downunder

I think Disney actually cares about throughput, at least that's my anecdotal observation. I went to Disneyland in September last year, unfortunately it was the first day of Anaheim resident's half price (I didn't find out about this until after) and the park was smashed - my poor friend from Illinois was like "but the crowd calendar said low" lol. I did most things on Lightning Lane, but the ones I didn't, the lines moved really well - Indiana Jones especially take a bow. That's one thing about long lines, it's a lot more bearable if they're constantly moving, it may be a perceptive thing psychologically, but it makes for much less dissatisfaction. Movie World, speaking as a consumer, does not seem to care; and it's real simple for me: don't go.

^Well said, I'm really impressed too, they did an amazing job. I was looking at Wild Mouse POV video I must have taken possibly 12-14 years ago and I can really see the difference. I'm glad they've restored it, I have a sentimental attachment to it. Wild Mouse was my partner's first coaster (albeit as a thirty-something who's always hated coasters and thinks they're unsafe) - and she never wanted to ride coasters again after lol.

This article about Wild Mouse was in The Sydney Morning Herald today, I copied it to bypass the paywall: ‘White-knuckled terror’: Luna Park’s most popular ride to reopen after years-long restoration Luna Park’s famous Wild Mouse rollercoaster will reopen to visitors after a two-year restoration project that left the amusement park to decode fading 60-year-old plans for the ride that were written in German. The rackety wooden rollercoaster, which famously takes riders to views of Sydney Harbour before sending them on a series of gravity-driven dips, turns and bumps, will reopen on Thursday after being closed since 2023. During its closure, the park’s operators removed every section of the ride and had to create a new 3D model of the site because there were no usable plans: the most recent ones they could access were more than 60 years old and entirely in German, the language of the original manufacturer. “We’ve basically replicated every element on the old ride and then made it much better,” said Luna Park maintenance manager Raees Rafeeq, who oversaw the restorations. “We’ve got better timber structures, we have newer control systems. Everything is basically new.” Luna Park chief executive John Hughes said the result was an “incredible engineering masterpiece that packs a lot in”. The rollercoaster uses a conveyor-belt system that drags riders up to the highest point, by the water’s edge, before they plummet through a series of ups and downs propelled by gravity. The Wild Mouse is one of the city’s iconic amusement park rides. It appeared in Sydney in 1963, after the park’s general manager, Ted Hopkins, had found the ride at Seattle’s World Fair years earlier. He purchased plans for the ride, which were created by German manufacturer Mack, and worked with his staff to assemble it. It was originally conceived as a temporary ride and was dismantled and taken to the Brisbane Ekka, Melbourne and Sydney’s Easter Show. The ride was replaced by the Wild Cat in 1969 but returned in 1995 and was immediately placed on the heritage register. “Its position is what makes it really different,” said Helen Pitt, a former Herald journalist writing a history of the park. “It’s right on the water. Unlike the Big Dipper that went high up and around the eastern side of the park, the Wild Mouse gives you a terrifying ride over the harbour of Sydney, and it feels like you’re going to go up and spring right into the water. “Most people don’t see the view though; they’re shutting their eyes and gripping on in white-knuckled terror.” The ride’s restoration is the latest in a long chapter of the park’s recent rollercoaster-like ups and downs. Last year, then-owner Brookfield announced it was selling the remainder of its lease on the site. In December, NSW-based hospitality group Oscars was revealed as the new owner.

That is very cool, and impressive. I'd love to see one on Goliath at Magic Mountain and the Gs it pulls in the helix.

Lol beat me to it. Hopefully, I'll get there that weekend.

It will be interesting to see the impact of the bypass. I play in sports events every year at Coffs and it'll be so much easier in the morning getting from the north end of town to the stadium in the far south when the bypass comes in lol. Maybe it will still be a destination in the same way places like Port Macquarie are (albeit roughly 150 km further away from Gold Coast than Coffs), though I know I'd rather be in Surfers. I've only been to Big Banana once, and that was only because the day's play was washed out, but the alpine coaster would definitely get me more interested.

Luna Park just announced on Facebook they would be giving out the date for the Wild Mouse re-opening soon. Soon for LPS could be years lol. Will be good to have a ride again.

@Jobe great info and ideas. I doubt it's possible, but it would be cool if they could squeeze an out and back coaster along the cliff lines in the gap between the big top and the cliff (i.e. tracks almost side by side). Maybe load behind Coney Island and have turn around past the big top. Just keep it below the cliff line for the residents lol. I'll get off RCT now.

I thought X2 was amazing, so if EJ is X2 plussed (or even squared) it would be amazing. It's interesting how RMC dominates the chart (followed by Intamin), gotta love RMC's reclamation projects (and their new coasters).

Eejanaika must be wild, being a larger version of X2 (which always blows me away). Voyage I never got any good rides on. Rode it a lot; front, back, middle. Turnaround used to be super rough. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough about coasters at the time to try it more at night, which might have been a different experience.

^Like I said, they'd like to get the land, but that's unlikely.

Maybe they'll focus on the hospitality side and building that up. They could maybe jam a small Eurofighter in there or a Maurer SC 2000 (fun, cheap little coaster). They'd love to get that land behind Maloney's corner. Gronalund has a thriving restaurant/hospitality scene as well, which would serve as a good model. Great spot to be out at night.

I've only been on 10 on the list. Iron Gwazi is my #1 (at night, back row, my gosh). Always interesting to see others impressions of rides. I'd love to check out the other 15 I haven't been on.

Lol Gumbuya World seems to be into trying to make studs out of duds. Maybe they saw a free to a good home ad on facebook marketplace for DD.

Can someone hit it with bazooka to make sure it can't some back and drive a stake through it while they're at it. Might be easier to get to scrap metal or wherever in dismantled form, than smashed to pieces. Just a suggestion, I'm in the dark like everyone else.

@New display name I don't know who won personally (just asking people's opinions) as I didn't go to either park in 2024 or so far in 2025 and probably none of us are privy to attendance figures (or could disclose if they did). If I look at it purely from a customer trust perspective (as in me, a prospective customer), Dreamworld did a lot to win me over, and if I had to choose one park, it wouldn't be as simple as it would have been in the past.

As others have observed, I'm puzzled how they spent $100 million on this. Some of it looks great, the rides are good but stock models (correct me if I'm wrong) - attractive for families I guess. I haven't been yet, but from videos it looks like there is space to add attractions - that dark ride we've been dreaming of perhaps - dream on lol. Would it be fair to say Dreamworld won the summer over Movieworld lol?

^It's a fun ride IMO, one of the surprise packets at Knott's. @DaptoFunlandGuy Probably a bit of wishful thinking on my part regarding footprint, Hang Time is a good coaster. I doubt in reality they'd get another coaster for a long time, but it will be interesting to see what they do (or maybe don't do) in the area.

What I'd like to see: Something like Sierra Sidewinder at Knott's maybe with part of the coaster in the building. An Infinity coaster like Hangtime at Knotts, they fit that into a boomerang footprint at Knott's. Bring back Gremlins. Ghost train, more on the haunted mansion level than carnie. Go full carnie, put in a zipper lol. Reality: Nothing. Outdoor tables and seats with no shade. Sea World star flyer Locally sourced pre-loved gyro swing. Absolute certainty: High level of disappointment.

^The old Mitch Hawker coaster poll used to have a weighted score which favoured comparisons.

Marketing - Doomsday Destroyer <the Claw in it's place> resurrected, the dream has become a nightmare, the iconic flight of fear has arrived.

@Baconjack Thanks. Purely an imagining, wouldn't it be tragic if they relocated it to somewhere else in the park - just to piss us off lol. Iconic re-imagined - Doomsday Resurrection.

That was quick, happy days. Hopefully the fences come down soon so people can enjoy the precinct again. Did I miss something or was there never any announcement? (MW: Doomsday Destroyer, never heard of it, what's that?). If so, missed opportunity for marketing to lament how iconic it was.

An official announcement would be nice, so we can feel confident to start celebrating lol. Doomsday Destroyed - that's a nice headline. Such a cool precinct, shame about the ride.

^Good to know, it's a cool place for gigs. My partner and I went to Dream Circus and we absolutely hated it, couldn't wait for it to finish (she's total non-theme park person, so an okay sample space of perspectives). Hopefully most of the money was spent on the tech and not the production. Back to topic lol, anyone seen any movement with the Wild Mouse? Last time I checked, one piece of track was missing and there were no cars on site.