Melbourne theme park?

[the_muffler]

So i got excited about sydneys wet n wild and i thought, is there any plans for melbourne? I found this, from 2008, was this still going to happen? or what? http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbournes-220m-plan-for-super-park/story-e6frf7kx-1111115985133

[Brad2912]

That was never anything more than a pipe-dream... Melbournites will have to be satisfied with Luna Park for now

[the_muffler]

it is a shame, with such a large population and suitable surrounding areas for a theme park you would have thought it would have been done by now. i guess it probably doesnt have the suitable climate here tho for parks huh

[New display name]

Melbourne weather sucks. Last time I went to Melbourne in summer it was 49deg then 12deg the next day.

[JacobSibbald]

Florida's weather (apart from being sub-tropical) is most of the time bang on with melbourne's and thats not stopping them from having one of the biggest collections of major theme parks in the world. It's not about the weather, it's about the fun experience you can get. Put a massive cloth over the park for all I care, I think Melbourne is missing out big time

[Brad2912]

It's more about population, economy and domestic & international visitor figures. These impact sustainability much more than weather. Sydney would likely see a theme park (non-water park) before Melbourne.

[Dean Larsen]

I find it hard to believe that a theme park cannot survive in Melbourne. I have visited Valleyfair in Minnesota many times and it has great rides but is closed for a substantial time every year due to the snow. I cant imagine it draws on a population much larger than one in Melbourne would service. It is rare that the weather in Melbourne would close down a park for any length of time.

[AlanSmithee]

I find it funny that they say a $200 Million park could rival Disney, when they have just installed a ride at California Adventure for that same cost.

[JacobSibbald]

This CAN work, and it will. Get Robert Doyle involved and I am sure it could happen. Approach the Packer's as they have said recently that they would build a park and major attractions. If Robert Doyle wants to manhattanise melbourne then this is one step closer to his "dream" I guess

[Jobe]

Nice idea but keep dreaming. Will never happen in our lifetime- not at Crown in Melbourne anyhow. They have a real opportunity to do something at Bangaroo in Sydney ( provided the rumour of a new Casino goes ahead) but there are no plans or even talk to do something along those lines. Sorry.

[jjuttp]

you mean M9 Laser tag? Or is it different for every state?Also in terms of pinball machines, easily the best i've ever encountered is; The Addams Family, closely followed by Baywatch then Batman....

[the_muffler]

in regards to this i emailed Village asking about it and this is what they replied. Hi Josef Thanks for your email. It is great to hear that our valued customers enjoy the things we are so passionate about. Thanks for your feedback about Melbourne and Sydney. Our directors continue to look for new opportunities and one day it may be Melbourne. Keep enjoying our parks. Best regards Village

[JacobSibbald]

^ Well, that's something I guess. He didnt say anything about Sydney (maybe due to Wet n Wild). I really hope something happens. We need to direct WVTP to the Parkz forums and see what we feel

[Gazza]

I don't think a rooftop theme park would fly, for a number of reasons. I think inner city locations are a poor choice for theme parks...Much better to pick a location with plenty of land surrounding. I feel this way because: -Noise complaints from surrounding residents in Southbank, and reduced amenity for people staying at Crown (Crown seems more positioned as a luxury entertainment product, not a go wild/have fun type thing like Vegas) -Limited space to actually build anything good. -No space for future expansion to keep guests coming back. Side point, I'm interested to know what this "elsewhere" location is for the tennis courts and the hotel gardens? "Somewhere" I presume?

[JacobSibbald]

^ I was thinking the same thing too. I always drive past the land surrounding Avalon Airport imagining seeing a Disney castle or some major rollercoasters. And every time I'm disappointed.

[JacobSibbald]

^ I can see it happening, but I would only like this to happen if they also make a much larger themepark elsewhere. I hope they dont call it at that

[Jobe]

It's pie in the sky stuff with no real grounding in reality. It will never happen. I agree with Gazza. Melbourne deserves a fully fledged , full size , outdoor themepark with all the trimmings!! It does not need a scaled down ,poor mans Sega World. We saw how viable that was in Australia's most populous city!! Crown are just not interested or in the market for the amusement park complex you describe. If they were, it would have already been built. Sorry, zero chance of that happening.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Jobe

[JacobSibbald]

I really hope the news of an international airport being fast tracked for avalon and a guaranteed rail link to provide an easy and cheap way to the city allows the government to think about placing something in the area. A themepark and international transport hub next to each other would work so well. However, there are risks involved with planes going off course and height restrictions for rides.

[JacobSibbald]

Yeah I know that the rail link was confirmed a while ago, I was just reinstating that with the rail link as well as the addition of the international airport, something could definitely happen and it would work to the theme parks advantage Imagine the advertising campaigns airlines could do if there was a top class themepark right next door

[Gazza]

Neither rail link has been confirmed at all. All the Govt is doing is a feasiblity/routing study into both of them Difficult to see the Avalon one getting up...I don't really see why the hourly capacity of rail is warranted when a bus with a suitable interior layout (See Skybus) Also don't get why Avalon needs to go international. Why does Vic need two international airports so close together? It's not London!

[Gazza]

Also the other major airports in Melbourne are located in suburban areas with limited room for expansion

Not Tulla.

Avalon Rail-link would branch off from the Geelong line.

Which is the big problem with the proposal IMO. One station branch lines are always difficult to serve in terms of stopping patterns (See here) If they slewed the whole Geelong line allignment towards the airport, and made it a through station that would be a practical operating model, but a one station branch dangling of the mainline is a crappy way of running things.

Lara station is already pretty close(short bus ride), so it's pretty hard from that point of view not seeing the project go ahead.

On the contrary, thats why I don't see it getting up. Because a bus would be so much simpler and quicker. Google Maps says it's 11 mins from Lara...Could easily work that with a fleet of 3 or so buses.

[Lee Burdett]

it is a shame, with such a large population and suitable surrounding areas for a theme park you would have thought it would have been done by now. i guess it probably doesn't have the suitable climate here tho for parks huh

Seeing as they have parks in other parts of the world where it snows for half a year. I don't see the climate of Melbourne being an issue. Not even for a water park. But definitely not for an amusement park.

I don't think a rooftop theme park would fly, for a number of reasons. I think inner city locations are a poor choice for theme parks...Much better to pick a location with plenty of land surrounding. I feel this way because: -Noise complaints from surrounding residents in Southbank, and reduced amenity for people staying at Crown (Crown seems more positioned as a luxury entertainment product, not a go wild/have fun type thing like Vegas) -Limited space to actually build anything good. -No space for future expansion to keep guests coming back. Side point, I'm interested to know what this "elsewhere" location is for the tennis courts and the hotel gardens? "Somewhere" I presume?

I agree, it would be much more successful if you put it in a place far from dense civilisation. In this country that isn't something we don't have. If you built in a populated area, there would be serious restriction problems, just take a look at the Luna Parks (Sydney and Melbourne.)

[Jobe]

Agreed Gazza!! Melbourne does not have the air traffic that Sydney has , hence the reason that Kingsford Smith Airport is fast approaching it's maximum potential. The need for a 2nd Sydney airport is far greater than Melbourne's. Unfortunately successive NSW and Federal Govts have procrastinated for decades on making a decision to turn this into a reality.

[Gazza]

Plus I think this whole thing about Avalon wanting to become this big international hub is just major foaming on the part of the airport owners...Who the hell wants to fly in there? Geelong residents, and super budget travellers heading to Melbourne who would put up with extra travel time on their trips. Qantas might be tied to the place, but unless consumers are actually buying seats on the flights there the airport wont grow!

[Gazza]

$15 mil is perhaps enough to build a small international terminal with customs facilites. You still haven't said where the consistent every day demand is, other than an airshow for a few days every 2 years (potentially annually) How much of the attendance would come from direct international flights? Foam.