Manly Waterworks has officially switched off its pumps for good as demolition begins to tear down the iconic 45-year-old structure.
The Boathouse Group – who took over the lease of the water park as well as Manly Pavilion in 2021 – told Manly Observer an engineer deemed the slides no longer safe to ride earlier this year.
Considering use of the park is seasonally reserved for warmer months, the company took the time to decide what to do with the land before this coming summer. It was ultimately decided to demolish the structure as reopening Manly Waterworks would mean a complete rebuild from scratch.
An official statement from Waterworks fro Manly Observer over the weekend read:
“After 45 years, Manly Waterworks has come to the end of its life and will be turning off the pumps for good. Engineers have deemed the structure no longer safe for sliders with demolition planned to commence from end of September.
Although this Manly institution will no longer stand proud in West Esplanade, the memories will remain for generations of Manly locals and visitors who have enjoyed the waterpark over the years.
Any further plans for the site are yet to be confirmed.”
A Boathouse spokesperson said he understood there would be disappointment in the final decision, however, was adamant a complete rebuild of the park was not only financially unfeasible, but, entirely outside of the company’s food and beverage expertise.
“I think if the structure was still sound, there would be no doubt that we would continue to operate it, because it brings a different clientele down,” the spokesperson said.
“But ultimately, we’re a hospitality food and beverage business at our heart, and we’re not an amusement park business, so it was really not the core of what we’re good at. Essentially, we ran the slides for a couple of years, and we did a pretty good job, from our opinion, but at the end of the day, that’s not our core business.”
Manly Waterworks first opened its doors in 1981, gaining fame when it was used as an escape route by a youthful Nicole Kidman in her movie BMX Bandits. It also paired nicely with the amusement park which was nestled on Manly Wharf around the same time.
The water park was momentarily shut down in 2015 before it was bought by a vendor the following year. After some teething issues, the park was once again put up for sale, this time on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $950,000. In 2021, it was taken over by the Boathouse group when they took on the lease of Manly Pavilion.
It seemed to be one of, if not, the last remaining relic from a time of a thriving amusement precinct, soon to be reduced to dust.
Boathouse say they have no concrete concepts for what the space will transition into, but it will most likely be an ‘adult amusement park’ of sorts with possible plans of turning it into a garden themed sister venue of the Espy.
It was further teased that the group will be looking into implementing a “Waterworks into the ocean” as well as utilising the Manly Art Gallery to turn the area into a cultural and entertainment hub.
“We would love to see some sort of activation out here, whether it’s like a blow up playground or, you know, if you look back to the 1940s and 50s, when they had a lot of, attractions down here for kids to play on the water, like spinning wheels and diving balls, we are super supportive of that sort of thing coming back.”
“There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening in Northern Beaches Council, especially with the special entertainment precinct. That trial’s coming and this precinct is part of that trial. That presents an opportunity to start to really work with the art gallery and activate the space more, because ultimately, we want this to be a cultural and entertainment hub of Manly, something different for the locals.”
Demolition of Manly Waterworks will be done and dusted in a matter of weeks. Although there is no planned deadline, Manly Boathouse Group say they would like a new venue to be open by this summer.
