Melbourne might be on track to become the happiest place on earth (minus the bus delays), with one Victorian MP unveiling his vision for Australia’s first-ever Disneyland to be located in the city.
It’s taking everything in me not to write this in the tone of Mickey Mouse (“Oh, Gee!”, etc) but here goes. The campaign to bring the theme park Down Under has picked up steam courtesy of MP David Limbrick, who appeared on The Project to discuss his plans. Strap in, Disney Gays.
Limbrik — the Libertarian MP for South-East Metro — said he narrowed down plans for the Disneyland site to three suburbs in the city’s south-east, suggesting Mickey and his mates could take to the suburbs of Dandenong, Cranbourne or Frankston.
“They are so good I cannot easily split them,” Limbrick said of the locations, all of which are in his electorate. “Unlike in other parts of Melbourne, Disney would be welcomed with open arms in South-East Melbourne.”
Accelerating his plans with the same brevity it takes Disney to greenlight yet another live-action remake, Limbrick called directly on Victoria’s Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos to fast track his vision. He urged the minister to inform Walt Disney Company of Melbourne’s willingness to host a Disneyland site, saying he has been in talks with Dimopoulos since last week.
“What I requested the government to do… is to set-up a meeting with Disney and tell them that Melbourne is open for business,” Limbrick added. He said the government can take steps to secure Disney’s interest in Melbourne without costing the taxpayer, like streamlining planning applications.
“We need to get Disney’s attention,” Limbrick said, a feat especially tricky if rumours of Walt’s frozen head are to be believed. Limbrick said he’s had a “great response” since floating the idea in parliament (I imagine there was some sort of animation involved), and that residents of south-east Melbourne themselves are “very interested in this.”
Limbrick’s desire to burden unlucky Melbournians with those sweaty theme park costumes might actually come to fruition. Last year, Walt Disney Company announced a $60 billion plan to “accelerate and expand investment” in its parks, with an eye on international locations. If realised, Disneyland’s Melbourne site would add to its already existing locations in California, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai.
Limbrick adds to a growing chorus of Victorian politicians who have weighed in on the matter, with Wyndham City Council squashing rumours that the suburb of Werribee would house Australia’s first Disneyland in May. Last year, Melbourne mayor Sally Capp touted the land near Avalon Airport as a potential location, though those plans have since stalled.
Proving that Australia’s Disneyland lore is about as rich as that surrounding Walt Disney’s frozen head (I’ll move on soon, I promise), Queensland came very close to getting Australia’s first Disneyland in 1998, but it never went ahead due to difficult “economics”, according to the Courier Mail.
Image Source: Getty Image/ Kim Kulish and Channel 10/ The Project
