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G'Day Troy, I haven't been since 2008 so my experience may be a little outdated, but I was there early-mid July and found Disneyland wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. We had a couple of days and got most things done. We would've probably done better if we'd worked out how fastpass worked on the first day! In contrast, USH had massive queues for everything and had we not pre purchased VIP passes would've spent most of the day in lines. The only other park I went to was Knott's, which I hit by myself on the day of my flight home. I got there shortly after opening and found little to no queues on most coasters and got a few rides on each, but by the time I had to go the crowd was definitely getting bigger. I hope this helps, but I'm sure there are plenty on this forum with more (& more recent) experience who will chime in.

@Brad2912, why'd you have to go and make us all so sad right before bed?! ?

Could F.L. stand for fence line? Just a guess.

Yes, that's exactly what it means.

The Turbo used to be my favourite at the Hawkesbury Show back in the mid to late 90's. Rough as heck, my sister and I would ride it together and whichever one of us was more beaten up by it or off-colour because of it would cop shit for ages! ahh, memories! ?

No worries. It was definitely sad to see. I also found it ironic that the whole thing was so shamelessly dumped in a pile, but the visible cars had covers over the seats.

Mini Trip Report & Update A belated trip report and photo update from my trip to Aussie World on 31st December. First of all, I expected the place to be busy, but was pleasantly surprised to see the carpark half empty considering it was a long weekend. Obviously, the park was expecting more of a crowd too, as every ride advertised to be open was, with it’s own ride op (most rides run fine here with one) and, as a result, all (except The Plunge, which was about a 5 minute wait) were pretty much a walk-on. On entry to the park, about 11:30, we were promptly and friendly helped to process our passes which we’d received as a gift from my Sister. She’d found an online deal giving a family of 4 unlimited entry to the park until the 31st of March for $145 (through RACQ, I believe). The registration process was quick and they let us head straight into the park and suggested we come back in a couple of hours to collect our pass. My eldest son was a huge fan of the Imaginarium on our last visit, so we headed there first. There was a short wait, due to its low capacity, but most of the rooms and effects were working well (a couple minor things like a monitor not working in the ‘elevator’ detracted a bit) and some of the rooms are pretty impressive. RIP Wildmouse Before I get to the new additions to the park I will cover the most noticeable omission from the park, the much loved wooden wild mouse that was the park’s major drawcard until recently. As has been posted already, the Wildmouse site is now a very flat and desolate looking patch of dirt. The only thing more devastating to a coaster enthusiast than seeing the site bare, is looking directly behind it to discover the whole coaster unceremoniously dumped in a heap. A little solace can be taken from the fact that the coaster lives on as theming next to the new Mayhem Maze (more on that shortly)... and as a poke-stop (it’s sad that I even checked, I know). Bombora This latest addition is a mini drop tower. Think the Sylvester & Tweety one at MW with the addition of it spinning around a pole (& allowing parents to ride) and you’ve got the general idea. Despite being my eldest’s favourite at MW he didn’t want to ride it (although he was a bit timid and stand-offish the whole visit), but it looked only a little more thrilling than that kiddies offering. Having said that, it looks to me like a great ride to go on with younger kids (the accompanied height being 100cm). A 'giant' surfboard completes the surf theme... Beaut Little Toot Toots On my last visit to the park I couldn’t help but notice the ride with perhaps the worst capacity I’ve ever seen at a park. The Tin Lid Trolleys were only ever meant to be a ride for toddlers, but it consisted of two tiny mine carts which each seated one child, and both ran on their own track, meaning a 2 kids per cycle capacity. Aussie World have clearly recognised that their growing popularity no longer allows for rides with such low through-put and have added the ‘Beaut Little Toot Toots’. While still being suitable for the smallest of guests, this new train ride allows parents to ride with their kids, which depending on your tolerance to incredibly loud farm animal noises, may be a positive or a negative. Mayhem Maze I wasn’t sure what to expect from this brand new attraction (had only opened on the 28th December as a permanent part of the park’s attraction roster). I was glad that a local park had decided to add a full-time walk-through scare attraction, but was a little anxious as to what they would’ve managed to pull of for a park of this sizes budget. Now, I must say straight up, I haven’t been through a lot of horror / fright nights style mazes, other than Fright Nights about 5 years ago (give or take) and USH House of Horrors in 2008, but I am not the most easily firghtened, or impressed park-goer, but here goes. The building is themed to a 50’s era, abandoned, fairground-style attraction with ‘funland’ a-blazoned across the front and an overall (not so) fun house look and feel. The backstory is displayed on a couple of signs on approach to the steps, as well as a number of signs warning that the attraction isn’t suitable for younger children. There was also a large sign detailing how the attraction included live actors who would tailor the experience to suit the audience, and therefore give ‘smaller frights’ where appropriate. Despite this assurance and my 8 year old considering going through (I’m bloody glad he didn’t), I decided to go through myself first. I walked, alone, up the stairs and along a thin boardwalk, the sort I have traversed many a time to enter a fun factory or similar type of attraction. When I reached the door there was nobody there, I tried to open it, but nobody came out to meet me. I stood there awkwardly alone for a little while before a group came up the queue behind me. Good, at least I’ll have company, I thought. The newcomers to the line asked me, had I tried the door? Is there anyone in there? Shortly afterwards, an attractive attendant in a 50s inspired costume peered through the door and asked how many in my party. Just me, I replied, at which she took me through into the lobby, where she briefed me on the usual walk-through rules: Don’t touch or try to fight the actors (I didn’t realise I looked like a fighter) and I’ll be fine; Follow the white lines painted on the floor and I’ll find my way out; Don’t burst out of the Emergency Exit (advice not heeded by the group behind me); and if you become too overwhelmed or disorientated, raise your hand and someone will assist you (the same goes for the illusionarium, and they will also stop most of the rides if you raise your hand, a feature that is appreciated when trying to warm kids up to larger thrills). So, the very first thing I have to make mention of is just how dark it is in there. Coming in from a particularly hot and glarey day, I found it extremely hard to see where I was going, and felt lost and disorientated on a number of occasions. I won’t talk about the specifics of the maze to avoid spoilers for those who get to visit, but I will say the main scare actor is an evil clown, and he is menacing and gruesome. Slowly making my way through the maze there were plenty of occasions where a strobe or flash would reveal that the clown was right up in my face, or right over my shoulder. Several other times he worked as a diversion, leering on one side, while another scare actor, one of his victims, would burst out behind you, or even under your feet, screaming for you to run away. Overall, the set design seemed pretty high quality, with each scene revealing just how depraved this sicko clown actually is. The maze was typically quite tight and continuously wound back against itself, providing plenty of scare opportunities for the scare actors. I found it a bit difficult to determine how many were actually in there (I’m guessing 2 plus the beehived greeter, but it felt like more) and to their credit, they got a fair few jumps out of me during the experience. I think it is a really well put together, little scare attraction, and I hope it gets the patronage, and love, it deserves. It was certainly quiet on the day I went, being at the northern-most extremity of the park, behind the Ballroom Blitz, and given the park still attracts mostly families with kids under 12 or so. Once the additional flat thrill ride replaces the Octopus (and the crazy mouse replaces our beloved wild mouse) this year, there should be enough to keep teens amused as well. I can honestly say Mayhem Maze should have them shrieking! Overall The rest of the park is looking good, the mini golf seems to have been done up and is attractively landscaped. The staff were mostly all fairly friendly (except for that damn clown!) and the park was clean and tidy. The shed area is also looking good and is being utilised a lot more for concerts and functions, but during the day serves as a nice cool place to escape the heat and have a cold beer. The back of The Pub was looking shabby, but given it is only a few weeks away from it’s major refurbishment and expansion that is understandable. Work will commence after their Australia Day festivities if you want one last look at the iconic red Ettamogah Pub. I’m looking forward to seeing the park’s growth over the next couple of years and really think it will be a great option for families with kids of any age by this time next year.

Going to destroy the tranquil, relaxing vibe of chilling on tubes at Calypso Beach with those things tearing past.

It was left of the pub as I was heading North. In line with, or closer to the highway than the Ferris wheel. If I was to have a guess I would say roughly where 'Barry Mundi's Boats' is (or was?). But, keep in mind, I was driving and not in a position to stop (otherwise I'd have photos to boot). Obviously, we will know for certain from (updated maps) Boxing Day. I'm hoping to get the family there in January so will take some snaps if similar ones have not been posted prior.

This is already in place. I spotted it from the highway on Sunday. Looks good. Not quite as tall as the Pub but should be fun for families.

Orphan Rocker!

It also sounds like the $25 donation is now only per paying guest. There is no longer any mention of passholders: I love the banner image on that page though!

Just following on from that. Aussie World have shared a feature on the redevelopment via their facebook page. The full article can be found here. While it doesn't tell us too much more than @YLFATEEKS and @Gazza have discovered, there is an article on the drop tower including it's name and expected opening: They have also released a video of the rebranding announcement: <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fviewnews%2Fvideos%2F10154096962483715%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

^ This. I'm as disappointed as everyone else on this forum, and loved grabbing a ride whenever we took the kids there, but I was always the only one in our group to ride as my boys were a bit short and even once my eldest was tall enough the idea of riding it alone (unlike LPS they only allowed 1 person per car) was a bit intimidating for him. I think the replacement will be well received by families with younger thrill seekers and despite what others have said regarding the GP not being concerned with the capacity of rides, it will make a noticeable difference in this case, and in this current climate of people being a little wary of older rides (don't forget Aussie World have had their own 'incident' in the last year or so) I think most people will just see it as a modernised version and will see it as unique. It will be the only spinning coaster in an Australian theme park (if I'm not mistaken), after all. I'm personally excited about Aussie World's plans. So far we only know 3 of the 7 rides coming in the next 12 months (that's 2 'replacement rides' and 5 new additions, with one obviously being @Gazza's mini drop tower find) so I'm sure they have a couple of surprises up their sleeves.

I've always been a fan of Cockfosters (UK)

I agree, but I am fairly confident they would've done everything to keep it running as long as possible. It was always so lovingly maintained. Having said that though, you can't help but wonder whether the Octopus accident and subsequent investigations are behind the Wild Mouse's demise. Either way, sad news for coaster fans and makes me glad I got to ride. Looks like I'll have to take the kids to Sydney for the same thrill. Hope LPS can keep theirs running for many years to come.

Just a thought. Does anybody think that we might see a show at AOS that does not feature animals, in order to free up space (holding pens / paddocks) for these new developments??

Maybe he was talking dispatch times. ?

Togo

Pipeline Coaster? ?

Maybe @Theme Park Girl's kids are going to dig a hole?

Just because it can run 3 different cycles, doesn't mean they will. I would be surprised if it is running more than one (hard) when it launches. Maybe down the track they will run the other cycles at certain times of the day. Just my thoughts, and either way can't wait to see the ride and surrounding precinct in action.

Janine's description refers to the photo beneath which shows a fairly prominent entry on the corner of the building.

That looks like it's going to be one fine looking 'elevated seating pit' ?

Given it is right next door to the kids area, how about a Spongebob shooting dark ride. Would be fun with mass appeal and shouldn't be too hard to find a target that's not offensive.