On lush acreage west of Gerringong, surrounded by rolling green hills, lies a rare gem of the South Coast that's often left forgotten.
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When you veer off the Princes Highway at Foxground and down Donavan Road, you'll come across a modest sign for Granties Maze.
You may see overgrown weeds as you drive in, rusted edges on daring contraptions and a dated kiosk, but to a small child you would be arriving at Disneyland.
"A lot of the rides you won't find anywhere else in Australia," owner John Grant proudly declared.
At 72, Grant's warm enthusiasm for anyone who comes to visit his fun park and garden maze will make the sun shine on a cloudy day.
The retired real estate mogul said he has poured around $10 million into his dream, though at the same time admitted it's not really a profitable hobby.
Some weekends they may get four car-loads of people turn up, others they may see none.
Upon arrival, you will most likely be met by the smiling Grant, keen to guide you around to see his assortment of 90 attractions - big and small.
However, a spokesman for Kiama Council said they deemed 17 aspects of the park (including rides and infrastructure) not suitable for the public, though would not go into detail of which ones.
Despite being served Notice of Intention to Serve Development Control Orders by council in September 2019, the park remains open - Grant said he is still waiting to hear further from council.
I have the best job in the world - I can tell people to get lost and get away with it.
- John Grant
After the 2,500 square metre hedge maze, the most popular attraction was the Spider Web from Mexico, he said, costing $150,000 (including the cement slab it sits upon).
Participants climb through a "web" of woven, stretchy slacklines to reach the top before scooting down a tube slide.
"I've constantly gone to the amusement trade shows and picked up rides and I've become good friends with some of the Chinese manufacturers, who make rides for me that no-one else in the world's got," Grant said.
"Every year we try and get a few more, but at this stage I haven't got the money to buy them."
Like many of the "physical attractions", it does take a little fitness to reach the top - as do the pedal-powered "Dutch bikes", the Hodges Hand Cars, the Ninja Warrior tower and the 360.
He said there were safety harnesses for the more challenging attractions, like the 360, of which patrons are strapped to a snowboard and harness with the aim to use body momentum to swing themselves upside-down and all the way around.
"For every 10 that try, only two people make it," Grant said, who assured the Australian Community Media he'd never had one "genuine accident" at the park.
Other attractions include a merry-go-round with spaceships made from WWII bomb shells, plus a giant mechanical zebra you can ride (his latest addition to the collection).
There's also the Kapow obstacle course, aptly named as "if you get your head up at the wrong time you get a Kapow" by a giant rubber arm; miniature cars, animals, and bumper cars for little ones; ex-carnival rides that have found another home; coin-operated rides like you'd see in a shopping centre; life-like mechanical dinosaurs you can ride; and a jerky, motorised swing car called the Moonwalk (like the round buggy in Jurassic World).
The park also has skirmish, archery, canoes and paddle boats, mini-golf, slides and three real-life ponies.
There were two giant Transformer robots people could sit in and operate but at the time of the visit Grant was waiting for them to be fixed, as rats ate their motherboards when the park was closed during COVID-19 restrictions last year.
Grant has made a second maze constructed of 5000 used tyres, which Grant said saved the worn rubber rings from "going to landfill" - one of the known attractions Kiama Council is not a fan of.
Grant has been battling them for four decades, he said, after being shut down just six weeks after opening in 1986 and remaining closed for nearly 30 years.
The park finally reopened in 2016 after modifications, with a development application (for existing attractions and proposed additions) subsequently put before council - including a budget wedding venue. That DA was knocked back.
As it currently stands, Kiama Council believes there are "a number of rides and attractions on Mr Grant's property, which have not been approved by Council or the NSW Land and Environment Court".
"Council is currently continuing to progress this matter through our enforcement and compliance processes," the spokesman said.
But for now, Granties Maze and fun park remains open to the public. Admission is free, you just pay for the rides and attractions you'd like to see.
They're open every day of the year except Wednesday's (Grant's day off), plus Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday.
"It's unlike any other park," Grant said.
"We've got some people that come in, look around and can't see anything and drive out.
"It's like trying a new food - you don't know you don't like it until you try it. It often amazes me the times that people do that."
The story: Granties Maze, the $10 million fun park people forgot about first appeared in the Illawarra Mercury
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