| Killer Whale Stadium Estimated Cost $5, 500,000 Seating Capacity: 4,500 Original completion date: 1st January 1989 I have never been believed when I talk about Seaworld's plans to build a Killer Whale Stadium. One comment I often get is "Didn't Seaworld have a Killer Whale?" The answer to that is no, Seaworld never had a killer whale, but it was a very close thing. The plans were on the table, for Seaworld in 1988, to get a Killer Whale, and build a stadium to house it. 2 things stopped the plan from happening; 1 was law; you can't catch a Killer Whale in Australia and put it on show to the public. Seaworld's only hope was to rescue an injured animal and hope it couldn't be released. Even Seaworld realised that the chances of this were slim, so looked overseas to find their whale. But in the mean time, problem 2 kicked in. The problem was that the place they planned to build it was on reclaimed land. Meaning that years before, the land was just water, Seaworld would have to wait 10 years for the land before building on the land. The Killer Whale Stadium was now out of the question, espically since there was no other suitable land in the park. The idea has resurfaced only once since then. in 1995, when plans for dolphin cove were being finalised, a few people talked about the plans, and some speculated that it had been designed to be able to hold a killer whale. "The day that Seaworld does rescue a Killer Whale that can't be realised" they say, "Seaworld will be ready". |
| Feature article - The greatest attractions that never were |
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| Seaworld attractions intended to open in the late 1980's but never happened. Seaworld Wharf Estimated Cost: $2,750,000 Original Completion Date: 1st October 1987 The amount of literature I found on this project was phenomenal. Well, at least it was when you consider that the thing was never built. About 6 pages of writing on this shopping area, which was best summed up by this artists impression, drawn in 1985. It shows a boardwalk, docks, shops and a helipad built onto the site of Seaworld, including the design of the Monorail station. The idea behind was that people who visited Seaworld could go out onto the docks and shop on the Broadwater. It wasn't just aimed at Seaworld guests, but the general public would also be able to wander around the docks, go for a cruise up the Nerang River, and purchase tickets to Seaworld. The whole complex was due to open in 1987, but for reasons unknown, the project was scraped. Today, the area is home to Seaworld helicopters, the Broadwater cafe', Main monorail station, human resources, marine sciences and water sports. If you examine the area, you see more then enough room for all these things, and a few are even built in to the plans. |
| Artist's impression of Seaworld Wharf, 1985 |
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| Artist's impression of the Killer Whale Stadium |
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