A local council has poured cold water on rumors that a Disneyland theme park could soon be built, dashing the hopes of many Australians.
Werribee, which is 30 minutes west of Melbourne’s CBD, became the center of speculation on Wednesday that it could be the location of a new Disneyland.
However, a spokesperson for Wyndham Town Council soon quelled that excited speculation.
“No organization has contacted Wyndham City regarding plans for a Disney-style park in our borough,” he told Herald of the sun.
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida (pictured), is the most visited Disney theme park worldwide among its 12 parks
Werribeee, 30 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD, was the center of rumors on Wednesday that it was to host an Australian Disneyland (pictured, the Werribee River next to the fields).
Werribee is home to Werribee Open Range Zoo and Werribee Mansion tourist attractions.
Speculation has been rife that Australia could build its own Disneyland as the US-based entertainment company looks to expand internationally.
The Walt Disney Company last revealed September was developing plans “to accelerate and expand investment” in its parks and experiences.
The company intends to nearly double capital spending over the next decade to $60 billion; This is understood to include three new international theme parks.
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products President Josh D’Amaro said at the company statement the parks “are independent in terms of scale.”
“And while our scale is impressive, we have no shortage of space or regions of the world to tell new stories,” he said.
“We have an ambitious growth story backed by a proven track record and a bold vision for the future of our Parks business.”
Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief Felicia Mariani said the state “desperately” needed more tourist attractions, particularly outside Melbourne.
However, he also dispelled the rumor that Werribee Disneyland was a possibility, saying the rumors had been circulating for many years.
“Whether it’s Disney or some other type of major attraction, the reality is that those types of new attractions are really critical to attracting visitation to Victoria and, in particular, having something that is located in the metropolitan region of Melbourne, as opposed to the district Melbourne financial institution. she said.
Tokyo Disneyland (pictured) opened on April 15, 1983 and was the first theme park opened internationally by The Walt Disney Company.
The Disney theme park opened in Hong Kong (pictured) on Monday, September 12, 2005 and adhered to the rules of feng shui when designing and building the park.
Paris Disneyland opened on April 12, 1992 after much protest from locals. It became the most visited attraction in Europe and the largest employer in France, with 17,000 workers.
There have been attempts in the past to entice Disney to open a theme park in Australia at sites such as Avalon Airport in Victoria, along with existing theme parks on the Gold Coast, as well as Sydney and Adelaide.
Werribee, located between Melbourne and Geelong, was once home to African Safari World, a proposed $220 million amusement park that would have had some of the biggest and best attractions in the world.
It was due to be installed on the grounds of Werribee Open Range Zoo and open in 2010, but the state government rejected the plan in 2008, saying it would cost taxpayers too much.
The Walt Disney Company currently has theme parks in four countries: the United States, China, France and Japan.
Theme and amusement parks around the world welcome around 50,000 visitors each day and employ around 223,000 people.
The most visited in 2022 was Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, with around 17.13 million visitors attending the park.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Wyndham City Council for comment.
