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The status of Theme Parks in Australia

KingdaKa

By KingdaKa,
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KingdaKa Explorer

KingdaKa

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I am very new to this forum but I have been a long time roller coaster fanatic and I have finally made the leap to share my ideas :)

Since a little kid I have always been fascinated with Amusement Parks but in particular Roller Coasters. In Primary school I convinced my mum to by me the NoLimits software so I could make more realistic rollercoasters because I found Roller Coaster Tycoon to simplistic! My interest has slightly wavered and since becoming a teenager I no longer spend hours looking through Roller Coaster Database but I still love rollercoasters and have a passion for them.

My biggest concern is the status of Theme Parks in Australia. As I have gotten older I have naturally enjoyed thrill rides more and more. It has gotten to the extent where I don't really enjoy rides that are not too thrilling.

What worries me most is that I feel that Wet n Wild and Sea World are falling behind and need to make efforts to attract more thrill-seeking guests. Movie World and Dreamworld are now the only theme parks I frequent when I go to the Gold Coast.

Whenever I go to Wet n Wild I only ever really go on the Surfrider, Aqualoop, Kamikaze and Mach 5. Although this is a waterpark, I see no reason why they cannot remove some slides and introduce more thrilling slides. Although I totally understand that there is a need for moderate rides for younger people or those who don't love thrills, it frustrates me that the H2O Thrill Zone is hardly a Thrill Zone any more...

For example, the Black Hole should be removed and replaced in my opinion. Look at Wet n Wild Sydney. Although in my opinion the park has been a failure, the rides there are of very good quality, a very big step up Wet n Wild. Why could they not replace the Black Hole with Bombora, Half Pipe or even more extravagantly Tantrum or T5? I know that T5 and Tantrum overlap with Tornado but they bring a whole new level of thrills that would be perfect for this zone.

As for Sea World, I understand that the approach is completely different, however I do believe that there are some things which must be done. Although I haven't been in a while and I may be completely wrong, space seems like an issue for them. Although I don't like this as much as other options, I think that some thrilling flat rides would be perfect just to add a bit of spark without too much of a price tag. This having been said, although their rides are not that thrilling, I do love how unique their rides are.

Movie World is doing a great job in attracting guests in my opinion, it is simply giving them a better experience inside the park that is their problem in my opinion. Since their 65 Million Dollar expansion when Superman Escape was built, Movie World has really burst the floodgates and in my peer group and family it is widely regarded as the best theme park in Australia. The only problem is that I think they have become a victim of their success. There are not enough attractions and I believe they deal with queues very poorly. There have been many times where the queues for Arkham Asylum, Scooby Doo, Wild West, Superman Escape and Green Lantern have all been 1 Hour Plus, with some reaching closer to 2. In my opinion the solution has to be to build another high capacity well themed ride. I think the Wild West section is the one deserving some more attention. Still, my complaints are few and far between as Movie World offers many thrills in different ways.

Dreamworld is doing well in my opinion however they really need to make use of their expanse of land. They need to stop building low capacity thrill rides and build Australia's best rollercoaster. They already have some nice compact rides however Dreamworld really does have the capability to build a very good B and M ride. I also don't like the overuse of Ocean's Parade.

Anyway, I know that this is long and many people will disagree with me, but I was wondering what you people thought of the situation of our theme parks and what could/should be done in the future :)

BTW I would also like to discuss the potential for a Land Amusement Park in Sydney.

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KingdaKa Explorer

KingdaKa

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The reason why they won't remove black hole is because its still a popular ride that gets queues, so no need to fix it if it ain't broken.

For many guests, the novelty of sliding down in darkness is satisfying enough.

Last time I was there the queue was the shortest of all the H20 rides. I only like the warmer water :D

I still think that they need to add a more thrilling attraction. Even if they don't remove a ride like Black Hole.

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iwerks Experienced

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Isn't this a big picture topic? Welcome KingdaKa, I think a lot of us consider the ghetto-isation of our parks all the time. We all want the best rides with great theming, but we don't really have the culture here in order to support it. Is it time to lift ticket prices in order to raise more capital?

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Zanstabar Community Regular

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Seeing how popular the VIP Passes and such have been over the past few years, I couldn't exactly see them offering those for a higher price then what they currently are. If anything, I would see the parks adding more up-charge attractions, ramping up the prices for special events (Screamworld, Fright Nights), or just adding more opportunities to spend money in the parks (e.g. more food and beverage, merchandise).

It's a real pity because the parks could have some spectacular rides that could be competitive with those overseas but the parks just don't have the capital in order to make a "Twisted Colossus".

Movie World is doing a great job in attracting guests in my opinion, it is simply giving them a better experience inside the park that is their problem in my opinion. Since their 65 Million Dollar expansion when Superman Escape was built, Movie World has really burst the floodgates and in my peer group and family it is widely regarded as the best theme park in Australia. The only problem is that I think they have become a victim of their success. There are not enough attractions and I believe they deal with queues very poorly. There have been many times where the queues for Arkham Asylum, Scooby Doo, Wild West, Superman Escape and Green Lantern have all been 1 Hour Plus, with some reaching closer to 2. In my opinion the solution has to be to build another high capacity well themed ride. I think the Wild West section is the one deserving some more attention. Still, my complaints are few and far between as Movie World offers many thrills in different ways.

I agree. I feel like this could all be solved, however, with just teaching ride operators a quicker procedure. That's just my two cents though.

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KingdaKa Explorer

KingdaKa

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Seeing how popular the VIP Passes and such have been over the past few years, I couldn't exactly see them offering those for a higher price then what they currently are. If anything, I would see the parks adding more up-charge attractions, ramping up the prices for special events (Screamworld, Fright Nights), or just adding more opportunities to spend money in the parks (e.g. more food and beverage, merchandise).

It's a real pity because the parks could have some spectacular rides that could be competitive with those overseas but the parks just don't have the capital in order to make a "Twisted Colossus".

I agree. I feel like this could all be solved, however, with just teaching ride operators a quicker procedure. That's just my two cents though.

I agree with all of this. Many of the ride operators at Movie World are simply inadequate. The turnover on Superman in particular IMO could be a lot faster. I see no reason why the train should ever have to wait at the unloading station.... And yet it always does...

As for the capital, I understand why Movie World wouldn't be able to build some big coasters, but surely Wet n Wild could replace rides and Sea World as well...

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KingdaKa Explorer

KingdaKa

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Is this enough of a market to chase and be financially viable for new attractions though?

I would have thought not.

Maybe not for Sea World but definitely for Wet n Wild. Surfrider to this day still has one of the highest patronages. The fact that I still queue for 30 Mins despite it having the highest patronage is indicative. Kamikaze and Aqualoop are similarly popular. If they introduced a one of a kind thrill ride it would definitely take off. Even better, build SheiKra where Mammoth Falls is :D

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Brad2912 Experienced

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I like you're passion kingdaka. But are you forgetting that MW/SW/WnW are under the same ownership? Why would WnW put a large thrill ride/coaster in, when MW is next door? That's confusing their offerings, and on top of that, 80% of people visiting WnW are likely on VIP passes anyway. SW is different in the market it caters towards, which largely isn't the thrill seeker, so again is not their priority. MW is VRTPs thrill park.

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KingdaKa Explorer

KingdaKa

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I like you're passion kingdaka. But are you forgetting that MW/SW/WnW are under the same ownership? Why would WnW put a large thrill ride/coaster in, when MW is next door? That's confusing their offerings, and on top of that, 80% of people visiting WnW are likely on VIP passes anyway. SW is different in the market it caters towards, which largely isn't the thrill seeker, so again is not their priority. MW is VRTPs thrill park.

I know :D I was just joking. I do think that a SheiKra style Western Themed Ride should be put in near Wild West Falls :)

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downunder196 Contributor

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I agree with all of this. Many of the ride operators at Movie World are simply inadequate. The turnover on Superman in particular IMO could be a lot faster. I see no reason why the train should ever have to wait at the unloading station.... And yet it always does...

As much as all of our rides have pathetically slow operations I do think MW do a very good job in peak periods. Just visit Fright Nights and go on SE and GL to see how quickly they churn through guests. It's just a shame they don't do it all year around. But in saying this, I have never seen anyone get close to the operations of California Screamin' in DCA, even on the quietest days they are ridiculously quick (and still would be without the 2nd platform).

Also, with the ticket prices I honestly think they would be more successful if the lowered entry prices for a single day to around 50-60 dollars and made VIP passes closer to $150. It's obviously not what we'd like to see but I think they'd get a lot more local visitors because $90+ for 1 day is pretty steep.

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KingdaKa Explorer

KingdaKa

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As much as all of our rides have pathetically slow operations I do think MW do a very good job in peak periods. Just visit Fright Nights and go on SE and GL to see how quickly they churn through guests. It's just a shame they don't do it all year around. But in saying this, I have never seen anyone get close to the operations of California Screamin' in DCA, even on the quietest days they are ridiculously quick (and still would be without the 2nd platform).

Also, with the ticket prices I honestly think they would be more successful if the lowered entry prices for a single day to around 50-60 dollars and made VIP passes closer to $150. It's obviously not what we'd like to see but I think they'd get a lot more local visitors because $90+ for 1 day is pretty steep.

Smart. And the reality is that IMO you should have to go to a park 3 times for it to be worth your while. SO $60 and $150 doesn't seem too unfair for me. Especially if it's a VIP pass.

Another thing which I think could be beneficial for Movie World and WnW would be if they actually connected the two parks. Like had a Monorail or something. They could charge something like $80 or $90 and give you a joint pass for one day. If you got to Movie World at 10 and left WnW at 9 you could probably get in about 15-20 rides :)

Also, why does Movie World shut at 5 even in Summer? Something my family always does for WnW nowadays is arrive at 3PM in Summer and stay till 8 PM. All the rides except Surfrider stay open and the queues are non-existent. I would love to do the same at Movie World plus it would be cool to do the rides at night :)

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Zanstabar Community Regular

Zanstabar

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Also, why does Movie World shut at 5 even in Summer? Something my family always does for WnW nowadays is arrive at 3PM in Summer and stay till 8 PM. All the rides except Surfrider stay open and the queues are non-existent. I would love to do the same at Movie World plus it would be cool to do the rides at night :)

I would love in the summer holidays if the VRTP parks stayed open a little bit later. As much as I would love them to stay open til 10 if this did happen, it would much more realistically go until about 8 or 9 since they have to be considerate to nearby residents.

As for a link between WnW and MW, my dream would be to see a Downtown Disney/ Citywalk type of deal, but would we probably be slumped with just a pathway.

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