Go To The Official Six Flags Great Adventure Website For Current Park Information

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1974 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 2010   Great Adventure Attraction Timeline                                                                                 Koala Kanyon was built as part of the Adventure Rivers expansion in 1991, but survived beyond the other attractions added at that time.   The area operated only during summer days through the 2005 season, but sat closed for all of the 2006 season before being removed in the 2006-2007 off-season.
	Koala Kanyon was introduced as part of Adventure Rivers, and featured then state of the art children's water play elements. The area had an Australian theme, and featured a small river for wading, fountains, water cannons, waterfalls, and shaded places for Moms and Dads to sit and watch the kids have fun.
	The Koala Kanyon area like the rest of Adventure Rivers was nicely landscaped and themed.   Trees were planted all around the outer edges to help screen the area from the surrounding rides and service road. One of the biggest drawbacks to Koala Kanyon was its remote location, which was at the farthest end of the park, past every other ride and attraction.  Many guests never even knew Koala Kanyon existed. Other problems were the short season for the children's water play area.   Many guests who did make their way back to Koala Kanyon found it closed.   In addition, staffing was always an issue since employees working in Koala Kanyon were required to be certified Life Guards.   With the 2000 addition of Hurricane Harbor, the park's already strained labor force was further stretched. The seasonal nature of Koala Kanyon  was further exacerbated by the routing of the parks Hayride as part of the yearly Fright Fest.
	Eventually, parts of the Koala Kanyon scenery made their way into the Hayrides.   An example of this is the crocodile seen in the picture on in the upper right corner. As you can see in this series of pictures, time, weather, sun and chlorine all took their toll on the Koala Kanyon fixtures, with theme elements fading, deteriorating, or simply being removed over time. The park introduced new kid's water play areas with the 2005 addition of Splashwater Oasis in Balin's Jungleland, and the 2006 addition of a splashing water tower in Bugs Bunny National Park.
	When Koala Kanyon was built, care was taken to add theme elements that would reflect the wildlife of Australia, including signs posted at the top of the covered benches.  Over the years, the theme elements faded and deteriorated, with some pieces being removed.   The thatched roofs of the shade structures offered little shade in the final seasons. Prior to the 2006 operating season the Koala Kanyon sign was removed from over the gate, and the attraction sat empty all season long.    The area was completely unused and the shallow pools collected dead leaves and debris.
	During the 2006-2007 off season, Koala Kanyon was removed, leaving a vacant space.   The path leading to it, along with the restrooms and First Aid station were closed off to the public.

	Go To The Official Six Flags Great Adventure Website For Current Park Information