7 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
Sega World Sydney was an indoor high-tech amusement park that operated for almost four years, in Sydney, Australia. The theme park was built as the flagship tenant of the Darling Walk complex in Darling Harbour, and was designed and themed by gaming company Sega as one of several SegaWorld-branded amusement parks.
Land for the park was acquired by Jacfun Pty Ltd in 1994, with the amusement park opening in 1997. The remainder of the complex was sublet to a mix of retail and entertainment tenants. By 2000, Sega had pulled out from the partnership operating Sega World, and the park was suffering from low attendance and financial losses. There were hopes that tourists visiting Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics would help meet the visitor breakeven point, but this did not occur, and Sega World closed in November 2000. The rides were auctioned off in 2001.
Jacfun attempted to find a new tenant to replace Sega World, but the restrictive zoning meant that more profitable revenue streams (such as office-space) were unusable. In 2003, Jacfun sold its lease of the Darling Walk site back to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, with the lease to terminate in 2008. The site was leased to Lend Lease in 2008, with the Darling Walk building demolished and replaced with the new Commonwealth Bank of Australia global headquarters.
In 1994, Jacfun Pty Ltd acquired a 90-year lease for land in the Darling Harbour precinct from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. The location, which became the Darling Walk, was zoned for entertainment use.
Jacfun, in collaboration with Sega and the Darling Harbour Authority, invested A$80 million to build Sega World Sydney, which opened in March 1997. Sega World Sydney utilised the latest in multimedia, entertainment and destination attraction events. It was described as "Australia's Interactive Disneyland" by the media. Many of the themes were based on various Sega franchises, primarily Sonic the Hedgehog. The park was also host to underage dance parties called Crush, usually held during school holidays. The remainder of the complex was sublet to a mix of retail and entertainment tenants.
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