Jamberoo Fan

The electrical components in the SE construction photo look similar in colour to the things in the portion of @mattcrombie's photo I posted. The blue thing in that portion also has a similar design.

This part of one of @mattcrombie's photos reminds me of this photo of SE's construction. It might explain the large crates and if it is the same thing (I'm not 100% sure so can someone confirm?), it looks like things are starting to happen apart from more footings!

For those who haven't seen it already, here is an article from the Gold Coast Bulletin about how DW is caring for the animals during the park's temporary closure: The article also included photos of DW staff with the koalas.

True - VRTP/MW would very likely have to pay for sound barriers. If the hotel is 9 storeys (as rumoured), that alone would be blocking the sight lines to the park so installing sound barriers behind the hotel next to the M1 would be no problem.

The QLD Government could just put sound barriers along the M1 if there is none already there. Here is the zoning (green = open space, pink with red stripes = light density residential - large lot precinct): The dotted blue line is the lot border. VRTP owns the land but who knows how the community sees the land as. I think traffic issues are going to be the most divisive issue regarding the car park.

If you referring to this from Mack Rides home page: ...it says 'the industry' not 'Mack Rides'. Even if they freely spoke of the new hypercoaster at the IAAPA Attractions Expo, it would only be to people in industry and they are unlikely to be as excited over it as theme park enthusiasts would so any information would probably not make it's way to theme park enthusiasts. Given the recent Thunder River Rapids incident, if the media found out something new about the hypercoaster from someone at the IAAPA Attractions Expo, I think it would be published as news.

William Owen-Jones, Division 2 Councillor of Gold Coast City Council, has confirmed in a Facebook comment on his Facebook page that the existing grass overflow car park for MW is planned for a masterplan of future "additional attractions" & the hotel.

For anyone expecting an announcement during the IAAPA Attractions Expo, it's unlikely. It isn't listed in the IAAPA Attractions Expo Press Events list.

@XxMrYoshixX, I don't know if you realised but you already pretty much posted that?

The Daily Mail published this article about 20 hours after I posted the Alder Construction tender advertisement that the Gold Coast Bulletin didn't mention had the word 'hypercoaster' in it. Given it was shortly after the Thunder River Rapids incident, I assumed The Daily Mail saw my post featuring the tender advertisement/link (I thought it'd be too good to be true if they didn't) but for all I know, they might have actually did research based on the Gold Coast Bulletin article & it was all a coincidence in the end. Also, after I posted the above, Ardent Leisure's share price dropped 1% each day for another 2 days. Both were not significant drops but those drops led their share price to go out of their 2 year trend again on the 2nd day. The day after, it rose by 0.5% - taking it just back into their 2 year trend. The sharemarket calmed down again in regards to Ardent Leisure after that day and has been calm ever since but overall, their share price is still significantly lower than it was pre-incident.

So I gather it is probably just a coincidence?

I'd say number 2 as it would be cheaper (less fencing/operational costs). Maybe they will temporarily re-open the old access way to Rocky Hollow under the GD queue to avoid visitors using the GD bridge with access to GD from the Rocky Hollow end of the bridge & a diverted GD queue? As I think you can see Thunder River Rapids from that bridge (someone correct me if I'm wrong). If I'm wrong, temporary fencing where the Rapid Blasters are I think is guaranteed. The only problem I can see is whether to open TOT II & the western GD until the Thunder River Rapids is demolished or not? With TOT II, you can't see the station & conveyor belt of Thunder River Rapids at least (unless you tried looking). Market Place got demolished with no disruptions to nearby shops so I don't think it will affect it much. I thought re-purposing the reservoir would be easier too like turning it into a 'lake' with walkways around it or even turning it into a themed canyon/gorge. It's a large footprint so as a result, it might remain empty for a while but I don't think they will intentionally leave it empty for a long time - it's too large a space not to notice. They would be beginning the redevelopment process immediately - with the memorial first of all and as the priority & any new rides/attractions after that built with the memorial kept in mind. I just thought - the Lego Store, as we know, will be the 1st new attraction to open at DW after the incident but remember that store has access from the outside. Would they open the Lego Store before DW itself? It might give some sort of reason to go back and it might even help DW financially a bit (if people go to the Store) even if DW hasn't re-opened yet.

It's possible. When looking back at SE's construction, SE was first formally announced to the media within a larger announcement about expansions at all VRTP tourist attractions. SE's major media announcement that was dedicated just to SE didn't occur until 4 days prior to opening. Looking at the timetable I put in the '2017 Movie World roller coaster' topic, such an expansions announcement might occur in early June 2017 (though it's highly likely such an announcement could be held prior in a different time period).

Do you know if it was Pounce 'n' Bounce? That ride appeared on the maintenance page on Wednesday and it's maintenance period finishes later today.

Assuming the following: Everyone who rides SE needs to use a locker Lockers are used only when you go on SE but for the full hour People ride SE only once in a day SE only has 1 train operating There are 720 lockers That would be 5040 people per day & if SE's lockers cost $2 per hour (someone tell me if that's no longer correct) - that would be $10,080 maximum per day so given not everyone needs to use a locker at SE, people probably ride SE multiple times & there are way less than 720 lockers at SE, MW would be making way less than $10,080 in revenue daily. Maybe they should computer program the audio so it actually matches what SE is doing? So if SE had a malfunction, the audio could say "this train has been delayed by <insert duration here>" - you know, like how real railway station audio operates. With a long queue, maybe they could extend SE's narrative? Like at/just before the queue start, the audio is from a Metropolis radio station & then just after you enter, the radio station starts reporting 'breaking' news (small earthquakes). For most of the queue, the radio audio is then a very long loop of 'breaking' news stories of Superman saving someone/something from these small earthquakes or from a Superman villain. As you approach the 'platform', the audio is no longer the radio but the railway station's 'next train' announcements. To blend the radio segments together, they could use different radio stations (maybe because others are going 'off the air' due to the earthquake?) or add theming of broken speakers (due to a small earthquake) along the way so there are clear gaps in the radio audio? My memory of SE's queue isn't the best (I'm not sure if they already do any of the above/below) but if there are screens in the queue, they could even add a Metropolis 24 hour TV news channel to one of them showing Superman's heroics live from the earthquake? It would break it up from the radio audio and give people in the queue something interesting to watch if it is dramatic (particularly if you're in a long queue).

I might not have made this clear enough but just to point out, I wasn't exactly saying DW/Ardent Leisure did give in to the media. There might have been more to their reason to decommission the ride - I don't know. I would've preferred them detailing more reasoning but if it was just out of respect, I would've preferred them announcing it after the investigation released their conclusions. All I was saying was that it gave the impression to me that they were giving in to the media due to the announcement's timing.

An external media communications company wrote the statement. Whilst the statement is labelled with Dreamworld's logo, the statement itself mainly refers to quotes from Ardent Leisure's CEO and like you said Ardent Leisure have been releasing them because they are share price sensitive. For all we know, DW might have preferred keeping the ride but Ardent Leisure overruled them. It's not the first time that's happened in big business. Because the situation is rare and could easily influence the future of the theme park and it's owner for the worst.

Whilst I think the reasoning is fine, I think the timing of the announcement wasn't the best in my opinion. I would've preferred finding out the fate of the ride after the investigation released it's findings so if the ride was unsustainable to operate, then fair enough - demolish it & if they closed it out of respect, then it is understandable but having the announcement this early makes me think they are also giving in to the media especially since Ardent Leisure not DW made the announcement - Ardent Leisure really copped it from the media with the way they handled the tragedy after all. They might be trying to avoid more media coverage to soften any negative financial effects.

That's what I meant by "doesn't have much substance". I forgot that the Harry Potter store was removed due to licensing so yeah, assuming Universal hasn't shared or sold theme park rights with/to MW, probably little chance of a Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them themed area. I was only imagining 1 maze & it could be an upcharge and it would save them the time to close Bumper Cars & build/demolish the maze each year and redirect those resources to other projects. A permanent upcharge maze could become free during FN thus allowing unlimited entry into the maze. FN is selling out very regularly so it could allow those who miss out (particularly people who rarely visit MW) to visit them. If FN demands exceeds supply, then a small themed area won't hurt. The whole FN experience wouldn't be removed - it's just allowing a small teaser. MW operates in the day after all - FN is a night experience. But yeah, after reading your post, it looks very likely to be a DC Comics-themed area. If it's a new separate area, it's probably based around 1 character/group of DC Comics like I said in my last post.

Out of all the franchise movies I listed in the 'Poll: What do you think Movie World's coaster will be' topic, apart from DC Comics, the only other franchises that I could see making a new themed area would be Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them, Tomb Raider & Annabelle. Tomb Raider being the least likeliest (as while it is a strong franchise, it doesn't have much substance) while Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them being the most likeliest. I feel MW missed an opportunity to capitalise on the Harry Potter series - they did have the 1st theme park attraction of the franchise but after seeing what Universal is doing overseas, I wonder if they wished in hindsight that they did make a whole themed area of the franchise. Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them provides a 2nd chance and coincidentally, the movie comes out in mid-November (which was the expected hypercoaster announcement date after the mid-August announcement didn't eventuate). I'm not sure if licensing of Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them allows MW to do a whole themed area for the franchises anymore though. With Annabelle, I was thinking of a permanent horror themed area based around horror movie franchises - particularly if Fright Nights proves to be too much of a success in the future (they are closing Bumper Cars nearly all year for it after all - might as well build a permanent maze to save time and costs in construction/demolition & to reduce the duration of Bumper Cars' annual closing). I don't see an extra DC Comics themed area happening unless it is based around 1 whole character/group such as The Flash & Justice League.

I see where you're coming from. I agree SW is more of a family park rather than a thrill park. Sea Viper did look a bit intense for most people though with it's 3 inversions. I saw how people on Parkz were saying Sea Viper hasn't been 'replaced'. In my opinion, Storm Coaster was that replacement (similar height with lift hill/drop(s)) but without any inversions. This ride brings back inversions to the park. I would have added more family attractions but the main reason I put it there was to draw attention to a sometimes forgotten part of the park. There are 3 family attractions up there already & despite Affinity being near it, it is still very forgotten so I thought adding more family attractions would make no difference. Adding a thrill ride though, would. I actually did consider that ride type when developing my idea but it reminded me too much of Buzzsaw. I wanted something to differentiate SW from MW/DW but that's my opinion. The specifications sheet from the S&S - Sansei Technologies website says it 33.2 metres high. I put it in the location of The Plunge as I thought given a rather significant structure is already there, it wouldn't stand out as much as a normally empty spot in the skyline would create if a tall ride took it's place. Mind you, the waterslide tower is roughly half the height of a S&S - Sansei Technologies 4D Free Spin.

That's a bit sudden. I looked at MW's maintenance page earlier today and noticed they added a maintenance period for Pounce n' Bounce in the past 24 hours. You would think if they were giving that page an update, they would update it at the same time & not a few hours apart (unless the ride malfunctioned suddenly)? I wonder why the delay? Unless, of course, I completely didn't see it when I looked at that page.That maintenance list is getting pretty long after all...

The maintenance period wasn't extended for the safety audits. Someone asked MW on Facebook if the safety audits would impact on MW opening to the public and MW responded with this: Given it says VRTP, it is very likely that their response applies to SW too. I think SW's priority should be the removal/replacement of the SW Resort Water Park. Whilst, according to SW, the replacement is to be part of SW Resort, I believe the land should be returned to SW as it suits SW better geographically. This is an idea I developed with SW in mind over the past few days to go in the land linking Castaway Bay with Shark Bay. The general theme of the area is just the open ocean: Beginning at the southern end, the underwater viewing area of Shark Bay is linked to the new area via a tunnel under the road that leads to the SW Monorail maintenance area. The new entrance is via walking into (or near) the mouth of a Great White Shark. The rest of the Great White Shark's body forms part of a statue on ground level - doubling as an entry sign to Shark Bay. It could also include animatronic features in the fins/tail. The main attraction in the area is a S&S - Sansei Technologies 4D Free Spin which I've called Ocean Current. Due to SW Monorail's maintenance track/area causing this whole area (plus Castaway Bay) to be hidden/isolated, a major thrill ride in this area would encourage visitors to find the area. The track would be coloured green/blue/white & a blue sign to the ride is located out the front. Under the Monorail near the Battle Boats station, is a couple of retail outlets - one of which sells ride-on photos to Ocean Current. Next to it, is the SW Monorail maintenance area where the transfer track is connected to the main track. Opposite to the retail outlets, is a timber observation deck which provides a photo opportunity of the Broadwater. In the shallow waters nearby, a recreation of the SW logo is placed (similar to DW's globe) providing a spot to take photos that can be shared through social media. The other main attraction in the area is what I've called Shipwreck. Mostly located beneath ground level, it is a combined escape/panic room & maze. The exterior theming consists of a sinking ship with water pumps recreating the forces water has when a ship sinks. A timber walkway connecting the ship with the land acts as the entrance/exit into the attraction. Once inside the ship, you are put into the escape/panic room. Screens inside the room detail the story before the puzzle begins - you are rich people who are guests on board a ship in rough seas (link to Ocean Current). You encounter a pirate ship (link to Battle Boats) & become locked in a battle with them. Pirates manage to board the ship & the ride attendant (playing the ship's captain etc.) then hides you (because of how rich you are) by locking you in the room. After a brief battle scene, a cannon ball hits your ship and begins to sink. The game then starts where the aim is to evacuate the ship before it sinks. The screens inside the room show the water rising 'outside the windows' (to give an indication of the time you got left) as well as showing the pirates & their ship leaving due to them sinking your ship. When the water reaches the top, small hidden water fountains in the room briefly soak the participants (to recreate water breaching the room) before the ride attendant 'saves you' and leads you into the maze (If you lose the game or depending on how long it took you to finish the puzzle, water effects would operate in the maze too). If you solve the puzzle, you can open the door leading everyone into the maze. The maze essentially looks like the rest of the ship's interior & utilises the effects seen in Young Einstein Gravity Homestead to give you 'sea legs'. The maze represents you evacuating the ship and finding a way out. The end of the maze is the actual ride exit - the timber walkway connecting the ship to the land. Once out, you can then see your time & compare it to other participants. I imagined you can record your time by scanning your park ticket inside the panic/escape room before the puzzle begins as well as at the exit of the attraction. Behind Shipwreck is a plaza where people can sit & eat food from the nearby retail outlets (including the Castaway Bay shops). A stage is placed in front of Shipwreck - doubling it as a background for a show (such as one about pirates or castaways). The plaza acts a place for visitors to view the show (whilst eating too). General entertainment (such as a band or singer or even character meet & greets) can also utilise the stage during non-show times. Happy to hear anyone's opinion on my idea. Please note though that I didn't take into account any financial restraints when developing the ideas.

I originally thought the station would be on the road in-between Justice League & Green Lantern but if I'm right in thinking the location of the station @loki75 says it is as where I've put it in those 'artist impressions', I think there is a possibility for a whole new themed area which would clearly include a major new retail shop. The land next to Justice League is roughly 1600 square metres (70%) bigger than DC Comics Super-Villains Unleashed after all. If no new themed area is planned, it's probably just a really long outdoor queue/exit path with an observation deck nearby. Given the scale of the hypercoaster, I'd highly expect a new retail outlet selling ride-on photos regardless.

Also, from The Australian: I believe this article is mostly speculation except the last 2 paragraphs & the fact DW expects to release a statement to the media on Wednesday. The ride they are referring to in the 2nd paragraph is Thunder River Rapids.