Cactus_Matt

This picture gives me "the exit of Lethal Weapon" vibes. The nostalgic part of me likes it, the part of me that appreciates good theming does not.

That greeny colour is almost the colour of glow in the dark paint so maybe it'll glow in the dark? If not then that'd be a pretty easy thing to do later.

Not defending Dreamworld's decision because I think the Gold Rush theme was excellent and remains pretty timeless, but I'm also okay with just a ride being themed (even if the theme is slight: the roller coaster is a snake amongst rocks, the path is its shed skin, the "bones" are of a slain enemy?) as opposed to an entire area themed to something detailed and specific. When I made theme parks in Roller Coaster Tycoon I'd more often than not have both themed areas and then specifically themed roller coasters that didn't exactly fit into any precinct but were big enough to warrant a theme. Plus there's always the chance that another ride comes in to fill Buzzsaw's footprint themed after another venomous Australian animal then they can call theme the whole precinct after a zoo (or something).

Just replace one of the hammers with a sickle, paint it red and boom, instant iconic theming!

The parks might as well be seasonal at this point considering how many months of the year so many of their rides are not running, this goes for Dreamworld too. I swear when I lived on the Gold Coast back in the day it never used to be this bad...

Wow, I feel dumber from having read the last dozen or so posts!

I'd take Leviathan over Steel Taipan any day of the week but that's because I think Wooden roller coasters are more unique nowadays. But as much as people might like to make it out to be, this isn't a contest. Assuming the parks can do the right thing by guests and enthusiasts alike all the GC theme parks will be around for a while yet.

B&M B&M B&M B&M oh and did I mention B&M?

Just dunk it in Sydney Harbour, that'll make it below the height limit AND make it useful as a new habit for sea life, its pretty much all its good for anyway.

One roller coaster - while very nice looking and undoubtedly sure to be a crowd-pleaser - does not significantly change Dreamworld's prospects going forward. At the risk of sounding like a pessimist, it's just a band-aid on a broken bone. They could completely "stick the landing" and have a gorgeously themed area, removed the eyesore that is Buzzsaw, have a flawless launch and glowing reviews/word of mouth but there's still the covid uncertainty that's going against them, the grim spectre of the TRRR incident not to mention the fact the park is at its smallest (with regard to ride offerings) in decades. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for Dreamworld to succeed, I've got a lot of nostalgia for the park and I don't subscribe to 'picking sides' with regards to the GC parks but basically what I'm saying is even if everything goes Dreamworld's way, they are still a long way off from being in a good place going forward.

Anyone else think this part of the track is way too close to the footpath (assuming this footpath is accessible to guests)? Seems like a prime place for idiots to play chicken with a speeding taipan...

That just makes me sad that they used to have an ACTUAL chair lift and now its gone (among everything else the park has lost).

The only reason I can fathom for them NOT making a path between ST and GD (assuming that whoever decided this isn't just a moron who doesn't realise the convenience of connecting the rides) is its intentional to make the average guests stay at the park longer. That's literally the only reason to create dead ends in a park like this, so people backtrack; passing through popular thoroughfares with food and merchandise areas to get to other areas of the park.

Couldn't a snake scale printed footpath represent the shedded snake skin of the Steel Taipan itself?

I don't think this is any great loss to Dreamworld as a whole considering the far more important and impressive rides they seemingly flushed down the drain with even less warning and fan-fare than they did give this one. I rode this "roller coaster" twice and that was enough for a lifetime. Unlike some people here I don't think this is going to erode any of the public's image of the park (the general public doesn't know/care how long a ride has been in a park, how much it cost to build or maintain, etc. they just care if something good is going away, and by most accounts it won't be missed). But on the other hand, I don't think the addition of Steel Taipan and some new carriages for the Railway is going to put Dreamworld back on top of their game. The park is at the very least a couple solid flat rides, a substantial water ride and a record-breaking ~something~ away from even being close to what they were in their heyday. TL;DR, Dreamworld decided to get rid of something unpopular for a change rather than the things they should have fought to keep and it's not going to change much in the grand scheme of things.

Dreamworld Presents - Steel Snake Taipan: The Roller Coaster: Experience

69!

I saw the Police Academy show almost every time I went to Movie World throughout my childhood and teenage years (even when I occasionally went to the park on my own as an 18 year-old with a yearly pass to utilize). After moving to Melbourne in my 20's, every time I revisited the park while on holidays on the Gold Coast I never bothered to see the new stunt show. Maybe it was spite for Movie World having removed something as fun as Police Academy, maybe it was the mediocre word of mouth. My point is that the personality and humour of the Police Academy Stunt Show was something unique and something I remember more fondly than any of the car stunts or explosions.

Not to compare any of our Aussie parks to the Disney or Universal parks but the longest I've ever waited for a ride in my life was during one of my multiple visits to Disneyland and DisneySea in Tokyo. I've waited 70 minutes for Pooh's Honey Hunt, 80 minutes for Tower of Terror and 90 minutes for Journey To The Center of the Earth. Most other rides were round the 60 minute mark. I'd never wait for more than 60 minutes on any current Australian theme park ride. Just sayin...

The tabloid headlines practically write themselves! "Rejected China Bargain Coaster Built Where Four People Tragically Lost Their Lives"

For me, the most immersive (and therefore best?) will always be the Loony Tunes River Ride. No ride has actually ever made me feel like the things were happening were "real" like that ride did. Even re-riding it as an adult for the last time back in 2010 stirred up strong memories of those childhood experiences. It might not measure up to modern Disney-level pre-ride experiences but it was damn close.

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but is there a reason they're so (seemingly) in a hurry to remove the track for this one when so many other attractions at this park had been left SBNO for WAY longer? Is it to remove it before it rusts and becomes unsightly or is there immediate financial gain to be gotten from scrapping the metals?

Obviously Covid has complicated things for most theme parks, especially ones reliant on international travel (I don't know if the Australian parks are heavily reliant on international visitors or would manage to get by 'just fine' without it) but I don't think Dreamworld has much of a future as being a major international draw card without shelling out some major bucks on something record-breaking/mind-blowing. As it stands, even after Steel Taipan is installed, Dreamworld will maybe be on par with 'Wonderland Sydney' in its heyday. That's to say, pretty good for locals, a decent day out for interstate travellers but hardly essential for international travellers unless they have particularly bored kids.

Wood is good.

Maybe they could have themed vests (think hi-vis vests but instead of horrible yellow or orange, themed to each and every attraction) that staff members could pick up from a common location and pop them on before going to the relevant attraction. That way the park could handle washing the vests, keeping them in good condition, while the staff keep their generic 'Village' polos to wear underneath.