Wittingslow Amusements

For many years Wittingslow was Australia's (and one of the world's) largest travelling carnival operations, spanning more than 60 years in the outdoor entertainment industry.

Founder Thomas George Wittingslow made his start during the dark years of the Great Depression in the early 1930s. After a brief apprenticeship at a city fun parlour, Thomas went out on his own in 1932, working small shows and fairs in country Victoria. Returning to Melbourne for his first Royal Melbourne Show, Thomas began what was to become a life-long association. His game of ‘Guess Your Weight’ involved the operator estimating, within four pounds, the exact weight of the customer.

After six years of war service, Thomas returned to the industry in 1946 and with son Des began working fairs in large provincial towns. They ventured into the first amusement rides at the Royal Melbourne Show, when merry-go-rounds or carousels were hugely popular after years of war-time austerity. The Melbourne Moomba Festival of 1948 saw Wittingslow present the first new generation "thrill" rides. Over the next 30 years, the Wittingslow family business grew steadily with three generations playing an active role. Bigger, more exciting rides and games from England, Europe and the United States delighted showground patrons. Ventures into ride design and construction led to successful projects, such as the Sea World Corkscrew rollercoaster on Queensland's Gold Coast.

The Wittingslow Carnival operated at all major agricultural shows, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, and many street festivals in Melbourne. Since the 1950s, Wittingslow rides have also provided many hours of summer holiday fun at the Rye and Rosebud Christmas Carnivals on the Mornington Peninsula.

After a series of unfortunate incidents, the Wittingslow operation went into receivership in 2001 ending an era for Australia's east coast agricultural shows.

Since going into receivership in 2003, Wittingslow have returned, and are now trading as Amusements Australia.

References

* [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~antitank/Publications/It_Happened/Chapters/Tom_Wittingslow/wittingslow.htm 'Show Business, Fun and Gambling' Tommy Wittingslow's Story]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/26/1064083191147.html The Age: 'Mouse crash sparks safety concerns' - September 27, 2003]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/02/1072908908065.html?from=storyrhs The Age: 'The seaside, sunblock and all the fun of the fair' - January 3, 2004]
* [http://www.ride-extravaganza.com/rides/superloops/ David's Amusement Ride Extravaganza - Superloops] "(features Wittingslow Amusements rides)"