DaptoFunlandGuy

Look (cue eye rolls that i'm talking about Wonderland again) - I'm ok with skill games in the parks. Dreamworld had heaps through ocean parade etc a while back, and movie world has the arcade and skill game area as well. Sure its not the best presented, but clearly its a temporary thing - because they use that area for heaps of different things. Wonderland had skill games throughout the park - games were placed at the beastie (furthest top side) right down to the bush beast (furthest bottom side), and of course that was modelled on parks overseas. Sure, the presentation could be better, but everyone wins a prize is just one way of encouraging people to play - it is about making money after all... the difference is a consolation prize if you miss all 3 is going to be a crappy little toy that would find it's place in a happy meal box, whereas the top prize would be much bigger. TBH, I don't see the prize games as being a target for locals - locals who visit on a frequent basis likely wouldn't play the games as much as say a one-time visitor (although prizes are certainly more suitable to domestic guests for obvious logistic reasons). Just because you have games in carnival midways, that doesn't mean they're out of place in theme parks.

no reward is given by the media outlets. it's just the done thing now.

Welcome to the forums @Tim Pearson. Although you may have only seen a rubber-belted conveyor, there are several different types out there - continuous rollers, for example. The style of conveyor used on Thunder River is fairly standard for this type of ride, and has been in use for decades. As has been discussed ad nauseum, it is not the type of conveyor that is in issue here, but rather the modifications made to it that are suggested to have been the cause. Take these images - from a river rapids ride at Disney's California Adventure: In comparison, you can see the slats at dreamworld are not as closely spaced: There are of course examples of river rapids rides that do use a rubberised belt: As for a rollbar, most river rapids don't feature this - however, from what I understand of this accident, a rollbar likely wouldn't have prevented what occurred. the raft did not flip completely over. There's quite a discussion on Parkz about the incident, with loads of speculation - it's worth a read if you're interested, as much of what you've pointed out has been discussed at length with good examples and arguments both for and against.

I think that given what's been said already about it being more family friendly, as well as that it would seem they've spent a bit on theme to make it worthwhile for thrillseekers, that they've tried to find a nice balance between thrill and calm - which IMO is a good move after Smiler, considering smiler was meant to be just extreme WTF. I don't think there is a wiser move for a new coaster. Gotta get back on the horse - can't shy away from them or they'll lose their audience.

I feel like the transparent coloured thingies are meant to be representative of the 'rainbow serpent'. google image search for 'rainbow serpent' and have a look at the imagery that comes up - very similar to what we're seeing here.

They've gotta fund the blindfolds somehow!

well... to be fair - they completed two rides as well - wipeout and log ride....

Top of my head, i don't know the precise location where they were located before they were acquired by the History team, but I believe they were purchased off a guy that ran a 'carnie' business (not intended to be derogatory) like Chant's or Wittingslow or something (not them specifically, but companies like that - the name escapes me). As you can see from my post above though, not every carriage was obtained, as they had previously sold them off one by one. Dom, you're absolutely fine. Apart from a few factual inaccuracies in your video (which we could have helped with) and that you hadn't actually asked to use them - Everyone quite liked what you'd produced. We're not vigilantes, and we don't hold grudges. We're all about everyone's love for the park - and wouldn't deny anyone wanting to visit. you're welcome anytime... join us for a beer, hey?

The previously announced funding is no longer on the table. However, i don't think this is what Webslave meant, and i think it was just a fun stab at me for what is obviously perceived as me rambling on about the park as much as I do.

Cynical as most of us are about what DW \ Ardent will do with this area, i'm glad to see them at least start the removal process. It is an all too ugly reminder to people visiting the park about what happened, and the sooner it is gone, the sooner that open wound in the park can start to heal. I do hope that they, in consultation with the families, do something tasteful and touching in memoriam, either on the spot, or nearby, and I'd really like to see the area reinvigorated with something new. I only pray that the new area is done as much justice with theming and layout as the original area was - which likely will need a Buzzsaw retheme as well (which shouldn't be too hard).

I haven't seen it, so i'm only speculating - but depending on how and why it was put up in the first place, it could be just that nobody ever saw a need to take it down, or otherwise perhaps it is there to shield the scene from the helicopters - there may be something grisly left behind, or they may just not want that particular spot shot by the news cameras....

I agree it isn't normal, but due to the nature of the attraction design, the low point meant guests could bottom out well away from evac platforms. Wonderland had evac platforms before the conveyor, however, when the pumps stopped overnight, water would submerge the platforms and make them quick slick - so it honestly would have been safer to restart the ride and have the rafts brought back to the station for unload (although, i'm not sure of Wonderland's procedure on that point). I do recall at the time TRRR was being fitted with the underwater rails at the low point on the track, that dreamworld social did mention something about the need to 'row out' in a rowboat to recover guests who would drift into the lagoon... or something like that anyway. Provided the rafts stay within the channel, a pump restart on a rapids ride really wouldn't be anywhere near the same in terms of risks when compared to say a coaster restart. They'll naturally be at the bottom end of the chute, and with the pump restart, the water level will drop back to operating levels. once the station is 'wet' they can restart the conveyor and be unloading guests. the 'wave' of water that tumbles down the chute at startup (wonderland history has some cool videos of that) never reaches the guests because the 'natural' water level sits well past where the rafts come to a stop...

To add to this - the 'construction' pic Yoshi posted above was taken back in December, before this thread was started - details weren't announced as artisan's wasn't ready - but now we have the info, i can share some other pictures, and some other info too: So - a few more 'construction' or 'onsite pics - in the first one you can see the bottom part of the 'vulture' sculpture i referred to above: Something else the History team are looking into is whether the Operator's control panel can be replicated, and perhaps even a simple PLC system in behind it to simulate the ride actually running. It's also been suggested perhaps this could be tied into a ride simulator game - similar to the ones hosted by themagical.nl. Old blueprints and photos have been scoured over, and even suppliers sourced for the right buttons, lights and indicators: If there are any old operators who remember the functions well ( @Bussy i'm looking at you) please drop me a PM if you can give a good description of each indicator, light, button and sensor. I know a lot of them, but not all... and it would be good to get a full time trained operator's description of what was there... As for how much of the trains are there (per Yoshi's post about how many carriages) - here's the full list: The Bush Beast Red Train Carriage A1 (FRONT) Carriage A2 Carriage A3 Carriage A5 Carriage A7 (REAR) The Bush Beast Yellow Train Carriage B11 Carriage B12 Carriage B14 (REAR) The Beastie dark blue train Carriage A1 (FRONT) Carriage A2 Carriage A4 The Beastie light blue train Carriage B6 (FRONT) Carriage B8 Carriage B9 Carriage B10 (REAR) We are missing Bush Beast carriages A4, A6, B8, B9, B10, B13 and Beastie carriages A3, A5 and B7.

Is that rope or a LAN cable wrapped around the poles? #classy.

I predict a new argument from the residents across the M1 - using the same arguments as Apple when they introduced 'night mode' on their devices that blue light is bad for sleep rhythms. I wonder if there'll be more complaints or if they gave up after the Joker head.

so these exciting experiences now include the chance to experience a real life demolition site?

Back onto the TRR speculation - in particular this 'sensor' thing. (cue a Roachie groan) - Wonderland's Snowy River had an "invisible beam" infra-red sensor, like we see on many water rides, mounted at the top of the conveyor. There were more IR sensors placed throughout the loading zones. The PLC wouldn't allow the conveyor to lower the next raft if the zone immediately after it was occupied, like any block system (Although Wonderland's conveyor reached it's peak and then lowered back down into the water on a slope, rather than allowing the raft to tip off it). I'd always been of the opinion that there was a sensor at the top of the TRR conveyor that wasn't functioning properly - however it is possible to alter the PLC (or fool the sensor) if it is malfunctioning. Judging by some of the things said above, it seems like this may not have been the case - that there wasn't a sensor there at all. For my own uneducated opinion, the slats certainly contributed, but the slats don't cause this issue on their own without several other factors. The 'inexperienced' staff member cited by media immediately following the incident isn't portrayed clearly, and while i don't know all the facts, what i believe was that the cast member was not responsible for a panel - they were more of a loader\unloaded role - but that they had completed the required training for the task they were undertaking. And for me, regardless of the placement of the e-stop for the cast member closest enough to witness this occurring, by the time you would notice the raft rising beyond normal, the time it would take you to hit the e-stop, it might as well have been located at tiger island. the raft would have tilted beyond recovery point before any stop could be engaged. This is why sensors and PLCs should have prevented the rafts from ever getting that close in the first place. The rails underneath the water in the station are also, for my thoughts, contributing factors - they were trying to rectify a risk (boats tilting while guests step on and off) without thinking through the flow on consequences. In this circumstance the raft in front was immovable, which in my view is what forced the raft to flip. The pumps themselves are pretty powerful beasts. I've seen these things suck up some very large objects and spit them out the other side. If the rafts were capable of floating out of the station under load (which it would need to, for them to have operated it all day) there was sufficient water pumping through the attraction and the offline pump probably wouldn't have made any difference. Wonderland also stopped the rotation of the stationhouse. On many rapids rides i've been on overseas, i haven't yet come across another park that has done this. The turntables clearly prevent other issues, but they of course contribute to slip and fall accidents on behalf of a guest and in today's litigious society, if you could come up with a way to load the ride without the turntable it would probably be something you'd do - but by stopping the boats in the station, you're causing other issues to pop up elsewhere, and unless you can think of, and address them all, staying with the manufacturer's (or best practice) design is probably the better way to go. (yes, i realise the irony of me saying this here) and it gives me pause to wonder whether Wonderland's version could possibly have seen similar risks as it wore on (another 14 years wear on the slats - could they have done similarly to Dreamworld?, might they have installed rails?)... anyway - that's my 40 cents.

Full release text It should be noted that this is still a work in progress. More is to come out at Artisan's Park Key points: A station will be built, as well as rails for the trains to once again 'coast' on. It won't be full circuit, but the old girl will roll again (and technically that will make it a shuttle coaster so for all your credit whores out there... ) Artisan's plans to fully restore and refurbish each train carriage (without the assistance of Mack) The iconic front plates bearing the ride logo will be reproduced in loving detail and eventually fixed to the carriages Everyone who has contributed to obtaining, relocating and preserving these trains will be memorialised in a plaque in the future. Artisan's Park isn't a fly by night place. It's been featured on lifestyle TV shows such as Better Homes & Gardens, numerous magazines, music videos, and is frequently used for filming, due to its unique location and wacky items on site (including a 1949 London Double Decker bus!) Whilst websites aren't their greatest asset (it needs a bit of a revamp, but when compared to Village's recent monstrosity, its pretty good) but their Facebook page is where they're focussing their attention. the Wonderland History page recently hit 15,000 members, and it'd be great to push the profile of the Artisan's Park FB page - noted above as well. I realise this isn't everyone's bag. Most of you know how much the park means to me, and i'm sure many others have similar memories. So if you don't care - by all means scroll on by - but for those who do - start making plans to head out to Bathurst!

I couldn't agree more. I think the math is ok - as stated, not allowing for discounted entry tickets - child, school groups and the like, and many who wouldn't buy food and merch etc. (since you can bring your own picnic). Theres several variables here that can take the figures both up and down, so as an average, I don't think @grrofunger is that far off. Thanks mate for crunching those numbers, it makes things much more 'real'

Someone get @Roachie a towel.... Welcome back JF!

You're forgetting that everything costs more to build in Australia. You can't just take the US construction cost and convert it to AUD. Regulations, labour, etc all cost far more than in the American Market. You'd quite easily clear $10M at a minimum... Dreamworld's Giant Drop - if i recall correctly - was about $12Million (although i think this was estimated given ToT already had the tower constructed). ETA: Indeed, Parkz confirms that figure - and remember - this was in 1998 - so 20 years on, i think you can probably allow for that figure to be a bit higher again... Probably better for PM - but i really can't see anything too personal here - from either side - i'm struggling a little to identify what you or Skeet is actually referring to?

So not, for example, an Intamin Giant Drop tower like Falcon's Fury? Joz wasn't putting it down, he was simply pointing to the fact that a tornado - even one as unique as Kraken, isn't an expensive addition 'in the scheme of things'. As for why wouldn't they keep investing... i think @grrofunger has it: Sure, the family is rich. Sure, they like rides and build as much for themselves as for a profit... but everyone has a limit.

I'm really getting tired of this, and as I mentioned, you're clearly reading only what you want to read. He agreed with what i'd said He was ok with them 'taking a few years off' - which in context would be not doing an "MI every two years" He suggested a 'small spend' on some water attractions. A family friendly water ride wouldn't really be a 'maximum impact' attraction. This doesn't mean it wouldn't be an awesome addition. This doesn't mean it isn't something the park really needs. But like we've talked about (and the GC parks comparison is only because it's what's talked about here the most), when one park builds a thirty million dollar hyper coaster, and the other park has most recently installed a flat ride - which would you consider 'maximum impact' ? certainly not a family friendly water attraction. that DOESN'T MEAN ITS A BAD IDEA - But as i've mentioned before to go on with EVERY new attraction as if its as 'maximum' impact as Abyss, or Kraken, or Goliath weakens that 'MI' as a brand. Just go 'hey folks, we're excited to bring to you our newest attraction - the "Calypso Beach lazy river!" - what better way to laze about those hot summer days that in our lush tropical paradise!' It'd be a great addition. It'd be very family friendly. It'd be a lot cheaper than Abyss. This is all i've been saying. Improve what you've got. Replace what needs it (bounty, inferno), build some nice filler that the park needs to round itself out and take a 'step up' in terms of what it has to offer. This will bring the crowds, and fill the coffers, which in turn will let them turn their minds to the next big thing (a second awesome rollercoaster perhaps?). Many folks here point to sea world as the park that has 'ride'. It's got two coasters, and while it has more to offer, if you take away 'looking at animals' - there's very little else. I love what AW is trying to be. I don't see them continuing to install $8+ million attractions every two years - something's gotta give. By all means, start buying some new water attractions that are 'X hundred thousand' rather than 'X million' - that'll keep filling out the park without breaking the bank - but they will by nature be more 'minimal' developments, and in terms of expenditure - a 'very big slow down' from the millions on coasters and flats. I really do hope that you've actually read this, and realise that I don't disagree with you. I am perhaps not explaining myself as well as I could, or you're only reading what you want to read... TL:DR - you agree with what Ben said. Ben agreed with what I said. We're saying the same thing. We just don't like the words the other is choosing to use to say it. Let's just have a beer and move on, hey?

Precisely my point about your rose coloured glasses. Now you're not even allowing for the particular sentiments expressed - you're just saying its a foregone conclusion. You're not even reading what i'm saying. You're only seeing what you want to see. I'm not the only one expressing this opinion, which is not (as i've pointed out repeatedly) the negative one you accuse me of. Sorry sonny jim - i'm an old fart who has no idea what you're talking about with that snapchat crap - so just talk in normal english, if your generation is capable of doing so. And thanks. I consider D-grade a compliment from such an esteemed and qualified critic as yourself.