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Look one thing I'll say in defense of current management is they were handed a poisoned chalice. Like the park was an absolute mess in 2019 and the last few years have been an inevitable clear out. There's no money in demolishing old crap but it has to be done. The rides that they've closed also were legit end of life and it was pretty predictable that it was going to be contraction before any growth was possible. On that hand, I get it. On the other hand, blind Freddy could see all the rides that have closed in the past few years were going to close and the line up was going to be thread bare by now. So they deserve critisim for not replacing Wipeout with another flat ride when the opportunity was there, or not spending a few million on getting another decade out of the Log Ride. Everything they've done suggests the vision is for a smaller, worse park. The difference between that and say SW, is you get the feeling that they had a vision for SW that it's exclusively for families with small kids. Their vision wasn't to shrink it or make it worse, or cut it back, but just to have it appeal to a narrower group of people. I'd argue passionately that nearly every decision they made in the past decade did make it worse, but it did seem to have a vision to it. Even Liviathan supports that thinking. DW from the outside the vision look like it's just straight up 'Make the place physically smaller, have fewer rides, put a hotel in'. It's just a question of if that's a permanent vision. Rerouting the train suggests to me it is, and I think that's a shame. Part of the reason DW is in the state it's in is 20 years of small thinking.

It's perplexing that they went from advertising Australia's Biggest Park to 'lol actually never mind' in the span of 18 months. My hope is that it's not to permanently be a smaller park, but to consolidate what they've got in the pursuit of a better theme park experience. Nobody can argue that during 2017-2018 when the removals were limited with most everything open it was still a lesser experience then Movie World due to that park simply having the better attractions. It's not about the size, it's about how you use it.

I don't think it's about the theme park v amusement park argument. It's about putting effort in v not putting effort in.

Not just onboard audio, but when anything in general is done right, it’s good. Unfortunately we have some rides here in Aus that have been half assed, and in return, is a big let down. E.g The onboard audio on GL, Scooby’s Projection Mapping. Or even little things such as turning off the mist on Superman, Turning off the water sprays on Surfrider.. just little things that add to the experience. A true ride should be an all round package.

Buzzsaw closing has kinda got me in my feels. Buzzsaw will always have a different meaning to me. I was the first person on along side my sister, winning a video film contest back in the day. A group of us who won got to be the very first on the ride which was an awesome night! The night started with a few rides on Buzzsaw, we then had a few hours to do whatever during screamworld. We then watched paranormal activity in the cinema, had a scare tour of the park, with scare actors throughout the park. We then did The A.V.P.X but it was a scare maze instead (before it turned into Kevil Hill) Then we got to stay the night! 😂🤪🎡🎢🛌. A once in a lifetime experience that blew my 13 year old mind. I was honestly super scared the entire night 😂. Mind you, at the time you had to be 15 to enter the competition 😂🤷🏻‍♂️ - anyway that’s my 2 cents on Buzzsaw. I’ll be sad that it’ll be going 💔🎢 Almost 10 years ago in September lol 😳😂

Walked past the boardwalk earlier with the kids and i think they are or have put in that last part of track in where the loop and sidewinder element is? Sorry i'm not very fond of what elements are what. I couldn’t take a photo as my mobile died.

I feel that they should -- and I take issue with this being regarded as unimportant!

Maybe!

Not really. In Australia, theme park pretty much means 'Big Amusement park where parts of the park have a different vibe to other parts'. The only park that doesn't fit that is WWW and I think that checks out. WnW sees itself as a water theme park, and by my own loose definition it works, and puts the WWW = water park V wnw = theme park thing into explainable context. The point is that its an arbitrary definition, and by international standards, an amusement park is a theme park here. Always has been, probably always will be. Given that you can do almost whatever in Australia and it counts as a theme park. Just do a quality job and at scale and you're doing great.

<insert quote about Disney executives in shock about how much it cost to build Bermuda> I see Sea World have sneakily rolled back the elaborate artworks they paraded about a few years ago into something more accurately resembling the expected finished product. (you know, if they hadn't put a cloud behind Trident, it would have made it easier to photoshop the fork out when they inevitably cut that themeing from the budget).

So long as that mob in perth keep suggesting there's an actual theme park over there, Dreamworld will remain a 'theme park' even if only in the loosest sense of the word.

I don't disagree with you, but have you considered Ardent don't want DW to be a true theme park and are happy for DW to wear a mask of a theme park, but underneath be an amusement park? That's why I say, at some point we might have to come to terms, DW is no longer a theme park. Maybe DW is Aussie World on steroids.

Theme Parks a Go-Go is for sale. Has been since the start.

I don't think it would ruin anything for observers. In fact it would build anticipation and excitement for non-riders, as they can hear when a launch is about to happen. Some examples of what I was thinking off: Incredicoaster/California Screamin' uses speakers nearby to do the launch countdown. Mako and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando use speakers on the lift hill to deliver custom build up audio. Probably the most perfect example is Taron at Phantasialand. As it's a launch coaster that starts off with a u-turn, pauses and then launches (most similar to ST). The speakers nearby play a riser build up score. Here's a video that you can hear it on.

I think Mack have a more robust system. In Australia GL basically picked stock music so it didn't really add much emotion and Arkham was so quiet and useless it was a waste of money. But yeah, onboard audio slaps when it's properly composed and matches the ride movement, like when you ride Space Mountain and there is this specific point in the soundtrack where the music drops and you go down the first drop and turn and its the coolest thing ever And even stuff more recently like Taron it just added a whole extra layer to to the experience for me.

It doesn’t. Dreamworld stopped being the Dreamworld everyone knew not by one big cut, but by a thousand small cuts. Yesterday it was no steam train, tomorrow it’s confusing pathways, continue ad neaseum until you have a park where six attractions close in a space of a few years. Also - onboard audio is the most gimmicky shit ever and I stand by that. We’re 0/3 for working onboard audio in coasters in Australia, and every coaster I’ve been on that has it, they need to crank it in order for you to hear it over the sound of the wind passing your ears, meaning it always sounds patchy, tinny and awful. Waste of money.

You mean the extra (3rd) dimension? It doesn't. Its the 10,000 little things that make your day. This is just one of those things.

Or don't build a ride you can't afford. Dreamworld's biggest issue since 1997 is that attractions get built with little to no consideration to what's around it. It's how we ended up with a zombie ride next to a Flowrider next to a V8 simulator next to a car exhibit in an area called Ocean Parade. They shouldn't get a pass because it's "too hard/costly" - they're a theme park - built environments is their whole thing, and failing on the fundamentals shouldn't continue to be a thing. If you can't do that, take your rides to the Ekka frankly. And agreed that these costs all add up - we also know that you can be frugal and prudent without completely compromising your product. Wipeout was an example of this. Bermuda was another. Superman Escape is a modern day example. That ride doesn't need wasteful add-ons like onboard audio to make the experience better, it needs integration into the park to make it feels like it belongs.

There’s been a pathway through longer than there hasn’t. Especially with the park not handing out maps anymore, it’s more important than ever to make it reasonably easy for guests to be able to get through the park. People don’t intuitively think “in order to get from Steel Taipan to Giant Drop, the thing that’s right next door, I need to double back in the opposite direction.” No, people think “oh it’s over there, so I’ll try walking over there” only to discover they’re stuck and lost. This is the future of steel taipan, especially when the muscle memory for so many guests over many decades has been to use that area to get from a to b. And it’ll only get worse when they add attractions back to the rocky hollow site.

Luna Park Melbourne has the space vacated by their former coaster Metropolis. This space could easily fit in the Skyloop model in that footprint- yeah sure they would have to move around a couple of flats- but it is extremely doable. This would be a pretty good acquisition for the park as they certainly need another thrill coaster and given the value on offer with the purchase of Buzzsaw, would be a good fit. Given LPM's crowd levels, throughput would not be a problem and would give LPM a much needed boost and attention focus. Yeah I dont think Aussie World is a serious contender either as they definitely have a master plan that they are working towards. It may only be a serious option given the bargain price investment that the purchase of Buzzsaw could offer the park and the ability to add to their coaster line up in an economical purchase. I actually think that Buzzsaw would look good in Aussie World's skyline but i dont credit the idea with much creedence. True they dont but they have been steadily adding to their portfolio of attractions and an opportunity like this may be too good to pass. It would certainly be a game changer for the park if they did! Adventure World seems like the best fit but it seems very unlikely that this would happen. Although they certainly have a history of purchasing second hand rides such as the Geronimo Schwarzkopf coaster from Luna Park Sydney and their current Huss Drop Tower Inferno..... Gumbuya World is a bit of a dark horse for mine. They have bolted out of the blue in the last 5 years and have a good sized park with good attractions that is just aching for a couple of tier 1 thrill rides. Buzzsaw could definitely fill that need... Funfields could also be seen as a likely contender as they have invested heavily in the past few years in new attractions. They are also known for picking up second hand rides and giving them a new lease on life( see the Stingray from Dreamworld and the Pirate Ship from Seaworld). Adding a ride of this calibre and their first coaster would be a game changer for them certainly........ Rainbows End for mine would be the most logical choice. Buzzsaw would see them add a much needed 4th coaster to their lineup and would be an economical pick up for them. It is a park that doesnt have a huge amount of land for expansion yet could fit Buzzsaw with ease. It would be a good option for them. In saying all that, my bet is also the Asian market, especially in the South East. I reckon a park in Indonesia or Vietnam would be the most likely contender.........time will tell!!

Changing topic for a bit, I spotted this on Instagram today, why would he have an issue with parkz?