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And therein lies the difference between Walt Disney and Multiplex.

Ok, I don't disagree with you that LPS needs to drop in some larger additions - but pooh-poohing the issues people have cited as to why it taken them so long I think is off the mark. Yes, they screwed up with Hair Raiser - but it showed (after they went through all the correct motions to have it approved), that there was a lot more leg work to get it ticked off than the standard time we see for GC parks or even the overseas seaside parks you refer to. Despite the legal rulings, the residents continue to raise concerns and complaints at any and every stage or change. And despite the precedent set by the previous court rulings, new issues bring new arguments that all must be considered against the prior case law. All of this takes time. If I were the developer, i'd regard all that angst as being 'not worth the effort' of building something more substantial... so I don't blame them, honestly, even though I agree they need a bit of a refresh.

Come on. Any notion that the park is plonking in traveling carni rides to ‘be true to the parks history’ is about as kool aid filled as is humanly possible. It’s because they are a cheap easy way to get the ride count up. A cheap carnival has no place on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour. ‘Back in the day’ it was also a dirty nasty place filled with undesirables, and we’re in no hurry to recreate that authentic atmosphere. However a beautifully presented nostalgic rose coloured glasses nod to seaside piers of yesteryear is a charming addition to the area. That’s what they should continue to be doing. They shouldn’t be compared to, or try to compete with the Gold Coast parks because they will always fail, and Luna Park should be something totally different to that. Look to places like Tivoli Gardens for inspiration

Maybe you are unaware of the park history then?. Its always had carnival rides. So I don't see the massive issue. They like any other park around the world have to keep people happy. Including the government (both federal & local) and the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. The latter has a massive say ironically. Also, even tho we once had a custom made coaster within this park its ridership was ironically low a few weeks after it opened. So I don't see why they'd want to invest in a massive ride. Park has as capacity any it must adhere too. I get you that you think it is essentially "cheap and nasty" and it ain't MW or Dw standard. But they are trying to be true to the parks entire history. The face is based from the 1960s along with Coney island and the outside of the crystal palace. Everything else is kinda retro and represents the 80's. But it literally does us alright. I mean I suppose if LPS seems this bad I would hate to know what LPM is then.

Maybe the downtime is because they have just tried a super extended version of turning it off and on again.

From things I have heard, it comes down to flogging a dead horse. They can keep investing in it but it's not giving the return they hoped for. Its got the novelty of being a suspended coaster and that was unique. But I believe the issues with Arkham are not train or track related. Plus they don't want to look like Dreamworld and just take something away and have people blame COVID. So I think they believe it is better to leave it SBNO Maybe you can only Ctrl+Alt+Del so many times.

LPS is meant to be a multi-use facility. If you truly want to see an engineering marvel the park has then its gotta be the car park. It actually goes under Sydney harbour. But honestly. I don't see how a small little boardwalk amusement park can even be compared to a multi-billion-dollar empire. Like I have said. It covered the market here as well. Sydney has way more tourist attractions than just theme parks. The marketing here covers so many categories it is actually rather amazing. So I don't see the desperate need for such a massive roller-coaster to only make some people happy that they get another coaster credit. The charm of the park is what is the real winner. No its not Disney park but they utilise what they have in a very good way.

Mines $12 p month, so $144 a year. if they don’t want people on them, cancel them.

Don’t think there is any chance at all. it hasn’t operated in months, and the cost to get it running for a final ride would be seen as unnecessary

I dunno man, agree to disagree on that one. I'm all for preserving history and all that jazz, especially when it's as notable as Luna Park's, but appetites in the leisure industry have changed so significantly in the last five to ten years that it seems everywhere but Australia's amusement industry has risen to the challenge. Places like Eat Street Markets in Brisbane are great example of the revolution there's been in F&B locally (and how premium, specialty foods print money and drive gate) and every research paper suggests the uptick in consumer drive for new leisure products is in the billions, not millions, year over year. Internationally, many equivalent businesses to Luna Park Sydney have invested in the last 3-odd years with major capex (Hydrus at Casino Pier or Iron Shark at Pleasure Pier come to mind), hell even the "OG" Luna Park built a roller-coaster, though admittedly not on the pier itself (and also, arguably not that great). I think the point i'm driving home here is that against leisure trends and against global trends (COVID not withstanding) they're definitely, 100% dragging their feet on what could be an amazing opportunity to continue to innovate and add year over year. As you say, they've had major coasters previously, so I can only imagine the local market's appetite for the next "Big Dipper" to arrive, especially when there's zero competition in NSW. Furthermore, these kinds of capex projects always act as a halo for other products in a brand - their events business would thrive by having something well integrated, well executed and well marketed. Could you imagine if there was a coaster flying around Luna Park with an epic light package like Hangtime at Knott's? At night, it would be iconic.

If you knew how much the company behind LPS have thrown at court cost and also out of court settlements you'd be shocked. The park goes alright without a massive coaster. I mean I understand the feeling people from Qld would have because its a whole "go big or go home". But honestly its an amusement park. Not a theme park. Coney island is the parks number one attraction. A simplistic fun park within a park. LPS has had many coasters over the years. Most noticeable being the Big Dipper 2.0. I don't blame them for dragging their feet on these situations. You have limited space and so many restrictions based on what you cant do. Plus the new owners have always known getting new rides in could be a challenge. Even Volare had issues. Even the school holiday rides they draft in have issues. The park does indeed print money. Not the way you would want to see it tho. It is done via its functions. They make a shit load of cash doing weddings and corporate events. They have tried to keep true to LPS origins. That being a bunch of flat rides knowing they ain't Disney or even any of the parks in Qld. It works well for them.

You can afford all those games but not a Parkz subscription or YoutubeRED?

They do. Volare is probably the best presented ride in the park and has a decent set of LED's when compared to the old flats. TBH that doesnt say a lot considering a good chunk of the park screams parking lot coaster. The renovation of the existing fixtures is something I'm definitely a fan of. The old Flying Saucer lighthouse & cafe repaint and the old Big Dipper entrance look a lot better than they used to be plus the LED packages are a nice touch as well. Pretty sure that's all done now because that aspect of change is a lot easier to get past the residents. Look gimme a new coaster anyday and LPS have looked at one in the past but it'll be difficult to fit a decent one in given the space they have, let alone constructing one which is practically begging for resident action given the endless battle Multiplex has with the neighbours. A ride on the scale of Sidewinder/GoldCoaster is not going to happen again. At the end of the day LPS is hard pressed for space and the space is better spent on an extra flat or hell even an empty space for school holiday rides. I'm definitely not a fan of the 'school holiday rides' strategy as it completely breaks the park's appearance and screams Royal Show rather than a genuine effort at a boardwalk park but I recognise that it is a crucial component of the amusements side of the park. A park like Grona Lund would be a good example to hold LPS to account. A very good boardwalk park that is well presented that doesn't need the flashy rides. I think they are halfway there and they are definitely trying but administrative and planning issues has definitely slowed those plans to a halt so they have no choice but to keep their 80's carnival rides running for as long as possible.

There is a huge gap between major coaster and piece of garbage traveling carnival ride. They could easily (and should) be adding permanent park models of updated but with nod of nostalgia flat rides. Ive no doubt in my mind if they had muted classic paint schemes, classy lighting packages and no dodgy distorted trance music blasting out of them everyone would have a lot less complaints. They should be looking at more Silly Symphony Swings and less Side Show Alley. How the park took so long to have a beautifully presented wave swinger is beyond me.

I think 10pm is past his bedtime so he had to take these photos in ultra smudged-lens camera stealth mode so he didn't get grounded and lose his iPhone7

Virtually all the modern advancements in traditional wooden coasters come down to computer design and better trains. All the big manufacturers share near identical specs that have remained unchanged for a century. Even RMC uses the same track gauge and basic specs on their hybrids as just about every wooden coaster in existence. There's really nothing to a wooden coaster at its core. Measure, cut, bolt, repeat. Tolerances aren't critical until very late in the piece and are easily corrected; even then we're not talking millimetre precision like on a steel coaster. Martin & Vleminckx as a manufacturer would certainly have their own preferred methods (and Gravity Group would have their own design preferences that other designers wouldn't) but they aren't bringing some magic recipe so much as a history of delivering wooden coasters on schedule and budget. More so than Vortex or Dreamworld's coaster where there's local firms skilled at building these rides, I'd be inclined to say that neither SW nor M&V would be too keen for significant progress without that wooden coaster expertise on site.

I will die on my $10 a month pass, hill

Yes Yogi... the audience was full (well covid-full) but I didnt hear a sound out of anyone the entire time. There are a lot of other options for 4d movies from (im assuming) the same supplier which would have been a better fit. Im embarrassed by the 'boganness' of the big show offerings at mw and sw... i know they are obviously marketed at that element of the guests, but jesus.... *head in hands*

I really don't think the market exists here for that "major coaster" that people think. Residing from Sydney I keep my finger on the pulse. Many people know a large or even "over the top coaster" really would not fit into LPS. I know this sounds odd to many. But its the true feelings down here. It is not because we have been underdelivered etc. Its the fact that most people have never been to Wonderland or that. So LPS has the market its got. LPS can't compete against the main water parks as they are seasonal within the Sydney (extended) region. The other thing is you gotta sit back and see things from a management POV. Under previous management, the big dipper was built and caused a major headache for the company. While they want to keep the guest happy they also do not want to piss off the residents nearby. Over the years many incidents have occurred from ride operators being assaulted and even rides tampered with. So while those coaster dreams are simply that we've grown a custom to the idea down here that it's not going to happen. We got a wild mouse and trust me that's thrilling enough in its own right. We pretty much run to the same business model at LPM. Bring in some other rides over the busy periods to help with keeping guest happy. Operate to certain government guidelines and that's it. We still get the place we love to visit operating all be it the way it is. So even tho some rides are having to retire you can't do much until those rides have left the site as the room does not exist in the way many would think. This is the exact reason why the Rangers light pattern was changed and why the spider had the number of lights reduced around 12 years ago.

Luna Park Sydney as a whole is brighter than the light package on one coaster on most nights of the year. That's also without mentioning Vivid, which dials it up to eleven. If you didn't click either link, the TLDR here is that a well lit roller-coaster would compliment what's already there.

Post 2016 there's a zero chance any Australian park would take a risk on safety, so whatever is keeping it from opening is probably going to stay that way.

38 here too, and i'll agree with you - the mid 90's was the time. Demon's arrival on the back of the hill had the park abuzz. In addition, Sea World was just about to open Bermuda, the train still ran, and the ski show was showing at least twice daily. I think Sea World was improved by Dolphin Cove and Shark Bay - but I also think this was the start of the park becoming a choking mess. For Movie World, LTRR still stood along with PASS, and the ShowStage and SFX stage still ran too. Superman is kick ass, but it is saddening what had to go for it to be built - I would have liked to have seen them refresh the SFX show with more modern films. Kitschy though it is, the Young Einstein gravity homestead was a clever little attraction for such a young park. MW can stretch a couple years later to include Wild West too. I think Dreamworld peaked a little later, after the introduction of ToT and GD, although I didn't get to visit back in the mid 90's when I hit the other parks on the coast (wonderland was my local). I did get to ride thunderbolt, although it was old by then and I assume had gotten rougher over the years. I never saw pre-nickelodeon dreamworld so I can't judge that period. Wet N Wild was fun in the mid-90s, but i think the early 2000's, with the install of Mammoth, Calypso and Extreme H20 were it's prime.

It’s finally happening the first lot of timber is being bolted together. There’s also a time lapse camera been put in place excited to see a woodie being built in Oz

Can I address the elephant in the room here... Why aren't they building a crazy-good compact coaster on site, building a few modern thrill rides that leverage the site's position really well (a Sky Roller would go bonza against the water's edge - https://www.gerstlauer-rides.de/produkte/rundfahrgeschaefte/sky-roller/ ) and just going ham with F&B? I just don't get it, they seem to be dragging their feet on some old, end of service life rides and squandering what would have to be Australia's most well-placed amusement park. It should print money every day of the year.

Probably needed to be replaced and Village did their old trick of just removing it, not seeing any value in it.

Timber piles have now been moved out on to the slab. Hoping this may be a sign things are about to start moving

Me on monday morning coming into Parkz after a weekend off the boards...

(I am sorry in advance if I sound bossy or angry, it is just getting annoying this conversation going around an roundabout) They are already looking more at "Silly Symphony Swings", the 2 most recent rides Tango Train 2.0 and Volare were amazingly made, and there could be some more coming soon. Already a lot of rides in Luna Park have a nod to old Rides, like Tumble Bug. I do not know or that there are any plans. But with the current trend, we could see some more soon. The rest of the country has an dismal theme park industry compared to the Gold Coast. So if you have every been there (I have not) have lower expectations for the rest of the country, and New Zealand and almost all of the Pacific Islands! Again, and this should be the last time that I need to say this. IT IS NOT EASY TO ADD IN RIDES AT LUNA PARK!!!!! It took them 3 whole years to add Volare into the park! There were supposed to be another 5 rides with Volare, but couldn't because their neighbors complained to the courts. The park has closed down before after only 16 months because of complaints! Luna Park has to be extremely cautious about adding permanent rides like an Eurofighter. So they have rides from Joylands to come during peak periods. And we, nor they can't do that much about it! Right, FINISHED!

That’s basically all movie based shows from the roxy theater