Jobe

Luna Park has hit the press again , but in a far more positive way. Please see the article in today's Telegraph. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/luna-park-is-set-to-get-a-20m-facelift-which-includes-six-new-rides-and-refreshed-food-offering/news-story/eab069440697719f9d5526be9529e7d4 It basically details that LPS are set to refresh their ride offering with 6 new rides in a facelift that will tally $20 million dollars and a new , revamped "family zone." In what I am sure is mis-infomation or poor research on the journalists part, the line " Coney Island will slowly be replaced with more modern attractions as Luna Park owner Brookfield Multiplex splashes the cash." is sure to raise some eyebrows- mine included. I will certainly be sure to get this clarified. Given the price tag of $20 million and the fact that they are planning on 6 new rides, it would seem that the chances of getting a new coaster are very slim.

Well I guess you wont be able to say that again.........

It appears they closed sometime in the early 2000's. Here is a link and some pics of the ride- looks awesome!!

Is it still there @thunder001? I have only visited Aussie World once but I certainly cannot recall seeing this ride!

Seriously how can anyone not be happy with this lineup?? Its almost unprecedented that a park in Australia has plans for 2 replacement attractions and then for a further 5 more NEW attractions. I this that this is brilliant although of course there are no time frames attached to these installations. The additions will certainly make Aussie World an excellent destination and a worthwhile attraction to visit. If the Sunshine Coast gets the proposed water park actually built, then it will certainly be a attractive proposition for families and tourists, coupled with the natural attractions that the Sunshine Coast has to offer plus Australia Zoo in the near vicinity. Yep @AlexB that is certainly Hair Raiser from LPS, @joz perhaps they have sold some surplus land somewhere? Just a thought.... Is it just me or does this pic hint of even further attractions to come? Aussie World currently does not have a Go Kart or is this a separate entity behind the existing park? Also what does the transport track The Luge refer to? A toboggan ride?

Pretty sure that the record heatwave weather was a factor here. I could be wrong though.

Visited the Big Banana over the Australia Day long weekend and the family had a ball. The waterpark, though small, was great for the kids and at sessions of an hour and and a half , never got really overcrowded. I had been up Coffs Harbour for work the previous month and noticed a huge stack of slide parts in the ice rink carpark. Thinking they were for a new water slide , I contacted the park and was delighted to receive the following info: " The slide parts you saw are part of our new attraction opening soon called 'The Racer' which is one of Australias largest and fastest indoor slides. It will be in that large white building on the hill next to the water slides. There are big things happening in our park in the near future with alot more fun attractions to come and exciting additions to the Water Park." Here is an article about the slide: http://m.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/an-82m-six-storey-rush/3105474/ You can just see the big white building to the right of my pics, which formally housed their old snow slope. This is great news that they are continuing to add new attractions on a yearly basis, which is their goal. The park was extremely popular all day and this includes not only the waterpark, but the tobaggan slide, the laser force and of course, the iconic Big Banana itself and the eatery/restaurant behind it. ( Gotta love those Chocolate Frozen Bananas on a stick!) The park certainly has a good amount of room to expand and if it adds another slide tower and a pool , will certainly be a enticing option to experience for visitors to the Coffs Coast or on their way to Queensland. Adding some more water attractions would make this the biggest water park between the Gold Coast and Sydney- a massive catchment area and ripe for expansion. Things are certainly looking positive for the park and I hope they keep their current success to build the park to being a serious player in the industry. Trivial Note: Opposite the water park on the hill there is a disused building that appears to have been an attraction at one time or another. I went up there for a drive to get a good view of the park overall and was astounded to find a Tesla Charging station here!!! Not sure how many there are in Australia, but this was certainly the last place I would have expected to see one.

Thanks for this @RobK. Brilliant article with some great info and some rare pics!! It is a real shame that this important piece of amusement park history in Australia did not survive past 1989. The late 80's were terrible for the loss of our amusement legacy in Australia and if it had survived, it would have been an extremely rare example of an early amusement peir- the only one in existence in Australia. Not to mention the gold mine of rides contained within that were really irreplaceable. A huge loss and one I still lament quite keenly.

Good old David Burton!!! Great clip!!! A piece of amusement history coming back to life!! Excellent news!! Now if we could just get Rainbow back out on the circuit and I would be a happy man!!

Thanks for the fantastic trip report Strop- brilliant!! Great to see a visit to Aussie World - a park that does not come up that often here on the boards. Good to see the pics on the new changes and how the park is evolving. I am really glad that this did NOT become Wet and Wild as was originally planned a few years ago. I agree 100% with you. It was EXTREMELY sad and distressing to see such a proud ride with such history being relegated to a scrapheap like that. Whatever the motivation, or the practicality around its demise, that simply cannot temper the loss of such an iconic, important and historical ride. Looking forward to when Aussie World installs their new Spinning Mouse and Swinging Pendulum rides hopefully in the first half of this year. The park will certainly be one to keep an eye on as plans for the further 3 rides that have been forecast come to fruition. Exciting times for Aussie World!

Why?? The axes are not intrinsically related to Scooby and could be utilised for any number of other themes that they could possibly employ.

Yeah great idea and it would have excellent flexibility to different attractions that the park could host but they need to move quickly on replacing the 3 lost rides ( TRR, Eureka and Rocky Hollow). Once that is done then a Main Event complex could be Stage 2 of this new area.

Absolutely spot on @Noxegon. There is no discussion about which is the better ride and I am still left feeling hollow about Aussie World's sudden and dramatic removal without any real warning or communication. As @AlexB pointed out, there is nothing about these rides that could NOT have been manufactured right here to keep the ride operating, if the will was there. Since we can rule out parts as a potential reason, then that only leaves safety issues as the main cause of concern. I would certainly like to know the thinking and impetus behind this decision from management at Aussie World. Also agree 100% that a Spinning Wild Mouse will definitely be a crowd pleaser and whilst it is inferior to the coaster it replaced, this is my overriding point. The average visitor will not care and will probably find the ride an improvement as it will enable a whole family to ride at once with its four person cars and its lower height requirement. Kudos again to Aussie World for recognising this need. I just wished that they had added this as a supplement to the wooden Wild Mouse and not as a replacement. Thanks also for letting us know about Reverchon still producing rides. This is actually good news as it is a barometer that the industry is alive and competitive. Now if some Australian Park would make the decision to install a Maurer or Mack Spinner this would be excellent news. Adventure World or either Luna Parks I am looking at you!!! I certainly agree here that the Wooden Wild Mouse are a decidedly superior ride to Spinning Mouse. There is no argument here by me on that count. Its a bloody shame that Australia at one time had 3 operating versions of these and now we are whittled down to just one. Thank God LPS Wild Mouse and original unit in Australia is heritage protected and its future is assured for many years to come. However, having also ridden Blackpool Pleasure Beach's unit, i found that its unique layout is IMHO superior to the one we are familiar with here at home.

^ This. 100% spot on here @djrappa. The Scooby brand is old and has been pointed out numerous times, is dated and frankly, past its use by date. To remove all the themeing and then just replace it in the SAME theme does NOT make business sense. I sincerely hope that it does indeed get a whole new makeover as a new, more relevant theme. This then would allow the park to market this as a new ride and as Rappa has pointed out, get some much needed ROI. To do anything else is just bad business IMHO.

I agree 100% here. Most theme park enthusiasts know the difference between ride manufacturers and which rides are deemed better or worse than others (please remember though, that these are highly subjective and dependent on the individual rider). However, for such a ride as a Reverchon Spinning Mouse ( which IMHO is not THAT bad a ride) the average joe will enjoy this as a good family option to ride. They will not sit there and discuss the vagaries of the Reverchon versus the Maurer spinner or to a B&M for that matter. They simply do not know any better. I bet that this installation will prove a VERY popular choice at Aussie World. Even the travelling version that plies its trade up and down the East Coast at fairs and festivals is ALWAYS a popular choice and is patroned well wherever it goes. To have one in a park where families can re-ride at will is sure to only enhance this attraction and its popularity. On an aside, we are not even sure of the manufacturer at this stage. All we have to go on is a pic which looks like a Reverchon model. If it is a new ride, then as Noxegan has already pointed out, this will be a Zamperla unit, which have licensed the layout and ride since Reverchon's demise. Its basically the same model yeah.

I actually answered this in another thread not too long ago. LPS looked at trying to get parts for their Wild Mouse but the cars are completely different and LPS does not have the holding capacity to store any track on site. I agree 100% with your post @DisneyDoll. It is indeed unfortunate that the original Wild Mouse has been removed however this will be a capable replacement and a very popular ride. Aussie World can claim to be the only park in Australia with a permanent Spinning coaster, as well. You are spot on here @DisneyDoll @XxMrYoshixX this is your opinion. I personally believe that the introduction of the Spinning Wild Mouse will be a huge success and a wildy popular ride. I agree that it is no substitute for the original Wild Mouse and that a Mack or Maurer spinner would be the preferred option by theme park enthusiasts. However, everything else you state is just your opinion and not true for everyone and I certainly refute them. I do not think that Reverchon Spinning Mouse coasters are overly rough, boring or even uninspired. This installation will mark the first permanent installation of this ride type in Australia and I think Aussie World are to be commended for swiftly replacing the original with another coaster.

Sorry to hear that Mark, Adventure World will be certainly poorer for you leaving it!! The park is certainly in far better condition than it was when you started 6 years ago and you have set them on the path to be a brilliant park in the future. Your legacy at Adventure World is certainly enshrined! Hopefully you get to stay within the themepark industry in Australia so that you can work your magic elsewhere ( Luna Park Sydney or Melbourne is in definite need of your skill and deft managerial hand!) Thanks for being so open with the enthusiast community- I know we have all appreciated your candour and posts that you have brought to the table here on Parkz. I certainly hope you will remain a member and post from time to time and I think we all wish you well in your future ventures!! Good luck and much success to you!!

I certainly do not agree with calling Jamberoo Action Park an also ran @AlexB, if that is indeed what you are implying. ( Forgive me if I have misunderstood) They are certainly not overshadowed by Wet"N Wild Sydney and there is certainly an argument as to which is the better park, IMHO. Wet' N Wild DOES have the better roster of slides but not by much. Jamberoo beats Wet"n Wild on just about everything else- location, ambience, great team, atmosphere, ability to handle large crowds and more diverse attractions with the 2 tobaggan runs and even Putt Putt golf. The grounds are clean, immaculate and well established and offer a far more appealing aesthetic than the sterile picture that is offered at Wet'N Wild. I don't want to turn this into a Jamberoo versus a Wet'N Wild piss fight,they both have their positives and negatives, but to refer to Jamberoo as an also ran? That could not be further from the truth. I have been to both and I know which one I prefer.

The Octopus site is currently occupied by the Trampoline attraction, as pointed out correctly by DisneyDoll. This area will be taken up by the new swinging pendulum ride when it arrives next year. My guess is that the new drop ride is closer to the entrance and will join the line of kiddie attractions in this area.

Yeah....... Just No.

And truth be told, it just ISNT that iconic, for mine. Get rid of it and have the entire area to start anew. This way it can be completely refreshed without any ties to the past which may disturb lingering bad memories. Its best for the park, the victims families and a new area is best for the Dreamworld visitor. Win Win.

That would be great mate..your contributions, for mine, are always valued!

In the advent of the news that Vikings revenge is now permanently shut, this then makes the call for Surfrider to be relocated to Seaworld that much more relevant and urgent. This would be a pretty cost effective way of introducing a new ride into a Park that sorely needs it. Lets face it, it certainly has not been a great success at Wet and Wild and it would make far more sense with a new theme and home at Seaworld. I understand that it has had reliability issues but surely these could be worked out for the move to Seaworld? Anyone else think this would be a good move for Seaworld?

Interesting. I will have to have a look and see for myself. Since I like the colour blue, I cannot imagine it is THAT hideous. Will visit in mid January- did you perchance take any pics? Ranger is still up for sale but for the moment it is definitely not gone. It should be back up and running by mid January. As it should. That's good to see. They will also have The Avenger returning for the Christmas break and another attraction that I cannot divulge at this time. It looks to be a good Summer for LPS Absolutely! This needs to be addressed badly and is quite frankly , an embarrasment. It is one of the points to mention that I intend to bring up with the park. MYSTERY Manor has been operating all year and appears to be a permanent attraction at this stage. Thats not good feedback. I will pass this on to Brad Loxley next time I am conversing with him. Although, this might reach his ears earlier than that, as LPS DOES read these forums. How does the ride compare to the old Tango? I have yet to experience the new unit. Spot on @AlexB. The ride is most definitely under maintenance and should be operational by mid January, fingers crossed.

Then lets get the best of both worlds and encourage more girls to wear bikinis WHILST riding rollercoasters. Wow indeed.