Gazza

But there was a website back then anyway.

.The wristbands are actually there to stop people from getting into SW for free from what I observed. Resort guests can come freely into the water park, but of course you need to be able to stop them from entering the main park. Hence when you enter the water park from the main park, you get a wristband to let you back into the main park.

Yeah mate please don't go bumping threads for no good reason. People don't need to be told how to use a search engine to find the Luna Park website. Anyhow, you failed at answering my 3 and a half year old query anyway...I originally asked: You just gave a link to the website, not to a plan. But its a moot point anyway, because since then, Google earth was invented, so I could just get it from there.

^Yeah there is.... http://www.parkz.com.au/article/2008/10/02...ater-World.html http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/index.php?s...ost&p=55538

In light of DWs upcoming laser tag, I'm just wondering what people think belongs in Ocean Parade next?

The waterfall is not in the train station, but around the corner. Also, is there any way you can make the second hill on Superman taller like it is in real life? At the moment its not steep enough.

I guess when it does though its having a 'lunch break'.

But then it wouldn't be a recreation?

So how long till Eureka becomes an events venue? They seem to do it with every over defunct attraction.

According to the website, it is only available for event bookings. See: http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2...?name=EventsBBH

I don't normally tell people to get back on topic, but this thread is about the closure of Hard Rock Park, not what MW needs.

I'm going against the grain here, but the park never stood out much to me. OK granted Led Zeppelin and Moody Blues: Nights in White Satin sort of fit into the hard rock theme, and Maximum RPM looked interesting. (Though even then the only thing Moody Blues had going for it was the "WFT factor") Everything else on the other hand were just off the shelf rides that had some sort of rock and roll related pun for a name, but weren't in themselves rock and roll themed. At the same time you could say the park had a fairly "adult" theme, yet the majority of the line-up were kids rides. All this said, I wouldn't mind if WnW picked up the Slippery When Wet coaster (PS, how does "Slippery When Wet' relate to the Hard Rock theme?

Yeah, there are platforms beside each brake. On the outside of the building you can see where the stairs come out: http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coas...nstruction.html http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coas...nstruction.html Next time you ride, have a look beside the track in the laser room, and on each of the straight sections in the zig zag you will see the emergency platform.

^Yeah, there was actually a video on the website with the editor saying an shortened version of the editorial, essentially saying that the the government is largely absent from supporting the parks, despite the benefits the parks have for the state. I think the editor is a bit behind the 8 ball with respect to a park in Melbourne though.

I'd imagine one to be a big shed with racks of equipment and all other stuff around.

Twas my doing AlexB.

I just discovered something cool...Whitewater West make a line of racing slides called a "Whizzard". One design is a direct rip-off of Proslides octopus racer, but at the same time they have second another variant which just looks insane:

Bah, yeah people really need to give stuff a go.....You missed out on arguably the best ride in the park now. It's completely different to motocoaster because the banking of the turns is much higher, and the transitions between the turns are really quick, so you are constantly being flung from side to side, going around turns on your side, inches from rocks. On motocoaster it tends to slow down toward the end, so the end of the ride is sort of meandering, this on the other hand keeps the speed all the way through. In my experience parks tend to overstate queue times, or forget to change signs (At WnW recently there was a sign stating 50 minutes for Kamikaze, even though the queue area was only half full ) so I doubt it would have been a full 40 minutes.

More than 90 minutes? Really? Today the magnet didn't seem to move past the 40 minute mark.

I'll add that there are also those $4.95 refill cups, with a HSD design.

^By all means, wait until the show is not in 'preview' mode, there is still stuff to come. Sort of a shame they couldn't get it ready for opening. I saw it again today....the finale worked, and car even bursts through a wall of bricks.

Yeah I did....lets get stuck into it. Id say it is pretty close to the speed in the video...decide for yourself with these LD ( ) youtube vids of mine: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TkWHhZ4W9YY http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=gC1OF5qPs2E But I really liked it. Obviously its not a large thrill ride, and only clocks in at about 32 seconds in length, but it still is really quite good, and I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. I think as the 'family thrill ride' it claims to be, it does that job excellently. The quick pacing, sharp turns, sudden directional changes and low to the ground layout create this really cool ride that leaves you a little bit light headed at the end. I think the jet ski trains genuinely add to the experience in this case. You climb over, and your feet go into these rectangular slots, its a simple lap bar you pull down (no seatbelt) and it sits comfortably over your hips. But what makes it great is that your torso is virtually unrestrained, with only a small backrest, so when you go through the rapid fire transitions you can sway side to side (almost like a ragdoll, but not at all painful) and enjoy it without neck bashing. Its also really cool when you enter a turn...it didn't seem as heartlined as other Intamins, so its like you get flicked sideways, and it feels like your head is about to get conked into the rocks around the ride. As for the actual experience...there is a tiny queue area, similar in size to Corkscrews, and there is a video where Trevor Long (Director of Marine Sciences at SW) informs you that a sealion is trapped in a blowhole, and a storm is rolling in. A team of Jet skis has been assembled for your mission. So you load in, hear the gurgle of the jet ski starting up, then you launch towards rapidly into a highly banked 270* helix, (with your head nearly scraping the rocks and you go through), you then turn a bit, hop over the launch (not much air) dip and do an S bend and enter the cave, without stopping you surge forward even faster, catch a glimpse of the trapped sealion, and then burst out of the cave through a cloud of mist, is then a tight u turn, double s bend, another tight u turn, another double u turn (the whole time you are being flung from side to side, very close to the rocks), you then breeze past the sealion, who is on a rock by the track happily nodding. Its a quick 90 turn, then a u turn into a part brake run that trims some of the speed, before the last turn and the main brake. What is funny with this is that the ride broke down for a little while, and the last two cars are on an angle because the whole train doesn't fit in the brakes. But yeah, its pretty forceful, the transitions are the best bit IMO. The ride has separate load and unload, and the second train was moving to the load just as the first train enters the cave. The queue moved very quickly, and in fact the longest wait later in the day was to get a locker (The ride has a strict no loose items policy) only 38 lockers available, with one control station meant this was really inconvenient...hopefully they get a few more lockers and modules in. Its a $1 for a large sized one, so no tiny lockers like at Superman. I suppose once you get a locker it is easy to just get many rides in a short time span. As for theming, I really quite liked what they had done around the ride...give it a year and all the plants will have grown in and it will look a treat. The thing I like most is that the landscaping genuinely does add to the ride in this case....you come very close to the rocks, in some places it forms a sort of canyon, and unlike MDMC, you really do get that true sense of speed. They did some really excellent rock work on the cave section, but as has been mentioned already, some parts of the cave have just a mural which spoils it a tad. I'm personally not much of a fan of murals as they just tend to look cheap (There are some exceptions, like the one in the Wild West area at MW), I think it would have been better to just to use rock all the way. On the other end of the spectrum, the area leading up to the ride entry is noticeably bland: http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/members/159,...et_Rescue_.html It pretty much is just the Corkscrew observation area...while it was probably OK to be like this in a low traffic area, I think now it has a major ride there, it really does need some proper landscaping. It would be really easy for them to dot a few garden beds around in ground surfacing, put some plants in that wont get too high, some benches, and perhaps a handful of inexpensive theming elements that relate to the ride (Eg a tinny, rope reels, marine fuel barrels, some plastic crates etc), and maybe some boards with educational facts about SWs marine rescue efforts, and hey presto you'd have a really pleasant area for guests to wait in at minimal cost. At the present time it is a bit lifeless compared to the rest of park, and it shouldn't since the rest of SW is the most relaxing and pleasant park on the GC. To sum up. Positives: + Really fun ride that satisfies its target audience perfectly. + Exciting turns and directional changes. + Thrilling from start to finish. + Easy to use restraints, Much faster loading than MDMC, hence a fast moving line. + Nice theming and landscaping around the ride that genuinely interacts, cute little story to tie in. Negatives: - Short ride time, but to be fair they didn't have much space. - Bland landscaping around the ride entrance and viewing area. - Not enough lockers, not enough control stations. Naturally John Menzies was on hand, and he seemed pretty chuffed at the positive reactions of visitors. I got a chance to ask him a few questions. -The reason for this ride...Their research had told them that a new ride was what was in demand by guests. they went to Intamin, looking for something that would fit in with with with SW. They worked with Intamin to develop the jet ski concept. They were after something low to the ground, with a real sense of speed and high banking....I guess they definitely got their moneys worth in that respect -Was it a response to MDMC? No...Development had begun on this before they knew of MDMC. Later on, they were aware people would be comparing, so they made sure they worked hard to enhance this rides unique aspects. A good portion of the budget went on theming, so I guess they still do very much care about that aspect. -Why do rides traditionally open on Boxing Day? Well, its not really intentional and they do prefer a September opening so they can have a good lead up to the Summer holidays. Engineering challenges for both Jet Rescue and HWSD played a role. With jet rescue the sandy site required piles 10m deep for intstance, as well as other engineering challenges. At HWSD they discovered they were building on a creek bed, which presented challenges with those concrete walls. I also got some stats that will make their way over into the database. I must mention, but one other Parkz member/reader was there too, but I didn't know them, and they must be an infrequent reader. All I'm going to say is that it was an amusing situation. So guys, especially locals, get down to SW and have a go, it's a lot of fun.

A nice Christmas present for theme park fans, but all the GC parks now have high res aerial images on google earth...they were taken in June, so Jet Rescue is just an area of fresh dirt with a temporary access road. But now we finally have an Aerial shot of WWW.

I'm not sure where this is coming from about the theming....Granted I think the station looks a bit boring, but in terms of the area around the ride, is there any outdoor coaster in Australia that actually has this amount of landscaping (And interaction with said landscaping)? I quite like the real (as opposed to foam) rocks and pools around the ride, and I imagine it will begin to look nicer once it all the plants grow.