9 hours Ago By Rachel Fenner
On Sunday, the iconic Mandurah Ferris Wheel took its last turn. The 70-year-old amusement ride will now be sold at auction or if no buyer is found head to the scrap-heap like many other Mandurah attractions. King Carnival will join beloved attractions like Castle Fun Park, the drive-ins and the Old Mandurah Bridge, which now exist only in memories.
Sunday’s Last Day Celebration at King Carnival ended a years-long saga beginning in 2021 when the City of Mandurah refused to grant a long-term lease to carnival owner Peter Miller. Hundreds showed up to ride the Ferris Wheel one last time, get dizzy on the tilt-a-whirl, feed the clowns or have a bash on the dodgems. Admittedly the site had become rundown over the years and the attractions dated, but Mr Miller maintained that he did not want to spend millions on upgrades without a permanent lease.
So, while some toured the site and saw chipped paint and rundown rides, others saw a treasure trove of fun ripping them right back to childhood. “I’m sad I’ve been coming since I was six years old, I had my ninth birthday here, my nanna’s been coming here since she was 15 years old, there’s a lot of history here,” Kaitlyn Wilkins, 20, said on Sunday. “It’s one of a kind, we came down for the last time and the machine I went for was the dollar machine which has been my favourite since childhood and to hit it out with a bang I won $50 which I got signed by the owner.
” Karen, 60, travelled from Perth to say goodbye and said it was a real shame it was closing. “It’s always been here and it’s the last one of these left in Perth,” she said. Even once it’s gone the fun fair as it was once known, will remain in the hearts of many West Aussies, who used to ride the Ferris Wheel when it was located on the eastern foreshore.
Back then in the 50s, it was run by Bob Crowley and Bill Bowler. In the book Mandurah Under the Bridge by Jill Burgess, Mr Bowler recalled when it was surrounded by the tents of holidaymakers camping at Stingray Point. He described how he and four men would dismantle the Ferris Wheel weekly and travel to country shows in the southwest.
So, in 1988 it wasn’t a big deal for Mr Bowler to move it to its final location and King Carnival on the Western Foreshore. While the carnival is no more, Mr Bowler lives on with his name granted to the nearby skate park. On Sunday, Mr Miller joined the Mandurah Times for a turn around the Ferris Wheel, probably the last he’ll take after 26 years managing the fair.
“I love the Ferris Wheel, you’re in the open and get a great view of Mandurah,” Mr Miller said. “I’m happy with the crowd (today) it’s a happy crowd. I was surprised by how big the support was from the community.
“We’ve had a lot of people during the week that were angry with the City of Mandurah that they’ll put the brewery in and not keep the carnival. “What do the teenagers do today it’s a big problem and we’re just going to cut out another venue for teenagers.” King Carnival was a family affair with Mr Miller’s kids all employed at the site, he added, “It was jobs for the future but not anymore.
” After taking over the site in 1999, Mr Miller waited from 2003 for a long-term lease that never came. Finally in August last year, despite protests, petitions and outright opposition by many, the City of Mandurah granted a long-term 20 year lease, to Left Coast Leisure Group. But this wasn’t the first time Mandurah’s residents came together to save the carnival.
In 1985, about 400 townspeople crowded the council chambers to protest the cutting of a canal channel into Leighton Road that would have meant the demise of the Carnival. They were more successful back then. Years from now the view over the water from the Eastern Foreshore to the Western Foreshore will look a lot different.
The skyline which since the 1960s has been lit up by the lights of the Ferris Wheel, will be dominated by a massive multi-storey brewery. Despite the closure of the fair, on Sunday, February 16 there’s a plan for people to meet at Halls Park to protest the brewery. They’re asking for the State Government and Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage to maintain the park as an A-class reserve, which would prevent the construction of the brewery.
But the Mandurah residents who wanted the brewery, who said out with the old and in with the new cannot be ignored in all this. In one of his final acts as mayor, at August’s meeting, Rhys Williams called the decision “a crucial step forward”, saying it will “revitalise our city centre” and create more than 400 hospitality jobs. “This council is ambitious for Mandurah’s future,” he said.
“We’ve built strong momentum and projects like this are vital to ensuring Mandurah is a vibrant and thriving city.” A vibrant and thriving city yes, but with no evidence left of its past..
