Psycho

Signs all over buses in Sydney with the Luna Park face saying "Release your Lunatic - Luna Park Sydney reopens April 4"

Now now, let's not get catty

Maybe because some still haven't secured alternative employment??

Cyclone valleyed in the sidewinder during its first weekend of operation at Luna Park...... Having said that, I guess it's even more likely to happen now that it's at DW

I agree, I don't think the park management are the real villains behind this move. Why would a park spend money repainting, performing maintenance on rides, and revamping The Beach if they new they were to close so soon after its completion? I think the sad fact is that Sunway didn't give another buyer a chance to purchase the park because they weren't interested in selling it in its current state. Realistically, in several years, the land Wonderland is sitting on is going to be prime real estate...Am I correct in saying it will virtually be the corner store to the M4 and the new Western Orbital? Although $50 million doesn't sound a lot for a theme park given that (if I remember correctly) Dreamworld was sold almost 10 years ago for around $85 million. So I'm guessing, everything in the park will be stripped back to a bare minimum come April...Rides sold off, buildings dismantled, and anything not tied down put under the hammer. I guess Sunway will try and get as much as they can from a dying carcass.

A very sad day. Surely this park could have and still could survive if the owners actually wanted it to. I think the sad part will be seeing Wonderland sitting dormant until the land is re-zoned, and factories are built in it's place...

Putting pieces together.......I may be way off? Weren't there photos of land clearing posted on another website which (from looking at them anyway) appeared to be somewhere near the old Bushranger show? Wouldn't this make the perfect spot for the new ride? You could have one side flying out over the water, the other over the top of onlookers on the path below. If there's markers there now, aren't chances that this is where we'll see the new ride?....Leaving the Thunderbolt site open for bigger and better things :eek: (here's hoping anyway)

And new for 2003 is.....a couple of tiger cubs and a parade! Wonderland has blown their attraction budget and, if you check their website, has plans for a new Marvel street parade, and the introduction of two new tiger cubs over the Christmas holiday period.... Um...ok :?

Wonderland has some of the most beautiful landscaping of any theme park in Australia....and the theming is very consistent unlike a lot of other parks in the country. Next time you're in the park, just stand back and take a look. It really is still a beautiful park, and there is a lot of attention to detail in the way the place has been maintained...(We're talking theming here ) - Obviously Space Probe may be an exception to this atm

Well, assuming this turns out to be true, it'll be a nice addition to the park until a new coaster gets underway I can just see it...."Tornado", "Twister", "Hurricane" or something :?

Forgive me if I'm wrong Daniel, but wouldn't it be extremely stupid to allow people to arrive at 5pm, pay their entry fees, and close the park after an hour or two? Wouldn't that destroy the reputation of the park more than not being open for extended trading on one Saturday night? Fair enough that it isn't great that this was done without warning, but it isn't unheard of for a park to close in poor weather conditions....And let's face it, Saturday night didn't have the most magnificent weather in Sydney. If attendance was so poor during the day, then management probably figured that it would be similar after 5. I mean, come on, the World Cup was on, it was raining, and (if what has been said was true) the earlier part of the day had already proved itself a disappointment. Wouldn't the smart park operator cut their losses?

i dont remember defending them :?

I'm just getting slightly cynical over Wonderland rumours On the off-chance Wonderland did tear Bush Beast down, I would be pretty disappointed. Sure, it's not a great ride...but it's the only modern woodie this country has. (And personally, I've never found it as bad as everyone makes out....LW gives me worse whip lash) With all the new Marvel movies coming out over the next few years though, it'd be insane of Wonderland not to take advantage with a few new rides based on them

Yes, I've heard this as well..... I've also heard that Wonderland is closing this February (again), they are getting several new B&Ms next year, and new slides at The Beach...

I'm not dumping on Vekoma....nor am I saying B&Ms are perfect.... But it's pretty notoriously known that Vekomas don't age as well as newer generation B&Ms (generally speaking) And DW would have 2 (if we count TOT as a coaster, but let's not get into that one )

Last few years, I've noticed I can take less and less rides on LW without getting a massive headache too. Now it's down to one ride....On my second I seem to come out with my head pounding. Perhaps this is a good lesson to teach the parks to "Buy B&M"

There seems to be a lil bit of confusion....So before anyone draws blood.... There have been two (that I know of.....maybe more?) versions of the Tumble Bug at Sydney's Luna Park. The first was, as Joz said, like an early version of Wizard's Fury... The second, which was part of the park when it reopened in 1995, and still is, is what NightShifter posted some pix of....The same as Troika at Cedar Point....

Im a tad puzzled though..... What exactly does coaster STYLE mean? :?

Sounds mysteriously tantilising....*rubs hands together*

NO WAY! I agree! No coaster could replace the history and nostalgic feeling that Coney Island has. The attractions in there are what MAKE Luna Park such an amazing place! Anyway, in reality, there's no chance of that happening anyway. Coney Island, amongst other buildings on the site (incl. The Crystal Palace [ballroom] and the Luna Park face towers) are historically listed now, I believe.

Is it just me or has anyone else thought the theming on Thunder River Rapids is just plain......weird? I mean, elephants, serpents, and dinosaurs in the area of the park themed to colonial Australia.... Wouldn't it have been better to have tin water towers leaking onto riders and things like that?..... Am I missing something here? It just seems so out of place

I really don't think that Luna Park in Sydney is (nowadays anyway) aimed at the thrill seeker market. It's just not feasible for them to do that in the location they're now in, and with the space they have. From the sounds of it, the new Luna Park opening next year will be focussed more on the historical aspects of the park (Coney Island etc.) with a slight fun fair element. With cafe's, restaurants, and the circus, it sounds very similar to the Fox Studios/Bent Street set-up, which has been very popular. (Not the actual "theme park" bit, but the shopping and restuarant area has been). So basically, what they seem to be aiming at is a mixed day/night-out venue with numerous activities you can enjoy. I don't think another coaster would be needed to compliment that right now. (There's always the Wild Mouse )

MW has spent a lot of time in recent years appealing to the family market (Looney Tunes additions, Scooby Doo, Batman 2, Road Runner Rollercoaster), so I really think it's time for another thrill ride of Lethal Weapon status. As for placing, personally, I really don't think two coasters should be placed too close together at a park like Movieworld (where theming and scenery are what they pride themselves on). Don't get me wrong, that area behind Scooby is just crying out for expansion, but I just don't think a coaster would look right there, unless it was set a bit of a distance back. For a new coaster (and let's face it that's what we would all love to see), I'd like to see it placed behind the Western burger stand area. (On the map - the walkway up past the side of the Matrix building). There's open land out there (with the exception of bush) and pretty much unlimited space...Plus, there's no real major attractions along the rear of the park.

Yes, the waterfall has been there prior to Space Probe. It used to be a nice feature to fill up the empty plot of land on the walk to Hanna Barbera. It used to have an outdoor bench seat (either at the top or bottom, I can't recall which) which had a pair of skeletons sitting on it with their arms around each other (to tie in with the opening Transylvania and The Demon)....It was removed just prior to construction of Space Probe begining...

Well it seems that Lara Croft is coming to Dreamworld this Christmas. In a temporary walk-through maze attraction (sounds exactly like The Mummy) from December 26 - January 23. Pretty disappointing really.....