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TPW will be in the country within the next couple of weeks, so they’ll be able to ride Superman. It’s only CS who will miss out.

If I was to make a guess as to what’s really going on with the monorail, I would say that Sea World fully intended to reopen it as soon as the construction of The New Atlantis was completed (as originally stated by the park). However, during the massive delays in construction, the monorail system degraded to a point where it became unusable and/or unsafe due to a lack of upkeep and the park has suddenly realized it will cost an awful lot to reactivate as a result. I’d say VRTP want to get it going again, but are finding it hard to justify given the costs, hence why it’s now seemingly in a limbo state.

According to this comment under the TPW announcement video, they have got in touch with the parks and asked for permission to film: I do hope the parks will take the arrival of all these enthusiasts seriously and bring their a-game in terms of operations, presentation, customer service etc. This is a pretty big opportunity to showcase our parks to the world and they should be aiming to give the best impression possible.

Funfields has a lot more theming than Jamberoo. I personally would put FF closer to Adventure World in Perth in terms of similarities. Even though FF doesn’t currently have a coaster, I’ve found that the two parks have a pretty similar feel overall. How does the quality of Polin slides compare with other brands? Haven’t they had some QC issues recently?

I’d say say both parks have a very different overall feel to them that goes beyond ride counts and attraction types. Gumbuya (which I just realized I misspelled in my original post) feels a bit more corporate and closer to a Gold Coast park, while Funfields seems a little more family oriented and has a unique charm to it. I think FF currently has the perfect balance of “family run action/adventure park” vibes while still having enough theming and a decent attraction line-up to be a legitimate theme park. Whereas GW is trying to emulate what’s happening on the Gold Coast. Not to say one is better than the other, but they’re both unique experiences.

Shawn and Charlotte are finally coming down under!

*Pic heavy thread* Hi all! Whilst in Melbourne, I decided to visit Funfields theme park to wrap up 2022 and figured I’d share my thoughts here. For those who don’t know, Funfields is located in Whittlesea (about 40 mins from Melbourne’s CBD). Opening in February 1985 as the “Alpine Toboggan Park” (that’s right, this park pre-dates Wonderland) it was rebranded as Funfields in 2005 and has seen rapid expansion ever since. The park no longer offers printed park maps, however a large sign containing the map (as well as a QR code that links you to a digital copy) is located near the entrance. As you enter the park, you are greeted with a large outdoor picnic area complete with barbecues. Funfields allows (and even somewhat encourages) guests to bring their own food and drinks and camp out on the lawn (multiple people even brought tents which are also allowed). Turning left leads you to the first themed land in the park; “Mystic Kingdom”, a children’s area with a medieval theme. The area features some impressive theming, including an interactive animatronic tree. The land is home to a series of flat rides for the youngsters, including an SBF mini drop tower, an SBF Airborne Shot, a ferris wheel, carousel, spinning balloon ride and a teacups ride re-located from Australia Zoo (most of which I forgot to take pictures of, opps)! I love the way this operator’s booth is themed. The “Burnout” (formally the “Stingray” from Dreamworld) was also located in this area, but has since been retired to the car park (apparently it’s for sale). Continuing through this area leads you to “Amazonia Falls”, the park’s interactive water playground with a jungle theme. Manufactured by Wizard Works, this attraction is quite unique in that it’s completely solid-state and uses a computer to activate the water effects, rather than relying on the traditional mechanical valve technology most water playgrounds use. This also allows for some pretty interesting effects such as motion activated fountain jets and “TNT detonators” (where pushing the plunger will cause water jets hidden in the surrounding splash pool to suddenly activate, soaking unsuspecting guests). The structure also has a “tipping bucket” of sorts, though it’s not really a bucket at all. Instead the “treehouse” simply dumps water on guests every 3 mins. A smaller, more traditional water play structure by Whitewater West called Birdy Cove is also located nearby. This attraction is designed for children under 6. Private cabanas are available to hire in this area as well. Moving further up the hill, we arrive at the Tiki Bay Bumper Boats (manufactured by J&J Amusements), one of the older attractions at the park, having been installed in 2004. Still as popular as ever. Behind Tiki Bay is the Typhoon, a Proslide Cannonbowl water slide advertised as being the longest of its kind in the world when it opened in 2013. Despite the many expansions and additional investments Funfields have made after its launch, Typhoon still remains one of my favourite slides not only in the park, but in the country! The sheer amount of speed you pick up in the enclosed section never fails to take my breath away. You absolutely FLY through this thing! That combined with the drop into the typhoon bowl itself and the suspense of not knowing if you’re going to complete the final drop facing forwards or backwards creates an incredibly fun and intense ride experience. A must do attraction when visiting the park! Next up is unfortunately the first stinker in the Funfields line-up IMHO, the Splashdown in-ground water slides. A flashback to the old “Alpine Toboggan Park” days, these slides were installed in the 80’s and quite frankly, that’s were they belong. Whilst they may have some historical significance, I wouldn’t mind seeing them be replaced with something a little more modern. Next are Wipeout and Blackout, two slides manufactured by Australian Waterslides and Leisure and installed in 2009. While they may have been somewhat overshadowed by their newer Proslide counterparts, these are still decent, fun slides that are worth checking out (especially Wipeout which lives up to its name. It has a tendency to launch riders over the final splashdown pool, providing a pretty thrilling finale). Now we reach the ride that started it all, the Alpine Toboggan. Despite being installed in 1985, this attraction still holds up extremely well today. The carts were speed-limited a few years ago due to multiple accidents when guests ignored the warnings to slow down on corners. Some believe that this has negatively effected the ride experience, however I was still able to get my cart up to a decent speed and had a very enjoyable ride. Perhaps it differs from cart to cart? Between the Wipeout/Blackout waterslides and the toboggan is a path that leads to the rear section of the park. Following this takes you to…The Voodoo! A very highly themed Zamperla Discovery Revolution. Funfields really went all out with the theming for this attraction and the attention to detail is amazing! The basic storyline is that your are exploring an ancient temple, looking for lost treasure. However, the treasure is guarded by an ancient Voodoo spirit named “Tawhirl”. Signs throughout the queue combined with an ominous soundtrack help to set up the story and prepare you for the experience ahead. Many props (lost items from previous explorers who attempted to grab the treasure and failed) are scattered throughout the queue and around the ride area. I love the attention to detail in this rock work too! It’s supposed to look as if the gondola has smashed through the middle. Then, as you enter the site of the old temple (or board the ride) Tawhirl becomes displeased with your presence and unleashes her wrath, picking you up and throwing you around (the ride swinging you around) to keep you away from the treasure. The ride experience is a perfect balance of being fairly intense, but still something the whole family can enjoy. A perfect addition to the park with simply excellent theming and a well executed storyline. I also really love how the theming from nearby Volcano Beach in the background perfectly matches up with Voodoo’s theming in the foreground here. Seems the park actually thought about sight lines which is pretty impressive! Speaking of which, Volcano Beach is the park’s wave pool and another very well themed area. I think I’ll let the pictures do the talking here: As you can see, it’s probably the most immersive and highly themed wave pool in the country. I absolutely love having the volcano as the centrepiece and that there’s plenty of shade around the beach area to relax in. It pumps out some pretty decent waves too! A cafe is also located in the area offering takeaway food such as chips, burgers and pizza as well as ice creams and lollies. Salads and even coffee is also on offer here (a larger cafe near the front of the park carries a similar menu too). Private cabanas surrounding the wave pool are also available for hire. Behind Volcano Beach sits the newest addition to the park, Supernova! It’s a shame this attraction has been largely overshadowed by the opening of Gumbya’s new coasters, as it’s the park’s biggest investment yet and is by far the best water ride they’ve installed to date. The pacing on this slide is fantastic. From the very beginning of the ride, you immediately pick up quite a lot of speed and navigate the first few turns at a pretty fast pace (this speed is maintained throughout the slide). The “Supanova” colour effects in the tunnel are very impressive and the fact you pass through them at fairly high speed really adds to the experience. Then comes a pretty intense drop into the main tornado (not sure if the drop is any steeper than other tornados, but it certainly feels that way) before taking one final turn and finally ending the ride in the splashdown pool. It may not come across in this write-up, but the slide is actually quite long in length and would have to be one of the most intense water slides I’ve been on (aside from maybe some drop slides). If I was to nitpick though, I would say the most disappointing aspect of the ride was the first “bowl” element near the beginning (not sure what it’s officially known as). I was expecting that you would spin around in this bowl or do something exciting. But nothing really happens. It’s just sort of there and you simply glide past it on one side and that’s it. Not really sure what the significance of it is TBH. Apart from that though, this is a sensational slide overall that is fast and thrilling and not to be missed! Next to Supernova is 2017’s Gravity Wave. I must say, the two slides weaving around each other looks very impressive from the tower. While Gravity Wave is definitely a decent attraction, I do unfortunately think it’s a bit of a one trick pony (at least compared to Supernova). The ride starts out incredibly slowly and meanders around until the main drop. While the main drop is still incredible and definitely worth checking out, Typhoon is still the superior slide overall IMHO, with Supernova beating them both by a mile. Still, having both Supernova and Gravity next to each other works really well and adds to a solid line-up in that area of the park. Next to Gravity wave is the Kraken Racer, a 4 lane aqua racer from Proslide. Another good addition to the park. The park is also home to Thunderdome Speedway, a go cart track installed in 1997 that still pulls in decent crowds today. Heading back towards the front of the park leads us to Treasure Cove, a pirate themed mini golf course. One of the holes even goes through a tunnel! This cemetery area reminds me of Movie World’s Boot Hill. In front of the mini golf is Sea World’s former Pirate Ship, Blackbeard’s Fury. Manufactured by Huss and added to the park in 2009, this attraction still rides beautifully and is well maintained by the park. It even has additional theming that wasn’t present during its time at SW. That covers all of the major attractions the park currently has on offer. All up, Funfields is a very impressive park that is well kept, well run and features a fantastic line-up of rides with decent theming and a great atmosphere. Other factors such as themed audio throughout the park, decent food, friendly staff and great operators add to a fantastic overall experience. I do feel like the addition of a coaster is very much needed to complete with Gumbya, though there is plenty of room for expansion, so hopefully this will come later. The water rides on offer are far superior to what Gumbya currently have though. So they easily have them beat in that regard IMHO. All in all, Funfields is definitely a must do park while visiting Victoria and is easily one of the best regional parks in the country!

The ride runs the original cycle from Buzzsaw, something must have gone wrong in that video.

Definitely the front row.

I definitely agree, it is Gold Coast standard and miles ahead of what we got for DC Rivals. I forgot to mention in my previous post just how smooth TNT is. It’s smooth as butter and the lack of over the shoulder restraints allows for a very free and pleasant ride experience. I also need to give massive kudos to the park staff today. Everyone was incredibly friendly, helpful and professional. While we were waiting in the hot sun for the ride to open, one staff member handed out complimentary bottles of water to everyone in the queue, a very nice gesture from the park that was very much appreciated. Great job Gumbya! About 50 mins (depending on traffic).

Well, after having had many rides on both TNT and Project Zero throughout the day, all I can say is wow! What perfect additions to the park. Gumbya have really taken things to the next level with these additions. Starting with TNT, it’s a lot more intense than I was expecting and is actually quite forceful (the back row is the most intense). Though it’s just the right balance so that families with children can easily ride and enjoy the attraction too. The first drop is really spectacular, plunging you straight down into a tunnel (complete with an explosion sound effect as you pass through) follow by a fantastic near miss element with the giant target. There are actually a lot of great near-miss elements throughout the attraction such as the factory fly-through and the “brick wall” in the second trough (which has a great sight gag where it looks like someone has previously run into the wall and left an outline). The ride has a fantastic sense of humour throughout. The basic storyline is that a group of brothers named Tony and Terry (“TNT”, get it?) own and operate a very dodgy demolition company known as “Thunder Demolition Bros” and you’re taking a tour of the factory. The history of the company is proudly displayed in the office (or queue line). (If this is too blurry to read, I can re-type what it’s saying.) A lot of other signage in the building gives you a good idea of the kind of company Thunder Demolition is. As you can see, these guys really like rock and roll. Here’s the “head office”: Lots of other audio gear is scattered throughout the factory: The ride itself! All in all, a fantastic new addition to the park with great theming and a well thought out and executed story to boot! Now on to Project Zero… The storyline for this attraction is that the “A.S.T.R.O” space facility is having an open day and are allowing visitors to take part in testing their innovations. The queue as once again very heavily themed to sell the idea of it being a research/testing facility. As for the ride experience, well…. It’s Buzzsaw, just as intense and rough as you remember (though to be fair, it did feel slightly smoother today than it did last time I rode it at Dreamworld). Still, another fantastic addition to the park with some spectacular views over the countryside as well. Gumbya World have really knocked it out of the park with these two coasters and I’m now confident in saying that this is by far the best regional theme park in Australia now, beating out Adventure World by quite a margin.

Update, queue has opened!

*Pic heavy post incoming!* I’ve made it down to Melbourne for opening day and am currently at the park. The rides haven’t opened yet, but I’ve been able to check out the surrounding area. It looks fantastic! They’ve really gone all out with the theming with lots of little details added throughout the area. Love the company truck parked out the front and the in-universe signage scattered throughout the attractions. A full review to come….

Victoria already has 4 theme parks, plus a bunch of theme park esque attractions such as Legoland Discovery Center, Fairy Park, Sovereign Hill and Kryal Castle. I’d say other states like South Australia that currently don’t have any theme parks are far more deserving of a new park than a state that already has a pretty thriving scene.

I personally would want to help any of the smaller parks around the country to improve their experience/ride offering (Aussie World, Jambaroo, Funfields, Adventure Park, Outback Splash ect.)

The steam locomotive in WWF is definitely the old Sea World train. As for where in the park other remnants of the railway can be found, the old tunnel still remains under the seal stadium and some railway track can be seen along the back of house service road behind the battle boats (where the waterslides used to be).

The path next to the ride area has been reopened for White Christmas.

So did the ride open to guests today? Great news is so.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up at Sea World where the old Vikings Revenge station used to be.

The ride closures are back in the media again. This was on page 2 of the Courier Mail today:

Despite all the negativity, one positive thing that could come out of all this is that it should prevent Village (and all other theme park operators for that matter) from fumbling their new attraction openings in the future. While the issues with the ride are clearly out of their control, it really hammers home the importance of soft openings/technical rehearsals and communicating effectively with the general public. So much of the backlash Sea World is currently receiving could easily have been avoided if they simply hadn’t jumped the gun on marketing, claiming that it was fully open right out of the gate. They should have expected there would be teething problems and factored that in. Such a shame as a ride with such incredible theming like this deserved a smoother opening.

I’m so sorry to hear that. You don’t deserve to be treated like that, no matter what the circumstances. When I visited on Tuesday, the staff were simply excellent, very professional and trying their absolute best to calm some very disgruntled guests. You guys definitely deserve all the praise you can get.

7 News GC did another report on the Sea World ride closures tonight. They even had a live cross to a reporter outside the park. According to the report, SW can’t guarantee when Leavithan will reopen, while the park was aiming to have Vortex open “by the end of the week”.

I decided to visit Sea World today, just to check out what was going on. Indeed, the entire New Atlantis percent was completely closed off: Interestingly, it seemed that Vortex was having some fairly major work done, with a tent and tarps placed over the ride and even a crane was moved into the area: Leviathan was testing throughout the day without riders, while Trident began testing with water dummies around midday and staff were let on to the ride just as the park closed at 5pm: I really felt sorry for the staff at the park today as there were a lot of very unhappy guests. The most recent Google reviews are pretty scathing too.

They were a couple of days ago. A little while ago they cleaned some of the track and installed new lights/cameras on the support beams near Leviathan. So I’d say there’s still some hope it might return.