GoGoBoy

Does anyone know the address of that extremely funny site which takes the piss out of Aussie theme parks and fansites? I was looking at it the other day and tried to do a search but have lost it again. I think someone mentioned it on here recently. It is presented as a sort of news report on the latest happenings on theme park forums and fansites... totally hysterical

Good ride... terrible name

Just had it confirmed by my WWW contact that in the pic the Cyclone tower roof structure wasn't finished yet and still had some work to be done on it. So that sagging should be fixed. Also found out that the netting around the outside is to stop people throwing stuff at Cyclone as Richard and mattcrombie suggested. It should also look a bit better when it's finished and none of the other towers will have it thankfully

I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned the fact that the Rocket Slide is going to be using LIM technology instead of conveyors. This is huge news. There is no other waterslide in the world which currently uses this system. The park overall is impressive but there are just 2 things that are bothering me. The mural that runs along the front of the entry building is pretty bad. It is a waterpark not an aquarium so why paint so many turtles on the thing? I do however like the way they have themed the other side of the building (facing into the park) with the 'WhiteWater Beach Club'. The other thing which I think doesn't work is the shade structure for the Cyclone tube slides. The roof looks very flimsy and cheap... it is possible to use shade sails and make them look better than that as they have done in other parts of the park. They need to stop it from sagging. Also, what on earth is that giant netting around the tower? It looks like a mosquito net. I assume it's for shade which means all the towers will get it. Not a good look

I'm very interested to know why Dreamworld continues to be the most popular park no matter what. I personally think it comes down to 2 things - 1. The fact that Aussies prefer big simple rides that chuck you around as opposed to immersive theming and quality 2. The (scary) power of television in the form of Big Brother

Don't get too excited folks... mattcrombie didn't you say something about this wheel only being leased by Sea World for 6 months?

Richard - just regarding your current WWW article on the main page. I noticed recently that there was another construction update on the WWW site which referred to the 'ups and downs of constructing something as complex as a new waterpark' and also mentioned the training certificate they are creating for the lifeguards. However I recently noticed that they took this update away and replaced it with a whole stack of standard marketing copy (rather than another update story by the Ops Manager). I wonder why this is?

Great to see a bit of investment in Victoria's leisure industry. In terms of amusement parks, it will be nice to see that there is another choice in Melbourne and the surrounding area other than the currently very crappy Luna Park. A new waterpark is perfect. It's starting off a little small, but I'm sure will quickly expand when they see how successul it will no doubt be. I like the way the design has a massive lazy river with various features on the middle 'island'. They have designed the racer slide to start on the outside of the lazy river with the splashdown pool in the centre area. It's a good use of space. I'm hoping Dreamworld's WhiteWater World will do something similar when they ultimately expand onto the old Thunderbolt site (except with maybe a dark mammoth slide or something similar in the middle of the river, not another racer obviously). As Gazza said, it's good to see that some operators have realised the profit potential of the waterpark industry, something they have been aware of in the States for a long time. I'm just surprised there is nothing similar in Sydney with the warm weather we usually have up here (I should probably count Jameroo but it just seems a bit too far South). So, so, so much warmer than Melbourne

Well that's all Wet 'n' Wild wants. As long as you still visit their park they will be happy. They are certainly going into serious damage control as it's this opening year of WhiteWater World that will have a major impact on WnW attendance figures. After that, the best water park will win out. But while WWW is still a new novelty, WnW will feel it. And they have their shareholders to answer to if they have a bad year

That's hysterical I love it. It would certainly make us whingers on here grateful for what we've got. I'm sure Movie World know in their hearts though that we really do appreciate their efforts. But what is a theme park discussion site without discussion?

Jaggie - no need to apologise! Those are some of the best and most comprehensive shots I have seen of the park to date. Thanks for posting the link. The park is really starting to look fantastic. The wide shots of the Tornado and Rocket are great, those rides look excellent together. Seriously folks, how much fun is the Rocket going to be! The hills are huge and I still can't believe we are actually getting an uphill watercoaster in Australia. I also noticed the framework for the Bowl in the background of one of those shots and it looks like it's going to be massive. The presentation of the park also seems to be coming along really well. The plants are looking great and I am really liking those shade structures that will be everywhere. I'm very glad to see they painted the support poles for them

Parts of the slides have open air sections half way along the tube before going back into the enclosed sections again

You make a good point there Gazza, in reality if WWW wants to continue expanding after they use up the old Thunderbolt (current staff car park) area I'm sure there would have to be some options available to them. I really like your idea of building an enclosed Mammoth slide over part of the DW carpark. Not only would this be a good use of space but it would add more to the waterpark's skyline and would be very appealing from the road. I also think they would be able to squeese another slide or 2 into an area such as somewhere around the wavepool. I've noticed when you are looking into the park from the entry gates the skyline looks a little bare (besides the tornado/rocket at the front) so filling up the area around the wavepool with another slide or 2 would be beneficial. As we know DW directors are already considering future expansion based on the park's success. And I'm sure with a bit of creative thinking the park would have the potential to increase its size fairly significantly

Although I'm in Sydney I received this construction update from my contact at the park: The first piece of the Behemoth Bowl has been put in place. One of the pools have been painted and is just about to be filled with water. More theming elements have been added and are apparantley looking quite good.... such as a boat on top of one of the buildings and a large fake rock wall for the wave pool. A number of the shade sails have also been put in place which should help to add lots of colour to the park

Yes exactly and just looking at H20 Zone you can tell it was a bit of a desperate, last minute decision to add the area. As has been mentioned before, Wet 'n' Wild should have staggered the attractions and added something every year over the last few years and put a bit more thought and development into it. As they failed to do this, I will be happy to see WWW cut into WnW's market. They deserve it really

This means Luna Park Sydney can rest easy (as if they probably care anyway) and continue to enjoy complete monopoly over a very profitable market. Lucky them... unlucky for the rest of us

The 'website' (I use that term loosely as it isn't much yet) has been updated ever so slightly with the latest on construction news. There is a new pic which is quite good and has a view looking over the park from the Cyclone slides over to the Tornado and Rocket Slide

This is incredible news if it's correct. I certainly hope the Sydney one ends up being a true theme park and not some kind of bizarre business park as the one in Goulburn was planned to be. They certainly shouldn't be using the words theme park if this is the case. Anyway it sounds promising and is exactly what Sydney and NSW needs right now. It would once again give the people of NSW a bit of choice so that they don't end up spending all their leisure money visiting a below average park just because it's the only thing there is

It shows just how lucrative the waterpark market really is with Wet 'n' Wild pulling out everything they've got to defend their market share. It is becoming very obvious that they are freaking out a bit. As has been said before, judging by their reaction now I'd say Wet 'n' Wild has had it too easy for too long and this competition is welcomed

I think they have definitely made the best choice going with the Behemoth Bowl without a doubt. The single rider ProBowls look painful as Richard said. The Behemoth Bowl is a relatively new design hence the reason there is not a great number of them. A version of the ProBowl has been around for a while now, and they aren't only manafactured by ProSlide. There are very few enclosed bowls around and Disco H20 is the only one I can think of. WhiteWater World's is definitely going to be an open air bowl which I think is fine. There is really no huge difference between the 2 anyway - they both offer identical ride experiences except one has a roof over the top. Anyway, be grateful that we are getting a water ride of this excellent standard, not to mention all the other top of the line attractions WWW is putting in

I can see that you fell for the Wonderland propaganda created by its previous owners Sunway. The park certainly was not beyond repair and despite what Sunway would have you believe, the park continued to receive significant attendance levels, even though no capital expenditure had been invested in the park for the number of years that Sunway owned it. You need to understand that Sunway had $$$ in their eyes and knew they could make a lot more money quickly by selling the land and would not have to invest anything. They had no attachment to Wonderland. To say that there is no market for a theme park in Sydney is wrong. You only have to look at the huge numbers of families during school holidays, school groups mid week and teenagers on fri and sat nites that pour into Luna Park Sydney despite the fact that the park offers very little in the way of decent rides and doesn't even have a major rollercoaster anymore. There is a definite market for it in Sydney. I know that this has been a bit off topic but I think it's important to clear this up

I think Movie World should certainly be congratulated for choosing to add this ride. We have all had discussions in the past that a few more flat rides are what Movie World needs to really make it the best park. Most agreed that the quality of their rides was top notch, people simply wanted more rides. Well the park has essentially responded with exactly what we were hoping for. I think it's a very positive move and hope to see more of the same over the next few years and not another long 'ride drought'

What happened to the Spider?? Sounds like Luna Park in Melbourne is still doing very well attendance wise even with all the recent problems and no upgrades

I was told that the new attraction for December this year may be some kind of dark ride or at least something within a building. However the rumoured new coaster isn't likely to be built until sometime next year

I have to say I agree with this and I think a number of people are beginning to feel the same way. It is a bit worrying really. I think Dreamworld would be simply idiotic if they let their market lead begin to slip away. Now when I hear Village is building a new attraction I tend to think the possibilities are unlimited. However when I hear Dreamworld is building something new I instantly become pesimistic and think either animal attraction, temporary walk-thru or a cheap sideshow like Flowrider. They are going to have to pull their finger out soon and spend a bit of capital and it's going to need to be more than just another $1 million dollar attraction. And at the rate they are going they will soon need more than one multi-million dollar ride to put themselves back in front again