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@Ashley Jeffery You’re basically a pop-up ad nobody asked for. 🤣 funny way of saying you’ve got nothing to add to the conversation. @wikiverse at least raised a few good points.

That just sounds like a list of excuses to me. Covid, the GFC, bad weather, the war in Iran. There’s always something to blame. A good captain knows the sea won’t always be calm and it’s their job to steer the ship through the worst of the storms.

Parks that constantly run sales start to look like an outlet mall rather than a premium attraction. Once guests see a park as “cheap,” it’s hard to push prices back up. Cheap tickets can pack the park. That sounds great until: ride lines explode staffing costs increase maintenance gets heavier After the 2016 accident, attendance collapsed. To get people back through the gates, the park leaned heavily on very cheap tickets and aggressive annual pass deals. Attendance slowly recovered, cheap annual passes brought locals back The market has got used to very low prices and revenue per guest has stayed weak and dropping. The park had less money to invest in major new rides So now when attendance has improved, the park isn't swimming in cash. It’s like filling a bucket that has a few holes drilled in the side. My view is, DW has reinvented itself as the Aldi of theme parks, you only go because it's cheap.

Ten years later, and the park still needs to discount to sell tickets. Spare me the sob story about the recovery.

If I wanted the company to fail @wikiverse I wouldn't have shares in it. Coming up to 10 years and people are still using that as an excuse.

DW are still very much discounting their passes. Sent this offer the other day. and DW yearly 149 pass is really $99.00 if you take off the $50 they give you back in food.

Anyone can fill a park. The trick is filling it with people who buy lunch because a park full of people looks good in photos, but a park full of people buying churros, plush toys, and $12 soft drinks is what the accountants frame on the wall. You’re adding all these new attractions, so the last thing you should be doing is discounting tickets to get people in. If the rides are doing their job, the marketing department shouldn’t have to dress up as a clearance sale.

Why are we going backwards DW? Financial Year Per-capita guest spend FY2025 $62.11 per guest FY2024 $62.36 per guest FY2023 $68.70 per guest

Rivels is the only attraction that has had its maintenance period reduced.

Hard to believe, but ride reliability at MW over the last few months has actually been really good. Hopefully it’s a sign they’ve finally turned the page.

If I’d known it’s a slide that doesn’t actually loop, I wouldn’t have called it out. I just checked the one you mentioned, because I’m not over splash park installations. I’m wondering if Aussie World even realises it doesn’t loop, since they’re the ones calling it a looping slide. 🤣

I’m about 50/50 on whether Aussie World plans to build this themselves or if they’re getting the DA approval ready to sell the land or bring a partner onboard. The looping water slide makes me think the project might be drifting a bit outside their comfort zone. That’s the sort of ride where the insurance company suddenly wants a meeting. In the end, the plans say “indicative only,” which is planning-speak for, don’t fall in love with any of these slides.

Council approves new Aussie World waterpark catering for up to 1800 people a day ByChris Gilmore 10 March 2026 The Sunshine Coast is set to be home to a new waterpark after Aussie World’s proposal to build a $60 million facility was given the green light. The plan to build the waterpark on privately owned land to the north of the existing Palmview attraction was approved, subject to conditions, by Sunshine Coast Council on March 6. Aussie World’s parent company Timevale Pty Ltd initially submitted the development application in June 2024, with the concept design featuring 16 waterslides for all ages and numerous pools and waterplay areas. The waterpark is also set to include food and beverage outlets, a pool bar, sun lounges, cabanas and souvenir shop. The council issued a request for further information in July 2024, with Aussie World responding via town planners Project Urban in June last year. Further advice was provided by council in July, with the applicants replying in December. The council’s approval includes 105 conditions and has a currency period of six years. A minimum of 655 car parking spaces must be provided, with a two-storey car park to be built along Frizzo Connection Road, more than doubling the current capacity at Aussie World. The conditions also include measures to minimise impacts on residents of the Palmview Forest estate to the west, with the advice from council noting it had received a petition with about 300 signatures expressing concerns. “The residents raise residential amenity concerns, in particular about the proximity of the proposed rides and potential noise impacts,” it said. The conditions say any buildings, excluding waterslides, are limited to a maximum height of 15 metres. All slides must also be set back at least 50 metres from the western boundary, and any within 70 metres of that boundary are not permitted to exceed 35 metres. “Retention of a 30-metre-wide vegetated area (which will continue to contain mature trees) will also assist in visually screening the proposed development from nearby residences,” the documents state. Project Urban notes Aussie World also conducted a survey, with about 91 per cent of 765 respondents indicating support, and that some adjustments were made to the initial proposal in response to setback concerns. “The overall extent of the waterpark has been retained. However, rides have been relocated within the development footprint,” it said. Architectural plans by Future Design World provide more details about the plans for the waterpark. “The overall theming treatment for the Aussie World Water Park is based on nature and native Australian flora and fauna,” it says. “Area treatments will feature native animal names, topiary and themed elements such as life-size animal sculptures. The architecture sets a backdrop for generous native landscaping, feature trellises, terraced rockwork and passive solar design based architectural treatments. “The buildings are intended to create a subtropical open-air indoor/outdoor vernacular using classic Australian building materials including corrugated iron roofs and cladding as well as natural timber elements. The site plan for the waterpark, with the two-storey car park at the top left. The existing theme park is to the right. “In conjunction with the architectural theme, the waterpark will be nature and native Australian animal-themed with lush subtropical landscaping endemic to the Sunshine Coast. The waterpark will have Australian animal-based attraction names, signage and theming opportunities that appeal to both young and old while continuing the Aussie World celebration of everything Australiana.” The plan also includes clearing about 2.9 hectares of vegetation, some of which Project Urban notes has previously been disturbed and is currently used for skirmish. The clearing will be offset through financial contributions and a rehabilitation plan. A bus set-down area, passenger loading zone and bus-only lane, as well as upgrades to the intersection of Frizzo Connection Road and Pignata Road, and the northern access to the site from Frizzo Connection Road, are also required. Aussie World has previously said the waterpark will draw an estimated 780,000 annual visitors by 2031, generating $15.2 million to $30 million towards the local tourism economy and up to $39 million through the three-year construction period. It will create employment for 193 full-time staff during the peak season and 87 full-time staff during non-peak periods. “The waterpark will continue to strengthen the Sunshine Coast’s reputation as the tourism capital of Queensland for families and young adults, adding to the already exceptional line-up of tourist attractions across the region,” general manager Jenny Howell said in 2024. Aussie World has been operating on the site since 1989. The approval says the waterpark can operate from 7am-7pm Sunday to Wednesday and public holidays, and 7am-10pm Thursday to Saturday. It is expected to have a maximum capacity of 1800 patrons per day. Aussie World was approached for comment but said it couldn’t comment further until the conditions had been fully reviewed. Sunshine Coast NewsAussie World's $60m waterpark expansion approvedThe Sunshine Coast is set to be home to a new waterpark after Aussie World’s proposal to build a $60 million facility was given the green light. The plan to build the waterpark on privately owned land

The DA for Aussie World’s new water park was approved on Friday. Hopefully everyone can view the drawings I’ve uploaded.

Competition between the parks is healthy, but this feels less like competition and more like a group sprint to the bottom. As a guest, I’d rather see them competing over who has the best park, not who can be the cheapest.

@RobMac Did you read my comment, or just freestyle off the vibe?

It’s coaster common sense 101. You don’t park a train in the station long term. A station is for loading and unloading humans, not for train storage. That’s what the maintenance bay is for. It keeps the running wheels happy instead of slowly squashing them into sad little pancakes. If you are looking at selling the ride and if the maintenance bay only fits one train, the other doesn’t just sit in the station. It goes into storage.

JR keeps proving why this is the direction many parks are heading with dark immersive attractions. It relies on only a handful of moving elements, for maintenance. Now picture fully enclosed dark ride some people are demanding. You would multiply the mechanical complexity, staffing demands, and maintenance load, all for no advantage over JR. Instead of enhancing the experience, you risk creating a maintenance-heavy headache that adds cost and complication. DW shouldn’t go backwards with a dated, traditional dark ride concepts.

The motor coaster didn’t detract from the area any more than the TOT track did. There’s nothing unusual about a park relocating a ride to make space for a new one, and they could just as easily have removed the Vintage Cars entirely from the park. The real problem was what they considered acceptable for the Vintage Cars compared to what the attraction used to be.

Honestly though, spending $550,000 just to discover boats sink is the most expensive science experiment ever.

I hope it's nothing like the coaster at the Big Bannana and every thing like the Thredbo Alpine coaster.

To add to this @themagician Dark rides are evolving hard right now and the lines between ride types are melting. Parks have cotton onto it because it's cheaper than adding expensive animatronics and theming. Instead of sitting in a slow little train watching a story they are making you a character in the story. This form of dark rides are becoming more common, blending physical sets, and ride systems into one seamless experience. Parks have caught on because these designs can deliver big, immersive storytelling without relying entirely on expensive animatronics. Instead of just watching scenes go by, you become part of the adventure, with the story unfolding around you. Attractions like Jungle Rush show this shift well. Dark rides are all about immersion and it's only dark to help with the immersion, when you leave the temple on JR, the immersion continues as you round the plane through the Jungle. SE could never be a dark ride as the immersion ends as you exit the shed. Walls and a roof are just tools. If you can control sightlines, choreograph the lighting, shape the soundscape, and guide the story beat by beat, you’ve followed the recipe. Whether it sits in a warehouse, a canyon, or under a tangled canopy of steel and scenery it doesn’t matter. A dark ride is less about darkness and more about direction. It’s storytelling on rails. If you can aim the guest’s eyes and emotions like a spotlight, you’re already there. The magic isn’t the shed. It’s the control. What ride in a shed do you want at DW?

Got it, The ones at Timezone are a dark ride, ones in the picture aren't. Just go to a theme park at night and every ride becomes a dark ride.

I found a dark ride that perfectly matches your requirements. //s

People love certainty, clear lines, and labels, even when reality is a whole rainbow of nuance.