Hawkesbury Regional Museum ’ s newest exhibition Paradise Lost is a fascinating look at the history of one of Sydney ’ s most beloved theme parks , Paradise Gardens .

In the 1970s and ‘ 80s , a plethora of amusement parks could be found in and around Sydney from African Lion Safari in Warragamba , Bullen ’ s Animal World in Wallacia , Leyland Brothers World , Karuah and Old Sydney Town , Somersby .

The Hawkesbury ’ s contribution was Paradise Gardens at Cattai . Opening at the end of 1975 , Paradise Gardens was best known for its life-size fibreglass dinosaur replicas , as well as its Cave Walk display and Enchanted Forest filled with model fairy tale characters .

As the decades passed , Sydney ’ s

amusement parks closed one by one . Today , only Luna Park remains . Paradise Gardens closed in 1986 and had seemingly been forgotten , until now .

Kath von Witt is museum director , and explains ,

“ The Paradise Lost exhibition was developed to revive the memory of this much-loved amusement park to make sure it isn ’ t forgotten . This exhibition will enable visitors to reminisce and share their experiences of the amusement park for a new generation . We would love you to come and share your memories .”

The best remembered part was Prehistoric World , which featured dinosaur replicas displayed around a ‘ primeval lagoon teeming with wildlife ’. Amplifiers in the grass near the dinosaurs emitted bellowing roars and primordial sounds , shocking visitors and making the models seem lifelike .

Paradise Gardens was designed to be a fun day out . Events were often held on weekends and holidays , enjoyed by the whole family . Vintage car displays ; historically-themed events like the Aussi-tal Records Medieval Day and

Aeroplane Jelly Vintage Air Pageant ; as well as model plane , boat , car and train shows were common occurrences .

Frequent stunt demonstrations included athletic ski manoeuvres , plane aerobatics , parachuting , and other dare devil displays . Events were often accompanied by live music , markets , and carnival stalls , providing further entertainment .

The best event was of course the Birdman Rally – where people would spend months making home-made flying apparatus to see who could fly the furthest across the river . Needless to say , no one ever won the $ 10,000 prize !

While locals remembered visiting the park , and have lent some fabulous

photographs that are on display , finding objects proved a real challenge . For instance , the “ life-size dinosaur models ” had disappeared like their living counterparts - until they were tracked down to Magic Mountain in Merimbula . Other objects , souvenirs and ticket stubs , by their very nature , had been lost , or thrown away or donated to charity – so some real detective work was required .

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