Amazons Aquatic Adventureland

Amazons Aquatic Adventureland was a waterpark located in the Brisbane suburb of Jindalee. It opened in 1982 and was a popular tourism destination that featured waterslides, pools and adventure-based obstacle courses.



However, the park had a decline in attendance after the 1999 drowning of a 5-year-old boy which resulted in an inquest into the park's safety. Amazons closed two years later in 2001. The site is now home to DFO Jindalee.

1999 drowning
On October 17, 1999, 5-year-old Jason Duong of Oxley was found deceased by lifeguards in deep water near the "shotgun" slide. Jason who was on his first visit to Amazons, couldn't swim and was left unattended when his uncle went to buy hot chips.

A coronial inquest held into Jason's death released its findings a year later on January 31, 2001. Coroner Michael Halliday concluded the death could have been prevented had there been appropriate supervision from Jason's relatives but also more lifeguard surveillance. "It is clear he was left to his own devices for an extended period without supervision," Halliday said. He found there was not enough evidence to commit anyone for trial.

Closing
Amazons Aquatic Adventureland was closed in February 2001 by its owners. The reason was cited as low patronage. One of the owners, Mark Stockwell said, "The market just passed us by. We found Brisbane doesn't have an inbound tourist market and when people want a day experience they go to the coast." At the time, the land was expected to become a multi-million-dollar residential development.

Remembrance Facebook group
On March 7, 2010, nine years after the park closed, a Facebook group was created called 'I Remember AMAZONS WATER PARK! (@ Jindalee)'. Most of the posts on the group consist of photos of Amazons, viral videos of waterparks and people wishing the park still existed.