MickeyD

@Roachie do you think the layout of the Theatre will remain roughly the same?ie Gondolas placed Main st side of the Auditorium facing the dome placed Gold Rush side? I wonder if excavation and reinforcement would be required to dig down the current seating area to make enough room for the ride and machinery? Will the gap between the seating angle and the first row to the screen at 90 degrees be enough to fit all that in? Or would it be easier/cheaper to turn the whole Theatre around and place the Dome screen facing Gold Rush and the ride itself on the current Screen side of the building?

Awesome! Can't wait for your interview and hearing what he has to say on everything? Did you ask him if he has ever regretted selling/considered buying back DW?

Hollywood was the family name of the former property owners?

I am trying to place this @themagician. I thought the Hollywood house was close to the Cave/ Jungle Scene on TRRR and indeed knocked down years ago. This house in the photo looks like the small building on the Island that was featured in a scene on Captain Sturt. But I am confused of the perspective of the fence pictured in the forground.

Not sure this is about them being 'Selfless' but most definitely excellent 'Public Relations' and gives them a sense of Community. It'll come back to em in folds.

A case of: "If it Nose-bleeds, it Leads?"

Thanks Team Parkz, that was a fascinating read and a great trip down memory lane! I still remember riding the very first version of this with my Mother when Gold Rush opened. She was so terrified with the 'tipping' effect, to be sure it scared the shit out of me too, I was only around 10 at the time. I remember it broke down a lot too. Only got to ride the 1st version once before it went down for months for the new track and major changes. I had long thought changes to the ride's layout including that last crazy part had remained and the new calm finale was just layed over the top. The whole track and support was indeed a mangled mess by the time they ripped the Mountain off to see what laid beneath! Scary to think that not even DW Management knew what they were dealing with until then. It's as though they never kept proper records of important stuff like major in-house amendments to their own rides? Pretty reckless and amatueriust practice - not just isolated to Ardent either. This arrogance has plagued the Park for ever and most recently got them into a lot of trouble. More than ever, they need a Management Team with big time Theme Park experience stat! Time to bring in the big guns with a new CEO, GM, Tech Services and Ops Manager. Stop making the same mistakes and build on skills by listening and learning from what other Parks do. Rather than thinking they know better when clearly they don't.

It's such a 'soft' advertisement that most People wouldn't even notice it. "AUSTRALIA'S FIRST" blends into the Clouds along with everything else being said. All critisism aside, this type of ride has never been marketed well (not even Disney). Possibly because it simply must be seen first hand to be believed. Truly remarkable in every sense. Oh @pushbutton mark my words when I say you are in for one hell of a treat when this opens!

What place do Hotdog & the Churro shaped Stands have in proper Theme Parks? Pretty crazy to think that DW could have built thematically appropriate Stalls for about the same money.

Or a certain Theme Park sim game

Not sure where neon fits with traditional Australian Indigenous culture? The pathway itself should be about 3 times wider to feel like a general Park pathway and not a queue for a ride. One thing that really makes these , err 'enhancements' look particularly shit is how no effort whatsoever is made to blend them in with the surroundings bushland.

Thanks @Skeeta. A crowd of 10000 on the 28th of December is impressive and very happily didn't visit that day. Can someone please explain why Ardent don't have Main Events in Australia? Please don't say Kingpin/Playtime (I have 1 nearby at Westfield Chermside) they are not on the same level.

Guest Services know about as much as the average Parkz Member. According to recent Parkz interview with Mr Kirby, MW are looking at introducing Projection Mapping effects for the Dark Section of the ride but that process is being dragged through the licensing and approval process at WBs in the US. Interesting that the ride continues to Operate in this hollowed-out state with barely an end in sight? Surely this is more damaging to the brands (Scooby-Doo, WB's, MW) and I really hope they get it sorted out soon.

I rode about a week ago. - The archway as you round the corner to the station platform needs re-painting. It's been like this forever and I don't understand why it wasn't fixed last refurb. - The ride itself looked as shit as ever. Blades swing overhead but are in the dark. - looks like some walls have been fitted here and there but they are just black painted flat board and look temporary, possibly just to further darken the dark ride area. - Main Laser was out. Only laser was to the left of the first brake in the main room. I never noticed 1 there before. - you could see a pile of boxes on the floor in the main room. Possibly storing original figures waiting to be reinstalled. It's so disappointing to see the ride like this and I hope it gets some love soon.

A true Theme Park should provide an environment that portrays strong Themes and a cohesive Storyline. To paraphrase Disney, a place to transport People to another realm where they can suspend the woes of the everyday, Defy the imagination and provide an experience for Family and friends to connect and enjoy. With the exception of MW, I really don't think our Parks in Australia live up to the standard of a true "Theme Park". Showmanship and Immersiveness are two words that qualify in a "Theme Park" and in Australia, only MW comes close to achieving these. I have no problem calling DW an Amusement Park or SW a Marine Park. For that matter Aussie world is very much a Fun Park. Nowadays even the likes of Paradise Country and Currumbin Sanctuary are referred to as Theme Parks. The Media refers to AW as a Theme Park so I guess to the average Aussie Jo that's what it is.

Funny @AlexB I was thinking of this only yesterday upon speculation of the Park's next Attraction. Agree the lack of cohesion in the type of Attractions and the way in which they are presented distances AW from being definable as a "Theme Park" in the classic sense. (Disneyland California the first to be described with said term coined originally by Walt Disney) As it is today I class AW as an Amusement Park. theme park noun an amusement park in which landscaping, buildings, and attractions are based on one or more specific themes, as jungle wildlife, fairy tales, or the Old West. Origin of theme park An Americanism dating back to 1955–60

The tunnel once had Crocodile figures in it.. Either they were removed or just fell to pieces into the Earth where they were placed.

Thanks for the feel good scoop, Team Parkz! It's often easy to forget that the Tigers and Wildlife belong to the same DW as the Rides - Are the Critters the only areas of the Park that are ran properly? Maybe they could teach the rest of DW a thing or two.

Such as @AlexB?

A Moron still can very much fall from one of the Logs -now probably even more so than ever. Picture some foolish twats sitting on alternate sides of the logs, holding the cage bars and rocking the boat side to side until..... How does DW prevent something like this from ever happening? Add more bars?? Completely enclose the Logs in Perspex? Ugh.. Wouldn't surprise me if they come up with a 'Safety noose' to hang around People's necks at the new Flying Theatre.

The perspex should make things nice n warm for Parents & Kiddies alike on a Hot Day... Bit like being locked in a Car? Let's see.. Adding Restraints that leads to slower Cycle times and adding extra casing to inadvertently place Rider's Heads on slow cook? Wowee DW. Do they not think anything through?

@pushbutton sorry to derail the topic but your Avatar makes for a particularly amusing Hat

Taww maybe a nice Coffee Club $25 smashed Avocado will fix your woes! Fuck me ppl, stop ya winging err

I received this one today.. Can anyone tell me what's wrong?

Likewise. WWF gets a lot of Mechanical attention every year so with so much down time I hope for significant Show enhancements as well as any safety improvements being subtle and unnoticeable for the most part.