Five possible replacements for Dreamworld's Reef Diver

With the closure of Reef Diver, Dreamworld are set to install a new flat ride in its place later this year. We share a few of the current trends in flat rides around the world for a few rides that could help turn the tired Ocean Parade at Dreamworld into a modern flat ride precinct.

A complete refurbishment of Wipeout is well underway, so by late 2014 Ocean Parade will be a vastly different area from the ageing collection of flat rides it was a few years ago. While work is yet to commence on Reef Diver's replacement, we've scoured the world of flat rides to share a few modern attractions that Dreamworld might have considered in their search for a replacement.

1. Starflyer

Taking the traditional "Wave Swinger" to whole new heights, the Star Flyer from Australian manufacturer Funtime could stand out as one of the tallest ride structures on the Gold Coast with existing installations around the world clocking in at anywhere from 45 to 125m tall. Spinning faster as it nears the top, at its peak riders rotate at upwards of 60km/hr.

Italian manufacturer Zamperla makes their own smaller version too at 38m; with Zamperla behind Dreamworld's most recent flat rides Shockwave and Pandamonium, there's certainly an ongoing relationship between the park and the company they could build on.

2. Gerstlauer Sky Roller

Gerstlauer made waves in Australia with the Abyss roller coaster at Perth's Adventure World. But the German manufacturer also builds some impressive flat rides, the most extreme of which would be Sky Roller. A unique interactive experience where individually seated riders control wings that can make the experience anything from a gentle birds-eye view of the park from 22m above to a manic frenzy of 360° spins.

Based on the video above, Dreamworld could pay the ride off in no time with a barf bag vending machine at the exit.

3. Gerstlauer Sky Fly

Also from Gerstlauer is the same basic concept toned down into a more family-friendly package. The Sky Fly features a single arm of 12 riders that spins around a central column with a top height of 22m. Its gentle angled rotation and winged pods echoes the graceful motion of a school of manta rays, giving this ride model no shortage of Ocean Parade theming opportunities.

Rotating at about half the speed as the Sky Roller, riders on the Sky Fly aren't able to use the wind to spin as furiously as its adrenalin-charged big brother. While the Sky Flyer offers an interesting ride motion, if we're looking for a Big 9 Thrill Ride then the Sky Roller would be the Gerstlauer ride to go with.

4. Mack Twist 'n' Splash

Warning: inspirational corporate music.

It's ironic that Dreamworld's Ocean Parade features not so much as a drop of water since Wipeout's water features disappeared during the last drought. The Twist 'n' Splash from Mack is hardly a thrill ride – and falls well short of the low standards that other Big Thrills Mick Doohan's Motocoaster or Pandamonium set for a thrill ride – it does look like good simple fun on a hot day. Think Sea World's Battle Boats combined with a slow teacups-esque spinning ride.

5. Huss Topple Tower

For a flat ride that's unlike just about anything else in the world, the Huss Topple Tower is a hulking ride that works basically opposite to just every any other type of swinging or spinning ride you'll have come across. If it looks like it defies engineering, that's because it most likely does; Topple Towers are notoriously unreliable. The USD$6.5 million installation at Tennessee's Dollywood shown above opened in 2006 and closed in 2010 amid lawsuits against the manufacturer that saw the ride removed for good in 2012.

We'll be back shortly with our thoughts on WhiteWater World's upcoming addition too – and stay tuned for new editions of the Parkz Update as we bring you full construction coverage from Dreamworld and WhiteWater World.

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