Brad2912

Tickets are now on sale All rides appear scheduled to be open at this time. Entertainment lineup appears identical to recent years, as does the upcharges. Apparently the Xmas tree has been redecorated which I’m sure will be a highlight..

I felt like this article probably needed its own thread as it covers a number of elements mentioned in multiple topics currently. Village Roadshow dumps theme park development amid surging losses and debt deal breachEntertainment giant Village Roadshow has dumped development plans at one of its theme parks and revealed it breached a half billion-dollar loan condition as the company’s losses blew out by more than 54 per cent. The Melbourne-based company’s latest financial report, for 2025-26, recorded a net loss of $38.6m – sharply higher than the $25m loss for the previous year Village – which operates Movie World, SeaWorld and Wet’n’Wild as well as more than 50 movie cinemas nationwide – spent more than $4m on restructuring and staff redundancies, but boosted executive pay by 18 per cent, the report said. It also closed down cinemas as it faced board upheaval and a bitter civil court stoush with former executives it has accused of embezzling more than $2.5m. The financial report said Village wrote off $1.9m worth of “capital work in progress due to a terminated development”, partially offset by a $700,000 cost recovery, in its theme parks segment. Village – which has been contacted for comment – did not specify in its report which development had been axed but currently has $330m approved plans for a 600-room hotel and function centre next to Movie World. The company lost $11.4m in annual interest charges alone to lease back 154ha of Gold Coast land it sold to a superannuation fund for $100m in 2017. But the company’s closest shave for the year was a breach of its secured $575m loan agreements with a “syndicate of local and international lenders” which saw $531.5m reallocated to its current liabilities. Village received a written waiver from the lenders after falling $4.9m short of its interest cover ratio – that is its ability to pay the interest on its loans, based on earnings – after June 30. The company’s current liabilities were $809.8m as of June 30, while current assets were $182.2m. Despite the setbacks, Village is confident it can meet upcoming loan covenant tests and is able to continue as a going concern. The report declared more than $400,000 was paid to related parties in FY25, including $323,149 for uniforms from Leaf Group, which is directed by Paul Aberdeen – the son-in-law of co-chairman Robert Kirby. The uniform contract - which the report said was established in 2003 before Mr Aberdeen married Nina Kirby - was down compared to the previous year’s spend of $637,206. Village also purchased $98,923 in boutique wine for its Gold Class cinemas and SeaWorld Resort from Yabby Lake International – in which the Kirby family are shareholders. It also paid $12,000 to insure artworks provided to the company by an unnamed entity related to Robert Kirby. The report said all the related party transactions were carried out “under arm’s length terms and conditions”. Despite closing down two cinemas in the financial year, Village kept $165.1m in goodwill on the books for its cinemas division, based on the assumption box office revenue will return to pre-Covid levels. Village had 1559 employees as of June 30, down from 1631 the previous year. The company was listed publicly on the ASX until a majority buyout by private equity firm BGH Capital in 2020. BGH’s investors include Australian Super as well as multiple large pension funds for government employees in Canada, Singapore, and the United States. Village has moved to settle its blockbuster civil case against two former executives and has not filed a police report. No charges have been laid and this masthead is not suggesting criminal wrongdoing. The matter has been scheduled for mediation on December 9. https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/business/gold-coast/village-roadshow-dumps-theme-park-development-amid-surging-losses-and-debt-deal-breach/news-story/9f193e02e4556d54a7193a3d1feb6808?fbclid=IwdGRleAVXT-5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWURjTLuTdYx3kDTlBvFd1KuDhBIkOl3NydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR_qmZXxw-JjsKNqqQ-iAy7AI8e__1eRC8nS1-huZq5FZCtK5igoN__c6YRZtg_aem_1btEc61sbtAHvS6_cbW45w

gc themeparks posted this on TikTok today. Can’t vouch for any truth to it but thought I’d share https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSgvteVpv/

Not based on any technician knowledge of the design lifespan but based purely on the basis of us not seeing any real examples of Gold Coast rollercoasters cracking 30 years without being torn down or had track replacement. Gold Coaster is the closest to 30, albeit some of that spent in Sydney, but none of us wouldn’t overtly complain were they to pull that brain damage inflictor down as long as a replacement was lined up. Were the statues re-instated after being removed and relocated to the front of the park during the heroes v villains event? I forgot to stick my head in at fright nights to look

If referencing MDMC, I’m not a fan of the idea. The only thing going for it is that it will be an entirely new experience in that it will be different trains, indoor sections. Proof will be in the final delivered product a new launch only for SE doesn’t give them anything “new” to market. If they do the launch with a refresh to the internal dark ride section of then I think that could be a credible investment strategy. Hey I wanna stress I don’t want SE gone. It’s in my top 3 in the country and I love it - I just am not sure management will do right by it

Spending $10-$15m on a 25 year old coaster doesn’t seem to fit with VTP’s cut-cost, lower overhead model. To get an upswing in visitation to justify that they’d need to do more then just upgrade the launch and make the station better - that’s not getting interstate visitors to book another trip.

Zero faith in current management and their ability to operate the theme park effectively. I very well may be wrong, but I just don’t see them outlaying substantial capital to essentially replace the launch on a near 25 year old ride that realistically wouldn’t have a decade left in it without track replacement. The promised queue changes were not forthcoming. I believe they are operating it with the idea of running it until it stops running or they get through the summer holidays, whichever comes first

Seems SE will go the way SDSC went. Patch fixes until it become apparent patches won’t work, and then one day it will go into maintenance and never return (yes SDSC returned eventually but SE won’t)

Theme parks operator Village Roadshow has moved to settle its civil case against two trusted former executives it claims defrauded the company of more than $2.5m. Melbourne-headquartered Village, which operates Sea World, Movie World and Wet’n’Wild, is suing a former executive, whose name is protected by a court order, for more than $1.8m, including the return of an eye-watering redundancy payout. The company is also suing its former long-serving chief financial officer Dean Humphreys for around $859,009. Both men are accused of enjoying lavish parties, luxury home renos and high-end cars at the expense of their employer, with the unnamed man, referred to as “ABC’ in the redacted court documents, also alleged to have taken and sold a truck used in the 2018 film Aquaman. In a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday morning, Village applied to cancel a seven-day trial which has been scheduled to begin on October 26. Barrister Dominic O’Sullivan KC, for Village, said the parties were attempting to settle in mediation and, if that was unsuccessful, the trial would be rescheduled for sometime after December 7. Orders protecting ABC’s name from being published remain in place. Justice Paul Smith approved the orders, which were drafted by Village and agreed by the other parties. Documents lodged in the case reveal how Humphreys, at the time earning $340,000 a year as the company’s long-serving chief financial officer, was called into a meeting packed with lawyers and investigators brought in after a tip-off from a whistleblower. The allegations include creating false invoices with misleading labels like “Sea World Administration Rectification” and “Fright Night Sheds” so the two executives could charge hundreds of thousands for renovations to their family homes. The move to settle the case comes after it was revealed Village had not filed a police report on the alleged embezzlement. No charges have been laid. This masthead does not suggest Mr Humphreys or the other respondents have acted criminally. Village is one of southeast Queensland’s larger non-government employers and was listed publicly on the ASX until a majority buyout by private equity firm BGH Capital in 2020. BGH’s investors include Australian Super as well as pension funds for government employees in Canada, Singapore, and the United States. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/new-south-wales/village-roadshow-moves-to-settle-25m-civil-embezzlement-lawsuit-against-former-executives/news-story/d4a64ad522f36ac396773863eeadc45a

Dreamworld, the Gold Coast theme park already reeling after the tragic deaths of four visitors on a family fun ride in 2016, was on its knees. The dark shadow following the deaths of Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low on the Thunder River Rapids Ride loomed large for years and when visitor numbers finally started to rebound, along came Covid. Governments helped to sustain big business during those days, but even when things returned to some semblance of normality, Dreamworld was leaking money hand over fist and the natives – or in this case the board members of parent company Ardent Leisure, were getting restless. There were some who wanted to demolish the theme park and sell off its valuable land for housing estates. Fast forward to today and Dreamworld has never been stronger – record revenue, soaring visitor numbers (including a new record single-day attendance), massive investment on state-of-the-art new rides and approval for a game-changing tourist development complete with onsite resorts. The stunning turnaround had been building quietly for some time before the recent annual report delivered an emphatic exclamation mark for the park’s parent company – now known as Coast Entertainment Holdings. The success is being widely celebrated on the Gold Coast, where theme parks are not only major employers for the local economy, but also barometers for the state’s tourism industry. But none of that success would have been possible if the board had not voted to keep the faith in the face of a tempting opportunity to turn the whole place into real estate. It’s a moment Dreamworld CEO Greg Yong knows well. Meeting with The Sunday Mail for a High Steaks lunch at Coomera’s Quarterdeck restaurant overlooking the river and the bustling Gold Coast City Marina, Yong speaks candidly of that time and the presentation dubbed FOD (Future of Dreamworld) which convinced board members to keep the Dreamworld dream alive. Yong, who has a photo of the Thunder River Rapids victims on his office desk, is a Gold Coast local who climbed the ranks during two stints across nearly 15 years at cross-town rival Village Roadshow, where he was working at the time of the disaster. He joined Dreamworld in 2019 and became CEO in 2021, going to the US to study business strategy at the prestigious Harvard University. It gave him a better understanding of the business side of theme parks and an appreciation of the financial ramifications and costs and benefits of big decisions. But coming to Dreamworld in the first place had been a risk for Yong, leaving the comparative comfort of the Village Roadshow family which runs Sea World, Movie World, Wet’n’Wild and other attractions. He knew full well the pain and heartache that had been caused by the Dreamworld tragedy but wanted to be part of the solution. “I looked at it and thought this could be one of the biggest turnarounds in a theme park business ever, and probably something you’d only do once in your whole career,” he says. “And it’s so much more than just “Hey, let’s get a business turned around” … but the whole emotional side of what happened, I thought this would be a big thing to be part of.” After arriving at the park to work under former CEO John Osborne, Yong was eventually elevated to CEO after Osborne’s departure and continued to believe in reinvestment rather than the easier option of selling off the park and its surrounding real estate. “To be honest with you, the numbers said the safest option – from a business risk perspective, was to just close it,” says Yong. “But I didn’t want to take that road.” Neither did plenty of others. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate caught wind of whispers over plans to bulldoze the park and was dismayed, mounting his own argument for the park’s future. “His view was very strongly that Dreamworld should be hanging in,” Yong recalls. And then there was Gary Weiss, the parent company’s unconventional chairman. Often – and perhaps unfairly, described as a “corporate raider”, Weiss’s arrival at Ardent Leisure fuelled fears for the future in some quarters, but the man himself was fiercely loyal to Dreamworld, especially when the park’s future hung precariously in the balance. “Gary said” ‘I’m just not going to be part of it (plans to sell it off),” says Yong. “He said: “I’m not going to be the guy who will be remembered as the one that came in and shut down Dreamworld”. “We’ve got people that have been there for 30 years, 40 years, and so what an ordinary way to end things for them that would have been to have all that time and then suddenly Dreamworld is a housing estate. “I think that’d be a terrible thing to have happened.” But the FOD pitch won the day, a call to think long-term and actually spend even more money in an era when the park was losing $20 million a year. It wasn’t an easy sell, but ultimately it worked. “It was really, really gutsy,” says Yong. “It took some big hard decisions like closing a lot of the favourite park rides … and we said: “We can’t do that unless we’re going to put a lot of money in and really invest in the park”. “So here’s one option which looks really safe, just sell the joint, put houses on it. “It’d be really sad for all of us to lose our jobs, but it’ll be good for the shareholders … or run with this plan saying: “Hey, let’s go and spend a lot more money – it might not work but let’s give it a shot”.” Yong clearly believed in Dreamworld’s future, but admits it wasn’t with unwavering certainty. “I believed in it, but I was still shit scared for sure,” he said. “Because these investments … the thing we do, which is high risk, is make big decisions about new attractions. “Because if you get it wrong, it’s like in that case, we have a $50 million decision … and you don’t really do my job and have those kind of things go badly and keep doing my job.” The success of those decisions are now paying dividends – quite literally in this case, with Dreamworld (along with sister park WhiteWater World and Q1’s SkyPoint) contributing to a $6.1 million profit in the last financial year for Coast Entertainment Holdings after years of going backwards or treading water at best. It’s undoubtedly a career highlight for Yong, the son of a Malaysian Borneo immigrant father and Aussie-born mum, who grew up as a rugby league-mad kid on the Gold Coast in the 1980s and 90s with dreams of becoming a professional pilot. He started taking flying lessons at 15 and by 17 was able to impress his young girlfriend (and now wife of more than 25 years Tanya) by whisking her off for romantic getaways down to northern NSW in a light plane. But as the commercial realities of the time and money involved in accumulating enough flight hours to meet the standards required for airline pilots began to sink in, he pivoted and took a job at Toys R Us. As a cute and quirky piece of Gold Coast trivia, Yong often suited up as the giant Geoffrey Giraffe mascot – including on game day for Gold Coast Chargers NRL matches where he ran up and down the sidelines beside his new bride who donned the Paddle Pop Lion outfit. That experience has given him an appreciation of what mascots at theme parks go through, often sweltering in summer heat surrounded by hordes of kids. He has even been known to don the park’s famous Kenny and Belinda Koala costumes from time to time. It’s not the only way he can relate to theme park staff – even now on busy days Yong will grab an apron to flip burgers at a fast food counter or a broom to clean up any rubbish lying around. “All of our executives and managers do the same thing,” he says. “I think it’s good because when we’re super busy, we’ve got to be shown to be out there and see what goes on. “So I like doing that kind of stuff just to show that we’re actually out there having a go.” It was certainly all hands on deck during this year’s summer and Easter school holidays as Dreamworld’s car park consistently overflowed with visitors. Yong is proud to have played his part in helping shape Dreamworld’s incredible redemption story, even if the sadness of the disaster will never entirely fade away. Which he accepts. “I think the biggest thing that we’ve really thought about with that (the 2016 tragedy) is that it is never going to not be part of who we are anymore,” he says. “If you think about the Luna Park tragedy that happened back in the 70s, it still comes up today. “I think people will think about what happened at Dreamworld in 10 and 20 and 30 years to come and that’s just part of what a significant thing like that has been. “We’ve got to remember the past and we’ve got to be able to use that as a good thing to motivate what we do in terms of how we think about safety and … to make sure that we do everything we can to make sure something like that doesn’t ever happen again. “But at the same time, we’ve got to look at people that are coming now and make sure they still have an incredible experience and make really good memories.”

You wouldn’t think they’d purposely schedule that during the school holidays when pushing it a week would miss them entirely, sounds more unexpected

The former executive accused of stealing a truck used in a Hollywood movie, using company funds on luxury home renovations and using Sea World Resort as his personal function centre, has been shielded from public scrutiny in a scenario described in the court documents as “unusual”. Meanwhile, the names of more than 30 other individuals involved with the case – who are not accused of wrongdoing – remain visible and accessible in the public documents. The long-time Village Roadshow high-flyer is being sued by the theme park operator for more than $1.8m, including the return of an eye-watering $858,000 redundancy payout. Melbourne-headquartered Village, which operates Sea World, MovieWorld and Wet n Wild, is also suing its former long-serving chief financial officer Dean Humphreys and wife Tracey, who is not accused of wrongdoing. Village is claiming around $859,000 from Humphreys. Despite allegations he played a lead role in the scandalous embezzlement scheme, the man is only identified as “ABC” in the court documents, while his wife, who is not accused of wrongdoing, is dubbed “DEF”. Humphreys is among 27 current and former Village Roadshow staff members who are publicly named in the hefty court file, which spans more than 3000 pages of emails, texts, financial records and affidavits. The names of 11 other people, including business owners, contractors and tradies are also published in the files, which were initially blocked from listing and publication but partially released after an application by The Courier-Mail. ABC left the company before news of the alleged scandal broke. The ex-exec has been able to keep his name from public records because Village Roadshow wanted to “take steps to minimise the impact of any media attention upon innocent third parties, and to protect the privacy” of the people it was suing. In its application, Village said “it is accepted that the orders are unusual”. “It is submitted that in this particular case, the evidence to be read establishes a risk to the Applicants’ employees that goes beyond mere distress or embarrassment,” the submission said. Village used an affidavit from its legal counsel Jasmine Forde to support its application to make the file confidential. Ms Forde’s affidavit said she held “concerns for the wellbeing of an employee”, however that employee was not ABC nor any other party to the case. That employee is not accused of wrongdoing. ABC’s lawyers drafted orders protecting him and his wife from being identified, and they were approved by the court. According to the documents, co-accused Humphreys was “not averse to” but “slightly confused” by the confidentiality move, according to an email from his lawyers that was lodged with the court. “Our client’s view is that by their nature, court proceedings are public and there is always a risk that the media fraternity will either review court files, judgments or even attend open court, to report on matters before the court,” the email said. “This sits squarely with the principles of open justice.” Humphreys and his legal team ultimately consented to the orders, despite them giving him no such protection. The confidentiality orders were later altered after an application by the Courier-Mail to allow further details of the case to be published, however ABC and DEF’s names remained confidential. Documents from the case claim ABC and his wife were the main beneficiaries of the alleged embezzlement, with their family home receiving more than $440,000 of improvements that were allegedly billed to Village Roadshow via misleading invoices. He and Humphreys are also alleged to have exchanged 3000 Sea World tickets for two Audi Q3 vehicles, which they allegedly ultimately kept for themselves, the court claim said. The file also alleges ABC took, then sold, a Chevrolet Silverado truck, used in the 2018 film Aquaman, after Village paid more than $40,000 for restoration work on it. ABC and DEF allegedly posted about the allegedly stolen truck on Instagram, with a since-deleted post from his account saying: “‘Me a young kid always wanted this so adding to my collection, something old and new at the same time”, with the hashtags “#Chevy #c10trucks #silverado #musclecars #v8 #cars #classiccarspotting”. His wife captioned one photo of the vehicle: “Cruising in our new Chevy with ABC. #chevysilverado #cruising #carlover #classiccar #musclecar” and another with “Out cruising on this very hot Sunday”. The truck, which has been sold again since and is now owned by an unsuspecting car enthusiast in Adelaide, can still be seen in online photos and videos of Movie World’s Aquaman Exhibition in 2018. According to the court claim, ABC’s wife liaised directly with Village staff who were helping arrange the renovations at their family home, giving her approval for high-end appliances, finishes and fittings. ABC is defending the claims, Humphreys is yet to file a defence and Village Roadshow has requested a four-day trial.

Guests feasted on bug tail and baby lobster, Tasmanian jumbo oysters and a selection of spicy curries before retiring to hotel suites during a lavish three-day wedding weekend hosted by a former Village Roadshow executive who allegedly never paid a cent, according to newly-released court documents. Claims of parties, resort stays and luxury home renovations have been revealed in blockbuster embezzlement allegations at Australia’s biggest theme park operator by two of its most trusted former executives. Village Roadshow is suing former chief financial officer Dean Humphreys and another ex senior executive, whose name has been suppressed, claiming they ripped off the company to the tune of $2.5m or more between them. Their wives are also parties in the lawsuit, but are not accused of wrongdoing. The unnamed former executive, dubbed “ABC” in the redacted court documents, hosted a post-wedding celebration for a family member at beachside SeaWorld Resort, where guests allegedly stayed for up to nine nights free of charge. Documents unearthed during Village’s investigations and submitted to the court include booking records, which showed 63 nights’ accommodation with a retail value of almost $14,000 was booked under ABC’s name using the rate code “COMP”, meaning complimentary. The celebratory splurge, in May last year, also included food and drink with a retail value of more than $20,000. ABC’s guests enjoyed four days of buffet breakfasts – but the feasting began in earnest the night before the wedding, where 30 people enjoyed appetisers of king fish ceviche and oysters as tasty prequel to a hot canape dinner. Waiting in their rooms, VIP guests could expect beer, wine and a “small but classy sweet and savoury hamper”, the documents say. The guest list swelled to 75 for a grand lunch the day after the wedding, which was held off-site, according to court submissions, with the room decorated in white and green for the happy couple – at an alleged set up cost of $7000. More oysters, lollipop chicken, whole baked snapper and chargrilled skewers were on the menu for the post-wedding lunch – followed by French-style chocolate bonbons, house-made fruit tartlets with lemon curd and red berries, and “chef-crafted” saffron panna cotta. Behind the scenes, the executive chef emailed his manager: “checking if there will be charges for the event for ABC fam last night and on Sunday and for breakfast?”. According to court submissions, the manager replied “let’s just keep a tally for our own knowledge. There is no revenue associated with this one.” Fast forward to December last year, according to the court submissions, Humphreys and around 60 people enjoyed SeaWorld Resort catering for a Christmas dinner of “roast meats and salads”. Under questioning from investigators, Humphreys said he had “no idea” what the meal had cost. “Sometimes I pay, sometimes I do not,” he replied when asked about the catering process. He told investigators he’d also approved a similar Christmas catering arrangement for ABC, according to the court submissions. Humphreys allegedly followed up his Christmas spread with a New Year’s Eve bash at SeaWorld, where he arranged six free rooms for 12 friends, including dinner and breakfast. As well as enjoying the hospitality of SeaWorld Resort, Humphreys and ABC were using the company’s funds to improve their own family homes, Village alleges. Invoices from contractor DNA Builders for work on the properties were allegedly coded as improvements to the theme parks, with labels like “SeaWorld administration rectification works”, “Site assessment and repairs – OX Yard” and Fright Night Sheds”. One contractor, Paradise Plumbing, allegedly agreed to create 57 different invoices that suggested the charges were for routine theme parks maintenance when they were for work at ABC’s Gold Coast home. Another contractor, ICP Electrical, allegedly agreed to split invoices for ABC’s kitchen reno into invoices that suggested the work was done in SeaWorld Resort’s Presidential Suite. At Humphreys’ place, a custom pool table was supplied, along with custom cabinetry and a stone bar benchtop – with around $61,000 in work allegedly billed to Village, according to the court submissions. But that spend paled in comparison to ABC’s alleged kitchen and “pool bar” makeover, which Village claims cost them as much as $440,000. Tree removal, demolition and a new pool deck with glass fencing, a flyover awning and built-in BBQ, dishwasher and Teppanyaki grill were just the beginning, court documents allege. Emails unearthed in the investigation show ABC had Village employees help him source and purchase a shopping list of high-end appliances from Harvey Norman for full inside and outside kitchen renos. Two Smeg ovens, an induction cooktop, fridge, rangehood, dishwasher and microwave were allegedly purchased to complement ABC’s new kitchen, which opened onto his refurbished backyard via $15,845 custom bi-fold doors. The plumbing in the butler’s pantry alone cost more than $18,000, according to invoices submitted to the court, with one contractor noting in an email the quote been more expensive than expected because “they have lashed out with the stone selection”. ABC and his wife are defending the claims, Humphreys is yet to file a defence and Village Roadshow has requested a four-day trial. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/new-south-wales/vip-parties-440k-kitchen-inside-lavish-lives-of-alleged-theme-park-exec-embezzlers/news-story/59ca48c3b99af18ee7edb350a98a8aad

With as much respect as possible for those who have had injuries etc - I would think a handful of reported injuries out of millions of riders over its lifetime would most likely point to the injured person having an underlying or undiagnosed health concern that was impacted by the rides forces. Correlation and causation are very different things

SE is down indefinitely for unscheduled maintenance awaiting parts from Intamin. last time this took months, hopefully not this time…