Australian Bicentenary revealed during the year that attendances at Bicentennial events were below expectations, claims were made that it was due to the public boycotting the events and the Bicentennial in general. Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships of the First Fleet in Sydney Harbour in 1788, and the founding of the city of Sydney and the colony of New South Wales. 1988 is considered the official
Critter Country was themed to the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Country Bear Jamboree, which opened three weeks later, was the new land's centerpiece attraction. Bear Country was also home to the Golden Bear Lodge, an eatery which was renamed Hungry Bear Restaurant in 1977, the Mile Long Bar refreshment center, Teddi Barra's Swingin' Arcade, and Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes. Bear Country was renamed Critter Country in 1988 in anticipation of Splash Mountain's January 1989 opening. Critter Country was inspired by a quote from the 1946 film "Song of the South": "Where the folks are closer to the critters and the critters