GC5XEDF KING NEPTUNE LIVES ON!! (Traditional Cache) in Western Australia, Australia created by WA

This cache has been archived.

Balayang: I am archiving this cache due to the unfortunate lack of action taken to restore it, or any communication from the cache owner, WA_Puzzler, requesting additional time.

Despite ample opportunities provided for the Cache Owner to respond, their silence leads me to the conclusion that the cache has been abandoned.

In such cases, archived caches will not be unarchived, and as a result, this location is now open for the placement of a new cache by another interested party.

Thanks,

Balayang
Community Reviewer - Australia

GC5XEDF ▼

A cache by WA_Puzzler Message this owner

Hidden : 6/13/2015

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Size: Size: small (small)

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KING NEPTUNE LIVES ON!!

Atlantis Marine Park
From Wikipedia

Atlantis Marine Park was a theme park built in 1981 in Two Rocks, a small fishing community 60 kilometres north of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The park was a major feature of Alan Bond's Yanchep Sun City plan. It closed in August 1990 due to financial difficulty.

History

In the 1970s Bond purchased 20,000 acres of land in Yanchep with a plan to build a large resort and residential area. The Park was constructed in 1981 with the hope that Perth's rapid expansion would be accompanied by an equal growth in tourism. Six months before the park was opened, seven bottlenose dolphins were caught locally and trained as performance animals for the next ten years. The park was opened by the Premier of Western Australia the Hon. Ray O'Connor and the chairman and president of the Tokyu Corporation Mr Noburu Gotoh. In his opening speech Mt Gotoh explained that Atlantis was the first element in an expansion plan to make the Yanchep Sun City a premier leisure recreation region.

In 1988, three female dolphin calves were born, which as a result of changes in regulations for holding marine mammals meant Atlantis would have to construct a larger dolphin enclosure. This, coupled with the park gradually losing money, was the reason for the owners closing Atlantis in August 1990.

Dolphins

Prior to the park's opening, seven bottlenose dolphins were caught from the local coastal population and were used as performance animals for the next ten years. At the time Atlantis closed in 1990, the park had nine dolphins, six wild born, and three captive born juveniles.

With the closure of the park, the owners Tokyu Corporation of Japan agreed to a proposal by Dr. Nick Gales, a marine park veterinarian and research scientist to fully fund the release of the animals to the wild, provided it would end their financial commitment to the dolphins. The project to release the animals into the wild began in March 1991; the rehabilitation program began in the park pools and eventually moved to a sea pen at the Two Rocks Marina in October 1991. The dolphins were fully released into the wild in January 1992.

The initial release encountered problems, with some of the dolphins losing a lot of weight; three of them were recaptured and returned to the sea pen. The three recaptured dolphins were not re-released to the wild, but were relocated to Underwater World (now the Aquarium of Western Australia). Local crayfishermen have reporting frequent sightings of the released dolphins, even as far up the coast as Lancelin.

Current situation

Since its closure in 1990 the park has been abandoned and vandalised. The site is currently owned by private property developers,. A plan was put forward to develop the area into a mix of retail, commercial and entertainment land uses. In the plan, key features of the Marine Park such as King Neptune would be retained.

The sculpture was previously heritage listed by the Western Australian Heritage Council in 2006. Now, after several long months of restoration by a group of volunteers with the Two Rocks Environment and Development Association (TREADA), the iconic limestone statue of King Neptune and the surrounding area was reopened to the public in May 2015, with children from the nearby primary school (whose emblem is King Neptune) around the base of the statue releasing a cloud of balloons. To restore the statue and surrounds, native plants were donated by another local volunteer centre, whilst funds for the project were donated by the adjacent estate developer. It took a local maintenance company three days just to seal and repaint the statue to cover about 20 years of graffiti. The area around King Neptune is still fenced, with TREADA volunteers opening the gate daily to allow public access and provide ongoing care of King Neptune and his surrounding area..

Opening hours

Winter: Weekdays 10am-4pm, weekends 9am-5pm
Summer: Daily 9am-5pm

The Lost City of Atlantis - State Library of Western Australia

If you are lucky enough to be in the area when the gates are open, please go on up and look around. While you are there, it is almost obligatory that you have your photo taken standing on King Neptune's hand. And the view isn't too bad from up there either.

We look forward to seeing your photos uploaded with your Found It logs.

Enjoy your visit!

FTF Congratulations Stickyfeet

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KING NEPTUNE LIVES ON!! Traditional Cache

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