Richard

If you are interested, feel free to submit photographs to Roller-Coaster.com.au (read the Contribute page, or contact myself). We'd be delighted if you were willing to share your photographs and get them exposed to a wider audience.

I'm pleased to announce that there has been a revision of policy which allows us to once again publish photographs from Warner Village Theme Parks' properties.

There's an interesting article in the Sydney Morning Herald about Wiggles World, mentioning that they're making a movie, using Wiggles World. It also says some interesting things about new staff training, which was part of the licensing agreement. Article: http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/now-the-...3125942993.html

Minimum orders are required, and it'd be hard to get enough for each separate product so we have to go with a single product.

I'm starting to plan 2006 calendars and I'm just after general ideas and numbers. There are a few options available this year. Note that at this stage we are looking at featuring international parks/rides or a mixture of Australian (non-WVTP) and international. The first option would be a standard calendar as with previous years. A change of printer from last year however will mean a higher quality print job, larger calendar (A3 sized) and spiral binding. Each month will feature a different ride/park. Approximate cost will be $25.00 (including shipping within Australia). The second option is a little different - an A3 sized single-page wall calendar. This will be a single full-sized photograph or a montage with the full year's dates at the bottom. Approximate cost will be $12.50 (including shipping within Australia). This year the plan is to go to print earlier than in the past and get them out perhaps a month or two before the end of the year. Current subscribers will be offered concessions on these products. Please go ahead and vote for which you'd prefer. If you think you'd be willing to purchase whatever were made available, vote for that option. If you are undecided leave it blank and maybe come back to it when you are. All I ask is that if you really aren't interested or wouldn't purchase either, just vote no. Any comments or suggestions are welcomed.

Citywalk is more or less a separate entity from Dreamworld. It's really a combination of a shopping centre, with touches of Downtown Disney or Universal CityWalk thrown in. It's not an expansion on the theme park like these were, but rather a complimentary fixture. The first stage of Citywalk is supermarkets, a department store and specialty shops. It was mentioned that residential precincts would come later, which may include hotels. It's worthwhile to note that in the Subscription section, there are further concept images available than those posted.

Article can be seen here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/article.php?aid=63 Concept Art: http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/in...?showtopic=1976 (Roller-Coaster.com.au Subscribers only)

There was a period a few years ago when Disney stated clearly along the lines of we are building two new parks in Asia - Hong Kong then Shanghai. Somewhere down the track (around the time of the whole SaveDisney fiasco) it was changed to yeah... there's a chance we might build a park in Shanghai. I have a feeling it was always 100% confirmed, but Disney had to change their minds. Let's just hope that we see something a little more substantial than what is going into Hong Kong right now. Even Hong Kong plus Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain would probably balance things out enough for it to be considered a full park. I'd doubt that they go ahead without any Disney hotels as the article suggests. The resort element of Disney parks is almost crucial to their success.

You have to be pretty stupid if you want to risk charges for the sake of a few photos. Needless to say, we won't be discussing this here anymore.

To reply to a topic, use the Post Reply button in that thread or contact the person directly via PM, don't post a new thread.

The computer power required to safely operate a coaster even as complex as California Screamin' wouldn't even be that of many modern cars. The number of trains or blocks on a ride has nothing to do with safety, provided the logic that controls those trains and blocks is correct. I would expect that this situation was caused by a mechanical error. There just isn't room for programming errors in the context of a ride, and the scrutiny going into designing the control systems would be second to none when developing a ride.

The latest construction update can be seen here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/gallery.php?gid=165 There is also a press release for the area found here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/release.php?prid=39 The area really is coming to shape now. Though it's hard to think that it's little over a month away - September 10 is the opening date at this stage. It'll be interesting to see in particular the Big Red Car Ride come together.

If you haven't seen or heard, Holiday World in Indiana, USA are adding some fantastic new attractions for the 2006 season, including the huge 170ft tall "Voyage" wooden coaster. Take a look at their website for more information.

The latest construction update from the construction of Wiggles World can be seen here: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/gallery.php?gid=164 There will be further updates as this attraction draws nearer to completion. Related, Dreamworld have also released initial information about Wiggles World, revealing to the public what this new area will be home to. The main attraction will be The Big Red Car Ride. Farmyard Friends is also being rethemed to fit in with the new area and The Fun Spot will be the ultimate Wiggles play area. Detailed information can be seen on the Dreamworld website: http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/wiggl...actions#FunSpot Stay tuned for more in-depth information from Roller-Coaster.com.au.

No need for the attitude Adam. I see the two threads on this topic different enough to run their course simultaneously.

Neil Balnaves happens to be the Chairman of both Southern Star and Macquarie Leisure Trust, which would naturally have had a lot to do with the two coming together in the first place. Indeed it is/was a very attractive and lucrative opportunity for both parties. Whether it still is, I'm really not sure, but I have got the distinct impression that it is waning.

If you are interested in having your photographs featured on Roller-Coaster.com.au, don't hesitate to consult with the Contribute Media page or contact me.

I'd be interested to know what the acoustics of the place are like. Is it a good sounding venue? Admittedly my musical tastes generally lend themselves better to smaller venues, but I've always been curious about how this venue holds up against some of the more established places around Sydney.

I'd have to say rainforest has always been my favourite theme of water park, provided it is done extensively enough. It just has so many possibilities, and of course water and rainforest go hand in hand. Ruins and stonework is cool, but only if they go at least to the extent of using concrete rather than fibreglass, which seems to be an ongoing trend in all Australian theme parks (it is NOT that way in US parks). I disagree that there has been a change in quality of theming at Dreamworld. I see no major change in quality from attraction to attraction over the past 15 years or so.

In terms of marketability, there is simply nothing else available today that would have the impact of a standup coaster in the Australian market. Compared with the gimicky nature of the floorless coaster or Drop Machine, the weight issues with the prone or the "been there done that" factor with their inverted or standard sitdown it really seems to be our best bet with B&M. I'll concur with these guys Skipper, maybe you got a bad run or something, because I loved Riddler's Revenge. For me it was something to do with being up 150-odd feet in the air and realising there's something not right about standing up. Regardless of what you say about pain, it's still smoother and more comfortable than anything we've got here. As for replacing Thunderbolt, I'm not sure I want any major rides there, because that area is capable of so much more.

I've published 41 photographs from Nickelodeon Central's construction period, showing this area of the park come together. Gallery: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/gallery.php?gid=157

When Wipeout opened this ride was relocated from the Wipeout area to what later became Cyclone's entrance area. Its roulette wheel theme was scrapped for the stingray theme we see today, to allow it to fit in better with the newly opened Wipeout and the accompanying "Oean Parade" themed area. For Cyclone's construction it was removed and spent a number of months sitting disused in the Cyclone area (down by the helix). In mid-2002 it was significantly refurbished and reinstalled out the front of Thunderbolt in the area it sits today. Every instance of the Chance Trabant (the make and model of this particular ride) at Dreamworld has been the same installation. And yes Dreamworld do have extensive storage/maintenance areas (the largest storage area is to the East of where Thunderbolt used to be). It's interesting to actually look back at Dreamworld's history. Nearly every ride the park opened with is still there today.

It'll surely be stronger than California Screamin'. A few things come into play there - it's Disney, so they're naturally not going to go full-on (the launch they have in place would be capable of so much more) and it's magnetic which has a slower initial launch phase which results in a tamer launch, whereas a hydraulic launch has a relatively constant acceleration. As said, it WILL be more intense than Tower of Terror, so I see no reason to complain.

Updated ride profile: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/coaster.php?cid=41 A few things of interest include a finalised official opening date (December, not September) and theming details.

We have enough Superman threads already I think. Let's direct the discussion to one of the other threads.