Gumbuya Park supervisor of rides Amy Jack (left) and rides staffer Bec Parker are fed up with people breaking into the park and messing with the park’s rides. By Sarah Schwager
POPULAR district tourist attraction Gumbuya Park has become a target for thrillseeking pranksters.
The amusement park and native wildlife sanctuary on the Princes Highway at Tynong North has suffered a spate of vandalism and thefts, prompting warnings that such criminal behaviour will not be tolerated.
The park has been broken into three times in the past few weeks.
Young people, possibly teenagers, are believed to be responsible for the nighttime sprees in which amusement rides have been misused and damaged and ice creams and drinks stolen.
In one of the most serious incidents, mini cars popular with children visitors were driven through the front door of the park’s restaurant. The wouldbe thieves are believed to have fled after setting off an alarm.
The pranksters’ behaviour at the family holiday icon has met with a grim response from police and park management.
Security has been beefed up to stop people trespassing in the park after hours. Police have also pledged to increase patrols in the area.
Set on more than 180 hectares of native bushland, Gumbuya Park attracts thousands of visitors each year.
It offers quiet encounters with wallabies and emu chicks or a rapid switch into overdrive with a thrilling ride down one of Australia’s longest toboggan slides.
Park manager Peter Thomas said staff and police were taking the breakins seriously.
Mr Thomas said security had been increased and the park would be closely guarded at night.
“The culprits will definitely be caught,” he said.
“We’ve upgraded our security including doing more patrols after dark.”
The most recent incident occurred overnight between 6pm on Friday 10 February and 8 am on Saturday 11 February.
Police said thieves forced their way into the park by breaking a padlock on a gate. A carton of icy poles, ice creams and flavoured milk was stolen from the kiosk.
Police said the thieves also had used some of the rides, including the popular toboggan ride.
Earlier, on Thursday 2 February, mini cars at the park were tipped over before thieves again broke into the kiosk, stealing drinks.
This followed the first breakin on 18 January when the restaurant door was smashed by thrillseekers driving one of the park’s mini cars.
Pakenham CIU is investigating the breakins and said the people responsible faced severe penalties.
Detective Sergeant Phil Jury said police believed the incidents were related. “The way the offences have been committed indicate that youths are probably involved,” Det Sgt Jury said.
“Young people need to understand there can be severe penalties for committing offences such as burglary.”
The incidents at Gumbuya Park follow a bizarre breakin at another popular local attraction earlier this year. The kiosk at Emerald Lake Park was broken into on 16 January but the only items stolen were two large tubs of ice cream.
Anyone with information about the incidents at Gumbuya Park should contact Pakenham police on 5941 1033.
