iwerks

Apparently, not all of the Zamperla kiddie coasters are killers like the one at Adventure World. Has it been six months since our last flower poster? Whatever happened to that Aztec Emperor?

Had the pleasure of visiting Werribee Open Range Safari the other week and was really blown away by their themeing. On Friday, I had the weird satisfaction of experiencing Cohunu Koala Park, here in Perth, and then got mugged by a dingo at Armadale's Reptile and Wildlife Sanctuary (which was actually pretty cool). Cohunu has to top the cake when it comes to bizarre experiences and themeing. They have a set of scorpion statutes by a lake full of birds, free roaming farm animals throughout the park and a large variety of dinosaur statues (with a T-Rex fallen by the entrance). They also have a faded photograph of Michael Jackson, from when he visited there. I think I'll let the pictures describe the situation. On the bright side, they did have a working miniature train you could ride. Oh, and birds that eat popcorn. Quite the surreal experience.

I hope they expand it. I was eating my fish and chips on the balcony of that restaurant and that kids' area was sooo depressing.

Yup, guilty as charged. Great sunset. Talk about 'winter is coming'.

Enjoyed a post Apocalyptic afternoon here in Perth. Went to Hillary's Boat Harbour to visit the Fun Fair they had set up for the holidays. Also had a quick look in The Great Escape water park.

Yeah and the problem of parking your car and having to walk across a road to get to the park. Not the greatest idea with young families. Let's hope it never eventuates. It's not like the block is that big.

He should paper his office walls with that review. I like how she noticed the newspapers. Mine came in a plastic bag last weekend. Perth Zoo also gives out free newspapers. Does this not happen elsewhere?

Yeah, I think they're getting ready for expansion of some kind. I think that yellow building near the staff car park enables them to have access to more power, something that was holding them back in the past. Yeah, would still love to see a well-themed Gerstlauer family coaster going around the island or replacing the rail rider (or both). It would be great if they had a flume ride too.

Could well be space to expand in lot 8. That road expansion of Phoenix Road could really mess things up.

Sounds very complex. I think the old Bungee West site is used by a laser tag group, Lasercorps.

Why wouldn't they own the land for the overflow carpark? Yeah, MI-2 does look a lot like it's bigger in the middle, like where a bowl might be.

Thank you that TR (what is that 3 in 2 days?), ggrofunger. Yeah, there's no photo that does the width of that coming attraction justice. What were the crowds like?

Mark should get that write up framed. Wow.

Um...it's in your profile. Many happy returns.

My first trip to Disneyland. It was in the early 90s - there was a preview for the new Mickey's Toontown extension. The park was extremely empty, despite this. It was a walk on for most rides.

^If he has long hair and an American accent, his name would probably be Matt. That guy always stands out. Great TR Tim. Happy birthday too.

Last couple of Throwback Thursdays courtesy AW. The big pool used to have a small beach area attached to it. It would have been where the cabanas are today.

Finally transferred across some dodgy video 8 footage I took when I visited Fox Studios Backlot in 2000. It looks more like Super 8 than Video 8. It will give you a chance to visit the Luhrmann-esque park. I do tend to remember that there was a lot of queuing for very little reward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVwWnYslgok

Really liked the pine tree smell that they used to have in the ET queue area at Universal. It would be really cool if Abyss had a crew member in character, like Arkham at Movie World does so well. I like the way other ride ops at AW engage the riders. Saw the original Abyss ad again on TV today too.

I don't know about a smell generator?! I think if they tweak anything in this area it should be the pre-ride, stairwell section. Wouldn't hurt to have another fan in there. And if they change the video, I'd like to learn a little more about the druids' back story. Who are we in relation to them? Are they, like the original teaser video implied, a figment of our collective nightmares?

^ My feelings, precisely. Before last year I hadn't been a member since the early nineties.

And if you're not a Season Pass holder they have a 3 for the price of 2 coupon in today's West. It's the best time of year to go - no queues at all. Walked onto the go karts, Abyss and all the water slides.

That crazy, Marcel. Saw plenty of 'Internationals' at the park the other day. I don't mind the Druids' weeds, although I know people who are against them. The sound on Abyss, before the first internal drop, wasn't working the other day either. Generally speaking, I love what AW's doing with the gardening, especially out the front of the park. The little signs and 'Easter eggs' like the fairy houses (which are referenced in the kids' show) also add to the atmosphere. However, I think they could trim some of the bushes around the 'cable car' as one of them looks a little bit like Pac Man.

Just a quick report from Adventure World today. It was 22 degrees in Perth and proving Mark's below 27 theory correct, the park was pretty much empty in the morning. They were running one train on Abyss with two operators and the wait time was zero minutes. A lot of rides were alternating, but still managed to get lots done, including pretty much unlimited laps on the Grand Prix go karts. The Freefall seems to be down again, but they're hopeful of getting it back up and running soon. The shelter at the top of the former Alpine Mountain seems to have lost half of its roof - presumably in preparation for the next big attraction. Dinosaur Island has left the park, with only the entry portal still there. The staff were their lovely, charming selves, with Matt and the older American gentlemen, who were running either side of the chairlift, being the highlight. The Tikki Chicken burger was tasty, really enjoyed the sauce/dressing. There's a sale on at the gift shop at the moment. Had to pick myself up an Abyss shirt, which features the new logo. You could see some of the extensive repairs in the pool and mat slide area. There were more ducks than people in the pool.

^ Yeah, I thought Adventure World's one used to have an upper weight limit - I will have to investigate. At Luna Park I noticed that the Ghost Train has a nice little animated dragon. They have a climbing playground that is proving very popular. The construction of the two storey building is almost complete.