StingRay

I don't have a photo of Big Dippers. I have this photo of Boomerang tho.

Went to the park yesterday with the family and a friend. The park was busy. However, Annual Pass holders still need to book online and proceed to guest services on arrival. This is a messy process and I just wish the park went back to its old system of allowing you to scan your AP at the turnstile to each attraction instead. Managed to get a ride on Sledgehammer doing the 360 cycles. It's a good cycle but man, those seats are u comfy if you are over 5’8 and of average build. The claw at Dreamworld is much more comfortable. The ride has two queues much like it did before it wasn't doing 360 cycles. I waited 30 minutes as a sign stated in the queue. They alternate between the two cycles much like Dreamworld does with Pandamonium. Interestingly enough I saw two little changes for the Big Dipper. The on-ride photo has finally moved from the first launch and has moved towards the “spaghetti junction” section of the ride. Now you get Coney island in the background instead. It also looks like they might be putting up either some signs or a Screen in the queue line (bottom entry stairs). Also, on an odd note. One of those expensive mansions in Lavender bay had a rather minor fire occur. The fire was put out quickly. New ride camera location for Big Dipper New signs perhaps? Sledgehammer’s queues. Given Big Dipper and Boomerangs queue lines have permanent fencing now it won't be long until we see the same here. What's that smell?

That's unfortunate about the Big Dipper being closed. I was looking forward to heading into the city this weekend and taking my son on it. I hope it's something that's easily rectified and fixable.

It was my understanding from a source that the company was given some money by the state government for the “Atlantis Land” to help with local tourism. I could have seen an article maybe back in the day (around the project announcement) but I can't recall from the top of my head. I understand others have much higher up and better sources also.

I'm not entirely sure about the VRTP loan. That's a little confusing because they were given around $30 million for SW and other amounts before covid. From what I understand (without using the Google machine) both company have loans that are of very high value. Your figures however could be right.

Didn't SW get government funding for a project that running late?

The next move that DW (Dreamworld) I’m sure will be geared towards families. We have to remember this park is geared more towards families and the classic spin and spew. Movieworld is more geared to high thrills. A Mack Powersplash would be a great addition. I have a feeling tho they won't go for that. The park is missing a nice dark ride to some IP. A form of a spinning coaster would be a good addition and even a log ride replacement. The old log ride area is clearly have land resettlement, it's an area that would be utilized for another log flume.

There gotta be a thrill a minute with Pac Nat. Get to see parts of the country most don't.

Leviathan might be due for its first maintenance period by the time the christmas holidays end.

At the end of the day safety is important. Off the top of my head here in NSW we haven’t had a catastrophic boiler explosion (failure) for some time. They don't essentially go BOOM like people think. Its a serious of issues that lead to them “priming”, essentially causing the throttle to stay wide open while the wheels make nothing but sparks. Usually, the cylinders destroy themselves beyond belief and the side rods get seriously damaged in the process. If a boiler runs low on water they have a device called a “fusible plug” that melts and dumps water all in the firebox causing the fire to pretty much go out. I think it's just a lack of education and understanding that causes the fear. My 9-year-old son can drive a miniature steam engine with no issue. He's been taught what to do and what not to do. I've been around steam engines my entire life. From riding on the footplate to working on the footplate for railway societies. I suppose my understanding is more than the general person would know. It would be nice to see a steam engine chuff its way around Dreamworld. It could happen in the future. Right now, I do think it's that high on the agenda for the management team. We asked for the train back after it wasn't going to come back, and we got the train back. All be it with a fair few changes.

Baldwin had that awesome bark when the driver would lay on the regulator but would be a rough drive. Perry didn't have as much bark but would ride the rails smooth. I was lucky to take videos and photos of both. Locos were special. I've just caught up on this topic. The Baldwin IS back, the way we see it is the way it has been brought back. You can tell it would require some serious engineering work. I've seen people argue to change it to an Oil Burner or even run it once a month. It's just not economical at all. From the annual boiler inspections to the engineering certificates required to the crew changing and most importantly the cost of a crew. The lack of operational facilities (shed with all equipment) also means maintenance would be hard to complete. Even tho most maintenance would be outsourced to a third party. Yes, the train was nostalgic. Times have changed. We got a train, not the one some desired but the one we got does the same job as the steam engine. It's sad, however, that people with no actual engineering understanding or hands-on experience over time tried to make sense of a situation that truly had no understanding of. The Baldwin could have returned. But when people say “It’ll explode” and that, well, people get cold feet cause rumours spread faster than truths. To operate those engines is no more dangerous than filling your car up with petrol at a petrol station. Many people lobbied (behind the scenes and abroad) to try and get it up and running. Engineers sourced, carried out inspections etc. The Baldwin couldn't run with the current set of carriages anyway as the “coupling” it uses is not a railway coupling at all.

Oh God, not this nightmare again!. Yes, the carriages are lower than one would think (floor to roof). Announce it's help but common sense does also. Raising the platforms helped for wheelchair access, that's a great thing but as mentioned by others it's caused some new issues. If someone of average height can smack their head imagine someone who's incredibly taller. What worries me is vision-impaired guests. someone who's legally blind might not be able to judge the height of the roof and could very well, hurt themselves. Some easy fixes can occur and I am sure within the time they will be adapted. I was lucky enough to ride the train during the holidays. While some have mentioned the BOH (back of house) areas are messy etc they have always been like that. So I’m not sure how anyone would expect this to be fixed. The giant pathway near tiger island is used for vehicular movement outside hours. The rest of the railway seemed good. The only slight issue I had is the fact the track is still settling and has some “dips” more commonly known as “holes” within the railway industry. I hope these get some attention soon as they can cause wheel-wear issues and track damage over time.

Let's start the bets on the date of the whole new Atlantis precinct opening (Yes I am aware Vortex is open). I'm predicting boxing day.

Ah ok, that would explain why you can get them at Dreameorld then.

The park does not sell Wonka bars anymore

Ignore the man behind the curtain.

If it was a patch test for paint I would be surprised. Most likely a repair job on the fibreglass at the highest loading point to be honest.

This ride has visited the major and minor shows in Sydney. I've seen it get tested with harnesses up, no joke. If I can be bothered I'll try to dig up footage from about 5 years ago of this ride. RAS put out the simplistic reply. It covers what it needs to covers. However, it's come out a massive training shortcoming is well known. So, that falls on the owner. I'm pretty sure this ride won't be making much money in the future. I am wondering however if it will be removed from the show before the end.

If the sale was to occur it would be indeed bittersweet to see Ardent depart. Merlin is already in Australia through several locations. They've also got cold feet when it's come to business talks about expansions within their Australian portfolio. It would be nice to see them join the industry more prominently, but, I didn't see them buying a park that requires a lot of capital to be bring it up to the “Merlin standard”. Then again, I could be wrong and uneducated. Ardent has dropped the ball, there is no doubt about that. They are however trying to do what they can currently. The park's long term future is indeed very interesting. This will just be a wait and see kinda deal now.

FREEE STYLE MOTORCROSSSSSSSS

While a standard fence like this ain't super pretty or look great for the semi-professional photographer, it's great for one category. The small kids, they can now see the train through the fence. It will be some form of requirement for the fence also based on the safety and speed of the train. So, even tho this ain't pretty. I hope the kids enjoy it.

Shoot me for a different view on this, could the colour of the shed have been dictated by a DA?

They very well, could have 🤷🏼‍♂️. The aboriginal meaning is very similar anyway.

The Native Eagle Symbol is known as “The master of skies” and is a symbol of great significance. He is believed to be the creature with the closest relationship with the creator. Soaring to great heights, he can travel between the physical and the spiritual world. He is said to be a messenger to the creator. Source, Google search.

Good on the park for sticking to its word for this garden and finally opening it. The non-smoking signs would be a good thing to add, maybe a small sign saying what the dedication is for also. I don't want to be the Debbie downer here, I'm not a massive fan of the style of seats tho. I feel like some sandstone or wooden carved special seats may have been a better choice.