Jamberoo Fan

Whilst Jamberoo's 2020-2021 season finished last Sunday, a little bit of news from a week before that - On Jamberoo's Frequently Asked Questions page, they put: The closure on 19 April meant only on the final 2 operating days of the 2020-2021 season (24 & 25 April) the Bobsled Blue Track will not be operating. It should be assumed that the Bobsled Blue Track will be closed until Velocity Falls (and not and/or Koala Kove) opens so it could still be closed when the 2021-2022 season starts. For non-Jamberoo enthusiasts, the Blue Bobsled Track is the fast, experienced riders track. If you head to Jamberoo for the Bobsleds while the Blue Bobsled Track is closed, you risk a very slow, traffic jam-filled bobsled ride due to slow or inexperienced riders. Best to wait until the Blue Bobsled Track reopens for a fast, smooth ride with no or little traffic jams. Remember, if you don't want a slow, traffic-jam filled bobsled ride, you can also still take the Chairlift to admire the views at the top of the mountain and take a rare trip on the Chairlift back down the mountain. Also, here is the Dive-In Movies schedule for the recently finished 2020-2021 season: 26/12/2020 - E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial 02/01/2021 - Ride Like A Girl 09/01/2021 - ¡Three Amigos! 16/01/2021 - The Secret Life Of Pets 2 23/01/2021 - Back To The Future 30/01/2021 - Paddington The 2020-2021 season's Dive-In Movies started an hour earlier at 5pm but still on Saturdays and still at Outback Bay.

It seems Channel 9 decided to have only the sole 2-hour episode, which was screened last Tuesday night. A little review below:

First, Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire & now another theme park documentary series on Australian free-to-air television! ...and a much happier documentary series too... INSIDE LEGOLAND: A WORLD OF WONDER The 1st episode goes for 2 hours (including ad breaks, of course) and I anticipate it will be either two 2 hour episodes over 2 weeks or two 1-hour episodes plus the 2-hour 1st episode over 3 weeks: Hope that has built some anticipation...one piece at a time (Disclaimer: I have no more information on the show's upcoming telecast to provide). Previews of Episode 1 is provided below (Note: As stated above, I expected Australia's Episode 1 to be a double episode in a maximum 3 part series unlike the UK which was a 4 part series hence Episode 1 & 2 previews below): Below is information about the show from a press release on Legoland Windsor's website (I've put it in a spoiler box as it is targeted to UK viewers last year rather than Australian viewers next week): It begins Tuesday 20 April 8:50pm to 10:50pm on Channel 9, immediately after Lego Masters - Episode 2.

It may be 45 days since the article was posted but here is the full article below complete with the new design of Velocity Falls, which was submitted to Kiama Municipal Council as a DA modification last Winter. It also reveals Jamberoo Express is getting an upgrade & expansion (I assume the new 'track' (concrete path) that was proposed in the Kangaroo Island DA that goes from the Funnel Web observation deck to The Taipan via Velocity Falls's bridge is being built as part of this development allowing a full circumnavigation of the main areas of the park). Lastly, it reveals, Platypus River, Kangaroo Island's lazy river, complete with wave machine, is the next development. For those who don't know much about Fitzroy Falls, here is the official website:

Agree. Even though they've considered an alpine coaster, I doubt we'd see a non-water ride until Kangaroo Island is finished being built and that's a while away, pandemic or not. Well that's interesting! They're more serious about it than I initially thought.

The TV Tonight website has done a full review now (contains spoilers):

Ah, Las Vegas. A casino city in the middle of the desert that tries to mimic Giza (though the casino is named after the city of Luxor)... ...Paris... ...New York... ...and maybe more (I can't be bothered checking every casino) but Las Vegas ain't no Cairo, Paris, New York etc. either. I never said the Illawarra is trying to be the Gold Coast - just that their tourism offering is starting to get close to what you can get on the Gold Coast.

The TV Tonight website did a 'mini review' recently saying: Looking forward to this documentary!

In my opinion, they do have potential to expand back into non-water rides. The fact they've considered an alpine coaster shows this. However, they currently have a water park strategy which involves them hitting attendance targets before building a new ride. So once Velocity Falls is built, we won't see a new ride until new attendance targets are reached & given the pandemic, this could be a while. If you take Kiama on it's own, yes, outside summer, the tourist numbers are lower but Kiama is also part of a broader area called the Illawarra, which consists of Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama. Sometimes the Royal National Park & the part of the Shoalhaven north of the Shoalhaven River is considered part of the Illawarra too. Back in November, I wrote "If anyone wants to have a 'Gold Coast' holiday in the Illawarra, I'm happy to provide more tourism suggestions". Well, here is a short list of 'Gold Coast'-like suggestions: Jamberoo Action Park Illawarra Fly (owned by Merlin Entertainment) Symbio Wildlife Park Breakout Precinct at Shellharbour Workers Club There is more to do than just Jamberoo and the Illawarra's tourism future is looking strong. The DA for it was never submitted. I just happened to find it within the DA mainly for the formerly planned Grand Gorge Falls. Me 😜

Too bad that's last season's line-up. Still unconfirmed if going ahead this year particularly with no season passes being issued. 1 hour & 21 minutes? (That's right!) Fixed your quote for you @themagician. Flights from Melbourne & Brisbane have been possible since 30 October 2017 (except between June & November 2018 due to the previous airline suddenly going out of business due to high debt). However, I haven't posted it on here yet as a direct Gold Coast flight has constantly been rumoured since flights restarted to/from Shellharbour & didn't want any misinterpretation of information as to where flights left (Brisbane or Gold Coast). If Gold Coast-Shellharbour flights happen, the fly-in fly-out theme park possibilities... Shellharbour Airport is also home to the famous Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Museum (personally recommended by John Travolta) & Wings Over Illawarra air show (held in May in recent non-COVID-19 times). If anyone wants to have a 'Gold Coast' holiday in the Illawarra, I'm happy to provide more tourism suggestions. Great to see Dive-In Movies return at Wet 'n' Wild Gold Coast though! That seemed to be the missing link in the water park experience there lately.

Please don't brag about how your frequency of theme park trips correlates with possible theme park knowledge. Correlation does not mean causation. Also, you may notice my user name is 'Jamberoo Fan'. I've been to Jamberoo heaps of times as well and am local too. I've also been a forum member of Parkz for nearly 15 years - probably the number 1 unofficial source of Jamberoo news on this forum. I've also not learnt theme park knowledge just by going to theme parks - I've done studies in subjects that are required to operate a theme park too and have done hobby research on the iconic theme parks of the world. I also bolded and underlined certain words to emphasise to everyone, not just you, that it is new information. They have before. It's what held up Kangaroo Island initially as the community didn't think the colours of the newly proposed rides fit well into the landscape. And that isn't the Mayor. That's the New South Wales Member Of Parliament For Kiama & New South Wales Government Minister For Families, Communities & Disability Services. Governments normally don't just give money to theme parks - they are private commercial operations. However, due to the pandemic & recession, things may be more lenient to help the local economy. It would still go through a stringent process though to justify giving $2 million to a water park in a recession & pandemic. The Mayor of Kiama Municipality is Mark Honey (pictured below) (picture from Kiama Municipal Council).

Well, given the pandemic, it wouldn't be surprising if they have tried to go more cost-effective. Like in the story, they need $2 million before construction can begin, bringing the cost to $9 million (though WIN News Illawarra quotes $10 million - not sure where the extra $1 million comes from). Also, on the 24th of July, they submitted a modification to the original DA. It is the same cost but hasn't been approved yet. I don't know if it has been on exhibition yet (it currently isn't) but I assume the exhibition period was months ago. My speculation is that the modification involves the replacing of the 1st bump with a 360 degree turn (like The Wedgie) or a loop (like Aqualoop) to the SkyBox Multi-Bump Speed Slides. This would fit this description from Jim Eddy: Personally, I hope there is a non-loop option as it will make a more universal experience. Weight restrictions prevented me from riding Aqualoop but I could ride The Wedgie. Not being biased as Raging Waters Sydney is a design-flawed water park but Jamberoo overtook it on Raging Waters (formerly Wet 'n' Wild) Sydney's 2nd day of operation, which was 6 seasons ago.

From WIN News Illawarra: Action Park New Ride.mp4

To add to the list in the previous post: Any other tickets that were unused in the 2019 - 20 season and re-issued/re-validated can also be used & they encourage holders of these tickets to use them at their soonest convenience. Offering a refundable booking option for e-ticket purchases this season. The refundable booking option is selected by default as part of the ticket purchase process, so it is up to the purchaser to actively un-select that if they choose not to purchase a refundable booking type ticket. It is completely your choice. If you think you might not be able to come to Jamberoo Action Park for some reason, please check the terms and conditions of choosing a refundable booking & consider if it might be a good option for you before completing your ticket purchase. Please note that without purchasing the refundable booking option, Jamberoo Action Park has a no-refunds, no-exchanges, no-extensions policy as stated in the terms and conditions agreed to by the customer before ticket purchase Correction to previous post: 2019/2020 season passes still valid until 31 October 2020 inclusive.

Jamberoo Action Park started it's 2020/2021 season today. Apart from their 40th anniversary season celebrations, here are the new 2020/2021 season details, which are all COVID-19 related: Delayed construction of Grand Gorge Falls & Koala Kove Splash Out area still remains operational The Jamberoo Express & communal coin-operated barbeques non-operational until further notice. However, sanitised barbeques are available for rent for customers for $50 (up to 24 hours before your visit). Contact Jamberoo Action Park on 4236 0114 to make a booking for a barbeque. Celebrating their 40th anniversary season New Online Food Ordering Service Developed a COVID-19 Response & First Aid Procedure Pre-opening training and certification for employees Internal employee training will be conducted to ensure employees understand and feel confident in managing physical distancing and hygiene role aspects Scheduling employee breaks based on capacity limits of staff rooms Sanitising of shared employee equipment including personal flotation devices and radios upon each staff rotation Limiting employees in a utility vehicle or 2-person buggy to 1 person Employees using gloves when conducting jobs that require interaction with high touch surfaces or objects such us rubbish pick-up & handling toboggans Currently, no season passes for sale this season 2020/2021 season passes still valid until 31 October 2020 inclusive. For Season Pass holders who no longer have their passcards, you must present ID to the Customer Service Officer at The Souvenir Shop & they will process a replacement card for you. The usual card replacement fee of $10 will apply to all cards needing replacement Capacity limit of 5000 guests (1 guest per 8 square metres) Jamberoo Action Park will incentivise the online purchase of tickets through discounts All guests will be required to provide their personal details including their full name and either email address or contact number For guests that purchase tickets together in one transaction, only one contact person will be required Guests will be encouraged to pay via contactless payment methods through the introduction of point of sale signage (plus see the new online food ordering service above) Implementing additional ticket scanners that will be utilised as demand requires Staffing to ensure an earlier than advertised opening is achievable should it be required Pavement signage will be implemented encouraging guests to adhere to social distancing and indicating the appropriate 1.5 metre spacing Additional signage reminding guests to stay home if they are feeling ill, maintain social distancing, avoid touching surfaces where possible, practice good personal hygiene & downloading the COVID-Safe App Hand hygiene units containing sanitiser will be available at bathrooms, attraction entry and exits, accessible building entrances to accessible buildings, food and retail outlets & locker stations All accessible buildings have capacity limits imposed based on 1 person per 4 square metres. This limit will be conveyed on signage at the entrance to each building Sun lounges & tables will be adequately spaced to adhere to & observe social distancing respectively Food & beverage outlet queue lines set-up through barriers with signage requesting that 1 person per order is present in the queue line Each table will have disinfectant wipes for guests to utilise before and after each use A Hygiene Marshall will be on duty at each food & beverage outlet Hand sanitiser will be sold for guest convenience at Surf Shack & The Souvenir Shop Attractions that have pools for recreational swimming (i.e. Billabong Beach, Outback Bay & Rapid River) will put in place capacity restrictions based on the 1 person per 4 square metre rule. This will be displayed at the entry to each attraction and monitored by Ride Attendants and Lifeguards Landscape Golf clubs and balls will be sanitised between use Guests will be asked to sanitise their hands before or after using applicable attractions including the Funnel Web. Perfect Storm, Banjo’s Billabong, Splash Out, Rapid River, Billabong Beach and The Taipan Guests will be provided with disinfectant wipes to sanitise their toboggan prior to use Guests utilising the same raft or vehicle on a ride must do so with members of the same household or a close contact Guests should only touch what they intend to purchase at Surf Shack & The Souvenir Shop and all purchases at those retail outlets are final until further notice The hourly cleaning schedule upgraded to include cleaning of other high touch surface areas including locker screens, chairlift chairs, point of sale counters, change rooms and handles. This will be documented on a cleaning register & will be the responsibility of the contracted cleaning company (except in the case of chairlift chairs, which will be sanitised by ride attendants & point of sale counters, which will be sanitised by food & beverage attendants & retail attendants. The latter will also sanitise change rooms & handles) Daily sanitisation of huts, shelters, fences, railings, queuing barriers and ride personal belonging storage areas Weekly spot audits will be conducted and documented by Jamberoo Action Park Management Further emphasis of Jamberoo Action Park’s pre-existing Employee Assistance Program Review of current procedures to ensure tasks completed can adhere to social distancing Conditions Of Entry updated to state guests & employees are not to enter the facility if they: Have presented with flu-like symptoms (or a related illness) in the last 72 hours including but not limited to cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue, loss of sense of taste or smell, or shortness of breath; Have been in contact with someone who tested positive to COVID-19 virus within the past two weeks; Have been directed to self-isolate for a period which includes the day of visit; or Have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting results. In the case of employees, this will be confirmed by written acknowledgement at the beginning of each shift. For more information, click these hyperlinks: Jamberoo Action Park COVID-Safe Plan & Frequently Asked Questions Plus this new quote on their website: Coming from the theme park with Banjo's Billabong & Billabong Beach, 2 gray-coloured Tornado ride elements on 2 separate rides (Funnel Web & The Perfect Storm) and possibly in the near future 2 8-lane racers (Surf Hill & Grand Gorge Falls) (but hopefully next season & with a planned closure of Surf Hill with hopeful replacement ride for it planned (hopefully the alpine coaster with an altered finish to finish where Surf Hill finishes)).

From The Illawarra Mercury (6th of June):

From The Illawarra Mercury: The Eddy Group Of Companies now include, apart from Jamberoo Action Park: Belmore All-Suites Hotel (Jamberoo's own Sea World Resort though it's located 20km away in Wollongong like the rest of their companies). To the best of my knowledge, they have owned this hotel since before the mid-2000's. City Beach Function Centre - wasn't original owner but did buy it in recent years. I think he wanted to add a light show to the building. Located immediately next to Wollongong's Flagstaff Hill to the south on the northern end of Wollongong's South Beach. Steamers Bar & Grill - located in the same building as City Beach Function Centre. Longboard Cafe - located in the same building as City Beach Function Centre.

A very interesting article published today (6th of June) by The Illawarra Mercury. It included an album of 33 photos (before the Green Snow paragraph), which I'll post in a separate post in chronological order with the photos in the article below:

AMUSEMENT PARK REGULATION IN QUEENSLAND CLASS 2 RIDES INSPECTION & REGISTRATION OIR INSPECTOR AUDITS OF DREAMWORLD PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT OIR TECHNICAL ADVICE ABOUT THE INCIDENT Technical Advice - Principal OIR Adviser (Mechanical), Mr. David Flatman The coroner has no power to fine anyone. They only make recommendations. The only action will be industrial, as in, business/company related if the OIR (office of industrial relations) decides there is enough evidence to prosecute. So dreamworld may cop a fine, but not individual people. OIR TECHNICAL ADVICE ABOUT THE INCIDENT Technical Advice - OIR Principal Inspector, Mr. Ian Stewart PROHIBITION NOTICE – ARDENT LEISURE REGULATORY RESPONSE FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT 2016 Audit Campaign 2017 Audit Campaign Best Practice Review of OIR PROPOSED REGULATORY AMENDMENTS INDUSTRY RESPONSE & INFORMATION VILLAGE ROAD SHOW SAFETY SYSTEMS EXPERT EVIDENCE Engineering Expert Advice ENGINEERING EXPERT CONCLAVE FURTHER EXPERT ADVICE Human Factors Report on Fatal Incident, Professor Penelope Sanderson Expert Report by Principal Naval Architect, Mr. Mark Devereaux Dreamworld Ride Velcro Seatbelt Test, APV Engineering & Testing Service, Mr. Jose de Freitas ANALYSIS OF THE CORONIAL ISSUES The Findings required by s.45 of the Coroners Act 2003 Examination of the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the Dreamworld Theme Park, including but not limited to, the construction, maintenance, safety measures, staffing, history and modifications. Examination of the sufficiency of the training provided to staff in operating the Thunder River Rapids Ride. Consideration of the regulatory environment and applicable standards by which Amusement Park rides operate in Queensland and Australia, and whether changes need to be made to ensure a similar incident does not happen in the future. Changes Made at Dreamworld Following the Incident What further actions and safety measures could be introduced to prevent a similar future incident from occurring? RECOMMENDATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH s.46 DISCRETION TO REFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH s.48 (4) I close the inquest James McDougall Coroner Southern Region

AMUSEMENT PARK REGULATION IN QUEENSLAND That's now just about 2/3 of the Queensland Coroner's Findings Of Inquest so far. Hope it is convenient for you all. I'll post the last third over the coming days. In the meantime, you can read the full report via @webslave's post.

CHANGES AT DREAMWORLD FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT AMUSEMENT PARK REGULATION IN QUEENSLAND

HISTORY OF EXTERNAL SAFETY AUDITS AT DREAMWORLD DRA Safety Management Audits Dreamworld Safety Auditing Strategy FY15

HISTORY OF EXTERNAL SAFETY AUDITS AT DREAMWORLD DRA Safety Management Audits

HISTORY OF EXTERNAL SAFETY AUDITS AT DREAMWORLD JAK Leisure Company Audits