Park Refurb???

[rappa]

Okay just walked in the door from visiting WnW today... I was extremely disappointed at just how deteriorated most of the park is at present. What's the story? Is there like some sort of maintenance budget shortage or does WVP just not give a damn about the place? The only ride not looking shabby was probably Mammoth Falls but even that had issues with its tubes and tube transportation system. Things like Twister, Super 8 and Speed Coaster could all do with some touch ups and leaks being fixed. Double Screamer's conveyer system is more or less on its last leg now. The 'mountain' is in a disgusting state, holes and stuff all over the place. Basically the whole park just needs one big re-furb including much needed paint, including the wave pool. Its sort of like they build a new ride and just forget about the other ones already there. Hell even Whirlpool has got rubber flooring peeling off already. And as for Whirlpool, what's the go? Like its beyond crap, nothing really more than Calypso Beach if you ask me. If the water got some decent speed up it would be good but as is it's a totally nothing attraction. Is this it's design or did they just not get it quite right? I still had a very enjoyable day but was just very disappointed at how shabby the place is getting. Also I'd say 2 in 10 of the staff there aren't rude wankers that would quite obviously sooner be somewhere else... a pity.

[Richard]

The leaks on the towers at the front (Super 8, Speed Coaster and Twister) are just the best example of a lack of maintenance. Though, to be fair, even Disney's Blizzard Beach had some leaks on their tube slides out the back, but the park was due for an extended maintenance period shortly after my visit - I'd be very surprised if the same leaks still exist. But it's not as if it's a small drip or anything - it is almost constant streams of water. I'd say that Double Screamer's done it'd duty full stop. It's a good ride, but it really shows its age, and ain't much in the capacity department. As for Whirlpool's peeling rubber, the summber it debuted (as a bunch of motel spas in the ground) it was the same. I was thinking this was just a "new ride" thing, but at the attraction's media launch at Easter last year (a great function by the way, complete with buffet full breakfast, live music and the highlight - Blair McDonough ), the rubber was still peeling. When it's Whirlpool Springs, because you're walking on the floor of Whirlpool, you're picking this stuff up on your feet, and so the bottom of the spas is pretty much loose "blue stuff" and when you leave, you take it with you on your feet. For those wondering what the heck the stuff is, it's essentially tiny rubber shavings that they stick down with glue, essentially the same as athletics track tartan. It's still a fun place to spend the day, but I'm with you in that they really need to do some work on the place.

[Ian]

A lot of parks are in costcutting mode world wide a shame really. Anyway WNW had a record summer this year with massive attendance every day and on a lot of those days beating every other park in Australia, so popularaty is not the question. I guess alot of the budget has gone into Paradise Country relocation, Shark Bay and Seaworlds next ride.

[rappa]

Yeah its just that sort of lack of attention to detail that gets to me. There is nothing major wrong there, it's just a heap of little things that they haven't been bothered to take care of. The thing that got me the most was the sheer abundance of Gaffer Tape holding the park together! Double screamer is 100% fine IMO, its just the Tabogan conveyer system that needs a little looking at, same goes for Mammoth Falls. But yeah it's just little touch ups that are just not on IMO and should be looked at imediately. But yeah, what is with wirlpool? I just don't get what the ride is trying to be???

[Richard]

To answer that last one, Whirlpool's trying to be a way to take 1000 people an hour away from the other attractions that split at the seams during the holidays. Unfortunately, the problem is that it's not too often that there's 1000 people in a given hour willing to waste their time on that thing. One thing's for sure, the winter version is truly a welcome addition to the park. It's just that the main, summer attraction was a bit of a fizzer.