Whombex

Just taken. All buildings to the left of the walkway alongside the Scooby building now gone [snip] Looks like the road between SDSC and show stage allows the trucks to enter/exit via the main studios gates. This allows uninterrupted access to the site during park hours, unlike a site contained within the park making heavy vehicle access out of park hours only. Therefore I'd expect a fairly short work timeline for whatever attraction actually goes in here. This is of course depending on whether the show stage stays or goes.

Google maps shows a road in behind the facade between SDSC and the show stage. Probably for the truck removing the demolished buildings to access the area?

So, going by the "make of it what you will" post by savvy14, and the associated demolition photos, a new themed area is definitely happening. This means that the Western Area (as now solely defined as the area with the coloured ground) will in future be able to support just one attraction, WWF. UNLESS, the new rollercoaster goes in behind that show stage, with the entry being where the designated smoking zone is next to WWF. As it is the grave stones are being relocated to that pathway, so maybe 2 Western rides? I can't see "Main Street" stretching from the fountain all the way to the new ride at the Demo site/show stage, as another DC ride would really be out of place over there. Does the footprint of the current demolition suit this "non-coaster" ride? Going on how DW can squeeze in rides such as Claw, Shockwave, Tailspin and Pandamonium, I say yes, meaning the ride may not need the show stage building. Maybe it can be part of the Coaster (station) as suggested already by Parkz members. Yes, air conditioning people were apparently working on the old show stage building, but does that mean an attraction will be in there? Were they removing the aircon as part of demolishing the area?

"To reduce the strain", yes, add more rides. But I want this expansion to be Eastwards (apart from the potential ride near SDSC/WWF). To do this, the car park should be reduced in footprint by making it a 2 or 3 level carpark. This may affect visibility of the park from the M1, but the foliage along that road has almost done that already for the southbound lanes, and trees on Entertainment Rd has almost done it for the Northbound Lanes. I do apologise, having been away from Parkz for almost a decade, but is the new external entertainment area going to be similar to entertainment areas such as Universal's City Walk, or Disney Village at Disneyland Paris? That can pull some 'locals' from the park itself.

Pre-ride shows and line-hiding certainly provided a more enjoyable experience, especially at Movie World. It comes down to staffing. LTRR, Gremlins, BTR, Studio Tour, all required acting staff. Whoever the bean counter was that decided it was too expensive never understood the importance of immersion to enhance the ride/attraction, and how these pre-shows made us forget we were still lining up. Gremlins' was great (if you hadn't experienced it before / in a while). LTRR as well if the riders participated. Oh, and yeah. I'm back.

...as much as I accept BB, I can't see it being a long-term thing for DW. Think ten years from now, Big Brother would have made it to 5 (this year) or 6 seasons. This means that when the themed area would be completed it might be after Big Brother has lost enough ratings to be replaced already. Less than five years into the BB themed ares, it would be almost 8 years since BB stopped screening. Areas based on things modern (Lara Croft, for example) are not long term attractions. Although Superman at Movie World might be an exception if it's heavily themed on the upcoming movie. But Superman is an enduring character lasting what, 40+ years?

Oh Smeg, you're right Bigglesworth. This said, there's still plenty of good tv on Ten. Thank heck for Ten's motorsport dedication!

I see Sea World's future differently. I'd prefer to see more Animal exhibits, so that MW and SW take on even more different identities.

...apart from the Simpsons, RPM, ARC, WRC, V8s, F1, CART, Lost, Battlestar Galactica and Huey's Kitchen, you're right.

In my Visit thread (Feb), I said that I paid $9.95 for a terrible Burger/Chips/Drink combo. It seemed like cheese from a tube, the chips were soggy and the drink was half ice. This said, I'd probably stop at Big Brother or Bengal Cafes next time. My issue, as has been mentioned previously in other threads in the Dreamworld board, parrallels with Slick's. Clean up the graffiti, and restore theming as best as posible. Especially on Giant Drop, Cyclone and Tower of Terror.

I agree with what has been written in March threads, that a water park should be in the Thunderbolt site, opening up the Blue Lagoon area for a MASSIVE expansion, even a whole new themed area. That's what I think (agree) should happen, but with Big brother near there it wouldn't happen.

I don't know joz, wouldn't that be too close to Tiger Island? I think they'll avoid anything there, maybe something down past Billabong BBQ & Buffet. Not that I can add any other option as a good water ride...heh.

Thunder001, what I ment was that of all of those that have been mentioned here, they were always mentioned in the vein of "I'd like to see", "they should build", or "I wish they...". As you've now said, you've been getting the same descriptions from outside of these forums, from your contacts. Unaware these were genuine rumours outside of r-c, I see where you are going. Like you I too want something more concrete, be it from your contacts, the people who know people here, or wherever.

...was this video Adam's work, or Ben "Slick" Roach's work from DN? Honestly, if Richards' Subscription-funded features pay off, we can expect more of this stuff here on R-D. Didn't he say DVDs? Although it is hard for the consumer to decide to base themself on one website alone.

Thunder001, Rumours? All of those you listed fall into the category of "I wish", "I'd like to see", etc. I can't recall these being rumours.

Adam, regarding your first post, have a look at previous posts in other threads by tailsnosthings. My thoughts on something DW are doing that would make Superman look average...it's not a hypercoaster, unless DW are now trying to fight MW/SW ride-for-ride, ie gigacoaster. But the costs alone are too much IMO. Remember the Coomera town center and promenade to Dreamworld ("Massive DW expansion" thread)... this is going to take a lot of funds, maybe some from future rides. So my thoughts are that it will be bang-for-your-bucks. Nowhere near as dear as Superman, but "better"...?? Hmm. Maybe the budget could spare a few hundred thousand dollars for upkeep...ie New paint over grafitti... but yeah, they're different departments of the company, aren't they...

This is possible, but I wouldn't rule out what I said as being a possible explanation as well. Any which way, Superman is coming.

...I won't make a fallic symbol reference, especially when there's a BIGGER ride tower in Qld. Oh, wait, I just did.

That makes sense. The 'putting the water park in ocean parade' bit. A Woodie in Gold Rush? Maybe... it would have to be a few years off though, as the noise of the construction/ride operating would affect Big Brother productions. I know there's a majority of anti-BB here, but a contract is a contract and BB is still going to run for another year.

Could an underwater launched coaster work? Something that takes you down (in a tube?) under Sydney Harbour, or through the Great Barrier Reef?

...out of curiosity Paul, what radio station was this on?

Ick. The Aussies would get very sick of it very quickly. I know we've moved away from Disney, but this applies for any new park making an "Australiana" based park. Look at DW/SW/MW. They have aussie elements, this caters for foreign visitors. There is a lot more less stereotypical aussie stuff in these parks, which keeps the local numbers ticking over. Ocean Parade in Dreamworld is a "modern Australia" aspect that IS popular for the locals, but a "stereotype" theming is what I'd consider to be an unsuccessful approach. If I went to a "True Blue, strewth mate, look at the Koalas and Roos!" park, I'd visit it maybe twice in a 5 year period, unless they have some major new attractions. That's why I live a half hour from Aussie World and have been there only once in 10 years. Plus it isn't a "theme park" in the Gold Coast sense.

...they weren't really up there for photos, they were looking for an exciting place for an 'intimate' encounter. Maybe he rolled over...the edge. Note: the above is tounge-in-cheek.

That would make sense, that's why... Different departments (that don't usually interact) would be the main reason why there was 2 closures, I think.

To be realistic, I couldn't see them touching the tower to alter either GD/ToT. Unless they decided to send the ToT higher (faster), where they might have to alter something on the tower (height limiter?) but that's unlikley. As for a new, big, ride at the Thunderbolt site, that would be fine, but I still maintain that the park needs to balance the visitors more evenly across the park. Gold Rush is an easy place to start, as it's close to Ocean Parade, where I have seen a larger amount of people to be spending their park time.