Spotty

They did a minor refresh of Gold Rush Country when BuzzSaw opened in 2011 so I don't see them doing too much work to it just yet unless they finally do something with Eureka. Honestly i'd love to see Rivertown (or whats left of it) get refurbished. Motocoaster could stay there quite easily with a few minor changes to the theming. An example would be if the licensing or sponsorship with Mick Doohan ran out and they didn't want to renew it they could always retheme it to an old time motorcycle race. The ride would just need a repaint and some details added to the trains. They could get rid of the huge obtrusive facades or even retheme them and it could even blend in sort of with the gold rush / rocky hollow theme. It would be a rather inexpensive retheme and would make the whole area much nicer. There is physically nothing wrong with the motocoaster, it's just been poorly executed and marketed the wrong way. Heck, you could even go back to Dreamworld's roots and theme it to something like "Kenny and Belinda's mad race" and the theming could pay homage to the original vintage cars that were on the site.

Batwing closes in high winds (but when I say High Wind...it's got to be pretty damn high to shut batwing down) Superman does actually have a wind detector and prior to each launch the system weighs the train and takes into account the wind speed the best it can to optimise the launch however in very strong winds the ride will cease operations. I know that the Giant Drop at Dreamworld is capable of operating in winds up to 120kph and dreamworld even had it on their website at one point a few years ago but weather or not they still do operate in winds that strong is a different story. Basically when they say "High Wind can effect operation" it pretty much means it has to be a pretty big ass storm to shut it down. In the end the final call comes to the park supervisor to cease operations of certain attractions until the adverse weather conditions stop. Also what Nitromefan said about Batwing's cable is essentially correct and the cable is unable to be protected from the elements like the Intamin Giant Drops using the procedures stated. This is also why at night time the Giant Drop's catch cars are kept at the top of the tower.

A camera in your hand is NOT permitted on Scooby Doo under any circumstances along with any loose items (lanyards etc) around your neck. Go Pro's will not be permitted on any of the attractions either. By taking video footage on any of the attractions you do risk being ejected from the park (a warning the first time) but if you are caught a second time on the day they are more likely to eject you from the park and may even terminate your VIP pass if you have one. IMO the rules are a little bit strict, but they are there for a reason in the end. So just enjoy the ride without having to worry about being kicked out and just have fun!

Superman: Ask the entry host and inform them you want to do a parent swap. Wait at the shop whilst the other parent queues up and tell the loader / grouper that your doing a parent swap. Once you get off the ride also let the unloader know and they will send you through the staff door to the load platform. Arkham Asylum: Line up as normal and let the attendant know your doing a parent swap. One parent rides while the other waits on the load platform with the child, then swap over and both exit once both parents have rode. Scooby Doo: Tell the entry host that your doing a parent swap, one lines up whilst the other parent goes to the exit and waits. Once they have finished the first ride, they swap over and enter through a side door between the load / unload platform. Green Lantern / Wild West Falls / Batwing - SpaceShot: Same setup as Arkham Asylum basically

The last time Lethal Weapon ran with 2 trains was 2009 xmas holidays, in 2010 and 2011 they did not run the 2nd train ever. Early 2011 the red train was cannibalised for parts and converted into the "purple" train in preparation for the Arkham Asylum refurbishment as the current ride uses the old chassis from the previous trains. They even removed the training procedures for 2 train operation around 2010 as well, because when I was trained on it my operations manual had a foot-note where the 2 train procedures were that stated they were no longer in use and we were never trained on it. They did have both trains until early 2011 but both were never on the main circuit at the same time.

FreakOut is owned by B+B Amusements and "FEAR" (The Tower Coaster) is still in the country and O'neils still own it but not sure if it's still travelling or in the "boneyard" like their HUSS Rainbow.

Wonder who own's that Star Flyer and who built it? I've never seen that model in Australia before, i've only seen FJF Amusements Zamperla model travelling.

If we were to go a 4D coaster i'd prefer a S+S Power Free Fly like what Six Flags Fiesta Texas is installing... from seeing videos and a review of the prototype version at the S+S factory it looks to be and is apparently a better ride than the ZacSpin.

So, pretty much a Meriton complex? Have it as a mostly residential estate with maybe one part of the complex as "serviced apartments" for people to stay at like a hotel? I actually think that would be a much more feasible option...

Movie World has unofficially done a parent swap on all of the major attractions for several years now, you just need to let the person at the entrance of each of the rides know that you are doing it (or in the case of Green Lantern and Wild West Falls the loader) It's not exactly a new concept to them. It's amazing what asking a staff member politely will get you at the theme parks

Thing is, in the picture you posted the capacity is still the same... but 6 riders on each arm. I rode several times on the Launch day and it's a very solid attraction. The line does move pretty quickly as the operators are on the ball but I really don't think the single rider queue is needed and some people in the line were getting quite agitated because they waited more than 5 minutes to get on the ride... Seems to me they think because they are a single rider they will get on almost straight away, but that's NOT how the single rider line works

You can show the PDF file on your phone if you have no option but it's always best to print it out if you can.

Airmaxx 360 has seat belts just an FYI. Also as far as build quality goes you state that you are a theme park ride technician. Have you actually ever worked on a travelling ride and looked in depth at them? As far as the build itself goes as others have stated they are designed differently to allow for portability. Most of the rides that we have in Australia are not a cheap chinese knock off like other countries have but rides built in Germany, Holland, Netherlands and Italy (AirMaxx 360 is a BN Performance Rides Smashing Jump) so honestly unless you have experience in maintaining and operating CARNIVAL rides your post lacks credibility. Also, any carnival attractions that are high speed and height (like Airmaxx 360) require a main locking mechanism (such as the shoulder restraint) and a secondary locking mechanism like a seatbelt. Hell even rides like the Hurricane and Scrambler now have secondary locking mechanisms now. This is not an option by the operators but a legal requirement to be allowed to run on Australian shows / theme parks. And by calling them "cheap rubbish" why don't you go out and spend $1.5 million on a ride so that I can call it cheap rubbish? The government agency that is in charge of inspecting these rides before a show is very strict as well and runs over everything with a fine tooth comb especially after the Spin Dragon accident several years ago.

For anyone who is stating that these rides are unsafe etc, take a moment to think about this... You are in MUCH more danger of being in an accident on the way to a carnival or show than you are on any of the rides. Whilst the exact cause is unknown, it's likely a FREAK accident. Yes it's unfortunate that this has happened, but i'd honestly trust my life and any of my friends lives on these attractions. Do you honestly think the owners of these rides spend over a million dollars importing these world class attractions and are going to risk their livelihood along with their families (and any other people riding these attractions) by not maintaining them. These rides are subject to some of the most in depth testing and inspections in the world before being signed off to operate at any of the shows in Australia. I have 100% faith in each of these rides, and the operators of them that if something WAS found to be wrong at these inspections that they would refuse to operate the ride until the proper fixes have been implemented. Yes they would lose money but it's not worth the risk to put it simply. having worked in the amusement industry and carnival industry for many years myself I can promise you that the staff at theme parks and carnivals take height restrictions VERY seriously no matter what. However if it's a really busy period of time, sadly if people are in a big group a person can slip through the cracks. These attractions are as safe, if not safer than our attractions at the theme parks. When you think about it, these rides are dismantled almost on a weekly basis so components are checked more frequently than the theme park versions. The staff operating them know the ride inside and out and not just from an operational standpoint. It is a tragic accident either way, and it's best not to speculate on what has caused the incident out of respect for the families and the staff / owners of the AirMaxx 360. My thoughts and prayers do go out to the family and friends of the young girl involved, and to the operators and the owner of this ride who I am sure are as hurt and devastated that this accident happened especially considering the ride is just over a year old.

That isn't an emergency stop, it's just a common fault. As with any ride if the computer loses track of where either of the arms are at any point during the cycle (or it's not where it's supposed to be at a certain time) the ride will shut down. From what i've heard with WipeOut (might not be 100% true but it does make sense) when this happens the other arm keeps going for a moment and the computer tries to get the ride running again with both arms but after a set time (I think 10 - 15 seconds) if the ride can't resynchronise it shuts down like it has here. It's probably just having a bad day, like any ride (in particular Green Lemon, Superman and Scooby) can have.

I prefer coke to pepsi... but Mountain Dew on the other hand is awesome... would be even better if they somehow brought Dr. Pepper into the park

They used Sudden Impact in 2010 I think for the Saw Maze and Freddy but since then they have all been done in house if i'm not mistaken.

That was little puff... they were next to each other, but they were not linked in any way whatsoever.

They were stored there... but since the Sea Viper and the station are now demolished they had to move them somewhere...

At least it's being used for something I guess...

Looking at pictures it appears the track is wider than Speedy's Taxi's.

Fairly sure it's an in house job, the operations manual for that ride never mentioned any manufacturer at all whereas for the other rides (Taz Cars, Marvin, Sam Train, Tweety) it mentioned that it was built by Antonio Zamperla of Italy. That remote with the giant aerial was the most amazing thing ever until mid 2012 when they replaced it. If a kid wasn't able to reach the pedal you could use the giant aerial to hit the pedal down and help them steer haha! The new remote that they have is much more reliable and even has a button that could shut down all the cars at once. I remember how excited the operations staff were when that button was able to be used. Sadly I don't think speedy's will be going just yet, for some reason the park seems intent on keeping that ride kicking no matter how frustrating it can be on the staff. Should have heard the groans from the Scooby Doo green room each morning when people looked at the WBK roster to find they had the dreaded "smiley face" shift which was Taz Cars > Sam Train > Speedy's (known to be the 3 worst rides to operate in the park)

I very much doubt Speedy's will be going anywhere, just yet anyway... maybe in a few years. The park has actually spent quite a bit of money and love on this ride in the last few years from a paint job to the new taxi scheme (Mid 2012 this happened), to new batteries in the car to replace the ORIGINAL truck batteries from the early / mid 90's and a new remote system. I can pretty much guarantee that the cars for Mini Driving School will be new as they would be stupid to move these old cars to the new ride. *FUN FACT - The Original Speedy Gonzales Tijuana Taxi's cars were actually sold to Pacific Fair (date unknown) to be used in the playground in the middle of the park. I'm not 100% if every single car was replaced but the majority are still in operation at Pacific Fair and have been in operation since 1991 in total.

I very highly doubt they are going to do a revamp of a ride that is just under 2 years old...

Corkscrew was able to be operated by one operator on the entrance side of the platform. The load procedure was basically as follows *Let 28 guests in the gate *Start from front of the train to the back of the train, use metal hook to pull the pedal UP to lock the harness. *Check harness manually (or get guest to shake the harness to ensure it's locked) *Walk back to the front of the train and insert key into switch at the front of the platform and turn the key to dispatch the train *Once train has cleared the station and has started to climb the lift hill move to the MOCC (Main Operator Control Console) *Await train to arrive on the brake run and fully stop before proceeding to manually park the train *Walk from front to back of train, standing / kicking each pedal on the car DOWN to unlock harness. *Repeat Corkscrew was quite the capacity eater back in it's prime, not having to worry about seat belts or silly computer systems to glitch and detect things were not right. Basically if the harness came down enough over you to lock and not move up you were all clear to ride. None of these 3 point checks like Superman Escape. Ah the days when rides were simple