Captain Sturt Riverboat

[Rumple]

When the park opened, this ride was one of the most popular at the park, as it was entertaining for the whole family. For those that are too young to remember, they had barbershop quartets and cowboys shows as it went round Currently it is about as boring as any ride could possibly be, and really needs a makover to get people back on it, and stop it from being a white elephant. I (and I am sure the Dreamworld Management) would be interested in hearing some ideas of what can be done on the ride to make it worthwhile again. My idea is to bring it into the Wiggles World mode and make it part of that whole area, as that is where it is after all. Perhaps they could make it into the Big Red Wiggle Riverboat and get Dorothy, Wags, Henry and Captain Feathersword to perform a couple of songs (mimed of course) as it goes around the park. Not eveyones cup of Rosie Tea, but better than the current situation.

[Gold Coaster]

Have a Tom Sawyer Island type attraction ... fort, caves etc... Would give guests the chance to have a much-needed adventure (and dare I say it, Disney style experience). Alternatively build a forced perspective mountain and having some kind of coaster traveling through it - perhaps a Snowy Mountain theme. This could be a great replacement for Eureka and could feature a runaway mountain train or bobsleds.

[New display name]

I remember those guys singing on the boat also. I also remember the cowboys would stop the train, start shooting everywhere and pretend to rob the passengers. How easy would it be to go back to these days? If you shut down the dart popping balloon shop: there is 1 cowboy.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Have a Tom Sawyer Island type attraction ... fort, caves etc... Would give guests the chance to have a much-needed adventure (and dare I say it, Disney style experience). Alternatively build a forced perspective mountain and having some kind of coaster traveling through it - perhaps a Snowy Mountain theme. This could be a great replacement for Eureka and could feature a runaway mountain train or bobsleds.

While Disney has proven that their product "works", I don't think that dreamworld cobbling together what would nevertheless be a pathetic attempt at a recreation, (and thats only if they didn't cut corners) is going to work for them. Dreamworld needs to have an idea that wasn't somebody else's already. It's the only chance they have of people judging the ride fairly. If Dreamworld built an indoor rollercoaster, and themed it to outer space, it would be constantly compared to the numerous Space mountains, at Disney parks across the world, and it would come up VERY short. I mean, seriously Tony, this is an Australian theme park that built itself on Australiana themed attractions. Nick Central and Wiggles world are really the only area that hasn't got at least some tenuous link to Australian Culture. (Althought wiggles are australian - thats as far as it goes). Tom Sawyer island - Disneyland - 1955 A Snowy Mountain with bobsleds travelling through it - Disneyland - 1959 "and dare I say it, Disney style experience" - Everyone on this site at one time or another - but we know its never going to happen. Can I ask if anyone else has ideas that aren't already a minimum of 48 years old? Edited November 17, 2007 by AlexB

[New display name]

Whats wrong with being 48

[T-bone]

My idea for the Riverboat see's the main dockmoved from the current dock, over to one of the Docks on the Wildlife area of the park. From there, this way you are freeing up the "Rivertown/ Motocoaster/ whatever else" area of the park for a re-theme to their newest attraction. They could also re-introduce the stunt show and the gags on the island itself. A good idea would also to re-instate the classic charm the boat once had before it's refurb.

[Gold Coaster]

#1 - I didn't mean for them to do anything like Space Mountain. #2 - I said 'Snowy Mountain' (note the capital 's' in the middle of the sentence) as in the Australian mountain range in NSW - eg Mt Kosciuszko - thus fitting the criteria and could have appropriate theming & a whole different ride experience using cutting-edge technology. Wasn't talking about a generic snowy mountain or recreating the Matterhorn. With Angry Beavers Spooty Spin, we already have that sort of mountain anyway in a sense. But one could give some much needed Australiana. Intamin could design some really cutting edge coaster train to travel through it. In 1949-74 the HydroElectric scheme was a major project in Australian construction history. So they could have some things in the queue line related to that, even some 1950s style miner camps etc. So it will also have an educational component (which Dreamworld has always been about too except with conservation/animal life in general). ... "MOUNT KOSCIUSZKO ADVENTURE' When I said Disney-style experience, I meant in terms of quality theming - not the same kind of budgets but for the money it should look really good. I mean look at 'The Claw', the theming on that is really well done. And if they went and sourced some old tools etc to help dress the sets, this wouldn't be expensive. What's not to say they couldn't and would never do this? #3 - With the island idea, I was suggesting something that would be a cheaper option for them to put in that could be themed really well. If you found a good theme you could stick a major attraction in the middle ... how big is the island, anyone know? ... Something that worked with an Australian-ised theme. Although... while it would be nice to have an Australian-type theme, I don't see DW necessarily moving back in that direction as WWW seems the park doing the Oz culture while DW opens things like Flowrider and Mick Doohan (which is named after an Australian motorcycle champion but is ultimately a tribute to bike racing as a whole)... sporty type activities... and I see them either going with generic themes or ones with a commercial strength (ie, some intellectual property). But the Mt Kosciusko attraction could be really good. I mean, I have some pretty 'out there' ideas but you have to be pretty realistic being that DW doesn't seem to want to spend too much on a single attraction. That said, I don't see the harm in reaching a bit.

Edited November 18, 2007 by Tony Teulan

[Churros]

I'm not sure if this is the best thread for it, but can the little river thing be filled in? I mean, I know people have spoken about the island as an opportunity for development before, but can the actual creek be filled in to provide room for expansion. I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of the idea, but if the boat eventually dies off.

[T-bone]

Anything is possible. Yes the river I suppose could be filled in.

[Evolution03]

they cold make a bridge type thing like a replica of the sydney harbour bridge or someting cool like that to go over to the island in the middle and make a roller coaster on the island that incorporates the river into it somehow, or even an underground tunnel possibly

Edited January 27, 2008 by Evolution03