Ranger

In 2000, Australia's Wonderland ran a competition where 24 passengers boarded the Bush Beast and were challenged to stay on it for as long as they could, in order to receive a cash prize of $20,000. Ultimately, two contestants, Steve Fletcher and Rosa Vacarro, agreed to split the money after 40 days of riding. However, I read somewhere that this challenge was live-streamed on the internet. Does anyone know anything about this challenge and have access to the live stream (dumb question, I know).

Raging Waters Sydney is unique as it is Sydney's only modern, major, ground-up theme park/water park that has been built on a greenfield site. Hypothetically, it should be a great success, as it appeals to a demographic who cannot easily access the beach. However, I find that RWS is kind of just... there. I mean, everyone knows about the park, but there is not a lot of advertising, and no one talks about it. And why would they? In the past decade, only one new slide has opened, which looks to be quite boring. This is not to say that the park does not have a good slide line up, it does, but I just worry it might go the same way as Wonderland, and shut down. What is the future of this park?

So, in general, what do we think about the announcement? Worth the fanfare?

Beat me to it. Looks awesome, especially when you have a crap winter! Anyway, here's another POV: Also, five new coasters in NSW in three years is unheard of

On Friday next week, it will sadly be the 20th anniversary of Wonderland shutting down. While in the two decades since the closure, the Australian amusement park industry has developed greatly, for many people, especially Sydneysiders, the park remains a fond memory, and the closure is still saddening. The community that has developed around the park is honestly one of the strongest theme park groups, aside from Parkz, in Australia, and I am proud to be part of it. Use this forum to share any fond memories you may have, as well as any facts regarding the park. Additionally, any hopes for future parks in Sydney can also be shared here.

Can you tell Chris I’d be super interested in helping with the new website?

Let me start off by saying this is NOT a criticism of Wonderland History or Chris Watts. I admire the guy as he has dedicated a large chunk of his time to preserving Wonderland's history. I am also not saying that I could do a better job at making a website as trust me, I don't. What I am saying is that Watts has so much great information on Wonderland History that he deserves a better site. It's a bit outdated and doesn't do itself justice. For example, there is this section on the site named 'Almost Wonderland' which is about proposed upgrades to Wonderland. The section is currently blank, however, if you type in 'proposed beach upgrades' it comes up with an article that is about a plan in the 90s for The Beach to get a wave pool. The article is meant to be in Almost Wonderland but isn't, and that's a shame as I assume there are many more articles with equally great content that I can't find. Another thing I've noticed is some of the images don't load properly, which sucks as again, there are so many great images. Also as a side note, where do all the clips from the below news report come from, especially the lady in the Space Probe tunnel

So, according to this Illawarra Mercury article (which is behind a freakin paywall), the Eddy's, the owners of Jamberoo Action Park are planning a new slide. May I remind you that Velocity Falls, a mega slide complex with 3 different slides, opened just last year. I swear to god, this park is the opposite to Sunway-era Wonderland. https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/8276236/the-risky-business-of-being-jamberoo-action-park-owner-jim-eddy/

My three cents here, it's not going anywhere. Firstly, there's no way that Luna Park would get rid of its most iconic attraction. When people think of LPS, they think of Wild Mouse. It's an icon of Sydney, as well as the only wooden Wild Mouse, left which is no small claim to fame. Sure, Big Dipper is a big drawcard for the park and probably a better ride overall, but Wild Mouse is WAYYYYY more iconic. It's like going through the Sydney Harbour Tunnel vs. The Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sure, the tunnel may be newer and in some cases faster, but nothing beats the original. Secondly, its heritage listed by the state government, meaning the park would have to go to hell and back to get it removed. They have enough trouble doing anything in the park, let alone removing a heritage-listed ride. It would have to be beyond repair for the park to remove it.

I mean, I'm not complaining at all. I won't be up on the GC for a while. But I have to wonder, WHY??? I definitely think SSDC need a substantial upgrade but they literally refurbished the ride a couple of years ago when they did Next Gen. Surely they would've known then that the ride needed some heavy maintenance then so why just not do it then? And it seems like they're doing even more retheming now. So why didn't they fix the problems then?

Which abandoned Aussie coaster do you wish you could ride once/again?

A while back, I posted a topic about proposed theme parks in Australia that never got built and a lot of people had very good knowledge of the history of that subject. It was one of my most popular posts, so I though I'd start a new one. There are a lot of planned attractions that were never built, which makes for some interesting history. I'll start us off: - Wonderland was planning a beach expansion with new slides and a Intamin Surfrider similar to the one at WNW GC (http://www.wonderlandhistory.net/content/proposed_beach_improvments) - Courtesy of a fellow Parkz member, I found concepts for a never built BD at LPS Over to you Parkz

https://www.parkchat.com.au

It's weird to think that in 2006, Jamberoo Action Park was little more than a family owned water park on the NSW south coast. Fast forward nearly 15 years and Jamberoo is adding three new slides in one of the largest expansions of an Australian water park ever. The rate of expansion is unbelievable. Taipan in 2007, FW in 2012, PS in 2016 and VF in 2022 (I bet it would've opened earlier if not for COVID). Velocity Falls is basically three slides in one, too. Compare that to Raging Waters which has only opened one slide since its 2013 opening. This is still a family owned park but is getting investment other chain water parks would only dream of. And they're not stopping, with a masterplan still getting completed. So, what do you think? Why is this park able to expand and expand?

Some new info on the parks website too: The Stinger – part of the Velocity Falls precinct and offering a truly hair-raising experience! Based on the oceanic purple stinger – and sure to make its mark this summer. Make your way directly up the hill – no mats are needed for this zero gravity experience – those brave enough to take on The Stinger will have the speediest drops of all! Which tentacle will you choose – Stinger Bump or Stinger Twist? Make your choice at the head of the queue and – line up left or right. Await the instructions from our ride attendants and enter the launching chamber…assume the riding position as directed and brace for the thrill of a lifetime. It’s only you inside the tentacles of The Stinger – each delivering their own stunning, zero gravity experience! Stinger Bump – rise and fall, Stinger Twist – back and forth. Experience them both, splashing into the high-velocity run-out zone below. Looks like there's a freefall slide and a more traditional twister style slide.