The two main structures that remain are the large water processing tank:
And of course the Neptune statue. Incidentally, Neptune is hollow: I used to think that it was solid sandstone / limestone and that was why it wasn't removed. Turns out I was wrong.
It is quite obvious that many of the locals (presumably the youth, with little else for them to do in the area) use the park in various ways. There are plenty of discarded food containers and smashed bottles plus signs of camping.
In the background of the above photo you can see cars in an area next to the marina. As you can see, large sections of the fence are missing, so going in and out of the park is not an issue. Presumably if the owners wanted to keep people out, they would keep up the maintenance on the fences.
There was this one sign that one would like to think is from when the park was originally open, but since it is near one of the roads, it was probably thrown there by someone after the park closed.
There are also some strange elements that I couldn't work out what they were for. For example, I found this tunnel:
What isn't obvious from this image is that the tunnel is only about four feet high. It is quite small with a steep staircase at the end. It is at the end of a path and was obviously meant to be used by the public rather than being a service area. My conclusion is that it was part of the "kids area" due to the size, but the steepness of the stairs at the end seem to suggest that it was something else.
There's a few other remains of what was once there.
The above paving is near the original main entrance. It appears that heavy vehicles drove over it after the park closed (demolition equipment?) and some effort was made to move the loose pavers off to one side, though it was only a half hearted job.
It isn't very clear but in the last photo there, the rock formation and waterfall are all artificial. There are several places where the stonework is broken and the steel reinforcement is sticking out. Also, the waterfall was turned off long ago.
There is still plenty of life in the park:
However, other than a few stairs:
...there is almost nothing to suggest just how many people once went to the park. For those that are wondering, at the top of the middle flight of steps is a flat area with a flagpole. This would be Area 9 "Celebrity Rock" on the pamphlet.
Originally written: December 2009
Last updated: July 2011