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This is my theory: As Jamberoo has stated, their attendance is declining & they do not expect this new investment to significantly increase attendance permanently. I'd say this is due to the 'water park' model reaching market saturation hence the lack of investment at major water parks in recent years. Water parks are not as in demand as before as they are too many of them. Kangaroo Island was proposed about a decade ago to handle additional capacity and this recent announcement is not about adding additional capacity. This recent announcement is about a shift from an 'expansion' strategy to a 'rejuvenation' strategy. They are replacing their current attractions with more modern versions of them (see dot points below). They are moving with the times. The Alpine Coaster though could also be a reaction to the 'water park' saturation by shifting back to regular dry ride/attraction investment. Bobsled > Alpine Coaster Splash Out body slides > 2 SkyBox Multi-Bump Speed Slides Surf Hill > 8-Lane Octokraken Racer Splash Out pools > Koala Kove Koala Kove also features mushrooms (though not as large as the ones at The Rock). It may be that Koala Kove is also a replacement for the mushroom pool area of The Rock. This could indicate The Rock may be up for redevelopment but The Rock area is a pretty unique part of Jamberoo (probably either it's most or 2nd most well known attraction even if it is not just as popular as the Bobsleds) and it fits in with the soon to be added gorge theming in it's neighbouring site so I doubt they would remove it completely - maybe an upgrade involving a reduction down to only the jump area soon & maybe that will also be the final water ride upgrade of Jamberoo? Upgrades for the rest of the water rides (apart from the ones mentioned below) are either too soon, too costly or not needed. If my 'rejuvenate instead of expansion' theory is correct, this could mean Billabong Beach can be made redundant by the already operating Banjo's Billabong and/or the future Koala Kove while Rapid River can be made redundant with the proposed Platypus River, which should be the next ride built after Grand Gorge Falls/Koala Kove. Platypus River is featured (but not mentioned) on the plans above so they are still thinking about implementing it. Platypus River was initially just to accompany Rapid River in the park but to service the Kangaroo Island area with it's additional capacity. Clearly, that role is currently not needed as the attendance is not high enough. With water park market saturation & with Surf Hill's future now in question, this makes the whole Rapid River/Billabong Beach/Surf Hill area most likely redundant with replacements built elsewhere in the park possibly by summer 2021. Maybe Jamberoo are planning to remove this area in the future then? However, upgrading rides alone won't increase attendance - a point of difference does. Grand Gorge Falls, whilst having some similarity to Surf Hill, I think does this with it's grand scale & theming. If completed in summer 2020, it will be Jamberoo's most significant investment to date regardless of price tag/ride type. I mean, look how large it is! Look how well themed it is! If you know the size of Splash Out, well you know how large this is going to be. It will be larger than what it seems to look in the artist impressions (most accurate to give you a sense of it's size is probably the 'View From South' impression). It will be towering. I feel Jamberoo may underestimate how great this investment will be. It may increase attendance on the theming alone. And that will send a big message if that happened! Kangaroo Island's theming hasn't come to full fruition yet (though I expect it will mostly when Platypus River is built) but Grand Gorge Falls' theming, if approved & built on time, will be and I'm confident it will be one of the most aesthetic water park rides in Australia (though they are not many to choose from). Theming wins big here. This is the opposite of the problem with The Perfect Storm, which, whilst having unique & brilliant narratives/theming, had it's colour scheme nearly identical to Funnel Web, which is located right next to it. Worse than that, it was the next major attraction after Funnel Web to open. They looked too alike & too soon. Grand Gorge Falls & Surf Hill won't get mixed up with their contrasting theming & near 20 year gap between opening dates and we all know which of the two will capture the public's imagination from now on. Remember, this is only a theory. It may be completely incorrect. I think the tunnel will remain - it just will not have a slide on it if Surf Hill is removed. You can see in this photo that Surf Hill & the tunnel are separate particularly since they need piping for the tunnel's waterfall. However, as stated above, maybe they plan to remove Rapid River too and shift it to the proposed Platypus River?

honustly im disappointed because as a child I loved going on the splash out with my family never and it was one of many of the first rides there my antsy remembers when she first went there and the newest thing was the slide and she said she loved it and she still dose to this day she is going to be so sad to find out this news. When I found out I actually cried because it's am awsome ride in my opinion I state we should leave it how it is we all hate wating ik long lines for things true ?? Everyone can agree with me on that and building something like this will just attract more people and it's damaging our environment more than all the chlorine that's already in that ground area. And not to meantion it's a wage of money like what is it 7 MILLION dollars we would get more ppl coming to us and coining to our grounds if we out the money to good use such as helping the poor or the ones in need. The people who are loosing loved ones. Overall I think it's a bad idea.

I'm basically famous now.

Visited the park today with my son. Took some pictures. The park was reasonably busy with waits for the Ferris wheel being around 15 minutes. Same went for the wild mouse. The ice skating is a big hit with the guest for the winter festivities. No other rides were bought into the park to boost the line up like they normally do. Hungry Horse (main food outlet) has also had some carousel horses added into it finally. The ice skating is free for pass holders & those who purchase an unlimited rides pass (for that day only).

Kiama Municipal Council has put on exhibition an around $7 million plan of Jamberoo Action Park to demolish the Splash Out area which consisted of 2 body slides, 1 slow & 1 fast, both the 3rd oldest body waterslides in Australia (built 1981) & a couple of pools (also built 1981) which were upgraded in the past decade to add a rolling log & an octopus slide set. The bodyslides are to be replaced them with GRAND GORGE FALLS!... ...the pool set with KOALA KOVE! Of note, this is a slight drift from their Kangaroo Island masterplan, which was to happen completely in the surroundings of Funnel Web. The Illawarra Mercury today also reported: I know Surf Hill is right next to Grand Gorge Falls. The future of Surf Hill now will be interesting. I must say Jamberoo outstands me with their commitment to theming. Here is the queue & shade shelters design: Unlike The Perfect Storm, which received zero media attention during the DA process, this one has so hopefully the local residents have no issues with it. Otherwise, expect delays. The local residents biggest concern has always been the colour blending into the natural surroundings. Stay tuned to this and further posts for more new developments.

It seems, in their DA for Grand Gorge Falls & Koala Kove, they have inadvertently revealed a plan for an Alpine Coaster: Since it is difficult to see, I have highlighted the route of the the proposed Alpine Coaster. You can see the long lift hill (but it's fair to assume the queue will be via the Chairlift). The exit station is planned for the grass area immediately north of the bottom Chairlift station while the entry is planned for the rear of the top Chairlift station. And here it is with the Bobsleds & Chairlift highlighted: Superimposing it over Google Earth gets this roughly: (I'm sure it extends around to the rear of the top Chairlift station though as per above plans): No other details about this have been found, including whether or not they plan to proceed with it. It seems it will be in addition to the popular Bobsleds.

It is indeed a mystery. A sad one nevertheless. Having worked at the park it was one of those topics you would be quizzed about on a regular basis when the park reopened in 2004. It is just sad that an answer can't be given. Only theories.

40 years ago the tragic Luna Park Ghost Train fire still has a haunting effect on the victims families that were involved. The exact cause of the fire is still not known. NSW Ghost Train tragedy: Luna Park fire remains a mystery David Meddows, The Daily Telegraph July 11, 2019 2:02pm It is the unsolved mystery that has haunted Sydney for 40 years — seven lives wiped out in minutes on what should have been a night full of fun. A father and his two sons, together with four school mates, perished after a fire broke out inside the popular Ghost Train ride at Sydney’s Luna Park on the night of June 9, 1979. Terrified riders ran from the attraction as the blaze ripped through it just before 11pm. Survivors recalled being confronted by walls of fire as the carriages made their way out of the tunnels. An aerial view of the damage following the Ghost Train fire. Picture: Bromley. The first fire fighters who arrived at the scene struggled to access water, eventually having to pump it directly from Sydney Harbour. When the inferno was eventually extinguished, rescuers made a devastating discovery. Huddled together in one section of the tunnel was John Godson with his sons Damien and Craig. Three elderly people die in catamaran tragedy In another, four friends from Waverley College — Jonathan Billings, Richard Charles Carroll, Michael David Johnson and Seamus Rahilly — were also found dead. A fifth friend who was in the carriage behind the boys survived. Watching on as firefighters battled the blaze was Jenny Godson who was met with the horrific scene after leaving her husband and sons to go and buy an ice cream. MORE LUNA PARK FIRE STORIES: ‘Bizarre’ craving for ice-cream saved the life of a mother who lost entire family Mystery of the satanic figure snapped with Luna Park fire victim hours before death On holiday from the country NSW town of Warren, the family was nearing the end of their night and had four more tickets left to use. The two youngsters picked the Ghost Train, which had been a favourite at the park for four decades. But just as the family was about to head to the ride, Mrs Godson developed an urge for a sweet treat and decided to let the others go ahead. “I was just standing at the door of Coney Island and all of a sudden I got this thought that I wanted an ice cream — it was just the most bizarre thing,” she told The Daily Telegraph in 2015. Damien and Craig Godson were killed as they huddled with their dad in one of the ride’s tunnels. “I asked the boys if they wanted an ice cream and they said no so off they went with their father and that was that — I didn’t meet them there, they were gone.” Instead what she was confronted with was a giant pile of smouldering wood, and the unimaginable realisation she had lost her entire family. “I wanted to stay there and I remember someone standing beside me and until a few years ago I didn’t realise who that was but it ended up being Jason (Holmon), the fifth boy who was with the other boys (who died),” she said. In the days after the tragedy tales of survival began to emerge. Frank Juhassi, who was on the Ghost Train with his wife, spoke with a Daily Telegraph reporter about his lucky escape from the doomed ride. “The car nosed through the doors and we could see four metre flames all around us,” he said. “We were seconds away from death.” Jenny and John Godson. Investigators initially believed an electrical fault was responsible for starting the fire, but several inquiries failed to back that up and over the years there were persistent rumours that it was deliberately lit. In 2007 the niece of one of Sydney’s most notorious crime figures, nightclub owner and developer Abe Saffron, told a Sydney newspaper that her uncle was the one responsible for starting the fire. Saffron had reportedly been interested in buying the park and was a suspect in at least seven other fires about the same time. Mrs Godson, who now goes by the name Poidevin, thought this was a strong theory, but conceded she wasn’t sure anymore what had happened. She said she had been contacted by a Queensland man in the years before talking to The Daily Telegraph in 2015 who also had a theory of what happened that night. “He’s rung me over the years a couple of times and he’s suffered quite a lot of stress over it but he believes there was someone letting off fire crackers,” she said. “But I truly don’t know. I don’t know what to believe anymore.” How The Daily Telegraph covered the fire. Picture: News Corp Archives A coronial inquiry held into the seven Luna Park deaths failed to determine a cause for the fire but did come down hard on the amusement park’s management for not having an appropriate fire suppression plan in place. A decade later a second investigation was opened but no new evidence was brought forward and still no cause was determined. That investigation did criticise both the police investigation following the fire and the coronial inquiry. Mrs Godson, who gave birth to a daughter several years after the tragedy, took several years to process her grief, moving from her central west home and rebuilding her life. She has since become a firm believer in fate. “I just feel it was all meant to be,” she said in 2015. “For me to walk out of Coney Island and want an ice cream — I hardly ever ate ice cream — but I had this strange desire to have it and when I looked back on that it was totally bizarre.”

If it looks anything like what you quoted... let's not

My advice is to clear your cookies every time you visit an airlines web page.

I think he meant ride cost is 50% of project cost.

This is no longer the case. https://curiosity.com/topics/tuesday-is-no-longer-the-best-day-to-book-a-flight-curiosity/

Let us hope for this!.

I know people get upset about attractions going. I was upset then the go-karts got taken away. Heck, when the speed boats went that was bad. But they did replace those attractions with better attractions. So we all have fond memories. But the park pulls its weight when it comes to making its own money. Yes, some things have been state and local government funded but it does bring tourism to the region and generates jobs within the Albion park / Kiama region. Youll find the park complies with environmental regulations so I wouldn't be terribly worried about the chlorine etc. The one thing this park do is they don't try to change the topography of the land and that's a massive plus. I suppose they can't help it because it is built on the side of two mountains and stuck in a gully.

This is great. Jamberoo really does pull off the theming aspect really well for a water park. This just sends it to the next level. Those that have ridden the perfect storm will understand. It will be sad to see the outdated original body slides leave but they actually do cause injuries in their old age. Surf hill. Oh, how I won't miss you. I am slightly heavy meaning I haul ass along this slide and by the time I get to the second "drop" I am flying through the air and usually crashing back into the lane feeling pretty winded even tho I am laughing uncontrollably. I will say tho with this slide being removed it also means a tunnel aspect to the lazy river will be lost. So I see them shutting down surf hill after this season if that's the case. An alpine coaster would suit Jamberoo perfectly. Those that haven't ever had the chance to visit just don't understand how steep this mountain is. The toboggans are great, but they are in need of some TLC and well after crashing many many times over the years one does not like to try his luck on these anymore. The alpine coaster would be a great addition and a real "feather in the cap" for Jamberoo. I really hope they keep the rock. This is one of those old school water park attractions that you just don't find anywhere else in Aus.

Well aware of that as I pointed out at my post's conclusion: The fact it was not announced yesterday along with Grand Gorge Falls & Koala Kove indicates, to me, it is not part of that project at least. In the end, there was a plan at some point in the past 4 years (as the plans mention The Perfect Storm) and that is significant news in itself.

Brilliant work @Jamberoo Fan. Great find!! I have been campaigning for one of these rides to come to an Australian park for years and I think its the perfect fit for Jamberoo and some of the other smaller parks like Fun Fields or even Adventure Park in Perth.. This is an Australian first and I think it will be very well received by the general public. I haven't yet had the chance to ride one of these as of yet- has anyone on the boards done so? How do they compare to the existing, more common types of toboggans? Fingers crossed that this proposal gets across the line!

These plans are fantastic!! They highlight a huge commitment on the park to delivering excellent themed attractions for what is essentially a regional water park. More power to them! Couple this with the proposed Alpine Toboggan ride ( a ride which I have campaigned for Jamberoo attaining for a number of years now) and Jamberoo is set to take a huge leap in attractions and offerings. My initial thoughts; The concept art is absolutely stunning. This has to be a contender for the best themed water slide attraction in Australia. Its great to see that the Park still has as part of its future plans a large action river, a water coaster and other slides as has been previously released in plan form I must admit that I find the selection of ride and timing a little odd, however. My opinion is that it would have been more effective ride lineup to forge ahead with their previous plans first. Jamberoo has been accused in the past of doubling up on attractions and essentially the same experience (see Funnel Web and Perfect Storm) and installing an Octo racer slide alongside the existing Surf hill will probably do nothing to dispel these perceptions. As as been stated, obviously there must be plans afoot for the future of Surf Hill. It must also be said that racer slides are great crowd soaker attractions , and having both for the small to medium term wont hurt in terms of throughput. I would like to see the proposed Alpine Toboggan built first as I think this attraction would be a great precursor to the new slide area. Australia has needed one of these Alpine toboggans for quite a while and this will be a unique and first attraction for the Australian public. Hopefully this comes to fruition. Whilst it is definitely a shame to see these 2 slides disappear, they were certainly "getting on in years" and very ripe for redevelopment. This is a great replacement for them, and hopefully down the track, Surf Hill can be replaced with an updated similar body slide attraction in its memory. Looking at the plans, the Rock precinct seems to be untouched and still remains. I certainly hope this is retained as this is a fairly unique attraction for a water park and it is still massively popular with park patrons. Hopefully it will be around for a few more years . In the wake of the WNW Sydney rebrand and rename to Raging Waters and its announcement of its new water slide Whirlwind, this is the perfect response by Jamberoo. Isnt it funny how investment and competition is a direct driver of more investment? This is great for NSW, as we can definitely support these 2 parks easily. The attention to detail on this looks really on point and if it comes to fruition as planned, must be the benchmark for Australian water parks. WNW Gold Coast, Funfields, Adventure Park and Raging Waters please take note! We visit Jamberoo every year in February with about 8-10 families. This will be a welcome expansion and my kids are already excited at the prospect of it. Bring it on!!

Jamberoo never disappoint, do they? If only Village could have learned from what they're doing when they put WNWS together? I must admit, I have fond memories of running up that long footpath to slide down those body slides that are sunken into the surrounding earth. Simple fun, and a great way to burn off kids energy. Looks like the long path to get to these new slides will be just as arduous, but probably a little nicer to look at! I was only showing my wife some Jamberoo attractions on youtube the other day, and these slides did come up in one of the videos. I must admit i'm a little sad to see them go, but excited for the next step in Jamberoo's development. It is an interesting point about Surf Hill - which will probably become redundant as a result of the octo racer - but this is probably part of the master plan - creating a new multi slide racer elsewhere, clearing the way for surf hill to be removed and another attraction to take its place. I haven't been to Jamberoo in a long time, and it's probably going to be a little longer before i get down there - but I am looking forward to it! I guess at this point, one has to assume The Rock's days are numbered.

Here is the landscape plan (colour version): Grand Gorge Falls' 8-Lane Octokraken Racer: "With an overall ride length of approximately 160 metres and an elevational drop of 21.59 metres, this combination racer will be the largest of its type installed to date"(assuming that is still the case in summer 2020) "approximately five metres below the natural ground level" The general Grand Gorge Falls area is themed to gorges "such as Kings Canyon, Katherine Gorge and Finke Gorge / Palm Valley". Grand Gorge Falls' SkyBox Multi-Bump Speed Slides: "only one and three metres above natural ground level" Koala Kove: "This waterplay zone provides a wet deck approximately 25 metres long and 15 metres wide" It is anticipated, according to the DA, that Jamberoo Action Park "...will experience a slight increase in numbers in the short term, but in the medium to long term the owners aim to achieve sustained visitor numbers in line with current attendance rates" Some other interesting quotes from the DA: The DA mentions these new replacements as part of "Master Plan 2016". This very likely refers to Jamberoo Action Park's hints to a newly proposed $6.5 million large major custom-designed hybrid world-first ride back in 2017. Clearly, Jamberoo Action Park defines 'hybrid' differently. So what does everything think?

To be honest, that's a better look there, than in a turn of the century main street.