Ekka '08

[Dylaan]

I missed our school trip this year, no Ekka for me... Has anyone else been or gone? Has much changed since last year? I was hoping to go this Saturday but it probably won't happen now. I'm just interested having never been as of yet. (And no-one seems to have mentioned anything) Thanks!

Edited August 13, 2008 by WnW_Rocks

[Spotty]

I'll copy and paste my trip report from "Australian Amusement Fanatics" Don't worry about the names as you may or may not know the people I am referring to. Around mid day we met up with Matt at the Red Rooster and got to meet everyone except Dave has he was busily taking photos. After that we headed over to the Haunted Hotel and met up with Dave, And wow... Lew Osbourne has done an AMAZING job with the ride. Even the staff were costumed with makeup etc. I didn't end up taking a ride on it though. After that we headed over to Breakdance, the ride was a great ride but a rather short cycle. Which was good in my books as the Red Rooster took a turn for the worse! I walked off a bit dizzy, and had to sit down for 5 minutes before tackling the next ride. We then headed over to No Limit, and Elwin was sitting in the ticket box... but just be warned now. This ride is the ONLY one that I encountered that would not accept the Discount Ride Coupons. So Matt then paid for my ride in return for 10 coupons. We then jumped on because it was looking like a GREAT cycle with Elwin driving it. However when we got on Elwin left the ride. The ride started up, with NO interaction from the operator at all, the cycle only had one full upside down flip and was very short. I came off rather disappointed, as did Matt and Kate. Sadly I will now think twice about riding this machine. We then decided to head over to SkyWalker, which Dave decided to skip. The first thing I noticed about this ride is the sheer size of it, I was almost too scared to conquer this beast. I walked over to the control box with Kate. Luke Hennessy (One of the 2 Owners) was controlling it and after a quick talk, we were told in his exact words "Get on, don't bother paying for my ride" Luke decided to give us all a bit of a extra spin, giving us the "long" cycle. There was plenty of intense spinning action and operator interaction. The ride itself wasn't that painful downstairs... except for one real awkward slam mid ride that was VERY audible! The ride then lowered and we exited towards the control box and gave Luke the big thumbs up. This would have had to be my 2nd favorite ride, with Space Roller coming in a very close 1st. We decided to toddle over to the Zipper, which left me us all a bit disappointed. The ride was in good shape, and me and Kate hopped into the first carriage. The ride was making some very loud squeaking noises and a loud clunk all the time. It was almost off putting. Overall we didn't flip very much so me and Kate decided to loosen our grip... then at the last minute we got some INSANE flipping action, complete with the lump to the head as both me and Kate hit our heads on the grab bars. Overall it was an average ride. We headed over to Space Roller after that, and spent some time talking to Ozshowkid. After around 15 minutes we all jumped on for a freebie. It wasn't him running it... but whoever was running it was a BRILLIANT operator! The ride went for a solid 5 minutes... and going backwards was just insane! The speed it picked up was almost too much for me as I decided to sit on the outside seat. The ride was in immaculate condition with the tunes pumping out of it. Everyone then meandered around for a little bit before deciding to do either Insanity or Speed. We ended up choosing Insanity. Dave decided to sit this one out too as he wasn't feeling the best. We then brought our tickets and it was sad because the person running it came up to me and said "Your back this year... Did you actually get a full ride on it last time?" we then got to have a little talk to her about the ride. The reason it hasn't done many shows is because it was taken off the road to fix ALL the problems with it. It apparently had had only 1 breakdown the whole time of the show but it just needed to be re-set.* Matt jumped on the ride, and then me and Kate piled onto the other side. And we finally found a ride that Kate was SCARED of... She was screaming and shouting at me for dragging her on it. The ride was very smooth this year (read my Ekka review from last year for more info) After around 4 minutes the ride came to a stop and that is basically where we left it... It was really great to meet up with everyone and I had a great day. Ride Summary. Breakdance : 6 / 10 No Limit : 5 / 10 SkyWalker : 8.5 / 10 Space Roller : 9 / 10 Insainty : 8 / 10 * Just a note, Insanity was having alot of issues at Ekka last year with constant breakdowns and generator problems. As well as having some slight issues kicking into reverse and when it was starting up or reversing it was making some very violent shudders. I'm glad to say that the ride is running alot better and most of the issues have been sorted out.

[Gazza]

Yeah, I went on Sunday. First time there, what can I say? Just like any other show, few rides, shows, and of course exhibitions of peoples stuff, the rest of course was really like any trade show, with stands selling Tupperware, Special pillows and the like. They had a science pavilion. The QUT run section didn't quite have the same 'gloss' as the UQ section, despite having more real world experience. They had a government pavilion, where I watched an animation of the Airport link tunnel (Why are they bothering with that? Do people in the inner suburbs want to get to the airport that badly) Anyone noticed how much the Qld Government sticks their logo around everywhere (On signs, buildings etc) Kind of creepy that they constantly remind you of their presence. They had a police pavillion, but it seemed pretty negative in there. They had a number of food stands, and they all had the same recording going, with buzzwords such as "Dairy fresh cream" They had a lot of rides, but I couldn't really be bothered spending money on them...you sort of have to be in the right mood to be spun around. Personally I think carnival rides could appeal to their target market if they painted their rides and signs to match the majority of things aimed at teens, instead of weird phrases such as "#1 Rock n Roll Extreme Ride" stuck on the ride in block letters made of that holographic contact stuff. I never realised there was a skyride at the showgrounds, but again I was too tight to ride. Maybe next time I will visit with a coat-hanger, and drop it when you go over the trainline, and short circuit the catenary as a hillarious prank. The show bag shed was very busy, they seemed to have become really bad value in recent years, and the cost per bar or whatever in the chocolate based bags is not really any better than multipacks from the supermarket. I just got a $1.20 Bertie Beetle one because it was cheap, and is an icon. I went on the train to get there, so nice of them to build a station that gets used a few days per year. But on the way home I walked down to Brunswick St Station because they have done a really cool station rebuild that reflects the musical scene of the area. The walls have soundwaves on them, with quotes from various bands, including Richards favourite, Powderfinger. The concrete columns that hold the roof up have silver tiles around the outside, so they resemble disco balls, and at the entrance to the station, lighting hangs from trusses like at a concert.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Great Report Gazza, after hearing all that, I definitely need to stop by Brunswick street station some time...... As for the Ekka..... *Yawn*

[BNErider]

I think Ekka is one of the biggest rip-offs since WhiteWater World opened. Seriously, it's just so damn expensive!

[Spotty]

I've never really found WhiteWater World to be a rip off. Yeah it's smaller than Wet n Wild but I much prefer there attractions. Sure Wet n Wild have a few things WhiteWater World don't have, such as SurfRider etc. But that doesn't mean they are a rip off as such.

[DonjaiInLA]

I thoughrougly enjoyed my day at the ekka yesterday! I only had to pay $16 to get in which is pretty cheap really, and i bought only two showbags, Megacop and Wonka so that was only $23! BARGAIN! To be fair, there was not alot to do... UNTIL WE GOT OUR MEGACOP SHOWBAGS and then promptly (and dressed in childrens police outfits) flirted with the police display police. Later, when our police outfits were discarded in the nearest trash recepticle we ventured onto some rides. Speed, Hard Rock, Slingshot, that other one that looked like speed, the rollercoasters and a return trip on the Chairlift. This is where the plot thickens. When we got off at the end (Sideshow alley side) we were promptly taken away by police because we were "making a neusense of ourselfes". Apparently someone was dropping things on the road next to the police station, and the first youths they saw they devided theyd arrest. We were let go with no issues after a little while. As to complainign about price, yes its abit expensive but seriously HARDEN UP. Your the same kind of person who says "Why would i want an iPhone, I already have a computer, phone and mp3 (probably a 5 year old Creative MuVo)" IMM. And yes Brunswick Street station is lovely this time of year isnt it Gazza?

Edited August 15, 2008 by DonjaiInLA