The Scenic Cableway - How good is it really ?

[pinksmile]

Can anyone tell me if the scenic cableway at katoomba is a worthy ride in their opinion ? I rode it a few weeks ago and found it to be a fairly pointless ride. The scenic railway has always done the job in the past,and is far superior in my opinion. Hope to hear your thoughts.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I am at a loss as to what you are referring to - Scenic world has only 4 attractions, or 5 if you count the counterweight discussion. Scenic Railway Scenic Skyway Sceniscender and of course Orphan Rocker (under construction ) Since both Railway and Sceniscender are the only ones that transport from the clifftop to the valley, I presume it is the sceniscender you are referring to. As far as it being pointless, there are a number of attractions that you could term pointless, right around the world. The railway certainly did "do the job" but it is an archaic system, that drives straight through the cliff face and takes seconds to complete. It is certainly a fast way of getting down the mountain but as far as perspective, you leave the station, go near vertical (or at least it feels that way) before shooting out of the mouth of the man-made cave seconds before arriving at the lower station, where you have a momentary thought of "will we stop before the end of the track?". The sceniscender on the other hand provides riders with a unique sense of flying - The gondola departs the station by leaping off the launch platform, and gently gliding down into the valley, providing many with the opportunity to take a unique photograph of the Blue Mountains from a perspective many never have before. It is a more technologically advanced ride, which would no doubt allow for far easier maintenance and control. Guest comfort is also a plus, where on the railway you could frequently get rained on, with only thin shadecloth as protection, and open sides of the car, where the propensity for injury is high, given there is only a weak plastic chain, more for show than protection to stop people attempting to leave the car. The sceniscender is completely secured by the operator, meaning less possibility for injury, and therefore lawsuits. Having another way to make it into the valley is also helpful. If maintenance is required on either attraction, visitors can still venture down to the floor without taking the staircase. Another plus is that visitors can enter the valley by the railway, tour the boardwalks of the valley and leave using the sceniscender, meaning that the entire tour of the valley is conducted downhill, and therefore more accessible for the less mobile or elderly. Lastly, it provides for the operators of Scenic world and those who maintain and construct the valley floor attractions a far easier way to get equipment and supplies to the floor to maintain those attractions. It would also be much easier to evacuate in case of injury or illness on the sceniscender with a fairly level floor and open space, rather than the individual seating and cramped cabin of the railway. Have I shown enough POINTS as to why the Sceniscender is not POINTLESS? Insofar as you say that the railway is more superior - well thats an opinion, and each person is entitled to their own. The railway is a classic katoomba attraction, just like the skyway, but the skyway was recently updated, replaced with a gondola more accomodating to the modern guest, just like the sceniscender itself. The railway is fairly restrictive, and would not allow for similar modernisation simply because the railway was designed to haul coal up the mountainside, rather than Japanese tourists, and there are size, height and width restrictions on changing it, not to mention the historical significances. I fail to see how it could be "superior" as each attraction is designed with different merits - the railway on "how they used to do it", to immerse you in the history of the attraction, and the sceniscender on "travelling in style and convenience". Could you expand more on what you mean by Superior so that I might better understand what you mean?

[pinksmile]

It is no longer called the scenicsender. It is now called the scenic cableway. I was just making an observation as too my experience on this ride,and stand by it.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Well now, you weren't making an observation, you commented on it with an opinion, and asked for peoples thoughts. I didn't say you should back down from what you said, I just said I couldn't see how you could form that opinion, raised what I believe are some pretty good points in argument against your opinion and asked you to expand on it further. I would like to hear your expanded thoughts against the attraction on why the railway is superior, and why the sceniscender is pointless?