TBoy

Thought this would be interesting. 7NEWS did a report tonight how Sea World does their safety checks on Leviathan. https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSBrisbane/videos/161828793507319 Some information to unpack there: Leviathan is the most high tech ride at the park Daily track inspections take around 5 hours and start from dawn Processes “are similar to what you would see in the aviation industry” 3 cycles are done to check speed etc. The data from the tests are sent to the engineers to determine if the ride is safe

If specific ride shirts (Superman, Scooby etc.) are being removed that is disappointing. It removes some of the feeling you are actually inside the MRT station. Even more disappointing that Village aren't even bothered to make park specific shirts and just use the one VRTP shirt. I am also pretty sure Adventure World in Perth also have jackets themed to rides like Dragons Express. It is embarrassing that parks like Gumbuya World, Luna Park Sydney and Adventure World can use themed uniforms for certain rides, yet Village who is supposed to be the biggest theme park operator in Australia can't be bothered to.

Image (thanks to Jaggs Journeys). You can see that the W is an upside-down M (most likely an M was accidentally ordered instead of a W)

I don't know much about Luna Park Auckland but I have found this article: The forgotten history of Auckland’s first amusement park | The Spinoff The coaster that wrapped around the park like Scenic Railway was called "Big Dipper". There were also things like dodgems, live shows etc. located in the park. It was based on Luna Park Melbourne it seems, which was of interest of businessmen in Auckland. It had many troubles including two fires and a man falling out of the Big Dipper. To get more people to come to the park, the park offered free admission with the only source of revenue being on food etc. Then the Great Depression happened and people stopped visiting due to them having less income, so the park closed in 1931 and some rides were moved to Sydney.

Wiggles plane ride is onsite and about to be installed (thanks to Theme Park Ogre)

Just seen the Funfields interview. Most of it is comparing Funfields to Gumbuya and how they are similar and different. They noted how Gumbuya felt closer to a corporate park while Funfields was more of a family park. They also compared it to parks like Adventure Park and Adventure World, as well as noting what Funfields could improve on. They liked the theming around the park and also loved the waterslides, even calling them some of the best in Australia. They did prefer Gravity Wave over Supernova however due to the height and speed but they thought both were good. Now it is time to get into the juicy stuff. The last 10 minutes are them speaking to Ang, the general manager of the park. He said that the park grew slowly and called him and his family “accidental theme park owners”. Ang does says that they go to other theme parks for inspiration for ride ideas etc. Unlike some of the other parks (Gumbuya with Pico Play etc.) Funfields have to use local engineers, designers companies for design etc. due to them not having the big budget that other parks do. The teams all grew building the park as time went on and apparently the same people who helped with Black-Out/Wipe-Out also did Supernova. Back to the inspiration from other parks, when he goes to parks overseas etc. he apparently thinks “How could I make this work at Funfields?” and “How could we scale this down to what we can afford to do?” and that is how the park ended up today. Next up is the ratio of dry/water rides. During the winter months, he and his family (remember the park is family owned) sit down and wonder “How do we get more people here on 18-19 degree days?” and they have not been able to explain it. He says if they had something like DC Rivals they would only have 300-400 more people than currently because “Melbournians do not go out if the weather is crappy”. They decided water is the way to go as that is the only way people will come in their eyes. They also think if the weather is 35 degrees “Would people rather be in a pool or on a coaster?” and they think people would be in a pool. One of the things Ang does that people do not know of is that he is “the furtherest thing from a normal managing director you would ever see.” When a ProSlide technician came over to do the ride verification, he saw Ang spreading rocks and cleaning up the place under Supernova and asked “Don’t you have people to do this for you?” and Ang says “I can, but I feel like I’ve got to me doing it.” In the mornings while all the ride and maintenance things are being done, Ang is in the gardens making them as neat as possible or fixing up the chairs. The next thing is that Ash notes that Funfields and Adventure World Perth are tied with the best Google reviews. Ang and the CEO of Adventure World are good mates and he is someone Ang regularly goes to with weekly phone calls, and Andrew (the CEO) visits Ang once a year and they talk. He thinks the reason they are at the top is that they are a family business, with him and the others nuts about detail. They treat it like their own home and Ang won’t leave unless the customer will get the best experience possible. On all days 5/6 of the family are at the park, if not all 6. Ang is there everyday and says “I wish I could, but I can’t switch off.” Some of the things Ang looks at when looking for a supplier is relationships. The family hit it off with ProSlide in 2013 when Typhoon was built. According to him ProSlide are not pushy and thinks of them as one of the best slide manufacturers in the world, and had a great relationship with a man named Phil who sold Funfields the Typhoon. ProSlide also understands family businesses and big ones who ask them for slides. When asked about how Funfields choose a theme for their rides, Ang says that a company called Biscuit helps them with it and Ang also asks the younger people there “What do you think?” and takes away what he thinks will work in the end. He doesn’t want to take any credit for ideas or concepts. Finally, Ang is very happy the park is starting to be recognised as a theme park. He apparently often gets onto Parkz and listens to the comments. The interview was great, and thanks to Ang and Ash for the interview. The link to the interview is here: https://www.parkchat.com.au/episode/live-from-funfields-an-interview-with-the-general-manager

Track for the Boomerang has appeared on-site (thanks to Theme Park Ogre on Facebook)

On the Power Surge 2 seats were off-limits due to an issue. It seems they decided to not let people on the other side (even know it wasn't taped off) and not let anyone on one of the other gondolas to balance the weight. It made it so 2 out of the 6 gonolas were not used, slowing down the ops. I feel like they could of had me and my sister on one half of a gondola, and the couple on one of the others, with 4 seats out instead of 8. On the Pharohs Curse however, all the seats were in operation, however they made single riders sit by themselves. They wanted to balance the number of people in each ship so instead of making more people sit with the single riders, they made it so that if there were 15 people in one car, there would be 15 in the other, so there would be empty seats in the other car as well. Not to mention the 10-minute dispatch that also slowed down the ops. The ferris wheel however had no seats roped off but the people in my group waiting had to wait 4 cycles as most of the 2-people gondolas were mainly 1x adult and 1x child, whereas they were 2x adults, not balancing out the weight. Most other rides had no weight balance but single riders sat by themselves, not with others which made the people per hour less. At most other parks they would get 2 strangers to sit with each other in a row to max out the capacity, such as the other VIC parks and GC parks. I feel like it could be to reduce the weight pushing on the track etc. but they should be trying to get many people on as possible, especially due to the horrible operations.

You think that’s bad? You should’ve seen how horrible LPM’s operations were on Saturday. Some rides like the Pharaoh's Curse had 10-minute dispatches and the staff didn’t seem to care. Another rule they made was the “weight balance” so many seats weren’t even used on the rides. On the Scenic Railway they were also horrible. First up, it was only running 1 train, slowing down the ops. The same person who did the loading also did the grouping, at least they got you grouped before the ride came to the station. Dispatches were also 5-6 minutes, making around 1 cycle every 10 minutes. I reckon the ride was actually only running at around 120 pph. One of the people I was with thought the operations there were some of they worst they saw.

Hello everyone! Over the weekend I decided to go to Melbourne and visit Luna Park and decided to share my thoughts here in this thread. Sorry for the lack of photos. Luna Park is located in St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne and is Australia's oldest theme park turning 110 a few months ago. Unlike the Sydney park, Luna Park Melbourne has operated since 1912 without closing. Unlike the other theme parks such as Gumbuya World and Funfields, Luna Park Melbourne doesn't see the need to expand. One thing that is noticeable is that there is no map on the website or in the park, making you go to explore the park and its secrets itself. The park is quite small without room for expansion. Unfortunately, we went on a busy day where the park was sold out. We booked the tickets earlier in the morning so we didn't have to miss out. We arrived to the park at around midday and there was a 15 minute wait to get in. Once you get in, you are greeted with the Twin Dragon being right next to you, and the historic carousel being right in front of you. The ride has been operating since 1913 and is heritage listed. Also the Luna Palace is getting repairs, and the dodgems have been moved to a temporary white tent. We planned on going on the Scenic Railway first, but waited due to there being a 40-minute wait. I first went on the Speedy Beetle coaster, a SBF Visa spinning coaster installed in 2019 similar to Crazy Coaster at Adventure Park Geelong. I had a 15-minute wait, and the dispatches were alright at around 3 minutes. Fun ride, however a little rough. One thing they do let you do is put in your seatbelt yourself which is great. The next ride I rode was the carousel. It is one of the oldest rides in the park, opening 110 years ago in 1913. Luckily, the carousel was a walk on due to me arriving just when it was boarding. Some of the horses were out of action (I think 2 were) but most were operating today. Overall, a fun ride that still holds up today. After the carousel, I rode the Enterprise. It is a HUSS Enterprise that opened in 1993 but manufactured 10-years before. I only had to wait around 15 minutes for it, in which the wait was worth it. as the operations. A lot of families were surprisingly going on it including little kids. A ride worth going on if you go to the park. Meanwhile, the other people on my group decided to ride the Sky Flier, which was a Ferris wheel located next to the carousel and The Power Surge. The worst thing was they had to wait 30+ minutes, then wait 4 cycles because of a weight balance thing. I didn't go on it but at least I didn't have to wait that long. After that, me and my sister went and rode a few rides. First up, we did the Power Surge. A ride manufactured by Zamperla that used to be on the carnival circuit and occasionally visit the park for peak seasons before being installed permanently in 2013. I would say it is the most intense ride in the park. Unfortunately we had to wait a cycle due to the same weight balance thing which made it so 8 of the 24 seats were unused. After that we did the Supernova, which is an SBF Visa Star Flier similar to Trident at Sea World except it has 2 seats a pole instead of 3. It gave you some nice views of the park and St Kilda beach that looked really good. However there is one thing that ruined it. I reckon it had a 10-minute dispatch time which is horrible. We waited around 30 minutes which was a decent time though. Then, we went on the ghost train. It was one of the most popular rides in the park and had a 35-minute wait. It is a very popular ride, installed 80 years ago and has been relatively unchanged since then. Operations were GREAT, only having 30 second dispatches which is great for a ride in Australia. One of the negatives however is that the queue is cramped, leaving no room to move around and the seats are also cramped, luckily I got my own car. Unlike many other parks, they don't call out single riders and instead make people ride on their own, slowing down the PPH. I then went on the Twin Dragon, where it was a walk-on due to them actually calling out for single riders for once. It is similar to the one at Funfields, which was the former one at Sea World. It is less intense as the one just mentioned however but still a fun ride. The queue line is cramped like the ghost train. After it was time for the Scenic Railway. We waited for 55 minutes to ride, not to mention the coaster was only running 1-train today even know the park was full. Luckily, the queue was less cramped than the previous two. With operations, unfortunately they were very slow, not to mention it had different unload/load stations that slowed down the operations. I'm pretty sure the ride was getting less than 150 people per hour by looking at the queue. Another bad thing about the ride was that the trains were very cramped and not good for tall people, as me and my sister both hit our knees on the train after each drop. Not to mention there was also no single rider most likely due to the weight balance thing. Overall a good ride but the cramped train and ops brought it down for me. Then, I went on the Pharoh's Curse, that is actually well themed and similar to Doomsday at Movie World. I was meant to get a walk-on, but they didn't allow it due to the weight balance thing, so I had to wait. After I did get on in the front seat. They had to switch an operator which caused a 10-minute dispatch time. I pulled down my restraint, but the operator pulled it back up and used the computer to pull it down, which ended up in me getting stapled that caused pain to my stomach and legs. Also the restraints must have been damaged by people scratching it like foam. The final ride was the Spider. It was built in 1983 by Eyerly Air Company and has been operating at the park ever since. Like many of the other rides, I got my seat alone due to the weight balance. It's actually pretty fun for a ride like that, and have me some good spinning moments. After that it was time to leave, and my group had fish and chips on the St Kilda Pier before going back to Bendigo. Overall, the park was an alright place to visit, but it goes down for me due to the horrendous operations including the 10-minute dispatches and the weight balance thing making many seats empty, also making the people per hour go down by a lot. Even my group (who were all GP except for me) complained about the operations. I only got on 12 rides in the 5 hours I was there. They also only have the standby line, no single riders or fast pass lines. They also need to upgrade the rides as they are becoming old, and many stapling you which make you hurt. The staff also seemed to just take their time and didn't care how long the dispatches were. My rankings: Operations: 4/10 Rides: 7/10 Staff: 5/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Value: 6/10 Overall: 6.2/10 Definitely not the best theme park out of all of them in Victoria, but some good fun for people visiting. I suggest getting there early as you might be able to get some walk-ons but getting there after 12 you will not on rides like Scenic Railway etc.

Shit! Must have been big for breaking news on the Sydney news. Luckily it seems nobody was hurt.

Heard Wild West Falls will be rebranded as “Purple Purple Plunge” after the current maintenance period and painted completely purple.

Looks like the track is being painted grey so it can then be repainted again to a different colour.

My recollection is that there will be an entrance from Main Street and maybe Superman. My recollection is that the Green Castle will be the queue for the SFC while the blue building will be the queue for the Boomerang. From what we know it will just be the 3 coasters so far.

As you say that, the maintenance has been extended till the 30th of May. It means it will be closed for 113 days.

Ah alright. Must of gotten confused. At least even with 1 train the coaster still has high capacity than most other coasters with 1 train ops. Spongebob's Boating School Blast - 360 pph Motocoaster - 373 pph Jet Rescue - 400 pph Gold Coaster - 400 pph Superman - 410 pph Steel Taipan - 415 pph Surfrider - 460 pph DC Rivals - 465 pph Road Runner - 500 pph Project Zero - 600 pph Family Boomerang (both) - 625 pph Kenny's Forest Flier - 650 pph TNT/MW SFC - 720 pph

As you say that... I wonder if Movie World will invest into a larger station so they can run 2 trains? I know Dollywood does but most of the others are 1-train ops. If they do however they will most likely only run 2-train ops during holidays and 1-train ops during non-peak like DCR, Superman, Road Runner, Jet Rescue and Leviathan.

From my understanding it only started doing full tests a week before opening, while TNT only did a month.

Not confirmed but it looks like it will based on the concept art. I don’t know of anything else it could be themed after.

Apparently they said it in their Sea World blog that was posted a few days ago. I have a feeling going by the concept art that only the SFC will be as well themed as Leviathan TBH.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up. Moving on, apparently according to Coaster Studios, the stations will be as well themed as Leviathan. The Movie World website also says that there will be projection mapping in the area. Could we see something like Leviathan's pre-show in the SFC's station? An example is having the evil witch tell you on a screen: "Take your army to the haunted forest and bring me that girl and her dog. Do what you want with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed!" When the coaster is about to leave, the evil which then tells you: "Now fly, fly!" The coaster then leaves the station and goes up the lift hill. They could do one of these things to achieve it: Use the original video from the movie (hard to do due to the film being in 4:3 and not being able to fit around the screen) Get the actor of the witch (from the New Line film) to film a scene of her saying the words (very unlikely) Hire someone to film it in the Village Roadshow Studios (most likely as it is easier to move around things to fit Village's needs)

I don't think the purple thing is part of the track. It doesn't look like SFC track at all, so it must be something else. The grey supports however look like the official supports of the ride.

I hope it is themed to that, not just a generic ride with an IP slapped onto it with no story/theming like Six Flags.

I don’t think it is a good idea to theme it to something other than Superman. It clashes with the theme of the area and sticks out like a sore thumb IMP.

Seems like you had a great time in Australia @Canobie Coaster. Question - What is the best coaster in your opinion, DC Rivals, Leviathan, Steel Taipan or Big Dipper?