GoGoBoy

The Ghost Train was located where the Big Top stands now. The small plaque (if it is still there) is on the outside wall of the Big Top in between the main foyer entry and the sideshow games that are built into the Big Top. On a side note, the Ghost Train was a particularly large attraction - nothing like the small portable ghost trains you see at carnivals now. It spanned quite a length of the park and parts of the Big Dipper were built over the top of it. I have seen pictures taken of the ride after the fire and it is just total devastation. Considering the length and duration of the ride (and the probable lack of fire exits back then) you can see it would have been very hard to escape the ride once it caught on fire

What has amazed me is the way this company - Nioa - is handling the situation. Encouraging all of your staff members etc. to jump on Dreamworld's facebook page and constantly post harassing messages is really wrong. Dreamworld is a business and they have every right to make decisions about where events should be held in their park. It is quite pathetic that this company is so offended about it, as though it's the worse thing in the world. They need to grow up and realise that sometimes you don't get exactly what you want in life. They obviously went to the press with it too, but it certainly looks to have backfired on them if they were trying to generate negative sentiment as 'payback' to Dreamworld. And despite their claims, Dreamworld aren't saying that Nioa can't hold a function in their park... JUST ONE AREA OF THE PARK

^^ Great idea! This would certainly solve the problem

^ Those mazes look incredible at Universal, judging by the pics. Loved the Camp Crystal Lake maze especially - some really nice detailed theming touches. Very creepy- would make you feel like you're actually there

I believe the ownership of the park has changed a number of times too, which is another consideration. I get the sense that the current owners are more interested in knocking the place down and building apartments but they are restricted by the heritage listing

I love the idea of the themed/branded mazes - especially the Nightmare on Elm Street one. Freddy is seriously scary. Seems like MW are doing a great job. The general public seems to really like these scare mazes as was evidenced by the success of the Mummy at Dreamworld. It was their only 'filler' attraction that actually seemed to draw a crowd (which makes me surprised that they haven't done one for a while)

Thanks so much for the photos. I love looking at defunct fun park pics. Although I'm a bit sad in this case as the Big Pineapple was always such a great attraction for kids and families and was always an important stop off on our Queensland holidays. I personally think the attraction was/is a good thing for the state. Amazing how bad the condition of the Tomorrow's Harvest Boat Ride is.... I mean it's not THAT old

I used to be absolutely obsessed with Lassiter's Lost Mine Ride as a kid. It was by far my favourite ride at Sea World. The ride track and layout was basically the same that is used for Bermuda, as is the show building. The lift hills and drops and the actual boat channel I believe are basically unchanged from Lassiter's except I think there were some modifications for the 'flood room' in Bermuda where the boat stalls and begins to go backwards etc. The ride had a great atmosphere with some neat sound effects and animatronics of old miners everywhere. Essentially the theme was that the mine was about to blow up and the miners got into more and more of a panic until the final splashdown. I remember visiting the park one day in the early 90's only to find Lassiter's was closed. I remember asking a staff member what was happening and she said the ride was being changed/refurbished for the better and she said I would be very happy with what they were doing with it. As it turns out it was being converted into Bermuda Triangle

Still raining I noticed. According to the weather bureau there has not been a single fine day for the entire school holiday period and showers/thunderstorms are forecast every day going forward. Poor Dreamworld. It concerns me because if the weather had been fine I'm sure ToT II would have drawn in massive crowds and perhaps served to remind Dreamworld that there is a public demand for new thrill rides. How have the queues been? Bigger or smaller than usual?

I noticed the land mine effect in one of the videos - looks fantastic! I love little touches like that. I have to say I would have been a big fan of this ride when I was a kid. It's a really decent addition to the park. I agree with the comments above though - they need to advertise it! It's the same with the lack of advertising we saw for Jet Rescue. Both fantastic attractions which are getting very minimal promotion. They need to stop focusing on just the VIP pass in my opnion

So is the park and ToT still busy even with the rain or has it been quieter than usual? The ToT II definitely seems to have generated lots of hype and the marketing has seemingly been effective - just wondering if this has translated to more visitors so far... or are people waiting until it dries up a bit (if that happens!)

I just noticed that the weather on the Gold Coast has been rain the last few days and is expected to rain as far as out as the forecast goes. Seriously, does it ever stop raining up there? I feel bad for the parks considering this may mean they lose a bit of momentum in regards to their new attractions

Very true. Definitely agree with that. Although I still question their decision to add 'dry rides'. Glad to see their new parks go back to traditional water park attractions (albeit the latest and most cutting edge)

Thanks for the map Gazza - I love seeing the updated maps. I still think Wet n Wild Sydney looks like it's going to be much better. Wet n Wild Gold Coast is just a mixed up jumble of random attractions now

^ I friggin love that!! Maybe this marks a return to Village focusing on decent theming for their attractions. Again, it might have been nice to see some more themed elements in the middle of the ride and I definitely don't like hearing they've added those plain white sails around the place. BUT still overall the new area looks pretty darn good and is a big step up from some of their recent efforts

Just had a look at the clip of ToT 2 on Channel 10 news - http://ten.com.au/video-player.htm?channel...mp;format=flash I'm really impressed with the new sound effects, lighting and theming (the countdown to launch seems to be quite well done judging by the above clip). I'm really pleased to see that Dreamworld is listening to their fans and the obvious demand for better theming that just about everyone keeps asking for

I agree... it's pretty minimal. Here's hoping there is a last minute theming rush

I'm very happy, thanks for asking! I really think this is great news. It certainly sounds like it has more chance of going ahead compared to many of the other announcements over the years. I personally think this will be a big success attendance wise. Sydney's population is booming and growing every year and people are crying out for an attraction like this. All of the young families that live in the west would probably be enough to sustain this thing alone but in all likelihood this park is going to be decent enough to appeal to people from all over Sydney and beyond. The attraction line-up is top notch. What more could you ask for?

^ That coaster looks too much like Superman Escape. They need a point of difference. A nice giga might do the trick

^ Agreed! I think a new family ride and a major new thrill ride would be the best way for Dreamworld to go - particularly since it has been SO LONG since their last ride and even longer since their last decent ride. Going by their normal 3 yearly plan we should have seen a new major attraction this year. Considering we are only getting a ride refurb and the fact that next year is the 30th anniversary we definitely need to see something big next year

I notice that Dreamworld doesn't have any reference to ToT2 on the main page of their website anymore. Considering this is a pretty major refurb of one of the most popular rides - I would have thought there'd be a big deal about it on the website. I noted that for Winter Wonderland they did a full graphical overlay on the main page of the site to advertise it. I also haven't seen any commercials for ToT2 down here in NSW yet... although perhaps this will happen closer to the date. Bmull19 - perhaps you could have a little word in Kenny's ear about this?

All of the parks have both family rides and rides for kids. Dreamworld and WhiteWater World would probably have the best offering for kids though with both the Wiggles and Nickelodeon areas. I also tend to think WhiteWater World is the most kid friendly water park. With this in mind you might be best off purchasing World Passes which allow entry to both Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. Ideally though if you're on the coast for 10 days - can you do all the parks?

Oh Dreamworld/WhiteWaterWorld you have a lot to live up to! The Village parks just keep slamming them. I gotta say as an Ardent Leisure shareholder I am not happy!!

Speaking of which - I hope Dreamworld are planning a good series of TV commercials to advertise ToT2. The last commercial which appeared to have any major impact down here in NSW was for the Claw back in 2004. I haven't heard people in Sydney talking about Dreamworld since then. We rarely ever see commercials for the park down here anymore - even WhiteWater world advertising was a bit minimal. Considering the popularity of the Tower of Terror, I really think DW could get some serious mileage out of this refurb if they extend the reach of the commercials. Particularly considering their interstate visitation levels dropped off over the last year. Are you listening Kenny?

There was also this quote from Ardent's recently released results presentation - 'Board endorsed capital expenditure plan over next three years will strengthen ride inventory and consumer appeal'. I am very relieved to hear the reference to ride inventory as opposed to new interactive attractions or something similar. Let's hope this capital is put to good use with significant investment in new major flagship rides. Considering it looks like there will be no new ride this year (only the ToT refurb) and with the last decent ride added being the Claw in 2004, it is certainly time for a new thrill icon or 2 for the park and perhaps some smaller but still significant new family rides