Richard

Not trying to cut in on Wayne or anything here , but feel free to upload any photos here. There's either the Construction gallery in the Album, or you could upload them to a thread here (up to 10 images per post ). Let's just hope that we're looking at a new ride - if they were doing a Spider-Man show, I'd imagine it'd go in the Action Man area (what are they doing with that these days anyway?).

Whirlpool, I must admit, was a pretty good attraction, as far as diversity goes. It is quite nice during the day if you get the chills to slip into the spas for a few minutes to warm down. Gas heaters scattered around the area also meant that when you got out, you didn't immediately freeze - you could gently adjust again. They certainly prove to be popular. Throughout the day, they were consistently used. There seems to always be plenty of room, but I think they'd be pushing it if they were to try and squeeze in the 20 people per tub that they've based the capacity on. Having said that, I certainly can't wait until the real Whrilpool opens, hopefully this coming summer.

I was a bit bored this morning, so I decided to add a feature that allows you to upload your own files to Total Thrills. It may make the Album a bit redundant, because you can upload multiple pictures into a single thread, but I'm sure the Album will still havea valid purpose. Enjoy it. You can upload files up to 2MB in size, and anything from images to movies to mp3s and so on. -rich

Yeah, I thought it was me too. I later suspected that it was something wrong with the server. Then when setting up new forums (www.the-bens.net), I found that it worked no problems, so I came back and had a closer look at this site... long story short, I fixed it .

That idea of Scenic World getting some sort of 'big ride' sounds intriguing (perhaps even a little absurd, but you have to dream ). The park is run very well it seems. Around 10 years ago, you saw a tired old tourist trap which was just an interesting side-trip. Go there today, and you'll see a well presented, neat place with a nice restaurant etc. It is by no means a theme park or amusement park, rather a tourist destination. The fact that it has 'world' in the name doesn't make it a theme park. They haven't opened Orphan Rocker yet. It's sitting there, dormant for the best part of a decade. Part of me says that they should finish what they've already started before embarking on something equally as challenging. Yet I also feel that you learn from their mistakes. Had they have gone with an reputable company (which at the time would probably have been Arrow), the ride would have been running 10 years ago. I think (or know) that if they were to embark on something else, they'd do it properly. Their most recent attraction, Sceniscender, was built by Swiss company Doppelmayr (as the ski season comes closer, you'll probably hear more about them from me), and maybe they've seen what else you can get from Switzerland (and I don't only mean alpenhorns).

As of just right now, the Login and "Keep me logged in" all work as they should. Now, it actually does keep you logged in. I know it was getting to annoy me. (the problem, for those that care, was an "http://" where there shouldn't have been one in the config) -rich

Very good to hear. They've really come out of nowhere with this latest news. I mean, there was speculation and rumours, but most of the talk ended a few weeks ago with the news that they'd cancelled all their current projects. Let's see this Shark Bay go ahead! I'm quite eager to see the Great White that they've had lined up all this time. Flea, be sure to post some of your photos in the album.

Whirlpool Springs is officially launching this coming Saturday. Having experienced it this past summer, I can say that I hope that it is a bit better heated in winter than summer. They say it'll be 36º, which I suppose will probably be well and truly double the temperature on some cold winter days. I'm sure this will serve to attract many people to Wet'n'Wild during winter, particularly with the way it is being marketed at this stage (just look at their main page).

Wow - that's certainly a promising sight. It is a bit early to start getting really exciting, but it is time that Wonderland got something new, and the park's officials seem to be well aware of that. We'll all need to cross our fingers and hope.

Just like Thunderbolt at Dreamworld is one of a kind! ...thinking that this perhaps isn't necessarily a good attribute to have By all respects though, you have to admit that they are the same basic ride (even the most famous clone, Vekoma SLC, changes slightly depending on the year it was built). To compare the two, I've uploaded a picture intol the Photo Album. http://www.totalthrills.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=12 Compare it to: http://www.pcwjunkies.com/pcw/coasters/wb/wb14.htm

Yep, that's correct. Bush Beast, at 90km/hr is the fastest complete-circuit coaster in Australia (Lethal Weapon: 89 Thunderbolt: 87.5, Cyclone: 85). Demon is only 75km/hr. G-Force on Demon is 3.8G's, I have no idea about Bush Beast, but it definitely isn't as high - probably 2.5-3.5, max. Back seat on Bush Beast is intense! You might as well not have a seat. If only there were some decent floater or ejector air throughout the ride. I'm not sure. Space Probe doesn't do it for me at all. I've ridden it maybe a dozen times in total (and that's probably an over-estimate), and the thrills don't seem to be there for me. Then again, I rode Giant Drop just to get a good view of the Nick Central contruction (and I'm probably the only person you'll find who leaves some breathing room - and then some - in their GD restraint). My idea of fun is high G's, sweet airtime, turns and helices, a real sensation of speed (for the last few, a Wiegand Toboggan does the job perfectly), and freefall rides provide this, so to me, I'm perhaps more intimidated by a coaster over a tower, and size doesn't really play a role to me. Maybe it's my experience with rock climbing, but if I know that something's safe, then that's all I need (and that is the exact case with nearly every amusement ride - minus some/most traveling rides).

Ohh! I've been wondering what that old wooden structure was. In fact, last time I was there, I said that I thought it looked like it was once for slides, because of the way the top was set up. That's cool to know now. I think they took Wizard's Fury away for no reason other than it was old, parts were presumably hard to get. It is sad too, because it was one of Austrlaia's only Schwarzkopf rides (Turbo Mountain at Adventure World in WA is the only other I believe). It, along with rides like Zodiac, and many others, came from Paramount's Kings Island when the park opened, so many of these are 30+ years old.

The real problem I have with that brake, is its purpose is to act as a trim brake. As far as I can tell, it's not a block brake. The thing with trim brakes, is they're supposed to knock off a bit of speed to make the ride easier to maintain, less intense etc. That's obviously their use on Bush Beast. Look at any other ride with trim brakes. Most coasters however, put them say half-way down a drop, and knock off a bit of speed, not at the top, when the train's barely crawling along, and completely stop it for a second or two. I for one would rather see Bush Beast fixed up before any loopy-doopy mega-ultra coaster is added. Gravity Group or Great Coasters... we need you!

I spoke with the owner/director of Scenic World in around July last year. He certainly seemed very optimistic about the ride eventually opening. When they built the Sceniscender, they had to take out a significant length of track for construction. They rebuilt that track, so it isn't as if they've abandoned the ride. They've been working on the train, and programming the PLC - basically putting the finishing touches on the ride. They were working on the PLC that operates the lift motor, and once the issues there were settled, they could begin load testing. Still, there is no date set, and Mr Hammon is well aware that it's been a very long time, and may well be much longer still before this unique ride is open. This was all last year, since then, they may have completely resolved any problems, and be ready to open it now . It was no different when I was there in January from when I was there in June. Regarding the lift hill, the second one that brings it into the station isn't a lift hill as such. It is a gently upward-sloping track that goes through a tunnel into the station, powered by kicker wheels. Whether you come screaming through here with the wheels just making sure you don't stop, or take a slow journey through the tunnel up to the station, I don't know.

From what I know, it was closed because someone nearly died on the ride. Wish I could help you more, but that's all I know about the ride.

It was always very tempermental, it'd be there one week, gone the next, then back a few weeks later. The problem as I saw it, stemmed from the cables/wires they used to hold it up. I don't think they ever found a suitable and easy way to hold it up. When the ride first opened, they had a simple cable going from one side of the building to the other, with the cow hanging down from another cable on that. This was before they had the shaded roof and accompanying support structure. They built the shade cloth in January 2002, and tried a variety of different cables and wires to hold it up. Every other week they'd have something different, or the current one would be barely holding itself together (cables freying etc.). Some time later last year, they took it down, and I haven't seen it since. What the situation is at the moment, I don't know - it's been a while since I was there.

There is a user gallery now!! There's still a few things being worked out, but you can take a spin, upload some pictures (or whatever) by clicking the Album link in the Forum menu. Have fun!

I'm having quite a few kind people offering me the use of their own photographs for this site. I thank everybody for their support, but my wish is to make this site as much my content as I can. There may be a time in the future when I request the help from others, but fundamentally, I want to keep this site 'mine'. Seeing as there seem to be a lot of people out there who are looking to share their photos with the world, I will shortly be adding a user photo gallery, where you can upload and maintain your own galleries. I've got the software to do it now, and I've just got to find the time. Let's hope for this weekend with a bit of luck. Thankyou everyone for your support! PS - Knott's gallery IS coming... I've got most of the images ready to go, I just have to put all the files together (which is most of the work ).

Great photos, cheers for the link! I'm putting off the Wonderland Sydney gallery until around July when I'm down south again. The pictures I've got (about 20 or so) aren't of the quality I'm after - my last two visits in the past six months have both come on pretty miserable days. Does it irk anyone else that the Canadian version has been pretty well completely rebuilt to remove the trim brakes (aka bring-the-train-to-a-complete-halt brakes on Bush Beast), and they say it is better than when it was first built. I remember the Frenzal song for Dreamworld, not Wonderland, though I haven't seen a Wonderland ad here since 1999, so chances are I missed it. The only drug reference I can think of in that song was the opening line "Smoked a pack a' cigarettes before midday... Coughed up a lung around one", and that was in the softer intro (synonymous with Frenzal Rhomb's older stuff). It might be interesting to add that Dreamworld is still playing its 'Just for fun' theme song. It can be heard outside the IMAX theatre; it's only background music, so you can't hear it unless there's not too many people around.

And that is the direction that they're going to take the park. (Most of the rides stuff I suggested was dreaming rather than suggestions, and I think joz knows that ). The thing that has to be remembered is that they can't develop attractions that might make another park's attractions redundant. Sadly, that's probably what my Journey to Atlantis would do, and the Impulse too, to a lesser extent. They do have to keep each park unique, or the Three Park Savers wouldn't be terribly appealing. Maybe that's why they don't have a chicken burger at Sea World.

Quite accurate report/review I think. I'd agree with you for most, if not all of those ratings (relative to Wonderland's offerings, I'd probably lower some of them if on an Australia-wide scale).

Food & Beverage... my favourite! Well, you know my 'thing' for the Movie World 'Catburger'. Sea World seriously does need a chicken burger, similar to the Movie World Catburger (the Wet'n'Wild one didn't really do it for me, the chicken wasn't very good quality, and the barbeque sauce isn't to my liking). The quality of their Chicken & Chips meal was fantastic though. Great chicken, and the boneless breast was quite a surprise. Aside from food, I think Sea World does really need some form of new ride, that gives them more dimensions. To me, there are only a few rides that can be built at Sea World easily, and realistically. An Impulse - this has been talked about before, and it could easily work. There's a nice strip of land that runs down the side of Bermuda Triangle, on the Corkscrew side. This would give them a much needed thrill ride, with a clean pricetag, and not need attractions to be moved/removed. Australian first - meaning world first as far as most Aussies care. Everything that Tower of Terror is, plus more - gives them a much more competitive approach. A Mack or Premier Water/Liquid coaster. The removal of the aging Bermuda Triangle would free up a lot of land for an improved water ride. The theming of SeaWorld Orlando's Journey to Atlantis would fit very well at Sea World. Looking at photos of Bermuda Triangle, there appears to be easily enough land here to build such a ride. The Atlantis theming would almost be a continuation of Bermuda Triangle's theming. They'd have to be careful not to make it too similar to Wild West Falls (in ride experience, not theming, obviously). If they could market it as a rollercoaster, with some wet splashdowns as 'added thrills', they'd be right. Put a pricetag of $16m+ on this one (and for my idea to work, they'd probably have to approach Anheuser-Busch, and in all honesty, that isn't John Menzies' way of doing things).

Wow - a mysterious angel told me that exact same thing today (who goes by the name of rabid disney). Sounds like a good idea. Take these tourists who are normally paying $500 for the same sort of thing (only authentic), make it high-capacity, and 1/10th the cost, and let all the real farms, who are now relying on this for a living because of the drought, slowly shut their doors. Hope that that doesn't happen, but it is pretty clear from Mr. Menzies' comments regarding 'India Land' (sorry for the politically incorrect name/joke), that he's taking the faceless corporation approach to the running of the theme parks. Anyway, it will put them more on the level of Dreamworld (and their 10m² Oakey Creek), and this seems to be the animal exibits they were talking about going together with Outback Adventure.

Yeah, gruesome to say the least. Though, authentically gruesome, which at least is better than badly done gruesome (see Lune Park's Ghost Train, but that's old, so I don't really mind the fantasticly old-fashioned tackiness about it). That ghoul who's in the 'torture chamber section', after the first dip, and all that theming is perhaps my favorite of the ride. Though, I'd have loved to have seen some of the cool stuff in the movie to have been translated to the ride (there's gotta be a way to do that stopping in front of the swords easily). Today, they had most of the laser effects turned off, which was a pity. I just hope it was a typical March 'low attendance = minimal operations' day, and that they've not already given up on the ride (most other rides were running at full or near full potential). As for the actual ride, it started off reasonably smooth, then went into a bit of a bumpy spell as it worked itself out. It now seems to be out of that, and into relatively smooth running. It's still not as smooth as Eureka Mountain, but it is a bit more bearable. That last dip into the brake run still kills your back (it seems to be too steep for the size of it - 3m - which is odd, because it is a standard section on all Mack mice, and you'd think they'd have made it a bit more easy-going). I'd have loved for them to have themed the actual coaster properly, with rooms, effects. More that just lasers, which to me, is only related to Scooby Doo, as some trip or something caused by the hallucinogenics that the gang takes.

Well, give most of the rides a good makeover, that'd put the park up several notches to me. No, I don't mean replace some of the wood on Bush Beast with some aweful hard pine in a few spots. Complete retracking, new PTC's... the works. I do agree that the theming is 'top notch' for what the park is. Obviously it isn't in the league of Disney, Universal, or even Warner Bros., but it certainly matches and beats most Paramount, Six Flags parks, as well as Dreamworld and Sea World here. They have the land. They have the money. But you have to stop and think... from a non-thrill seeker perspective. Do they need new rides? Sadly, the answer is no. They seem to be targeting families with their endless stream of shows. And hey, this works... from all reports, attendance over Summer was overwhelming. However, there is no denying that they'd get a lot more interstate appeal with the addition of new rides. They seem to not care about interstate market anymore (last ad I saw on TV up here was around 1999), maybe to keep out of the way of the Gold Coast parks. A thrill ride to take the candle away from Dreamworld... even just for a short time, would push a lot of Queenslanders down there, particularly in the September holiday period. But let's look at it from where they're sitting right now. They're not adding much, a show here and there, some maintenance to keep the place looking respectable. And yet they're easily up there attendance-wise with Dreamworld or Sea World.