Noll_57

Yeah, Funfields is a very underrated park IMHO. They do so many things extremely well (especially for a family run operation). You can tell there’s a genuine effort from management to make the guest experience the best it can be and as you mentioned, there’s a real noticeable focus on things that I feel have been neglected at some of the GC parks recently (such as audio, theming, friendliness of the staff and overall park presentation). The only thing they need is a coaster! The thing to remember about Movie World is that the park is pretty small and space is limited, so there isn’t really much else they can do. As others have pointed out, you can get away with having multiple lands and attractions in close proximity to each other at MW because they’re all tied together with the overarching “movie studio backlot” theme. I actually think the park has done a fairly good job of separating Wizard of Oz from Superman Escape despite them being right next to each other (seeing as though a lot of WOO will be hidden away within the AA courtyard and pre-show building). I thought the same thing. This is definitely an early render since it has a completely different name and doesn’t feature any of the volcanic theming the park has decided to go with.

I’m currently down in Melbourne to see family and managed to pop into Funfields to check out the progress on Lava Lagoon. As you can see, it’s really starting to take shape and I love the quality of the rock work. The way the sight-lines match up with Voodoo, Volcano Beach and Lava Lagoon’s theming here is great. Speaking with staff, it sounds like there’s a lot more theming yet to be installed around LL. Apparently, there will be a number of special effects and audio throughout the river. Speaking of which, the park has also introduced a brand new IMAscore soundtrack for the entrance area this season, which I believe is the first use of IMAscore’s music in an Australian theme park! It’s fantastic to see the park caring about smaller details like this.

It appears they’ve started disassembling the Aqualoop.

Based on what the park has shown so far, I’m pretty sure they’re going to get their own dedicated area that’s separated from the Lava Lagoon/Volcano Beach zone. They’re going to be housed within a show building that appears to take up some of the land from the former Pirate themed Treasure Cove mini golf site. I’d say that entire area in front of Cyber Drift will be reworked to fit the attraction. I just hope they’re able to hide/disguise the rear of the building on the Lava Lagoon side so it doesn’t take away from the (what looks to be fairly impressive) theming.

Funfields has released more information about their Lazy River expansion for this season. Its official name is “Lava Lagoon” and will feature theming that ties it into the nearby Volcano Beach wave pool and Voodoo (essentially turning that whole section of the park into one giant cohesively themed area). The park will also be adding bumper cars on the site of the former go karts shed.

With Funfields opening their new Mystique Lazy River expansion this season, I’d say Gumbuya is desperately trying to drum up as much attention as it can get to take the focus off their competitors. If they were seriously getting any major additions this year, I’m sure we would have heard about them by now. Though I do think there’s a pretty good chance we’ll see some new investment next year in response to Funfields.

It could just be the angle these photos were taken from, but it seems like they haven’t left much room for the train back here:

I can’t wait for Rivertown and OZ! I’m so glad our parks are finally going back to making immersive themed areas with storytelling and not just plonking generic un-themed rides down with minimal effort. I just really hope our parks remain committed to this level of detail in future attractions and don’t see these as one off investments (which I fear they might). I’ll never forget how Movie World went from a totally immersive experience (that was pretty much on par with what Universal and other studio parks were doing at the time), to a park that built coasters in the car park with little to no theming at all (as good as those coasters may be) and allowed the overall presentation and guest experience to degrade in a pretty big way. Similar things can also be said about pre-Greg Dreamworld too. I hope these parks don’t repeat past mistakes and maintain a level of quality and continue to actually be proper “theme parks” instead of Six Flags style amusement parks. People are generally more attracted to these immersive experiences. I have numerous family members and friends (who typically aren’t into theme parks or rides) that are very excited about visiting OZ, just so they can take in the “spectacle” of it all. TNT at Gumbuya World (which also has some great theming) is a fantastic coaster that packs quite a punch and is super enjoyable. The first drop can actually be pretty intense (especially if you’re in the back row).

It’s world building. “Rivertown Restaurant” sounds a little generic IMHO. Attaching a character to the restaurant’s name (who I guess is a resident of Rivertown and owns/operates it) immediately implies that there’s some kind of story and “history” to the place, adding to the overall immersion of the area. It also signals to guests that this isn’t a typical generic dining experience and may make them more willing to try it out. We also don’t know what the storyline for Jungle Rush is yet. Perhaps Jane will play a big part in the ride and this will form part of a bigger overall story.

Honestly, the sooner BGH release their grip on Village the better. The way they’re constantly cutting back and running the parks into the ground is unforgivable.

Hope not, it would be nice to see an old MW show building actually turned into a brand new attraction, not more storage! It would also be a fairly tight squeeze for the floats to go through the buildings at the front of the western village, especially with guests around (unless they end up removing them of course). The new lights aren’t show lights, they just appear to be for general illumination. As for the speakers, they’ve only been installed on the buildings beyond the Showstage entrance, so floats would never travel past them. Plus, they’re currently playing the very short 40 second loop of the theme from “Stagecoach” that’s been playing in the WWF queue and other parts of the ride since it was refurbished with new boats a few years ago, so I think they’re directly connected to West’s AV system and aren’t part of the park-wide/parade route audio setup.

That’s a good point, I’ll admit I hadn’t really considered just how restrictive West’s gates are. However, I still suspect that these gates will be used in conjunction with the first aid gates and that the park expects some vehicles to travel back and forth through the former location of the WWF entrance sign (hence its removal). I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. I’ve noticed a few subtle signs recently that something significant may be about to happen to the show stage and surrounding area. For example, new permanent lighting and speakers have been installed in the Wild West village. While these are welcome additions, they have only been installed on buildings on the BOH side, while everything on the Showstage side has been left untouched. The test seat has also been removed from the hut on the Showstage side and relocated near the entrance to WWF on the BOH side. There have been a few other minor touch-ups and changes made to the BOH side of the village that I’ve noticed too, but nothing on the other side. Of course, this could just be a coincidence, but it definitely supports the idea that this area is going to see a lot of change soon. I’m wondering if the Showstage (along with the DD area) is about to be demolished or changed in a significant way?

I would say there’s a chance this is the case. Considering they’ve now turned all the effects off in the DD area and have basically left it to rot, I don’t expect it to be around for much longer. Given that WB Showcase has also now closed, they could be freeing up that whole area for a new attraction. It’s entirely possible that the Wild West “land” will be moved back beyond where the Showcase entrance was. It wouldn’t be too hard to re-theme the toilet block and outlet into a new land (if they plan on keeping them as they are). Perhaps they need vehicle access through there to work on DD’s replacement attraction? I know there’s another BOH entrance near the First Aid room that could be used, but maybe they think using the Wild West entrance is more convenient?

I’m almost certain the Doomsday area will be the next thing Village focus on. They certainly need to, as the land is currently a massive white elephant (as is that whole back section of the park). Ever since the WB Showcase closed and foot traffic in the area dried up, it seems as if the park have completely given up on maintaining the land and have started actively discouraging people from venturing into it. Considering they have switched off all the effects, removed multiple theming elements (while letting the remaining ones rot) and placed netting over the ride fence (I guess to try and hide their dud attraction?) there’s literally nothing for guests to see or do and no reason for anyone to be there. I think this is a pretty clear sign that the area is truly on its last legs and will close fairly soon (possibly once WOZ opens). As for what could replace it, I do agree that a new high quality, well themed dark ride is the one thing the park desperately needs at the moment more than anything else. Utilising the Doomsday/Showstage area seems like the most suitable location for such an attraction, seeing as though most other existing show buildings are now used as storage areas and there isn’t too much space to easily build elsewhere.

I doubt this will get off the ground. How many times have ambitious projects like these been announced, only to be abandoned shorty after? It’ll be cool if it does open, but I’m not getting my hopes up just yet. Also, I personally feel like Sydney deserves a park like this over Melbourne, seeing as though Melbourne already has 4 pretty well established theme parks (plus an indoor park with Legoland) while Sydney really only has Luna Park.