Jobe

Agreed Alex this looks like a brilliant attraction!! Who would have thought that little old Aussie World is keeping the dark attraction flag flying high! This appears to be an excellent addition to Aussie World's growing roster of rides and attractions, and coupled with the new Bug Run kiddie coaster, really diversifies their attraction base considerably. It looks very similar to Infinity on the Gold Coast, itself an excellent walkthru attraction. Does anyone know if Atomiq, the creators of The Illusionarium , were involved with Infinity? $800,000 is also a serious investment for a small park like Aussie World to sink into a walk through attraction like this, especially in the same year that Ballroom Blitz and Bug Run have both been introduced. Well done Aussie World. Definitely will be a must visit with the family next time we are on the coast!

There was a whole thread not long ago ( late last year if I recall) that was devoted to deaths and accidents in the Australian amusement industry. Both Luna Parks were covered quite extensively by myself and other posters contributed to the myriad of other incidents that have occurred over the years. I am surprised you did not remember it. Why wouldn't you include the Ghost train disaster? As you can read in the above thread, several accidents occasioning death have occurred. Whilst this has been a serious event and we are lucky that safety features prevented any injuries, serious or otherwise, there have definitely been far worse in Australian amusement history.

Hopefully this does not set off the usual media hype and hysteria that can be associated with these sort of incidences.......

Yeah there is no need to get bent out of shape over it......

This is great news! The only question I have with this is "Why has it taken so long to realise this potential?" Although its early days, comparisons must be drawn against a park with similar propositions and beginnings- Jamberoo Action Park. The Big Banana has the potential to be just as big as Jamberoo with similar varied attractions such as its toboggan run and Ice Skating. This is a great move and will definitely entice families to stay over in Coffs on their way to the Gold Coast. I predict this will be very successful. Brilliant!

Oh absolutely, it was a gentle correction. I am in awe of Noxegan's travels and the sheer amount of parks he has visited! Jealous much!

Luna Park Melbourne has a Powersurge mate-easy mistake to make!

Yep being so close to home will definitely give these a whirl!! Will post a trip report when I do-they look awesome! In related news, I will be visiting the Illawarra Fly ( and Jamberoo ) on the weekend and they have just opened up a new Zipline course. Will take some pics and report back on this and the day at Jamberoo.

That's awesome Noxegon. It's great that you had a good trip- a shame you missed out on the coasters that were down for maintenance though!Looking forward to reading your trip reports with your outlook on our parks, and hopefully it will not be as long before you grace our shores again!

Hi Saphira88 the Luna Park website would be the first stop for any info about ride restrictions. If the website does not have it, then it will show you how to contact the park by e-mail or phone to obtain more pertinent info for you. Hope you and your family have a great day there! http://lunapark.com.au/ Cheers

I think that pessimism is probably a little harsh Pushbutton. I can only speak for myself, and as I have stated before, I am taking a cautious approach to this. Would I be happy if the DID reopen Eureka? Abso-Fricken-lutely!!! Bring it on!! However, nothing I have seen reported has filled me with overwhelming confidence that this will become a reality- yet. Its great discussion and the plot does thicken as each day passes. I am taking one day at a time. I DO have all my fingers crossed though!

Very true!! In that case I will post some pics and a quick trip report from LPM from when I visited about 3 weeks ago- I had meant to post them before but had not got around to it!! Mr Moon and the entrance are looking in very good condition- they have been the subject of restoration work in the latter half of last year. The new dining precinct/restaurant/function room is slowly inching closer to completion. Its good to see that it is sympathetic to the pre-existing architectural style. The new Ghost train façade or bridge is very nicely done indeed and I am sure that it would look even better at night. These works had also been recently finished along with a refurb of the interior. Since I did not ride the Ghost train this visit, I cannot confirm what has been done to the inside or how effective it is, but if the exterior is anything to go by, then it should be of a decent standard. This ride was very popular the entire time I was in the park. The Freakout was LPM's holiday ride. Have ridden it before when it was at LPS, it features lap bar only restraints for a very forceful ride. Highly recommended. The grand old dame of LPM. This beautiful carousel in brilliant working condition, is the only example of a Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel outside of North America in the world. It was originally purchased for the White City fun park in Sydney before moving to LPM. Just love looking at this ride. The Eyerly Aircraft Company Spider. Getting rarer and rarer these days. This example is in good working order and is well looked after. Still have not solved the mystery if this example was sourced from Australia's Wonderland when they removed one called the Funnel Web. Can anyone shed some light? LPM's Enterprise. Always good to see one of these rising over the Midway. Hello....what have we here? This is what I have come here for! Green train today!! Have to say its been a few years in between rides for me and although she was running well and forceful, the old lady was certainly rocking!! After 102 years of continual operation, it gave me great pleasure to see that this ride could still pack the crowds and had long line ups whilst I was in the park. A true national treasure! Nice shot showing the brakeman reclining on his seat ready for another run!! This is history folks- we are so lucky to have a ride of this type and iconic status still operating!! Get out there and ride it! LPM was certainly doing the business on this day. Interestingly, the parks newest ride, the Power Surge was down for maintenance. Once the new dining precinct opens, and they source a new coaster for the old Metropolis site, plus the eventual return of the Rotor, LPM will be a great little park to kill a few hours if you are in Melbourne. Its definitely a must do if you are visiting in the summer.

Yeah there are a few of us who are a little cautious and sceptical..........I prefer the wait and see approach. Nothing solid to report at this point in time.....

Hopefully Mack is doing the refurb.... Seriously though, given the information and known evidence on Eureka over the years( both visual and anecdotal), I really dont think it is a huge stretch for anyone to have doubts about its reopening. Most posters ( myself included) are, however, happy to be wrong and have stated as such. Given the length of time of Eureka's SBNO status, the fact that we knew that it was being used for storage ( there was a photo doing the rounds a while ago which gave a glimpse into the mountain), the well observed inactivity on the site and even official replies from Deamworld regarding the ride and its fate, surely should be enough evidence for anyone to approach this news with some caution. If it re-opens then awesome- I will certanly look forward to revisiting my fond memories of this ride. For posters who arent old enough or who didnt have the chance to ride it years ago, if it occurs, then you are in for a treat. Fingers crossed this becomes a reality!

Ah no.Sorry you are incorrect.Not sure where you are getting your info from, but Adventure World is NOT rumoured to be getting another Eurofighter at all. They WILL be getting a new water slide,as of yet unknown type. Please check your sources before posting. This information is readily available on these forums where even the CEO of Adventure World contributes to the discussion.

Very intriguing!! Very happy to see Eureka reopen or be replaced but I am a little sceptical in all of this. Surely Eureka would need significant overhaul to be up and running- and surely we would have seen evidence of this before now? Happy to be proven wrong but somehow this doesn't just feel right to me. Hopefully further info or evidence will come to light to definitively prove just exactly what Dreamworld are doing with the Eureka site. Taking a cautious approach before my hopes get too high. Dang!! Just beat me to it GoGoBoy!! :-)

Hasn't this already been discussed to death?? Cyclone is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Its a pretty simple concept to grasp.

Check the website it's on there. Currently only the kids ride Whirly Wheel and Coney Island's Wonky Walk are down for maintenance.

Nice find DisneyDoll! These new attractions will be a great addition to Aussie World's offering, further enhancing this little parks already strong reputation. Its great to see the smaller parks like here, Adventure World, Jamberroo and the Luna Parks contune to expand and thrive alongside the majors. Is there an expected opening date or time frame mentioned at all DisneyDoll?

Yeah sorry Mr Me, I was not issuing an attack on you personally or in any way insinuating that you had made any info up. I am merely responding to the facts at hand. As AlexB said, this could go either way. You are basing your info on staff members that you asked, and on Saturday, I did the same thing. The interesting point to me ,is that not one ( from about 8 team members questioned over the visit) even gave credence to a new ride being a- installed soon or b- being installed on the Flying Saucer site. If there was even a rumour of a new ride, you would expect that ONE would have indicated this. You point to new "decals" as being hard evidence of preparation for a new ride but I just do not see it. As I have stated in my previous post, they are VERY similar to the original Flying Saucer decals and their mere existence is not enough to confirm any new ride , for mine. The site has seen no other activity OTHER than its use at NYE and is still empty with absolutely no work having been started or progressed. And lastly, the official line from LPS, is that no new ride has been announced or is forthcoming. This is not unexpected from any park, who would wish to keep any new project under wraps until they are ready to release info on their terms. We definitely know that LPS have a tiered plan for installing new attractions and replacing old rides with a 5 year time frame. Its a reasonable assumption to say that this new ride would directly replace Flying Saucer on its former site. However, until hard evidence comes to hand to indicate this, all we have are some very thin assumptions. Personally, I hope that any new ride installation is accelerated once the Hair Raiser debacle is put to bed. LPS can then get back on track with its expansion plans.

Sorry I am not so certain. I visited LPS on Sat night and asked virtually every operator if there was a new ride being prepared for the old Flying Saucer site and every one of them said no. Now of course we all take what operators say with a grain of salt, but I was left with the distinct impression that this information was correct- several were adamant that nothing was being installed in the short term. Which leaves us with where you have got your info Mr Me. Also, there is nothing that has been done to the Flying Saucer site to say that it is being prepared for a new attraction, as far as I could see. The "new" decals are very similar to what was there when the Flying Saucer was in existence( see attached pic), and this could have been cosmetic work to tidy up the area for New Years Eve celebrations. The site was used as a viewing platform for LPS NYE fireworks party. Unfortunately, I do not think that a new ride will be coming to LPS in the first half of 2015. Some updates on my visit: IMHO, the residents should have no issue with the lighting suite on Hair Raiser. It is very low key and is only lit on the 2 sides that are facing away from the Cliffside. The ball at the top was not lit up. There are also very few screams from this ride-it should not breach any noise regulations ( not that the residents can use this as a point of attack anymore due to legislation.) I think its unlikely that Hair Raiser is going to be pulled down at this stage, and that LPS will go over a fine tooth comb for any new DA for any new ride it wishes to install. The Pirates Revenge flume was very popular and is a great summer addition. The Lego Toy Brick exhibition was also very popular and a good dual attraction in bringing families to the park. Even though the weather turned wet, there was still a good crowd enjoying the rides and the atmosphere right up until close. Tango Train was in full use and appeared to be running well and was a very popular ride. Rumours of its imminent demise appear overly exaggerated. . Coney Islands Wonky walk was not operating again- this makes 2 years running that I have visited the park and this attraction has been down. I sincerely hope LPS are keeping up to date with their obligations towards this heritage listed attraction. All in all there were 3 families in my group with 6 kids who had an awesome time. They certainly got their moneys worth for the 9 hours we were in the park with many re-rides on every attraction. Hopefully LPS can get back on track this year , put the Hair Raiser DA debacle behind them and get on with their renewal plans. LPS is always worth a visit in the January school holidays.

Attractions. It really should have been a direct replacement for when the Pirate Ship was removed, as you have stated.The fact that SeaViper is now gone as well only exacerbates that need. Surfrider would be an excellent addition to a park that is in dire need of rides to balance out their offering that is heavily skewed towards shows and animal attractions. One major ride installation to replace SeaViper and another smaller ride ( which is where Surfrider would be ideal) would be ideal in addressing this imbalance, in my opinion.

Well that is sure to help out immensely thankyou!!

Well as they say, opinions are like arseholes......everyone has one!! Some are just bigger than others!!!

Thanks mate. Love your work. Great pics of Turbo Mountain, which unfortunately was retired before I got the chance to ride it. Looking forward to your trip updates!