Working on water

Andrew Mathieson
GETTING away from the drudgery of milking cows, Ron Salmon’s life since 40 has almost been a rollercoaster – well, not quite, just yet.
More like one of his wild-water rides at Adventure Park that he built from scratch on an empty paddock just on two decades ago.
The former dairy farmer was not scared to throw away the gumboots and slip into a pair of speedos in the name of testing the waters.
“I don’t stand back at all,” he says, not just about the rides, but also a reflection on middle-age life.
“In fact, I try and get right into it.
“There are probably a few that would test me out, but I like the water rides, even the speed slides.”
Some might see it as a risk to pack up the family farm deep in the Otways that he bought from his parents.
It was the only job Ron knew after he squeezed his first teat at barely 14.
But toiling long hours on the farm until his body had had enough was never on the agenda.
“Farming you’re a price taker; in this industry and most others, you’re at least a price maker,” Ron insists.
“So you are in control of your own destiny to some degree.
“I feel so sad about farmers that a lot of them are stuck in the system where you take what you get for your product.”
Now the 60-year-old is sitting back, basking in the summer sun, looking out on a bright future.
And the old head still has a few big ideas to add to the 22 established rides and attractions that have gradually swamped the park over the years.
“I always said I’d never milk cows after I turned 40,” Ron admits.
“So we had a complete change in direction.
“With three daughters, it wasn’t probably going to be much future on a dairy farm.
“The fact that they are all very heavily involved in the business is very comforting.”
Far from novices in the family venture, his daughters completed their university degrees in a range of marketing, accounting and tourism skills to help manage the facility.
Still, establishing a water theme park more akin to a Queensland hotspot was the last thing on his mind though.
The Salmons decided at first to try their hand at trout fishing on the lake at Wallington.
Meanwhile, wife Heather sold homemade jams and chutneys, distributing them all over Australia under the park’s original name, Country Connection.
It wasn’t until 1998 that Adventure Park was born after battling council red tape.
“We found we had a lot of planning issues,” Ron sighs.
“We weren’t always able to do exactly what we wanted.
“So it was a case of let’s start small and develop the facility.”
The first ride at the park was a couple of water slides, although Ron recalls a few canoes paddling among the fish keeping a few adventurers happy for a while.
Always having an eye on the internet at some of the best water parks, the family will now travel to all points of the world to research some of their ideas.
Deep inside the shrewd entrepreneur, Ron admits there is still a little child inside.
“The bottom line is if a ride can’t put a smile on my face, it’s not going to put a smile on theirs,” he laughs.