Jobe

Yeah Narra wasnt saying that it was. He was referring to the text as the biggest in your face text on the front page...........

Yeah agree. However a retheme is 100% needed. I think that a new Straddle coaster type train such as quad bikes such as on Juvelon in Denmark would be ideal. Change colour of track, retheme station to be more sympathetic to the Rivertown area and maybe some themed elements without going to huge excess around the course could be done fairly efficiently. I think this would be a viable option and would make an unpopular and uncomfortable ride into a family coaster that would be far more enjoyable. Problem is as stated , I do not think Dreamworld would see this as a priority or even as a real option.

No one is disputing his right to defend his team. We know and he knows that media hype when these incidents occur are horrendous. We all agree with him in principle here. Even the poster who called him out in the screen shot agreed with him on that point. However, it was 100% completely unprofessional that he even mentioned his direct competitor's worst ever accident on social media in reference to this. He represents a brand and a directly competing park to the one he mentioned. He could have got his point across quite easily without mentioning Dreamworld or the 2016 accident. If he had , we would have all been supporting him in this. Now, because he directly referenced Dreamworld and the accident, it comes across as extremely petty, uneccessary and unprofessional in the extreme. That one comment is undefendable IMHO and it shows Bikash's complete arrogance and disregard for any sort of decorum. I bet any Dreamworld executive would be furious at this intimation that the park is unsafe after a full 8 years after the incident and various measures and new attractions have been put in place to revive Dreamworld's trust in the publc face. This is nothing but a cheap shot and Bikash would know that , hence why the comment has been deleted.

Yeah I get your logic here if we were specifcally talking about an attraction that was targeting international tourism as its main drawcard. That is 100% true. Specifically if its Disney or Universal or even Legoland. However, when Wonderland was opened , it was built for the local population and market. The same could also be said for Dreamworld , Seaworld and Movieworld even now. ( with the exception of the NZ market). The majority of their marketing is pushed towards a domestic target audience with internationals being drawn there as a secondary consideration. I am thinking of a new build park at Somersby that is also targeting just the local population as their major concern. This precludes the need for being near a major airport. However, being in the best possible space for local population visits is the most attractive option here and hence why the Somersby site should be considered to be a viable option. Being smack bang in the middle of a catchment area of 6 million people is a strong reason to consider. This catchment area is also twice the size of the local population base for Brisbane and the Gold Coast combined-namely Brisbane at 2.2 million and the Gold Coast at 600,000. 3 Million versus 6 million is a powerful argurment for consideration when looking at this. This certainly evens out when you take into account the number of tourist visits for the Gold Coast over a year at 3.7 million but it certainly places both sites on a fairly even keel in terms of catchment numbers. These numbers do not include any out of town tourist numbers that would also potentially visit the site from Sydney tourist numbers of which there would be a further 3 million to add into the mix ( both domestic and international) Time wise lets look- Newcastle/Hunter to Somersby - 80 minutes Sydney CBD to Sommersby - 70 minutes Blacktown to Somersby - 62 minutes Parramatta to Somersby -64 minutes Even Campbelltown to Somersby is around 90 minutes. The entire Sydney basin is within easy reach of a site at Somersby. All of these major population bases are connected by far better roads than when Wonderland was built in the 80's. The infrastructure to get to Somersby are on Motorways that are acknowledged as some of the best in the nation. Travelling by car is not an impediment here since the times to travel are more than reasonable for a major attraction for any of the locals that live in the target catcment area. We have already seen that people will travel locally for a decent attraction. We know the need in NSW for a theme park the size of Wonderland is needed. Local people within that 6 million catchment base could easily fit this in for a day trip and it would be far cheaper than travelling to the Gold Coast by flight. Its easier to organise and we know that locals will first and foremost , support their local park. Why else do VRTP offer a local pass for their properties? The Gold Coast parks do not have fantastic public transport options- its mainly buses or coaches with no rail options. Light Rail will be a good addition to this if it ever gets off the ground but the majority of people drive to the parks. This would be the same for any attraction at Somersby and would be very comparable to the GC sites. Of course, PT would be established if there was an attraction and its only 15 minutes to Somersby from Gosford Train station where a major hub could be easily established. Jamberoo and Gumbuya are certainly further from their customer bases and yet people are still willing to travel to them. Both parks are surviving and thriving. Have they had time to establish this? Certainly for Jamberoo but I would argue that Gumbuya has forged their own identity and loyal customer base very recently in the last few years since they expanded and transformed into the park that it is. There is nothing stopping a new attraction/park from doing the same thing right now. Gumbuya has proven this and it would of course be dependent on what was offered. If Wonderland was opened today on a site in Somersby do we really think that it would not attract a sizeable interest and following from the 6 million people it was targeting? I dont think so - the interest in it would be huge and local people and families would definitely travel for it since that it is quite reasonable to do so. I just think that IF NSW were to ever get another ground up theme park, a site at Somersby would have to figure in any planning or thinking. It simply has a lot of boxes that it ticks, espcially in relation to other options and I do not think it is one that can be summarily dismissed out of hand. When you dig a little deeper, the pros for a site at Somersby do stack up for mine. Its all pie in the sky stuff of course, and I think its a long way off before another theme park is even considered for Sydney and NSW. Sad as that is.

Look I get what you are saying. Let me expand on my thinking here. This is in the area of one of the biggest growth corridors in NSW and smack bang in the middle of the 3 biggest population bases in all of NSW next door to the biggest freeway and transport corridor between the two biggest population bases- that is a powerful case right there. Australia's Wonderland when it began in 1985 was probably in a far worse position when it opened- and it had the same issues that were probably more disadvantageous than what a site at Sommersby would be. Australia's Wonderland opened with no rail links, no close connection to any major airport and at the time the road infrastructure was far inferior than what we have today. I just think that as a ground up site, it has its advantages. Everything grew around Wonderland and I think that having a major theme park situated here in NSW people would travel for it. They would also couple it with visits to either the Hunter region or the Greater Sydney region. Dreamworld, when it was built, also had no real infrastructure around it either. To get there, you travelled by car or by coach. And yet they came. Yeah I am talking about a separate entity here- not aligning with the Reptile park. Travel from Western Sydney shouldnt be all that much of a problem-in fact its the exact obverse of what Australia's Wonderland faced when it first opened and now the road infrastructure is that much more superior to then. The M4 and the M7 directly link to the North Connex and that leads to the M1 and before you know it, you are on the Central Coast. Exactly. To me it all depends on the product. Australia's Wonderland worked because of its uniqueness and sheer size to anything that had been seen in NSW at the time. People travelled to it. And it worked. The infrastucture around it grew over time. If whatever was built was a compelling enough reason to visit, then people would. Thats how Australia's Wonderland lasted for 20 years. Of course we know its history and its ending- and that partly had to do with its location but it was not a barrier to its 20 years of existence. Could not have said this any better. But lets remember that when Wonderland opened, the M4 was not even built. That sort of infrastructure came later. The M1 is already there and is acknowledged as one of Australia's busiest highways between a population of 5 million, 350,000 on the Central Coast and another 700,000 in the Hunter. Being smack in the middle of a catchment area of 6 million people is a powerful consideration in my reckoning and with the road infrastructure already being in existence it certainly makes one think. The knock on effects for the Central Coast would be hugely positive. Gosford to Sommersby is just 15 minutes away by road. I just do not think that we can casually dismiss this idea for a future site. It will 99% most likely never happen but I can certainly see the merits of it being considered and I also think a strong business case could be made for one. The best thing I can say about this comment is thanks for your input.

The Central Coast has plenty of land at Sommersby near the Reptile Park. It is close to the M1 and in between the 2 biggest population centres of NSW in Sydney and Newcastle along with the Central Coast. If the land was cleared for a project such as a new theme park here, it would seem like its an excellent choice as it ticks a lot of boxes. It is not 100% ideal as of course it would be in the middle of nowhere without any huge infrastucture but being connected to the M1 and only being an hour away from your 2 biggest population base means that it would be a desirable site. I certainly would not put it in the poor choices category.

So are you going to post it or are you going to hold us all in suspense? 🤔

You forgot 2 mat racer slides as well 😉

Here is an updated interview with Jim Eddy, owner of the Jamberoo Action Park in NSW. It details that they are indeed gearing up for a new attraction that is planned for this year- weather and conditions permitting. That will be the Action River which , from the above artwork, looks super long and will encompass a large tunnel through the Funnel Web and Perfect Storm slide complex. What they also state is that a SECOND wave pool will be constructed along with the River. There is no mention as to if this Wave Pool will be any different to the exisiting Wave Pool but they do add that these attractions are being added to help with capacity. Beyond that, the artwork does show another slide complex to the right of The Funnel Web and also the Master Blaster water coaster that has its circuit around the end half of the new Action River. These 2 future attractions will complete the Kangaroo Ilsand Master Plan, started over 20 years ago. Hopefully the Action River will be the equal of Volcano Bay in Orlando's Action River, which has to be one of the best of its types and examples in the world. In other quick news Jamberoo have replaced their old land train with a new unit- one that is larger and higher capacity. Thennew land train is now powerful enough to climb the mountain and it completes a full circuit of the park with stops at every major slide and the 2nd Station of the Chairlift. Its a great addition to the park as it encompasses some great views of the surrounding landscape and is now a great attraction in its own right. This runs throughout the day and when i visited last weekend, proved to be extremely popular. So quick discussion here- will this addition catapult Jamberoo into the position of best water park in Australia? The competition is fierce and there are several contenders who could take that crown....... https://regionillawarra.com.au/how-visionary-jim-eddy-turned-a-cow-paddock-into-the-largest-water-theme-park-in-nsw/11216/

💯 accurate. The far more logical choice where it should have gone.

Absolutely think that Dreamworld should turn their attention on Motocoaster next. It badly needs a retheme and new trains to better fit in with the Rivertown them close by. I doubt they would opt for spinning cars however. They would be the best option and would really bring something to the ride for sure. Even if they heavily rethemed the entire layout, added in some enclosed sections and gave the ride generic straddle quad bike trains with similar restraints to Jet Rescue and this would still be a far better ride for it. Paddle steamer- I can definitley see the need for it but I think its a very small chance of it happening. A water coaster or a well themed log flume with indoor and well themed sections should happen before any new coaster. This should be the priority for mine after the Moto coaster retheme. As for flats I think Dreamworld needs something unique and different from what is already out there in the Australian theme park landscape. The reason Wipeout was so beloved and iconic was because there was nothing else like it in Australia at the time it was installed. Give the punters something that is good to ride, that is going to leave a positive impression but one that they can only get at Dreamworld and will leave them wanting to come back for more. Wipeout did that for the entirety of its lifespan and was why it was so successful. These would all be excellent contenders in my opinion. From RES - The Oracle Also from RES The Sunseeker From Fabbri Rides- The Spider From Fabbri Rides again The InControl A well themed one of these would make an excellent Family thrill installation Then again,how long before we see one of these in Australia? Or one of these? Or if we want to play with nostalgia lets have the updated Reef Diver II Incidentally , RES have done some great versions of flume rides and Rapid rides and they also have a a great concept for a Water coaster that Dreamworld could do wonders with a custom layout...... https://ride-engineers.com/rides/water-coaster/ Plenty of options for Dreamworld to play with. Great topic!! Looking forward to hearing other ideas!

Ahhh Another one bites the dust!!! Such a shame this could not have got off the ground. This would have been a great attraction for the Sunshine Coast area and couple with Aussie World and Australia Zoo would have stamped the Sunshine Coast as major alternative to the Gold Coast. The Sunshine Coast area is crying out for a water park on this level and it would do extremely well if another player were to come and pick up the pieces.

Amidst all the exciting news coming out of IAAPA today , we also have some news closer to home. The Monoply attraction in Melbourne, which had been delayed, is finally set to open today. Next time I am in Melbourne I will swing by and check this out. https://concreteplayground.com/sydney/travel-leisure/monopoly-dreams-melbourne-opening?fbclid=IwAR2mQuZTTosoRZnU3CyxU8NyhOFlNM4OvwENBJtP4r-E2Lu13iXKIGfDvq4 The attractions official website is here.

My assumption is that if they are announcing this on their map, then for mine the Go karts are gone for good. They certainly do occupy a decent parcel of land and whilst I do not expect a coaster announcement, it would be great for this park to install a new themed area with 2-3 new family thrill flat rides. This park needs to balance out its dry attraction offerings and this would go a long way in addressing that.

This 👆 💯 agree. Was going to respond exactly the same way. Could not have put it any better myself.

Hey I am just repeating what has been reported in the media and quoted what the park’s CEO has stated in an interview. They seem fairly confident it can and will be done.

Hmm interesting. Well if that is true then its not overly positive , however, it is their space and they can manage it as they see fit , just like any other function space. I do not think the intention here is to stop the Big Top from holding functions at all, ratheras I stated earlier, I believe that this will be a seasonal , holiday run attraction. Indeed the official media release says that this technology will be later used for corporate functions, live music and product launches etc.

Do you have examples here? I think you might be surprised here. Given that its a free entry park, people can choose if they just want to do this attraction and then leave. Also given that its an hour long experience, this pricing point sits pretty well with other similar events such as the Van Gogh travelling experience which was extremely popular. Of course , it will depend on how good this experience actually is and also will they be able to alter it so that different experiences can be shown to attain repeat patronage. Perhaps they will have seasonally different shows every year to entice people back. This may only have a limited holiday run as well. That will keep this experience quite fresh if they do. Time will tell but its great to see the park being innovative with the spaces they have.

Luna Park Sydney has released details of its new $15 million dollar imersive attraction, the Dream Circus. It has provided almost 90 years of fun but now Sydney's iconic Luna Park is entering the digital age with a new immersive attraction pegged to be the next chapter of the park's history. Luna Park opened in 1935 on Sydney Harbour during a time of economic and political turbulence during the Great Depression. The theme park offered "escapism, wonder and joy" for residents during that difficult time, CEO John Hughes said. The historical face of Luna Park and as it looks now. (Nine / Supplied) "Born in the midst of the great depression, Luna Park was built in Sydney out of this need for being social to escape through some of that frivolity," he told 9news.com.au. Eighty-eight years later, torrid times have hit again but Luna Park remains to offer a similar escape. "Now in 2023 with what is happening globally on the back of a pandemic, we think that there is this innate need again to escape, somewhere to go have fun and somewhere to go socialise." From December 22, Luna Park will have upgraded the Big Top to an immersive experience attraction, opening with a locally created experience called the Dream Circus. A render of inside the Big Top immersive experience. (Supplied)HERE The park has made the $15 million investment into redeveloping the Big Top to compete with the globally growing demand for immersive experiences. Luna Park will offer a 3000-square-metre fully accessible multi-purpose entertainment venue within the Big Top with "Barco projection technology, a spatially mapped audio system, hologram technology, motion-activated LED screens and the latest in lighting technology". It provides a 360-degree visual and audio experience in the Big Top that will initially be used to show the Dream Circus production and later for live music, product launches, fashion week and other corporate connections. The event space will open with the Dream Circus production. (Supplied) Sydney Luna Park CEO John Hughes. (Supplied) The move into the immersive and digital space is the future for the amusement park, the CEO added. "We know globally that Gen Z, Gen Alpha are craving these highly social and immersive experiences," he said. He acknowledged that simply relying on rollercoasters and rides at Luna Park isn't sustainable for the future of the theme park and moving into the digital space and creating an "Instagrammable" experience will attract a new wave of visitors. "Luna Park has historically pushed what is possible creatively it has always been a leader in the next best thing," Hughes said. "It is in our DNA. We are replicating it in a 2023 way to a 2023 audience who are largely digital natives," he said. The park already welcomes 1.1 million visitors per year - a return to pre-COVID-19 numbers, Hughes said - but with this new experience it hopes to attract 50,000 visitors this summer alone. Luna Park is sticking closely to its history honouring the best of the new technology while remaining a heritage Art Deco amusement park with classic rides and attractions. From the current to construction site to event space in seven weeks. (Supplied) The Dream Circus is a narrative journey to be premiered in the Big Top. (Supplied) But as the CEO noted, with Australia and the globe facing difficult economic times again in 2023 and the cost of living crisis squeezing budgets, the park believes it has hit the right balance on pricing with the new experience. Starting at $35 for kids and $45 for adults, the team said it is pricing "comparable to a movie". "When you look at the broad spectrum of going to the cinema, going to other attractions or going to shows that come to town we think that is priced quite low given the experience and quality," Hughes said. "Hopefully people can see the value proposition of coming to the park for a ride pass and an experience pass for the Dream Circus for a fairly affordable price." The link to the original article can be found HERE This seems like an excellent proposition for the park- at the same time it converts a function space that can be utilised into a permanent attraction but the attraction itself can also be used to enhance the features of the function space. It will be interesting to see just how and what this attraction actually looks like when it opens to the public. Either way, it certainly shows that Luna Park are still thinking out of the box and have followed up their recent significant investment of 9 new rides with this experience. The Luna park site has been updated to reflect the new attraction and has more info. It will be an upcharge and ticketed attraction and is not available if you are an existing annual pass holder. Info from the website is as per below:

This has been posted on the Facebook site , Lost Amusement Parks of Australia. Its not often you hear of a defunct coaster in Australia and New Zealand that you have never heard of but this is what this group is all about! Please see the below post regarding the Cloud 9/Runaway Mine Roller coaster on New Zealand's South Island. Thanks to 𝔻𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕥 𝕊𝕋𝔼𝔼𝕃 ℝ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕠𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤 and member Davd Mahan for this post. Cloud 9/Runaway Minecoaster at QEII Fun Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. After the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand concluded, the park that was built to accommodate them was left relatively empty, so throughout the 70s and 80s, many amusement facilities were built, The area would eventually be given the name "QEII Fun Park" (QEII is short for Queen Elizabeth II, whom the area was named after), and it was quite popular, the Cloud 9 roller coaster was a looping shuttle coaster where you would be lifted up a spike backward and then dropped down into the loop, and then roll backward and go through the loop again. It opened around September of 1985, making it the first roller coaster to go upside down in the country, beating out Corkscrew at Auckland's Rainbow's End by one year, The coaster was reportedly built and operated by the Paterson Brothers, Gavin, Neville & Lyndsay, who run a tire shop in Christchurch. Many locals stated the ride was very loud and shaky, and many did not believe the ride was safe. Residents in houses near the park called it an eyesore and were annoyed by the sounds of the ride running, and after much (apparent) discussion, the coaster's owners agreed to remove the loop, probably around 1988-1989, this also required part of the ride to be moved. With the loop being removed, the ride's main draw was lost, and ridership went down sharply, furthermore, the noise issues were not fixed, and the ride was still as noisy as ever. Due to these factors, the ride was scrapped near the end of 1989, this was the only permanent roller coaster operating on New Zealand's South Island, so after its closure, it was left without any coasters, and it remains that way to this day. The QEII Fun Park remained open until the early 2000s and the neighboring water park stayed open until 2012 when it was destroyed by an earthquake. (photo credit to Dick Smit, Kim Bartlett, Jo Zervos, Susanna Preston, the Christchurch Star, and Christchurch City Libraries) Has any members of the group actually ridden this? Who has even heard of it? Very interesting and apparently made in house!! Has anyone ever heard of this? Or even have the credit? Just thought that this was interesting and historic enough to share. I certainly have never heard of it!

Just to add to this here is the article. ( Thanks @Rabbit2014 for the link) It has some interesting info in it. THE BIG BANANA FUN PARK TO INTRODUCE BUMPER CAR ATTRACTION SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 ATTRACTIONS / ENTERTAINMENT / SAFETY / TOURISM Coffs Harbour landmark The Big Banana Fun Park has announced that its latest addition, an interactive Bumper Car attraction, will open before the end of the year. Featuring an infrared shooting system and a digital scoring display, the new attraction will provides a modern twist on the classic Dodgem Car ride, making it a more thrilling and competitive experience. Manufactured by the market leading Italian supplier Eurogames, the attraction’s original ‘shoot & spin’ function makes the Bumper Cars spin when shot while a digital scoreboard keeps track of the number of targets hit, to reward players and enhance their ride experience. Anticipating that the new Bumper Cars attraction will captivate both families and thrillseekers, The Big Banana Chief Executive, Michael Lockman advises "we are delighted to introduce an attraction that not only adds excitement for our customers, but also aligns with our strategic vision for the future.” Emphasising the importance of innovation for the fun park, Lockman adds “the Bumper Cars attraction is designed for customers as young as three years of age, making it an exciting experience for the entire family. “This facility has been designed to operate in all weather conditions and is expected to offer a competitive edge over other destinations, as it will be a unique attraction in Regional NSW.” Images courtesy of The Big Banana. Also opening by Christmas is the much delayed second tower in the waterpark. It will feature a duelling raft slide and will add some good capacity to the water park and beef up their offering. The Alpine Slide is apparently still in the planning and development stages still and is definitely going ahead. The delay may mean that there were some issues getting this approved through council. With this delay, this means that wilst the Big Banana Alpine coaster was the first to be announced in Australia, the new Alpine Coaster at Thredbo be built now will be the first to open in Australia. Good times though!! Thredbo Plan New Alpine Coaster Snowy Magazine Nov 21 2022Updated November 21, 2022 EXCITING: An image of the proposed Thredbo Alpine Coaster. PHOTO: Thredbo / digitally enhanced THREDBO Resort have submitted a development application for a new Alpine Coaster ride that will add another layer of adventure at the resort. When approved, this rollercoaster-like toboggan amusement attraction will wind 1,040m through alpine and subalpine vegetation zones, from the top of Lovers Leap to the Valley Terminal precinct. Running adjacent to the existing Snowgums chair for the uplink, the top station and start of the ride would commence just below the current first Snowgums unload. The rendered image (above) supplied by Thredbo shows proximity to the village and the base area around the Merritts Gondola and the current old tennis court area. The proposed line and location of the Alpine Coaster. Thredbo Resort General Manager, Stuart Diver has previously discussed the planned ride at stakeholder marketing presentations. “Subject to approvals we expect the Alpine Coaster to be open for winter 2024,” said Mr Diver. “The Alpine Coaster will be a really exciting addition to Thredbo’s year round adventure offering and will provide an experience that aligns with Thredbo’s focus is to provide premium experiences for our guests in addition to the great offerings we currently have.” This is all part of a new wave of upgrades at the resort that guests will see in the coming years. Following the construction of the Merritts Gondola launched for winter 2020 and the Easy Rider T-Bar replacement for winter 2022, Thredbo will roll out a comprehensive lift replacement plan over the next eight years – including replacing the Snowgums Chairlift and Gunbarrel Chairlift with high-speed six-seater chairlifts. This will increase lifting capacity by up to 40% at the resort. Development application (DA) Images and location of the proposed new Alpine Coaster.

Currently the Aussie World Big Wheel is stated as closed on the website and from reports has been removed from the skyline of the park. Lets just hope that its down for a major refurb/maintenance. I feel that if it was not going to return then this would be reflected on the website and also the park map, which still shows it as being in place. From the ride list above, I would hope that the Aerobat is the ride being installed. This would be an Australian first for this type of ride and gives Aussie World another unique offering. I do agree with @DaptoFunlandGuy though the orientation of the slab that has been teased does not look like it will accommodate this type of ride. In that sense, it certaily doesnt look like a StarFlyer's orientation as well, so we may very well be seeing something completely unexepected. I echo the calls for a Zamperla Nebulaz - this ride would be an Australian first, a great family thrill ride and perfect for Aussie World with a small footprint- and one that would fit in that area extremely well! However, I would love for them ( or any Australian Park really ) to install a Zamperla Gryphon. These are now gaining popularity and have 2 installations currently with one at Kennywood and the other at Playland in the US. They certainly look fantastic , bringing lots of kinectic energy to any midway. They are reported to be not overly intense and would make another great option as a family thrill ride, which is this park's main demographic.

💯 agree to this. While I haven’t been on Overboard at all ( I think it looks great!) I would add to this list Dark Ride at Launceston’s Penny Royal. i experienced this attraction in January with the family and we were all impressed with the theming, visual effects and it’s overall aesthetic. Certainly an enjoyable dark ride with a history slant and it featured good practical effects, great use of sound effects and some animatronics. It’s all Australian with an Australian theme. If you are down that way it’s certainly worth a look and a ride.

Its because they like you to suffer..........

The timing of this announcement is the least of its problems. There is much more laughably wrong than worrying about that. Maybe its an announcement within an announcement??😏