When a theme park introduces a new attraction which is a major success they often look to see how they can continue that popularity by enhancing or expanding it.  Such was the case with Six Flags Great Adventure's Koala Canyon.
		For the 1991, season Adventure Rivers was added to Six Flags Great Adventure and featured numerous water slides and a children's splash area all themed to the most famous waterways around the world.  Representing Australia was an aquatic play park geared towards small children named Koala Canyon.  The area was a big success, with all its splash pools, water jets, and liquid play toys.  For Six Flags Great Adventure, it offered guests the first taste of a water park for the theme park.
ASBURY PARK PRESS OCTOBER 9, 1991
With the success of Adventure Rivers' Koala Canyon, an expanded kiddie pool was proposed for the area in the hopes of accommodating additional guests. The Koala Canyon area was at capacity most of the time, and it was felt that the additional investment was needed to help spread out the crowds. With a tentative name of "Adventure Down Under Kiddie Splash Area," a proposal for the new kiddie pool went before the Jackson Township Planning Board on October 9, 1991 and was approved for construction in 1992.  During the 1991/1992 off-season, a patch of land directly behind and about the same size as the original Koala Canyon was cleared of trees.  The site, located along the banks of the park's rapid ride, was ready for installation of the new pool area.
	However, plans often change.  With the acquisition of the Six Flags chain by Time Warner, priorities realigned for the company and for Great Adventure with different improvements planned for the upcoming 1992 season. The new kiddie pool was a victim of the changing direction of the park and the new capital expenditures. The area that would have been home to the kiddie pool would sit vacant until the original portion of Koala Canyon was removed at the end of the 2006 season.  After that, the combined site became a small backstage storage area until it was cleared in 2019 for the construction of the Jersey Devil Coaster.
Original Spotlight:  August 17, 2020.  GAH Reference#:  PBNB-1992-001