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LOL Well I figured as much but there was much talk of you guys being gonna hit the rides so I wasn't sure...

Glad the party was good bus... did they fire up the park for you guys?? So now all is gone in terms of jobs and the risk of losing them, who are all you secret WL employees past or present?

LOL Joz, I don't really see that any less plausable than some of the claims I've heard

Yeah I forgot to mention the trim, or lack of it. The beast was ripping through that track today, it was great. And yes I too noticed the track moving and the whole building shaking when a train stopped! It really seemed to me today mgmt. did everything they could to get the park running at its best. All the rides working right and fast with the right staff, was great to see.

Okay shifty were you at the same park as me? We headed down for the Goldrush opening...there was hardly any wait for BB and we actualy stayed on a few rides...it didn't get busy for at least an hour down there. We also hit snowy after Goldrush being opened for about an hour and it had maybe a 10min wait tops...it was SOAKING everyone though :-p Now the park was no where near the numbers you sugested...do you pull these out of your arse or what? It was lucky to be anything more than a normal weekend type attendance, not that hugely busy at all. I agree it was great to see Matt in the old Probe suit and it was much easier to get on probe if you simply went in the exit line or just re-rode through the pre show door :-) Yes it was Kevin who put up that sign. The numbers are way out though, it was like 8000 not 18 for BB. The shop did get pretty nuts but I wouldn't say a thousand people in there...great to hear they paid the staff well, they sure deserved it! Why didnt you say hello shifty?? What ride did you ride last? ...I know Snowy looked to have a long que from atop BB

Dude my sympathies... I rode Goliath in the rain...THAT IS PAIN! Was like razor blades on the face, was actualy pretty funny with the whole train trying desperately to block their faces LOL

Yeah Daniel I agree, wat time did you probe guys leave the park out of curiosity?? At least you can feel safe in the knowledge Dan that we DID actualy get that ride, after all why say it if you didnt. Its not like anyone really cares other than ones self :-p

I believe the auction is being help on site in the not too distant future Dan. Hey Neil, should have said you were going, is always good to meet fellow members. What attraction have you bid for? ...very curious

Too right Joz!! At least Luna Park doesn't charge you $5 for a milkshake only to reveal its a 3rd of a milkshake!!! LOL

Nope Richard and Joz are 100% correct! No we're not slagging the ops themselves, they only follow orders...its management that are to blame here. GD has been open for many years now, they know how long it takes to work through a que so there is no excuse to mess it up that much. And if they were a couple cycles out and had to go to 10:10pm there wouldn't have been a problem. As for you asking if they are supposed to smile and be polite no matter what... Simple answer is YES. Unfortunately they are in the hospitality industry and the customer is always right. They are paid to be nice to guests and ensure they have a good time. Its the same as me, I may have client that is a complete arsehole and drives me insane but I still must be professional and polite to them no matter what I really think...

Well sadly that day we all had hoped would just remain as rumours and speculation has come and gone. Wonderland Sydney is now officially on the 'defunct parks' list. I really hope all the staff are now living it up in a big way at the farewell party tonight because they certainly deserved it after today (and the rest of the weekend so I hear)! The atmosphere in the park today was amazing, you would never think that all these people would be unemployed as of tomorrow because they certainly weren't showing any signs of it. The park was expecting mammoth crowds today which as I speculated didn't eventuate. The park was moderately busy, but more like a normal (pre closing) weekend than anything. The great thing was the amazing number of staff working today. We saw all areas of the park returned to the proper staffing levels they once had. We're talking 5 ops. on probe, 2-3 on Demon, several on Snowy and at least 2 on everything else. As mentioned by Liam there was also a lot of entertainment around with plenty of characters and the like on show all day. We enjoyed a few rides on Probe, Demon, and BB, as well as being sure to get one in on all the rest. There had been some major re-programming on Snomy as everyone was getting drenched by both the rapids and the squirters. About 4 o'clock we began the major mission for the day...operation "Last ride on Bush Beast." We made our way down to BB and began a long wait in the station just to make sure our place was secure. At just before 5 the que line was closed off and we began the wait in the front row. We had some very determined competition for that last ride in the front but any of you t hat know me would know there was no chance of me being denied LOL Fortunately I had already seeked out the ride op earlier and got the nod for the last ride. The last cycle of the Yellow Train was dispatched leaving only myself, Liam and Andrew in the station. Red Train rolled in and this was it, the last ride EVER for BB. The rest of the train re-shuffled to allow us to board the front 2 rows and the Ops filled the empties up with those at the exit. To much cheering and fanfare we were dispatched and proceeded on IMO the best ride on Bush Beast ever. The sunset was beautiful from the top of the lift silhouetting Probe and Demon. We crested the hill and the train erupted in a cheer which continued for mostly the entire ride. We pulled back into the station and a simultaneous applause was given for the ride ops by the whole train. So ended he last ever day of trading for Wonderland Sydney. As I drove home the emotion of it all did somewhat hit me...a part of my childhood is now gone forever. All in all probably one of the greatest days ever at Wonderland. ...now...on to the Auction! Anyone else make it out there? Besides Jaggie and Wonderbus that is...

phhhhffffffft you bunch of softies! That thing is so tiny its not funny, over before you even start...get up to Giant Drop, now that is a height worthy of the term scary (even though its not). Its also amazing how much difference simply not having that 'pod' around you makes in terms of seeming high...

Well we all know the only reason the park was packed was because; a) Its saturday night so its cheap a hell of a lot of people have free tickets at the moment c) the park is closing so people want one last visit. If it was normal trading of course the park would be empty as usual...

Hey Rich Went to the site and checked out Ripsaw falls...its not exactly too forthcoming :-) What exactly makes this ride so special? Not that it doesn't look cool or anything but you can't see much.

I seriously doubt it's going to be packed... Most people are going out that weekend as there are big free ticket giveaways. My guess Sunday will be the busy day, there aren't all that many people that will part with $50 just for the last day... Will be very interested to see one way or another :-)

Okay I spell it out for you, you bloody moron. Basically everywhere on that page Liam quoted MANUFACTURERS and MODELS... Clearly he did not know the manufacturer for the wheel, therefore he just put the MODEL. DURKIN is the OPERATOR not the MANUFACTURER...so therefore in keeping with the rest of the rides he didn't really need to add in that it was Durkin's... That's all I was saying... I know its probably a little hard for you to follow given the large number of syllables and all but give it a go ay. It should be noted that Rainbows life is so sad he has now attempted to continue this little matter over on MSN. Fortunately for me I am busy with other things so my AWAY status will continue there and this is where this matter shall cease. LETS GET BACK TO THE TOPIC

No I was talking about when you said the Giant Wheel should have been labelled "Durkin"... Thats where you were wrong, I won't repeat why again as I have already said why. Perhaps you could do as I sugested and READ what was written. Anyhow...back to the playground :-)

Yeah just got through reading all the way through it on Westcoaster...

No need for half priced tickets...but they shoud have left Wonderpasses available to buy. After Monday I will have been to WL 3 times in 2 months and that would have easily covered the price of an AP...

WOW Richard what happened on the other ride? Hadn't heard about that anywhere... The problem with capacity is a really stupid one the harnesses are just a knee jerk reaction to the death and make no sense. Excel which is not more than a few hundred meters away uses identical restraints (minus 4 point harness) and is just as violent/steep a ride. With the right restraints the ride would be very high capacity...and just don't let the big fatties on :-p

Okay I'm not quite following you on that one...care to ellaborate?

I think they need to keep the ride and simply give it a much needed refurb and upgrade. I don't even think its much that they need, its really a case of cleaning up (and keeping it that way) the disgusting state of the resivour. It was always very nice and clean but is these days covered in plant growth and algae. Also making the area 'behind' the ride a little more attractive couldn't hurth either. Other minor theming related improvements are also needed. Pretty much just doing something with the two 'dark' sections. Probably re-working the first into some sort of mining or logging related thing and just doing the 'caves' up all nice with pretty ligting and that sort of stuff. Not a lot of major work or great expense in the grand scheme of things. Its a good family favourite, the only one in the country of its type (log flume) and it would be a shame to see it go. I do think the park could do with something like a PP type of water attraction though as well.

What in the hell is your problem Huss?? First you snap at Liam...AND WERE WRONG So then I correct you and you snap at me! What are you, twelve?? Given you're current attitude it wouldn't suprise me. Why don't you think before you open your floodgates and release the river of crap that is most of your posts! Geeze, its people like you that bring out the worst in us...

I don't necessarily think that replacing the entrance plaza is a good thing. Dreamworld has a good history and a part of that is what you still see today in the entrance plaza, bakery, imax and main fountain. Simply knocking these over for a new modern look would be a terrible shame. It would be quite nice to simply do a bit of repainting and touch up work as opposed to moving in with the bulldozers. I still have a very good book on Dreamworld which they used to sell, perhaps it would be good for some of the younger ones to look up the history of the park being built...

Good review but a couple points... I wouldn't say the carnival is the most exciting part of the show, that is really what ever you deem it to be. For me the show isn't about rides at all so the carnival interests me very little... Mega Drop can't "Really Yank You Down" because its a freefall, its just a drop ride so it really can't have much more or less force than any other drop ride. Again I didn't ride it so I can argue you're thoughts on the ride but just make sure you clear on how it works. I too was very impressed at the enthusiasm of the ride ops and thought that was great. It was also nice for a change to see some efficiency when it comes to loading in this country for a change. And yes Rainbow is getting a bit sad indeed...I think its time for a long overdue rehab period and some TLC. Thanks for the pics and info Liam. Oh and Huss, no it shouldn't you seld perclaimed 'expert.' Durkin operate it, not manufacture it. I didn't recall see Chance or Fabbri operating rides at the show, did you?