2 new rides for Dreamworld in 2011

[GoGoBoy]

Well it's official... 2 new rides for DW this year. Ardent Leisure released their half year financial results today and referred to this in their theme park outlook statement. You can see for yourself at http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20110216/pdf/41wt35qqv17fqr.pdf

[Linus1995]

Thats great to hear! Althought it doesn't come as much suprise it's good to have something solid. Will this mean Dreamworld will be releasing any info anytime soon?

[www worker]

This is surprising I haven't herd anything about two new rides just the new coaster I would expect something very soon cinsidering Easter holidays aren't far Off

[Linus1995]

I thought it would make sense seeming that someone posted earlier in the week that there would be two new areas where we could see something new... But that might just be me.

[www worker]

I thought it would make sense seeming that someone posted earlier in the week that there would be two new areas where we could see something new... But that might just be me.

Well considering the fact that one of the news areas will be holding lions for a while I thought it might be themed like TI without any rides in the area. Also noticed that the outlook at the bottom also mentioned a further new product being planned. perhaps another upcharge? Also on an unrealated note while Ardent's Half year was good WVTP seems to be a bit worse. http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/0...t-business.html Edited February 16, 2011 by www worker

[MickeyD]

Great news DW!! I'm guessing the Coaster will be the big thing and perhaps the 2nd ride will be something smaller, like another spinner or a family flat ride that has less than a few million dollar price tag

[www worker]

Great news DW!! I'm guessing the Coaster will be the big thing and perhaps the 2nd ride will be something smaller, like another spinner or a family flat ride that has less than a few million dollar price tag

I think one of the rides will most likely be a replacement for Dora

[GoGoBoy]

I just listened to the audio podcast of the results and a question was asked about the amount of capital expenditure being planned for the new rides. The CEO replied that one of the rides will be a major new ride and that they were looking at around $6-7 million which he said was "part of our normal capex cycle". This sounds a bit disappointing to me as with that amount of money we may only end up with something like a Motocoaster 2. This surprises me as they previously announced a round of board approved capital expenditure which made it sound like it would be out of the ordinary in terms of amount. Perhaps they meant they will be increasing the capex with new rides yearly for a few years as opposed to every 3 years. Either way it doesn't sound like this will be enough to build the huge drawcard attraction we all feel the park needs

[www worker]

Well GCI have built some pretty good woodies for that price

Edited February 16, 2011 by Gazza

[Spotty]

Well, some of the smaller attractions they have brought (wedgie and illuminate for one) would not be that expensive. In fact most of the attractions in the last 3 - 4 years have been rather cheap compared to something like the claw etc. From what I can imagine Tower of Terror II was only a few million dollars tops. So if the last MAJOR investment for a ride was the Motocoaster... they could actually have quite a bit of money left over to add to that money.

[Linus1995]

That's what I was thinking, because usually it is every 3 years when they install a new ride and it's been 4 now and everything they have done in the park has been minor with the exception of TOT 2 and the Wedgie.

Well GCI have built some pretty good woodies for that price

Just curious, which woodies would this be?

[themeparkgc]

Also noticed that the outlook at the bottom also mentioned a further new product being planned. perhaps another upcharge?

Ardent bundle Sky Point in their theme park category so maybe that product might be the Sky Walk attraction they had planned.

Just curious, which woodies would this be?

• American Thunder (formerly Evel Kneivel) was US $7 million
• Prowler was US $8 million
• Apocalypse (formerly Terminator) was US $10 million
• Gwazi (dueling woodie) was also US $10 million

Full list of GCIs

[Bmull19]

Im *confident* about these two new rides, but at the same time not. I don't know why though. Im confident because previous rides, such as the Claw, cost $6 million, however, we have to account inflation, etc. Sooo, Im not confident. So I seriously dont know at all what to expect. If one's gonna be a major new thrill ride, I really don't know the options, unless it's something totally new. Yer, yer, there's LOADS of options out there, but seriously, for that amount of money? Or maybe, we could see a dark ride, but one for that cost I *DONT* think could even come half to being a thrill ride. Or, I'm not sure of the price of the new swing ride at Knotts and Kings? But Im sure it's cost quite a bit more than $6 or $7 million. Any ideas? EDIT: I think a woodie'd be good, but doesn't get 100% support from everyone, but I guess nothing will. Just saw the ASX thing again, and it said "Rides", if it said attractions, then I'd class the Skywalk in with that.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Bmull19

[themeparkgc]

Or, I'm not sure of the price of the new swing ride at Knotts and Kings? But Im sure it's cost quite a bit more than $6 or $7 million.

The WindSeekers that are going into the Cedar Fair parks (Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, Kings Island and Knott's Berry Farm) are set to cost US $5 million each.

Just saw the ASX thing again, and it said "Rides", if it said attractions, then I'd class the Skywalk in with that.

On the second-last page of the ASX presentation, under the theme parks division, they state "New rides planned for 2011 and further new product being planned". This new product (which is listed separate from the rides) was what I was thinking could be the Skywalk.

[Linus1995]

themeparkgc thanks for that info, I never know woodies would be that cheap for some reason I thought they would be much more expensive! Well I think a wooden rollercoaster would be a major drawcard for Dreamworld but who knows at the moment. Following their current trend of Intamin rides, maybe we could see an Intamin prefab woodie?

[MickeyD]

I doubt it's going to be a woodie.. I seem too recall from my old Theme park days, the trees used for wooden coasters are not generally grown here in Australia, so the parts would have to be shipped all the way from North America or Europe. The shipping costs required for one could be 5, maybe 10 times that of a steel one. Not to mention that with steel coasters erected here in Australia, often have a lot of key parts (like supports) that are built here in Australia. That was the case for Lethal, some of it (trains, track) were imprted and other larger parts built here. I have wanted to see a Windseeker at one of our Aussie Parks for some time but the last thing DW needs is another low capacity ride. I would like to see one of these fitted into MW. With such a small footprint, it could go just about anywhere but perhaps over where Boot Hill currently sits would be a perfect 'Weenie' to drag guests to that often deserted end of the Park

[Gazza]

Im thinking for 6-7 Million there are some options for "decent", proven rides: -A Eurofighter. The one at Oakwood cost 3 Million GBP, so about 6 Million AUD -A Zacspin. The one at Grona Lund cost 50 Million SEK, so about 7.7 Million AUD (They do make smaller versions though) -An Intamin Hyper Splash. The one at Holiday World cost "More than half of 8.4 Million" USD. Any of those would be decent addition....

Edited February 17, 2011 by Gazza

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I don't know why though. Im confident because previous rides, such as the Claw, cost $6 million, however, we have to account inflation, etc. Sooo, Im not confident. So I seriously dont know at all what to expect.

While inflation goes up and down, one thing to consider is that compared to the claw, the aussie dollar at present is almost on parity with the US dollar, as opposed to be 75-80 US cents as it was back then. So it's not that far out of our reach....

I doubt it's going to be a woodie.. I seem too recall from my old Theme park days, the trees used for wooden coasters are not generally grown here in Australia, so the parts would have to be shipped all the way from North America or Europe. The shipping costs required for one could be 5, maybe 10 times that of a steel one.

Well, The two woodies at Wonderland were both made of Southern Yellow Pine by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. SYP isn't a single species of pine, but a group of yellow pine woods that are native to the united states. (And yes, thats almost word for word wiki). I don't see any reason why it would be more cost prohibitive now than it was in 1984? I don't think the shipping would be that different to be honest.

[Linus1995]

The only major reason I see them not getting a woodie is because of the upkeep cost, Dreamworld is very much a money saving park... We've seen that with the amount of upcharges in recent years. A wooden rollercoaster may be cheaper when you buy it, but in the long term the maintenance costs are so much greater than a steel coaster. It requires much more maintenance and constant attention and due to that large annual maintenance costs. Not to be negative I'd love a woodie but if not, I can see why... It'd be a shame though. But there are many steel alternatives that Gazza pointed out, like a Eurofighter

[Spotty]

You also do need to remember that almost all the upcharge attractions were added under OLD management. The park has a new CEO and a very different management team compared to the Flowrider days. Also on a slightly different note, Dreamworld is now a major sponsor of the QLD Sun (New AFL team) and are set to provide entertainment during the half time at all the home games.

[themeparkgc]

A bit more info on the Gold Coast Suns deal. I wonder if they'll offer any discounts like they do with AMF on the back of showtimes or anything like that.

Dreamworld Joins Gold Coast SUNS As Official Entertainment Partner Dreamworld announced today that the themepark has signed a two year agreement to become the Gold Coast SUNS official entertainment partner. Dreamworld CEO Noel Dempsey invited GC SUNS CEO Travis Auld, Coach Guy McKenna and a number of the GC SUNS players to a board meeting with a difference as the two organisations made their agreement official with a session on the park’s FlowRider attraction. A keen surfer, Nathan Bock was thrilled with the announcement. “Well you know where to find me when were not on the road playing” joked Bock. “Dreamworld has always been the must see destination for visitors to the Gold Coast and I think it’s a really good fit with our playing group and with the way we have positioned ourselves in the Community. We are a fresh, young and exciting playing group and that’s exactly how you feel when you visit Dreamworld.” A proud supporter of Gold Coast teams, Dreamworld was quick to form a partnership with the Gold Coast SUNS as the team enters into their inaugural pre-season matches in Sydney this weekend. “The Gold Coast SUNS are looking to establish themselves as a core part of the community as the foundation for their long term future success. Dreamworld has been an integral part of the Gold Coast community for nearly 30 years and on this basis we thought we could work together to further reinforce our Gold Coast community roots,” said Mr Dempsey. “I think it is important to find the right partner with the right values and sense of community engagement, beyond just a sporting team. We recognized early that we are both in the entertainment space and if we can work together we can provide the complete experience, sort of a one plus one equals three. For visitors it would be the perfect weekend, with top class sport and Australia’s favourite themepark.” Once the $144 million Gold Coast Stadium is complete in May, Dreamworld will play a major role in pre and post game entertainment with characters and live performances held in the stadiums purpose built entertainment promenade. “The Club sees game day as a real opportunity to present a broad range of entertainment albeit with the game being central to the attraction. We believe the range of activities and promotional support that Dreamworld can bring to game day will increase the appeal of the team while showcasing the park,” said Mr Dempsey. Gold Coast SUNS CEO Travis Auld confirmed this feeling was mutual. “Were absolutely delighted to announce our partnership with Dreamworld which will not only allow us to showcase one of the countries truly iconic tourist destinations to the many AFL supporters who visit the Gold Coast, but also by the inclusion of Dreamworlds interactive game day shows as we look to deliver a unique and very exciting Game Day experience.” “Importantly for us we are partnering with a like minded Community organization and we are looking forward to working with Dreamworld to develop an innovative and fan centric partnership.” Travis Said. AFL fans can expect to see Dreamworld characters and entertainment elements at each of the GC SUNS home games in 2011 and 2012.

[stdragon03]

Maybe Tower of Terror 3 ? I agree with the person who mention about Ardent leisure share price it is dropping and i guess they need to do something because i can see Village gaining a complete monopoly of the Gold Coast Amusement parks. Actually thats not such a bad thing at least village would be able to put some investment into the park. For six million dollars, a woodie would be perfect and even with the maintence costs i would rather they spend time maintaining a wooden coaster than anything else in the park. Dont count out Gravity Group they are doing some good stuff.

[Spotty]

You see, Village having a monopoly IS a bad thing. If there is no other companies competing for the market share... why would they need to constantly add attractions. Only since WhiteWater World was announced have WVTP really started to invest in Wet n Wild.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I may be wrong on timelines, but i'm sure a lot of the Extreme H2O zone was built prior to WWW?

[themeparkgc]

Buccaneer Bay was installed September 2005 then the Extreme H20 Zone followed in stages split by about 3-4 months concluding with the Tornado which opened in September 2006. WhiteWater World was announced in November 2005 and opened 13 months later (December 2006). A close (and almost completely overlapping) timeline but I think the ideas for the H2O zone would have come up regardless of what WWW was doing.