Hi-Lite Park
 | |
| Location | Geelong, Victoria, Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°08′46″S 144°22′01″E / 38.146°S 144.367°ECoordinates: 38°08′46″S 144°22′01″E / 38.146°S 144.367°E |
| Opened | 1956 |
| Closed | 1985 |
| Operating season | All year round |
Hy-Lite Park was an amusement park in Geelong, Australia, located on the corner of Bellarine Street and Ritchie Boulevard, near Eastern Beach where the tram terminus once stood. It opened in 1956 and closed circa 1985 [1]
It was a very popular foreshore attraction in Geelong, comparable to Luna Park, Melbourne. The Hy-Lite Park was closed to make way for the new redevelopment of the Eastern Beach precinct in the 1990s.[2]
Amusements in 2006
In December 2006, a Ferris wheel reported as the largest non-permanent wheel in the southern hemisphere, was renovated by Phoenix Fabrication & Welding of Geelong who enlarged the gondolas. It comprises 36 gondolas, each with capacity to seat 6 persons. It has a 50 meter peak clearance and each ride is 10–12 minutes in duration. It was then erected in the same area in which Hy-Lite Park once stood.
It was imported from overseas by the Verfurth family who run Hi-Lite Amusements, having also operated Hy-Lite Park under the ownership of first-generation showman Emile Francis Verfurth, who resided in Braybrook, Victoria, and evidently transferred his carnival to various sites around Victoria.[3]
References
- ↑ ‘Hy-Lite Amusement Park, The Esplanade, Geelong’ - unpublished resource book compiled by Geelong Heritage Centre, 2010, GRS 2075/712.5 HYL – Geelong Heritage Centre Reference Library, Geelong Heritage Centre Collection.
- ↑ Heritage Impact Statement Eastern Beach Reserve, Geelong - Hi-Lite Amusements 2012
- ↑ "Harrison leaves hospital, charged.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) (Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia). 29 January 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
