Jamberoo Fan

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.

From the Australian Financial Review:

So does that mean that house in @Theme Park Girl's photo is definitely Hollywood Cottage?

Whilst it is a sudden change in scheduling, I'm going to assume something unexpected arose relating to maintenance. Looking back when Bermuda Triangle closed, Sea World made it very clear from the start that new attraction development for it's site was underway (but it did actually take them a while to actually start demolishing the ride). Sea Viper said the same thing as Viking's Revenge currently but they were actually trying to fix the ride before deciding it was time for permanent closure 7 months later - that decision though was made public immediately. Viking's Revenge also intertwines with 2 other rides - Storm Coaster & Spongebob 3D. If Viking's Revenge is to be demolished, at least these 2 rides would also need to be closed (at least temporarily) as: Viking's Revenge moves around Storm Coaster's support structures. That is very narrow land for machinery to move through to demolish it's flume and might be considered a risk if Storm Coaster was operating at the same time. Spongebob 3D is located inside the castle which Viking's Revenge is located on top of & also travels through its 'towers' - can you imagine the effort required to remove the flume off the castle? It would be very logistical even if they kept the castle. I am just going to hope that it isn't going to end up like Eureka Mountain Mine Ride in an 'extended' maintenance period

I usually write long messages if I feel my message won't be interpreted correctly when written short. The one above is an example of one (and I'm still not sure if it's understandable). Also, since @loki75 posted about the plans they seen, all but the last of my messages was short too. I definitely don't think I'm more knowledgeable on rollercoasters etc. than most forum members or everyone combined. I've learnt a lot from reading forum posts on Parkz in fact. And I never said they were wrong - I think nearly all of what they said is correct. It matches some of the footings already visible on site after all. It was just the lift hill I wasn't sure if it was interpreted correctly. If they said it was just a guess based on the plans they saw, I wouldn't mind - at least I knew so I understood how they came to that conclusion. So I gather in the plans, the footings are along the banks of the swamp indicating Version 1 like you said? See, I'm just not sure if you mistook the lift hill footings for the brake run footings. Given where you said the station is located, the brake run footings would probably be very close to some of the lift hill footings. The brake run track would be pretty much above the brake run footings while the lift hill track would be above as well as far away from the lift hill footings. If it was Version 2, the 'far away' lift hill footings would run along the road near the brake run footings and that would mean, you could have mistaken the brake run track as the lift hill track due to seeing footings near the banks of the swamp. Understand what I'm thinking? And was the station in the right spot? Batwing Spaceshot is equal to the minimum height of a hypercoaster so if MW's new hypercoaster is the same height, the height wouldn't be an issue for residents.

Firstly, when you said this (below) I wasn't sure if you were hinting to me that I should look at the footing locations in current & future photos posted on Parkz or whether you had seen them on the plans yourself: Either way, I mainly asked because you said 'birds eye view' so some footings could be located directly underneath the track & thus potentially not exactly visible on the plans. Launches usually have footings underneath the track - same with brake runs. I look at DA plans quite often and applicants usually submit numerous plans for different elements of a project so my initial thought was that footing locations would be on a separate plan especially given some footings might be located directly underneath the track (builders would have a difficult time with plans that have some footing locations hidden by track) & that footing placement was the only part of the project that was of immediate importance in May. If the project was extremely secret, would they give the track layout plan to construction companies 6 months prior to track being installed? (They might need to - I really don't know) They recently advertised the tenders for track installation so it makes sense having track layout plans that were recently issued. Due to the reasons above, I simply couldn't imagine a plan that showed both the track layout & footing locations and that's why I asked if the footing locations were on the track layout plan you saw. That's also why I originally asked how do you know for sure it is a lift hill. I was just wondering if it was a guess based on the plans you've seen, whether you got multiple plans and you just joined the pieces together or whether there was a symbol/marking on the track layout plan that indicated 'chain/cable lift' or '(block) brakes' etc. Otherwise, you would need really detailed plans to know which footings match with what track parts particularly around the narrow area of the old security gate/checkpoint bridge - 2 separate pieces of track could be in that area & somehow you can tell which footings are for a lift hill (if any) & which aren't? Plans would also show where supports go - something you didn't exactly mention. A plan that shows footing locations, the track but not the supports doesn't convince me you know for sure where the lift hill is. If you had a plan(s) that shows all 3 - footings, supports & track, then it would be accurate and easy to tell where the lift hill is & I'd be more convinced. Out of all the possible answers I'd thought you'd response to my 'how you know it's a lift hill' question - guess, multiple plans, symbols/markings & sorry, confidential - you said footing/track positions near the station & I wasn't expecting that answer as everyone knows that a lift hill is on 1 of 2 sides of a station and that footings alone could mean anything particularly with something near a station (lift hill or brake run? - they are both in a straight line) and near a narrow location like the old security gate/checkpoint bridge. Mainly, I'm just not convinced yet that you interpreted the lift hill location correctly. Sorry I wrote a lot - couldn't explain my thoughts well enough but just to get a better idea of why I'm not convinced, I've made these 'artist impressions': If I replace 'lift hill' with 'track', I get: "track appears to run along the road from Justice League to GL then makes 90 degree turn right..." "and then under the track following it part of the way before breaking left to circle back into the station" On an aerial image, I imagine it like this (approximately): The pink section being the part that runs "under the track" & the red track going along the car park entrance road being 2 separate tracks (one heading north west & the other south east). From that layout, to involve a lift hill, I can imagine 2 versions: Version 1: Lift Hill on MW side & brake run on swamp side. Version 2: Brake run on MW side & lift hill on swamp side: Note: Supports are not meant to be accurate nor the track colours or type of drop. Version 2 isn't at a good angle to show the lift hill - it was just the best angle for me to figure out the minimum height for the hypercoaster based on the height of nearby landmarks. I based the lift hill on the lift hill of Lewa Adventure's Flash, which I believe is on a 45 degree angle so the height of the coaster pretty much matches the lift hill's ground catheti (Google Earth's scale might not be accurate - might want to check that ground catheti for accuracy on NearMaps @AlexB). @loki75, is the station in the right spot? Based on your description, I assumed that was the spot (though I'm not sure if the 'angle in relation to the road' is correct).

Things just got a bit more complex for DW (new information 4th paragraph onwards):

Are the footing locations on the plans @loki75?

Doesn't necessarily mean it's a lift hill - it could be the brake run. So the plans show where the footings are? It seems mainly like a guess on your part anyway, am I right?

Referring to these sentences: I read on DW's website recently that the Hollywood House is still in tact in DW. It is in Gold Rush Country (according to DW's website) but I don't know which building in that area it is? Do you know (or anyone else) know which building it is?

Just 1 question - how are you sure that it is the (if any) lift hill when the plans are from a birds eye point of view with no indication of elevation?