DaptoFunlandGuy

i think you're getting confused with a roundabout, which in Australia we call an Overbout.

Typo is my guess. theres a bunch of others with the same 'coming these holidays' message, which would be interpreted as xmas holidays. i'd say the october tagline is just an error. none of the other 'coming' attractions list a month for opening.

#groan I don't like to judge before i see things but it sounds like another attempt ready to croak it before it begins. I'll see it before i say any more, but i'm not hopeful. It does sound like more of a conservation message though, which is positive.

*gasp* do you suppose they could have a dark monorail, that you walkthrough?

..and cue the bastard who comments 'pity you didn't think of that a year ago'

I was driving through Mt Gravatt yesterday and caught a billboard for Rivals, and it struck me that the image they use - the CGI train ontop of the CGI non-inverting loop twist does nothing for them. It seriously looks no different to the Buzzsaw hero shot that used to be at the top of the Parkz forums. For a layperson, you could forgive them for thinking it was buzzsaw with a new colour scheme. I'm sick of these close up hero shots that show people on the train photoshopped to within an inch of it's life. Even the members here who have spent hours sitting out in the carpark taking shots at various times of the day - their photos would be a much better marketing - the skyline, the sunset. Nothing conveys the sheer size of this monster (and the white outline as @Roachie rightfully points out does nothing for them either). Look - i'm sure that VRTP management read Ben's posts with a liberal addition of salt, primarily because of some history, but they need to recognise that whilst some of his motivation and emotion may come from the history, there is nothing incorrect, false or inappropriate with what he's saying. It's true. They've botched this badly. It shows when most people have no idea about the attraction. Go back and find an ex-rental videotape from the 1990's and you'll find almost every tape associated with VR or WB has the Wild West Falls video trailer. Sure, you can't quite do the same thing with Rivals - 1 there isn't the same story to pitch, and 2 nobody rents videos anymore - but the online \ social \ digital market is what has replaced it. I wanted to end this little rant with a youtube video of the above WWF commercial, but i can't seem to find it.

...on a sunday... ( @pin142 )

That would be what I call the 'egg air' phenomenon. They say smell is as important as taste when eating - and the eggs are packaged with a hollow (obviously) inside a chocolate factory smelling like chocolate. So when you bite in, you release the air inside, and the aroma of the chocolate factory hits your nose - making it taste better. Seriously... thats my theory anyway.

I'd expect GCB to thoroughly ignore the fact it was a weekend and go on a tirade about poor safety at the park. Geezus - find a sense of humour people!

I'm still waiting for the Pumpkin POV

Kinda makes sense though - pull one thing down, put the other thing up...

That doesn't make it look like they're putting in any effort - not a workman or tool in site, and the ride missing crucial safety devices. Can you imagine how GCB would spin that?

The water is because the person was 'trapped' for longer than planned in an exposed position. It's not meant to be "sorry, here's a freebie". It's pretty standard for a ride stoppage response to include bottled water so that people who have been exposed to sun\heat and rehydrate. It's a health and safety consideration. A t-shirt is not (although a fastpass couldn't hurt them as it really costs nothing)

The difference with the test seat to the actual seat is that you can shove it down and it will hold in position - might be a little tight, but you'll get your green light (if it was reasonably close anyway). Check how far down it needs to be for green, then get in, and get it down - if its close, get your ride buddy to wait until you're in your seat and give it a shove. (And don't forget the operators will try to do that as well).

Honestly though - at this point, unless you're a regular visitor, why would you bother going to Dreamworld? Holidaymakers are being seriously cheated here. It's only going to make it worse for them. I totally get that if it has to be closed for safety reasons then close it - but seriously, when your ride lineup looks like that, you should just close the park and refund day-tickets at the gate... or swap them for a movie world ticket or something.

...or they're still on the market. Most things at Wonderland were kept running months after closure, right up until they bulldozed it.

The discussion has specifically been about the Intamin Giant Drop version. It has nothing to do with the Inferno's ride model. It would be like me saying 'I saw Tweety's cages stop halfway through the ride cycle....' Completely irrelephant.

You should probably get your vision checked. Given the size of the passenger's head beside the sign - its fairly sizeable text that would be fine to read when standing \ sitting within proximity... notwithstanding the picture being taken by a potato, and horribly backlit. Obviously they've worked with what the body of the train allows, and gone as wide as they can between the windows. It's different (at least to me) and after reading the banner headlines across the roof, i'd be intrigued enough to walk along and read the smaller signage to find out more - provided it wasn't during peak hour crush.

^Operators don't usually have that ability (speaking generally). Usually it would require maintenance to come up and switch the ride to manual operation so that it could be lowered. Depends on how close maintenance were at the time, but a 'charlie' should take priority over any other maintenance issues. I think if it is true, 25 minutes is an exaggeration, but then it depends on what happened. If all the ride systems were functioning and it had just 'errored out' it should be a quick resolution - if it were something more involved - power tripped, winch failure etc, it might take a little longer to resolve. I don't agree with the statement that 'giant drop' towers break down all the time. I have to say Wonderland's version - despite the issues with module 2, would go ages without any issue. In all the time I worked there I can only think of a handful of instances where it had to be lowered manually. I wouldn't suggest a GD attraction would be any worse off than any other Australian ride with the usual safety systems in place.

One factor to take into account is that they aren't giving away the gate anymore. Every passholder from the cheapest to the most expensive used to have Fright Nights included - there were a lot of 'free' entries making up those sellout nights. These days only the higher tier passes have it included, and for everyone else it's chargeable, with passholders having a reduced price ticket. I wouldn't write off this year as a failure for the park - they've obviously managed to reduce patronage, but in the same turn have likely increased revenue - either from 'gate' tickets, or charging more for the passes that have it included. This is the direction we've all been screaming for them to take, so its nice to see that it has worked. Imagine the queues if all the VIPs still had free entry...

I wonder if all those shelters will be upcharge cabana hire, or if they're just a picnic table style area...

In their eyes, it isn't screwed up. its sensationalist, headline grabbing, and it gets clicks. they don't care. And no, it wouldn't be a PR disaster. Killing 4 people is a PR disaster. Showing pictures of their bodies covered in sheets repeatedly over and over even a year later, and referencing every minor stoppage as a major safety concern, hurting the industry and the region - well.... that's just "reporting the news" isn't it?

I'm not sure a water feature is the best idea for a memorial. It'd be like LPS lighting an eternal flame for the ghost train. Just had a chance to read the article and I thought it was quite respectful, well written and well researched. there was a lot of fact checking there and for once it was good to read something on News.com without rolling my eyes.

brown tubular sections located near the mine carts. I'm shooting blind here but Nearmap shows something that fits that description - they appear to be drums \ barrels. Dated September.

they said that about Eureka a decade ago too.