26/06/2026
Who remembers going to the lion park I think it was in Baccasmarch
In the late 60s, someone in NSW looked at a paddock near Warragamba and thought: “What if we let families drive their Holdens through here while lions wander around?” And somehow, that became a real tourist attraction.
African Lion Safari opened near Warragamba in 1968, run by circus owner Stafford Bullen. At its peak, it reportedly pulled up to 200,000 visitors a year, with families driving through areas filled with lions, tigers and bears like it was just a slightly spicier Sunday outing. Imagine Dad telling everyone to wind the windows up while a lion is treating the Kingswood like a scratching post.
The whole thing eventually closed in 1991 after suburbs crept closer and the park needed expensive upgrades. But the most cooked part came after it shut, because animals were still kept on site. In 1995, a lioness escaped, wandered around Warragamba and Silverdale, killed a dog and had to be shot by a park worker.
So yes, Australia really did have a drive-through lion safari near Sydney. Not a zoo bus. Not a heavily controlled theme park ride. Actual families, in actual cars, driving past actual lions.
Peak old Australia. The safety policy was basically: “keep driving and try not to look edible.”
