Wet 'n' Wild Sydney Construction

[Tim Dasco]

Bear in mind that WnW GC uses the catch phrase 'Biggest n Best' which is their marketing campaign against WhitewaterWorld - who were much newer, with some gimmicky slides, but a lot smaller. My guess is they're just continuing the branding of 'biggest n best'. I don't necessarily believe that they're saying 'in the world'

This is what they said about wet n wild Las Vages.

[GoGoBoy]

Bear in mind that WnW GC uses the catch phrase 'Biggest n Best' which is their marketing campaign against WhitewaterWorld - who were much newer, with some gimmicky slides, but a lot smaller. My guess is they're just continuing the branding of 'biggest n best'. I don't necessarily believe that they're saying 'in the world'

From the website: 'Wet'n'Wild Sydney is about to take its place as the biggest and best water theme park ever built'

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Get ready Sydney! This summer will be the hottest ever with the world's best water theme park opening this December. Wet'n'Wild Sydney will feature amazing world first attractions, interactive ride technology and will take fun to a whole new level for the entire family.

Wet'n'Wild Sydney is about to take its place as the biggest and best water theme park ever built and will be home to a never before seen range of slides and attractions including heart pumping thrills on the world's tallest double Sky Coaster and the best beach ever with white sandy shores and no rips or sharks.

With over 40 slides and attractions including a whole zone dedicated to little water adventurers and adrenalin pumping action on some the tallest and fastest water rides in the world, it’s so much more than a water park.

Whether you're spending summer with your friends or your family, there'll be heaps of exciting attractions for everyone to enjoy at your newest water theme park. Wet'n'Wild Sydney, the only place to be seen this summer!

Reading the full statement in context, i put that down to part PR spin, and part from the qualifying statement of 'world first' attractions.

That, along with many water park staples going into the park is justifiable to say 'best' on the grounds of the newest and world first attractions.

As far as biggest - if you count the greenspace and carparks, maybe they DO have the biggest land space... which would entitle them to say biggest...

So while in a worldwide poll, (such as a hawker type poll) they probably wouldn't make 'best' by a long shot, it is a statement they could probably qualify if they had to.

[Keegs]

Ever since they announced the Gold passes there has been an abundance of people complaining about the prices over facebook with comments like "You're going to end up like Wonderland!" and "I'm taking my family to Jamberoo!".

There's even an article on it

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/west/wet8217n8217wild-sydney-loses-fans-over-premium-ticket-price/story-fngr8i5s-1226738056314?from=newslocal_rss

I particularly like this part:

Quakers Hill mother-of-three Eleanor Harrison said the price was "outrageous" and would be out of reach for many young families like hers.

"I had been counting down to the opening but at these prices there's no way we'll be going," she said.

>Implying the only way to visit the park is to buy season passes for your whole family.

On the bright side, I was worried by the time I had some money to buy my own season pass they would have sold out. Looks like I don't have to worry about that.

[Alex Berriman]

Ever since they announced the Gold passes there has been an abundance of people complaining about the prices over facebook with comments like "You're going to end up like Wonderland!" and "I'm taking my family to Jamberoo!".

There's even an article on it

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/west/wet8217n8217wild-sydney-loses-fans-over-premium-ticket-price/story-fngr8i5s-1226738056314?from=newslocal_rss

I particularly like this part:

>Implying the only way to visit the park is to buy season passes for your whole family.

On the bright side, I was worried by the time I had some money to buy my own season pass they would have sold out. Looks like I don't have to worry about that.

It's stupid how people are complaining about the price of a season pass. In the long run, its going to be cheaper than buying general admission every time you go if you go multiple times. And are they going to stop selling the gold passes soon? I think I read in one of their replies on FB that they sold out of the ones that came with free parking.

[GoGoBoy]

People are idiots. Can you imagine how PACKED the place would be if they were selling ridiculously cheap season passes? With the amount of young families living in western Sydney, that would be a recipe for never-ending queues.

[Daniel Shorten]

People are idiots. Can you imagine how PACKED the place would be if they were selling ridiculously cheap season passes? With the amount of young families living in western Sydney, that would be a recipe for never-ending queues.

This! I also can't believe the people comparing the Jamberoo annual pass with WnWS, the attraction count is substantially different - as is the travel time for most people.

[GoGoBoy]

Someone made a great comment on the Blacktown Advocate's facebook post: "I don't think it was built FOR Western Sydney in some grand altruistic gesture. There's nowhere else you can put it in Sydney. How it benefits the region is through jobs and tourism". That's so true. People in western Sydney seem to think this is their personal playground, and therefore should be offered at welfare rates. Um, no! It's for all of Sydney. And wider Sydney. And NSW. And the rest of Australia. And overseas tourists.

Here is the facebook post if any of you want to lend your support to the park: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151913664332188&set=a.10150178776092188.322871.284664272187&type=1&theater

[Bussy]

I have a contact at WnW Sydney who has told me there is some amazing technology in the park so maybe the wave pool will live up to the hype, only time will tell. "The Bus is now leaving for Techelo Soak, Western Australia"

[Keegs]

I cringe a little every time I read a comment saying "this park isn't going to go very far with prices like this!!"

[Gazza]

In all honesty, there's no real cause for concern at all, or worth trying to "convert" the people posting on the comment feed.

Have a look at the people commenting. It's mostly those mum types who put a picture of their bub as their profile pic.

Go check out the Coles and Woolies FB pages. It's the exact same type of people who get "outraged" and do all the complaining.

The second group is people saying "It's cheaper to go to the beach/local pool". But the FB comment feed has a picture of the bright. tangled looking H2Go Racer. If that one key image is not enough to convince people of the benefits of a water park over plain old swimming, then you are never going to convince them to spend a a cent visiting a water park, simple as that.

Third group are those quoting unrealistic things like "If annual passes were $30 maybe I'd go". Again, those people are simply outside the target audience of a water park, so nothing lost by them not attending really. Much easier to cater to 1 guest paying $125, than trying to attract and satisfy 4 guests paying $30.

Point is, it's not a representative sample. Now, if people with actual disposable income, teenagers who don't mind chucking down $125 for some entertainment etc etc were complaining about the price, then there would be cause for concern.

Except they aren't.

Jamberoo gets smashed in summer. WnWGC gets smashed in summer, and still got smashed back in the pre VIP pass days. I don't think the price is too high for the market to bear at all.

If they decide that they aren't moving enough passes, its very easy to drop the price, and it's not like people will hold a grudge.

As for complaints about car parking, perhaps Bussy, AlexB and other Sydneyiders/ex locals can advise, but paying for parking is more of a fact of life in Sydney right? Here in Brisbane they are only just starting to move to paid parking at places like Westfield.

.......

Also, I forgot to make a comment about Boomerang Bay being chosen as the name.

Part of me wonders if that was always the intent to call it that (I mean look at the shape), and the 4 other options they pitted it against were so horrible sounding ("eastern river", "darling bay" etc) that Boomerang Bay got up effectively by default.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Gazza

[Bussy]

I would say that paid parking has been mandated by local/state government to try and push people onto public transport. If you really object that much to paying there are pleanty of places near the park where you can park on the side of the road and walk a short distance to the park. Does anyone remember that Wonderland had toll booths on the driveway? Chances are that the name was predetermined but they used it to get publicity and it worked didn't it? We're all talking about it. But in the end who really cares what it's called as long as it does what its supposed to. "The Bus is now leaving for Government Produce Siding, South Australia"

[GoGoBoy]

I see Wet'n'Wild's social media people already got sick of the 'daily attraction reveal'. There has only been one attraction revealed so far and that was about 3 days ago. Mind you, if they're just going to keep posting still frames from the video that we've all seen before, then it's no big loss

[Gazza]

^Admittedly, I do like it for the fact that I can take the names announced and put them in the database progressively.

If you really object that much to paying there are pleanty of places near the park where you can park on the side of the road and walk a short distance to the park.

Nice sentiment, but pretty sure the council would get onto that quickly if thousands of people started parking along the already narrow roads around the park.

Edited October 12, 2013 by Gazza

[GoGoBoy]

^Admittedly, I do like it for the fact that I can take the names announced and put them in the database progressively.

Nice sentiment, but pretty sure the council would get onto that quickly if thousands of people started parking along the already narrow roads around the park.

Yeah learning the names is the only revelation really. Although maybe they should have said it would be a weekly reveal if they weren't willing to commit

[Daniel Shorten]

Don't know if this was posted - A construction update from Lipman here - http://www.lipman.com.au/news1.html

[Bussy]

Nice sentiment, but pretty sure the council would get onto that quickly if thousands of people started parking along the already narrow roads around the park.

Probably the only thing they will do is put no parking signs 500m-1km either side of the park but beyond that it will be a free for all. They won't be able to do much to the east with the large commercial estate there so workers from the businesses there will need to park on the street as there is little to no off street parking for them. And to the west they can hardly justify no parking zones down Peter Brock Dr (formally Reen Rd for those of you who like a bit of Sydney crime history) when there is nothing along there except a couple of businesses, the go kart track and the CARES facility, all at the far western end at that.

"The Bus is now leaving for Brocks Creek Cemetery, Northern Territory"

Edited October 12, 2013 by Bussy

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

As for complaints about car parking, perhaps Bussy, AlexB and other Sydneyiders/ex locals can advise, but paying for parking is more of a fact of life in Sydney right? Here in Brisbane they are only just starting to move to paid parking at places like Westfield.

I would say that paid parking has been mandated by local/state government to try and push people onto public transport. If you really object that much to paying there are pleanty of places near the park where you can park on the side of the road and walk a short distance to the park. Does anyone remember that Wonderland had toll booths on the driveway?

Probably the only thing they will do is put no parking signs 500m-1km either side of the park but beyond that it will be a free for all.

(Those of you that know me know i will sometimes come up with a long response. Some of you don't like reading more than a paragraph. For those of you who wish to do so - continue scrolling now - the bullet points are probably all I needed to say.)

I too remember the toll booths at Wonderland but I think that was a throwback to the American park model, with massive sprawling parking lots, and shuttle buses that took you to the front gate as it was such a long walk.

I also remember that those booths were removed somewhere around the year 2000. Wonderland's biggest problem there was that most people had to drive there, because the public transport arrangements were pathetic, and pre-purchased tickets didn't include parking fees, which was an unpleasant and unexpected surprise for many first time visitors.

Hopefully WnWS has a much better arrangement with local bus companies, and perhaps connection to Blacktown, rather than Rooty Hill or some other backwater station.

I don't know that paid parking would have been mandated by the relevant government authorities. I certainly know the relevant authorities would have insisted on sufficient parking being available... I see the 'payment' aspect simply being a way for the park to recoup some costs... They couldn't introduce it on the GC now because everyone is so used to having free parking, it would shock people to have to suddenly pay for the privilege, but a new park that sets it as the status quo, why not?

It would certainly cut down on some of the chaos we see at WnWGC in summer - with people parking anywhere... grass, road verge... wherever they can.

I think Sydney is more used to having to pay for certain things - paid parking is common, but the difference is the rates are usually reasonable. The operators installing it in Brisbane are moreso setting their prices to recoup costs of implementing it, and it's unpopular because nobody is USED to it up here... but with paid parking being installed at Chermside, Garden City and Carindale westfield centres, all reports suggest it hasn't impacted on revenue or visitation numbers... the only thing i've noticed as a visitor to both Chermside and Garden City on a regular basis is that parking is more commonly available in peak times (in other words, the turnover of cars every 3 hours is helping with parking availability - 3 hours is free so people rush to make sure they're out in that time).

But I digress... Obviously WnWS isn't going to have a 3 hour turnover, so you're looking at all-day parking, with a limited number of spots, in an area (western sydney) that is renowned for scorching summers that will act as a magnet to the park in peak times.

The 'pre-paid parking gold passes' have got me confused though - are they going to reserve a spot for each and every person who buys one of those for every day of the operating season? What happens if i'm a gold-pass parker, and i turn up at 3pm for a quick dip and there are no parking spots?

All that aside - parking wise, I can see a lot of parents who will drop off their kids at the park (i'm condoning teenagers... not primary schoolers), so hopefully they have designed a good 'kiss-n-run' area that doesn't impede the flow of guests intending to park (like the GC does)...

In summary, i'm all for the higher-priced ticket, the charged parking, and any and every other issue that has so far been raised.

• I'm happy for those penny-pinching people to say 'we won't be going'... GOOD. Less rude, obnoxious, poorly behaved brats in line in front of me (or pushing through the queue behind me) to dampen my day.
• I'm happy for the ticket price to be triple-figures - that means less self-involved people who feel that a ticket with a name like 'VIP' means that they are different and entitled to better treatment than the other 10,000 people who hold the same ticket.
• I'm happy for the paid parking - it will discourage people from abusing the privilege - such as those motorhomes and caravan tow-ers that take up two or three parking spaces on the GC, or those families with one child each, who take two cars, (or more) between families, when they could carpool and only take 1 van or tarago (if they had one).

And all of these things mean the park is likely to be more self-sufficient and profitable, and far-quicker will it be able to expand and build new attractions, rather than stagnating after it's initial opening like WWW has.

As for parking on the street - they can easily make the whole street a clearway Friday PM to Monday AM or something like that so that the industrial park workers have parking, but that the cops can make some revenue on the weekend. I guarantee there will be parking cops out there policing it and making a mint.

And one last word on the public transport debate - but unlike the GC's Surfside buses, the blacktown bus company that would probably do the shuttle-runs aren't that well off, and most likely won't provide air conditioned buses. The worst thing about visiting a water park without your own car is sitting in a stiflingly hot bus, with sunburn, on vinyl seat covers that everyone sticks to. (because you don't send a bus with cloth seats to a water park, otherwise, the seats are constantly saturated, and the bus cannot be used for anything else.

Public transport to a theme park is one thing, but for a water park, nothing beats getting back to the car wrapped in your sodden wet towel, and then folding the towel up over your car seat to sit on for the ride home in your semi-dry swimmers.

</end rant>

[AllegroCrab]

In summary, i'm all for the higher-priced ticket, the charged parking, and any and every other issue that has so far been raised.

• I'm happy for those penny-pinching people to say 'we won't be going'... GOOD. Less rude, obnoxious, poorly behaved brats in line in front of me (or pushing through the queue behind me) to dampen my day.
• I'm happy for the ticket price to be triple-figures - that means less self-involved people who feel that a ticket with a name like 'VIP' means that they are different and entitled to better treatment than the other 10,000 people who hold the same ticket.

Too right.

I once had a guy push through the line at the Sea Viper, claiming he was coming for his family, who were currently on the ride. He thought he was entitled to the front row seats that me and my friend had waited one circuit for. Then he went off at the ride operator when he tried to explain that he had to go to the back of the line.

Bet you anything he was one of those self-absorbed 'VIP' pass owners. Hopefully the triple digits will stop these people from seeing the value in the season pass.

Anything to keep more of these guys out of the parks.

[GoGoBoy]

Wet'n'Wild's social media team might have already given up on the daily attraction reveal so I'm going to take over for them. I can now reveal the 2 names for the upcharge attractions: The Surf Deck & Sydney SkyCoaster (taken from the season pass section of the website). I actually like those names.

[Alex Berriman]

Just checked the WnWS website, they have put up the pricing for single day admission.

$69.99 General Admission (Guests 110cm and over)

$54.99 Junior Admission (Guests under 110cm and Pensioner)

Children 3 years and under Free.

It also notes down the bottom:

Fees for parking, food, merchandise, locker rentals, Fast Pass, pay-per-ride attractions (The Surf Deck and Sydney SkyCoaster), special concerts or events are not included in the cost of any admission. Prices and product offerings are subject to change without notice.

Looks like they're implementing the fast pass system as well. Wonder how many rides and which ones they will put it on.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Alex Berriman

[downunder]

I believe the housos Wet and Wild is at the nearby sewerage plant.

It will be interesting to see how this goes. If it's successful maybe it will encourage other similar development. Just put Balder and Expedition GeForce clones in a parking lot and I'll be happy.

[joz]

$69.99 General Admission (Guests 110cm and over) $54.99 Junior Admission (Guests under 110cm and Pensioner) Children 3 years and under Free.

Sweet Jesus that's expensive, and adult prices will kick in between ages 5-6 for boys despite the fact there'll still be many attractions they can't go on, plus the thing about parking not being included. Good luck with that one WnW PR.

[Keegs]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but due to popular demand, all Season Gold Passes no matter the time of purchase will include free parking.

[Monkeypie]

My son is 5 years old and 120cm so it would cost us a fortune to go!