Jamberoo Fan

Yes but no, it was not a secret and if you have not noticed, I always provide a source. I did not provide it immediately this time as I wanted quality discussion until the hypercoaster pieces appeared. The '2017 Movie World roller coaster' topic has been a waste of time reading lately so by not providing the link in this topic until the hypercoaster pieces appeared, it would have allowed discussion to focus on 1 aerial image for & at a time instead of everyone searching theme park aerial imagery en-masse and thus, having nothing to discuss as everyone then has already seen the aerial images. If the hypercoaster pieces arrived today, I would have posted the link immediately as I know there would be meaningful discussion on that topic now. The point of these forums is to have meaningful discussion on theme parks and that topic lately has been anything but. All I was trying to do was create meaningful discussion so as not to waste mine or other people's time. Here is another one for you @joz - Viking's Revenge under construction on Friday the 22nd of June 1979: Like I said in my original post, if anyone else has a request, just post it.

I just found a website where you can view high-quality historical satellite imagery of the Gold Coast. It is amazing seeing the theme parks in such detail in the past. Just an idea to 'past the time' until MW's hypercoaster track/support pieces appear, if anyone wants to see something specific of a Gold Coast theme park, just post below and I'll upload one (or the most popular request) each day until then. I'll provide the link to the full website (and thus, the source of the imagery) when the pieces arrive if there was something you wanted to see that had not yet been posted. To start off, here is Sea World on Tuesday the 10th of July 1973:

Some news footage from ITN, the Seven Network & the Nine Network: Thursday the 23rd of January 1997: Dreamworld's Tower Of Terror opening: http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/1997/01/23/701230023/ Wednesday the 7th of April 1999: Wonderland Sydney's Bush Beast & Triple M's Whirl Till You Hurl: http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/1999/04/07/904040036/

Try the 3 steps here in the 'View a map over time' section. That's the default setting I believe (unsure if you can actually change that permanently). Google Earth does that so you get the clearest possible view. If you had the up-to-date images, they might not be as of good quality or are covered by clouds (which is half of DW is Google Earth's latest update). Satellite images of SW in 2008 are the best images of SW so far & that's why they appear automatically. The only way I can access the up-to-date images is by following the 3 steps I linked to above.

Google Earth recently updated their satellite images so whilst they are not 'up to date', these are the most 'up to date' satellite images of the hypercoaster we have now: 1st October 2016: 15th October 2016: The area of the construction site near Justice League as well as the area along Entertainment Road had a lot of activity in the 15-day period between satellite images. And that's the best image quality Google Earth could provide.

I do think the Vintage Cars are a popular attraction but due to their current location, not many people go near it and thus, seem unpopular. If they moved it (like in my Thunder River Rapids (temporary) replacement idea) to a more prominent location, it's usage may reached pre-MDMC levels again.

So TopGolf Oxenford is going to include 2 swimming pools, a swim-up bar, a Callaway Golf Studio & a TopGolf retail store, @YLFATEEKS? That is what TopGolf Las Vegas also has apart from the 4th floor.

Interesting article about TopGolf in this month's edition of IAAPA's Funworld Magazine: The Long Drive: TopGolf Transforms The Fairway Into An Attraction Does anyone know if in the tender documents for the Oxenford TopGolf it confirms whether it would be similar to the Las Vegas TopGolf mentioned at the end of the article as the plans shown in this topic don't show what is in the interior of the building?

I was not saying you were wrong. I was just trying to explain my train of thought as you compared me to a sensationalising media outlet (see your post below) and well, you asked why I brought October up. It was my opinion too & you didn't respect it - instead assuming I was sensationalising just because I wrote 'especially after the events of last October'. I wrote that last post of mine long because I thought if I wrote it short, the way it read would lead to another comparison to a sensationalising media outlet or me being treated like I'm a troll. And to develop those statistics, apart from my perception of DW's attendance levels post-11/12/2016, I did use information from DW's re-opening weekend attendance figures, newspaper articles as well as Australian Bureau Of Statistics data to write a reasonable accurate paragraph. Data from 1995 is hard to find plus DW's attendance post-11/12/2016 is still commercial-in-confidence so I had to make reasonable approximations using the sources above to explain my thoughts. The opening day attendance of Australia's 1st Disney Store (3000 people) is the only statistic there that is 100% accurate. None. For everything that you cannot do at a normal shopping centre or online: See life-size LEGO models Pick bricks off their wall See a LEGO mosaic Engrave a brick Make your own minifigure Buy exclusive products

Source: Sea World's Attraction Maintenance webpage

Getting rid of it but maybe given the 'broken timber scattered across a footpath under a ride' imagery was not something you would want to see while wandering around a theme park, SW might have considered the investment to replace the timber temporarily worthy so it does not give guests the wrong impression (poorly maintained or built rides) than the real likely reason (still safe when not operating but better financially to replace in the future than repair instantly) especially during a time of intense media scrutiny. If you forgot what it looked like, here's a reminder:

No. Unlike the media, I didn't bring it up to antagonise or scare people - that was just how I felt. It was a personal opinion. I knew LEGO is considered one of the world's most powerful brands but I clearly underestimated their brand's power. Attendances have been down as we know & a new attraction would have provided a short but noticeable spike on opening day (as expected) but I did not expect LEGO's brand to produce a spike of that size. I was definitely not expecting attendance to be the same or lower than attendances between 10/12/2016 & 27/01/2017 because of the Thunder River Rapids incident. I was expecting less than usual for an opening day (due to Thunder River Rapids incident) but slightly more than usual than attendances post-10/12/2016. The Lego Store concept is similar to the Disney Store concept, which arrived in Australia in 1995 & disappeared in 2003. DW, though, currently has the advantage of having the only LEGO Store in Australia. Through research, I found the 1st Disney Store in Australia got 3000 people in it's 1st day of operation - major shopping centres (like Highpoint, where the 1st Disney Store in Australia was located) usually get 25,000 people per day on average in 1995 (so the Disney Store opening day saw a 12% attendance increase) & to me, DW's average attendance post-10/12/2016 is getting more than 3000 people on it's own so I expected only a small but noticeable spike in attendance (400 to 700 extra people approx or a 12% attendance increase) as Disney's & LEGO's brands are pretty much equal in power. I also was simply just expecting people to turn up like normal (i.e. not until 9am) due to it being a retail outlet that is open until 6pm. We don't see people camping out the night before when new theme park rides/attractions open (someone prove me wrong in September ) nor queues of that length that last all opening day (and especially for a retail outlet too!). Despite some considering it 'separate' to DW, to me, it is little different to Whitewater World (as it too has an 'external' entry gate). The only differences are is that LEGO is a powerful licensed brand & entry is free (though you are likely to spend money in-store anyway) and to get through to DW, you need to buy a ticket prior to entering the Store. In the end, the imagery of those long queues portrays public confidence in DW. Regarding your latter statement, I wasn't saying that DW would want it as a park entrance on purpose but more as an unintended consequence of having an external entry to the LEGO Store which allows entry to DW. @Jordan M. says they have ticket scanners so it's possible to treat it as an entrance if you are a passholder or if you get your DW ticket before going inside City Hall/Whitewater World. If it became too much of a problem at times, DW would just have to redirect people to ensure they enter via City Hall/Whitewater World if they intend on visiting DW during their LEGO Store visit. If Ardent Leisure did sell DW in the future, I now really think Merlin Entertainments would be the most likeliest to buy it - as I can now clearly see that the LEGO brand is very very powerful & given they already operate Legoland and Lego Discovery Centres, it would fit their portfolio really well. If DW's brand somehow ends up going beyond repair (which I think is now even more unlikely), they could also easily re-theme the park as Legoland Australia due to the generic theming of DW & the fact that a LEGO Store now operates at the front of the park. You may be wrong about that...

@themagician, it also now says 'WORLD'S FIRST DRIVING ADVENTURE PARK' despite the fact it is not. On Wild Buggy's franchise webpage, it mentions how you can already visit their franchise in Melbourne while Brisbane & Sydney are opening in 2016. I assume Brisbane meant Wet 'n' Wild Gold Coast so is it a coincidence Sydney is getting one too or is it actually for Wet 'n' Wild Sydney, which if it is, would be their 1st true new permanent attraction? No Sydney franchises at all have opened yet despite the promoted 2016 opening date.

Great queues for the LEGO Store opening! I did not expect queues of that length & duration especially after the events of last October. Just a thought - if these queue lengths or level of popularity continue more regularly than anticipated prior to 10am, does anyone think DW has considered the possibility of guests 'entering' DW via the LEGO Store instead of the main entrance from now on due to the 9am opening & how to deal with that? As it's likely that DW would have expected guests to treat the LEGO Store as an 'exit' from DW. In other words, instead of guests entering DW at 10am & leaving at 5pm by spending an hour at the LEGO Store, guests instead would be visiting the LEGO Store for an hour at 9am & visiting DW from 10am to 5pm before immediately the property after 5pm. What do other forum members think - would you go to the LEGO Store at 9-10am or 5-6pm? Also, does anyone know yet how they prevent people entering DW without a ticket? With crowds like that, it would be interesting how they managed access to DW via the LEGO Store.

From Sky News:

I see where @pushbutton is coming from but let's wait & see. Given MW is a theme park, I expect some theming (I would be disappointed if there is only a 'name'/franchise logos for the hypercoaster though) but the bigger the attraction, the less chance of immersive theming. In the end, creativity is all about doing more with less. We got an out & back hypercoaster heading our way, remember. At most, I'd expect theming in the queue, station, brake run or exit - nothing more. For all we know, those elements may have a pre or post-ride segment and similar to what I just wrote, I'd rate the 'narrative' of the hypercoaster based on how creative they are in regards to theming in those areas and how it links to the hypercoaster layout. How the hypercoaster's train is going to be utilised in the theme is also key - look at previous MW coasters: Lethal Weapon - themed to a car (mainly through imagination). Road Runner Rollercoaster - themed to an ACME firework rocket. Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster - themed to Spooky Castle carriages. Superman Escape - themed to a Metropolis Rapid Transit subway train. Arkham Asylum: Shock Therapy: themed to an Arkham Asylum shock therapy chair (mainly through imagination/VR). Green Lantern - themed to the Green Lantern power ring. Hypercoaster - ??? @jake_hunt, all MW attractions have some sort of 'narrative' but yes, some of those rides' theming aren't as immersive as others. Sometimes you need to use your imagination to continue the 'narrative' (like imagining you're inside the Batwing accelerating in and out of outer space on Batwing Spaceshot).

Judging from this Facebook post, if the public are going to be educated on how safe theme parks really are by the media, maybe DW should lead this PR campaign by communicating with affected guests first?

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

DW's first scheduled maintenance since the Thunder River Rapids incident: Dronkey Flyers: 30/01/2017 - 12/02/2017

From DW's LEGO Store webpage:

They could be actually beginning to remove Viking's Revenge during the Storm Coaster maintenance period? They've already begun removing the queue lines & signage (which is pretty easy to do) but maybe they are indeed going to quickly remove the flume channel around the Storm Coaster then? Like I've said before, it looks complex to remove & may be deemed too risky to do while the Storm Coaster is operating. With limited rides & limited times to close Storm Coaster for scheduled maintenance, maybe SW has decided to do a quick but careful removal in case of future delays (i.e. weather/damage to Storm Coaster) particularly as they've set themselves a deadline of 2019? There's no evidence that says they will remove that flume channel around Storm Coaster during Storm Coaster's maintenance period but they should take the most of the opportunities presented.

Yeah, I agree but I wasn't 'overestimating'. I was just saying what I've read people say on here (as I assumed they know better than me due to being local passholders & what they said was fairly reasonable) but given I still wasn't exactly convinced (due to the same arguments you wrote above), that's why I wrote:

For Magic Kingdom, I don't know but I'd assume for DW, that it would be similar to VRTP's 60% QLD visitation. Either way, the 'missing' general admission ticket sales would probably be mostly replaced with extra F&B/upcharge/retail sales from season pass holders. True - this is a comparison of annual passes though: Disney Platinum Pass: AUD$985 Dreamworld Annual Pass: AUD$109 Difference: AUD$876 Note: Disney Platinum Pass comes with more features (i.e. 2-3 extra theme parks, parking, photo downloads etc.)

It is the oldest theme park ride in Australia so they were probably expecting it's eventual demise for a while but this is what makes me think it was unexpected: They had a maintenance period scheduled for this year between mid-July & mid-December. (To me, this means prior to early November last year, they expected it to operate into 2017 & after late-August last year (when the 2017 maintenance period was announced), also expected a major refurbishment of the ride in mid/late-2017 for operations beyond 2017) This Facebook comment says "...the Viking Revenge was closed for its annual maintenance review and a decision was made to retire the ride". (To me, this sounds like the decision was made during it's annual maintenance review) This Facebook comment says "...after a careful consideration, a decision has been made to retire the ride..." (To me, this means they had to think about it before deciding) The above Facebook comment also says "...there are several new and exciting options in the pipeline". (To me, this means they haven't decided on the replacement attraction as of late December - which you would think they would have done before closing Viking's Revenge - though they probably expect a decision to made by the end of this year as they have announced that the announcement of the replacement attraction would occur this year: "We look forward to announcing details of this attraction in the new year") Lastly, the fact the replacement attraction is not planned to open until 2019 - 2 years away. (To me, this makes Viking's Revenge's permanent closure occurring earlier than what they wished) If anything, I think it was unexpected until mid-way through the maintenance review last October/November where a problem was found (or the DW incident had an affect) which built a growing expectation for a permanent closure which they decided to implement in early December. Agree with your whole post @joz but am confused about the statement above and how it fits in exactly? Quick comparison of annual attendance: Dreamworld (2015/2016 - inclusive of Whitewater World & SkyPoint): 2,413,937 (6,614 people/day on average) Magic Kingdom (2015): 20,492,000 (56,143 people/day on average) With attendances like that, the US theme parks clearly earn more money to spend on their theme parks.

Not the media's fault if VRTP decide to release a trading update mentioning less local visitation to the parks on the same day as DW's media launch for the LEGO Store. It's just unfortunate timing & clearly, the media are going to combine them into 1 story.