HARVEY’S Fun Park is back on the market — and its days as a family friendly play venue could be numbered.
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After 19 years on Gateway Island, owners Darren Harvey and his wife Tracey Brown are selling the tourist attraction.
Expressions of interest are sought for the two-hectare site, which includes a waterslide, jumping castle, mini golf course, train rides, play centre, kiosk and a manager’s residence.
Interestingly, the first advertisements — which ran in The Border Mail on Saturday — noted the huge potential for alternative uses.
Mr Harvey said the standout was as a caravan park, which he believed was a sought-after commodity in the area.
“This property lends itself to it, being on the Causeway and the Murray River,” he said.
“It’s a pretty unique piece of freehold.”
Mr Harvey and his father Garry ran the business as a fish farm and fun park until 2008, when they sold it.
But the deal fell through and it closed until 2012, when the Harveys reopened as a children’s fun park.
Mr Harvey said he believed the site’s previous incarnation as a fish farm had held back potential buyers, because it was “a hard business to be in and sustain”.
Since reopening as a fun park, he said business had been steady.
“It shows the need and want in Albury-Wodonga,” he said.
“A big town can sustain a lot of tourism.”
While sad to be saying goodbye to the family business, Mr Harvey said the time had come for a change after 19 years in hospitality.
“We’d like a weekend off,” he smiled.
“And dad’s 76, so he’d quite like to retire.”
He didn’t have a preferences as to what was done with the land.
“It will be a happy-sad day for us,” he said.
“We’ve been here a long time and we live here, so we will be out of a business, and out of house and home.”
Mr Harvey said the family would stay on in the Border region.