GoGoBoy

It’s a shame to hear that the new chairman doesn’t seem too keen on investing decent sums of capital, despite his earlier comments. However, a new flying theatre, waterpark expansion and dark ride are certainly not nothing. They might not be the world class coaster that DW needs, but taken together they will be a really positive step forward... if they all happen. Perhaps not enough credit is being given to these ideas. One issue that concerns me is the way they are speaking about a refresh as if it’s almost a one off thing. The nature of theme parks is that you must continually invest, every few years or so. DW needs to take a number of actions simply to get back to a decent base line, then continue to add strong attractions every few years after that.

Couldn’t agree more! Beautifully put.

I think the website’s great and I like the detail given for the rides, especially the model names. This website was incredibly overdue! But Movie World, that map, that map!! In the smaller version you can’t even make out the hypercoaster (and only the lift hill features anyway). And all those shadows. And the ugly yellow banners everywhere. They desperately need to go back to some type of illustrated map that gives the artist the flexibility to change sizes and perspectives and make it all work. And make the hypercoaster fit!

I think Parkz prides itself (rightly) on producing articles that are in another league compared to the very downmarket and general Gold Coast Bulletin, with a level of technical information that most people with a genuine interest in the industry appreciate.

I'm not gonna lie, you make a very convincing argument. It certainly wouldn't have been ideal if another incident had occurred anytime soon. But if it happened years later, I think it would be forgiven if the key factor turned out to be rider behaviour. I guess because of the magnitude of the DW tragedy, something had to be done. But I certainly agree with Parkz, that this wasn't it! I'm a big believer in looking to world's best practice, and not re-inventing the wheel (poorly), as Parkz was also arguing. But having said that, what we don't know is where the decision to install this specific design came from, and what the advice and processes informing it were. So we are making generalised judgements without knowing the inner goings-on, I'll admit to that. I also agree with everyone else that it is still a big positive that the ride is open, so long as these canopies do not lead to bigger problems down the track that may again lead to its closure. I am very happy for all of those families visiting DW that can now enjoy the log ride again. It would have been nice if they added a bit more theming and ambience to it in sections -- not hard to do -- but still, it's open.

If these canopies hadn't been fitted and another person became injured from standing up on the log ride in this period following the TRR tragedy, I am sure the public would be forgiving. People would understand that the fault lay with the rider, not the ride. The only expectation should really be sufficient warnings. There have been countless fatal incidents at parks overseas where people have fallen out of roller coasters, and indeed log flumes (a rider was killed on Splash Mountain Disney World after getting out of the log mid-course), but generally no modifications are made to these rides and they continue to operate. Why? Because they are isolated incidents relating to rider behaviour, not the safety of the ride itself.

35 is a great age And to answer your question: yes.

I love log flumes, and most operate without incident. But as I referred to earlier, there have been a couple of cases overseas where a log has flipped and caused serious injuries. I'm guessing that this could be the reason for the cages, although of course we don't know. In the first incident overseas there was reportedly not enough water on (or possibly at the bottom) of the final drop, causing the log to flip. In the second incident, the boat slid back down the lift hill, flipping and trapping the riders temporarily underwater. Links to articles about the two incidents: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2031306/Grandmother-loses-leg-thrown-log-flume-ride-girl-4.html https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0721/Cedar-Point-accident-Log-flume-ride-malfunctions-injures-7 Update: Richard appears to have poured cold water on this theory in the post he just wrote above this one. The cage as a prevention method to discourage people standing, as bizarre as it is, I suppose also makes sense as we know about DW's log ride incident where the guest, from memory, stood up and fell out.

I approve of your life priorities/choices. How tragic, we were all so young when we first started chatting on these forums. I was just a little twink. Now many of us are getting a little long in the tooth. Without wanting to derail the topic with too many off-subject posts, how old are you AlexB, if I can ask a lady that question?

Agreed. And if they can get a decent dark ride going, the park will well and truly be back on track. I do think there will need to be some sort of full circuit coaster at some stage in the next few years though. Doesn't have to be massive or expensive, just something clever, that will get noticed, and with reasonably broad appeal.

I feel like I get more of my news from Parkz than from mainstream news sources these days, ha! Much more pleasant to read. Really appreciate how frequent the articles seem to be now and the level of insight. I totally agree about the Play School Wheel. Nice that they are adding a cute little addition -- in theory at least -- but the execution certainly is quite disappointing. They could have done some really cool stuff with such an iconic Aussie kids' show like Play School. As the article suggests, they could have picked up plenty of inspiration from Sea World's brilliant Nickelodeon area with its serious customisation of ride vehicles and theming components. I do like the main logo and artwork they've used to promote the Play School Wheel though, so credit to the marketing team.

I like the details Movie World are adding. Trying to replicate that NYC street feel with all of the works going on. I don’t think we should complain when a park decides to focus on theming details! I welcome it

This is something I was wondering about. There have been a couple of flume ride accidents overseas where the log has actually tipped forward at the bottom of the drop and ejected passengers, with very serious injuries resulting. But as Richard suggested, I believe this has something to do with water level.

Why??????

How do you get in? It must be even more challenging now.

Exactly. They go and then are probably often the ones that complain it’s too busy.

They already have one - Buzzsaw. Although from reports much of that theming and storyline has virtually disappeared.

I think a lot of us on here had quite high hopes when Gary Weiss took over based on everything he was saying Ardent needed to do to make DW a success. Then it started to look like he might end up disappointing us. This latest article gives plenty of reasons to be optimistic again, so long as he follows through on everything. It is clear he knows what needs to be done to turn DW around. The flying theatre, dark ride and WhiteWater World expansion are all absolutely on the money. DW has so much goodwill built up in it; it is an iconic brand, and with a bit of commitment could easily become a big profit generator again. The previous Ardent chairman and directors should really be ashamed of themselves for neglecting it, or at least not giving it the attention and investment it deserved.

UPDATE: Looks like I might have spoken a bit too ‘soon’. Some good announcements from DW today. Hopefully the new Chairman will now live up to our initial expectations. I’d be very impressed if DW does go ahead with both the simulator and the dark ride, but they still need to get all of their existing rides up too, without destroying them in the process.

You certainly get the feeling that Ardent don’t really want to operate a theme park anymore (if they ever really did), and are very scared about actually operating rides. It’s a shame this was the way they reacted to the Thunder River tragedy. It feels that way to a lesser extent over at Village. Hopefully this passes. There have of course been some terrible accidents at parks overseas, even at Disney, but you don’t see those parks retreating from the industry. They learn from mistakes and then go on to get bigger and better.

That's just crazy. You are going to have a lot of very upset guests over the hot summer period. Meanwhile, there are countless log rides overseas that have been running for decades and decades with NO INCIDENTS. Why don't they just look overseas for a little reassurance???

That signature drives me nuts Pushbutton as I keep thinking it’s part of your post!

And I’m assuming they won’t be replacing the tunnel with any interesting theming along the length of the ride.

I’m pretty sure in business terms a 90 year lease basically translates to ‘forever’.

What the hell? A Wonderland museum? Can't be serious.