Eureka Mountain Mine Ride reopening discussion

[Joshw84]

What i heard was from a ride operator, so should be taken with a grain of salt. I reckon a new ride would be great. I guess we wait and see

[Themeparkfan]

If it does come back I have no doubt they will replace the seat belts with lap bars or they will just retrack the entire ride with a new ride system  which would be complicated but not impossible 

Edited June 24, 2017 by Themeparkfan

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 23/06/2017 at 9:31 AM, mission said:

I would have thought more to build as well, the labour would be huge putting one of those together.  Given that wooden roller coasters are somewhat rare these days, design would also be costly - no economies of scale here, design or construction.

As we're seeing with Rivals, steel can be fabricated off-site (probably high automation using robots) and then bolted together onsite without huge labour requirements.

The cost of shipping in the correct timber in a huge pallet, as opposed to shipping containers with supports stacked inside (leaving lots of empty space). More workers on site (carpenters) versus less (riggers) - but zero pre-manufacturing (mostly) versus high tech industrial machinery - robot welding, cutters, then painting - labour costs might be less, but the sheer cost to purchase and use the machinery to manufacture steel parts (and the cost of the steel) greatly outweighs a delivery of lumber.

In most places (Australia can be a little different with wage costs), the labour component of construction is one of the smaller pieces of the pie. Pretty sure chippys get paid a bit less than steel riggers too.

Not convinced? Don't really care - the evidence is already out there that the cost to build is cheaper with wood.

[Noxegon]

I haven't read the full thread here, so apologies if I'm trampling – but the wood coaster at Tayto Park was built with wood imported from America, because it was cheaper to do that than source the correct wood locally. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

@Noxegon - seems to be pretty common. The PTC coasters built at Wonderland were all made out of Southern Yellow Pine imported from the USA.

[Minions!]

The hole on the back look HUGE! Heaps bigger than what I last saw!

[Ryno]

I rode eureka both in its original form and after the revamped track layout. The first back breaker came right at the start of the lift hill with a massive jolt as the chain engaged the mine cart to lift it up the hill. I'm not a fan of wild mouse rides but will give most at least a go. Eureka in my opinion was better than a standard wild mouse due to the theming and dark element which led to a few surprises.  But at the end of the day it was a rough and cramped ride. Like others have said, nostalgia is the only thing going for it which will wear off soon enough if brought back in its original form.  Not sure if it's my imagination but for some reason I recall having taken a video camera on the ride to take a POV.  I'd have to check at my parents place and dig through the old VHS tapes to find out if I did take video or not. I'd love a dark ride at dreamworld in place of eureka.

[XxMrYoshixX]

15 hours ago, Ryno said:

I rode eureka both in its original form and after the revamped track layout. The first back breaker came right at the start of the lift hill with a massive jolt as the chain engaged the mine cart to lift it up the hill. I'm not a fan of wild mouse rides but will give most at least a go. Eureka in my opinion was better than a standard wild mouse due to the theming and dark element which led to a few surprises.  But at the end of the day it was a rough and cramped ride. Like others have said, nostalgia is the only thing going for it which will wear off soon enough if brought back in its original form.  Not sure if it's my imagination but for some reason I recall having taken a video camera on the ride to take a POV.  I'd have to check at my parents place and dig through the old VHS tapes to find out if I did take video or not. I'd love a dark ride at dreamworld in place of eureka.

I wouldn't mind replacing the old track with a Gerstlauer Spinning or Bobsled coaster, like Grona Lund's Wild Mouse coaster or Van Helsing's Factory in Movie Park Germany. So far, no Gerstlauer spinning coaster has been installed in Australia, and with the sharp banked turns, it could work perfectly with the theme that Eureka had. 

Nostalgia is one thing, but there is a difference between old-school and outdated. An example of something that is old-school is a Schwarzkopf looper (Mindbender) - the ride is old and primitive, but it is still fun to ride. An example of something that is outdated is a Togo or Eureka. There's a good reason why Togos are closing year after year in the US. 

If Dreamworld wants to bring back Eureka - they need to bring it up to date with the newest generation of rides so people will, you know, actually want to ride it.

Because if Dreamworld re-opened Eureka in its original form - within two months the nostalgia ship will have sailed, and what would be left is an old, rough, rusty Wild Mouse coaster from the mid 80's. 

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by XxMrYoshixX

[joz]

I think something worth saying is the choice isn't between a reborn mine ride or a new coaster.  It's a reborn mine ride or nothing.  I think you could make a compelling argument for either of those choices, but "They need to replace it with a new wild mouse" is probably a bit unrealistic.

[Xexon]

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said in a press conference that Dreamworld was progressing plans for the return of the Log Ride, Vintage Cars and the Mine Ride, Corroboree Stage two may be open in December this year.

Article here

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/dreamworld-boss-craig-davidson-explains-theme-parks-future-in-internal-staff-memo/news-story/81dfbd71aff444c2fc5766d0abadc060

[Tim Dasco]

@Xexon That was from May.

[Xexon]

Ah so it was. My bad

[Ashley]

Just in my opinion I believe the mine ride re-open as soon as the river rapids are demolished, when demolition begins DW will quite possibility close Gold Rush Country completely at least while certain parts are demolished and over the time when Gold Rush would closed it would be perfect time to work eureka at the same time and when Gold Rush reopens it could reopen with eureka. Just my thoughts of course.       

[themeparkaddict]

Don't down-vote me as this is just my opinion - but I don't see a reason why Dreamworld will demolish or retheme gold rush country. They just won't do it. Once the river rapids is demolished (probably late next year judging by the rescheduled hearing) they will most likely open the area which was completely fenced off and turn the old river rapids site into some sort of retail space or they may even just keep it blank. Dreamworld is not in a position to open new rides and I don't think the owners will bother with it due to the costs. Of course it would be excellent if they did do it however I can almost promise they will not as it just seems unrealistic and isn't normal Dreamworld behavior, if you know what I mean. If they are going to open the western side of the giant drop there is nothing stopping them from opening Eureka when the River Rapids have not been demolished as obviously they are not bothered about people seeing the old Rapids site. But the thing is - the likelihood of them opening the Eureka is so slim as it will be extremely costly and will take time and most importantly PARTS which they will need to somehow source. The ride operators have been spreading word about it opening in the end of the year but I don't buy it for a second judging by the fact that there has been absolutely zero activity or signs of life in the ride. No noise of maintenance work (ie Welding) sounding from inside, not to mention it's been closed for 10 freaking years unlike the other rides they wanna reopen. Dreamworld has had a long reputation of racking up the leaves but not clearing them out. This is probably what they will do with Gold Rush but I would expect them to add something small (like retail stores mentioned earlier) in order to give us a small boost of excitement.

What I am certain of however is that they WILL absolutely open the log ride and the cars very soon, in the coming months. This is the ride I have seen the most activity in lately and there have been people everywhere. I have more hope in the log ride than the Wipeout to be honest. I would suspect the Wipeout is probably in more trouble than the two gold rush rides they "plan" to reopen. Reason? It's in a poor state. It's pulled to bits. You can see parts of the ride (and the surfboards) being stored in the storage yard which can be viewed when you go up one of the whitewater world slide towers. Very little activity lately. When I was there they were welding but it hasn't changed since then. It might reopen but it also may not. Don't forget it's been 7 freaking months since the thing has operated. This is a computerized ride, I mean it's old, but it would be considered quite safe. 7 MONTHS!!!

Don't get me wrong it's still way more likely (probably a gazillion times more likely) to reopen than Eureka. 

I have had my own business in the past and coming from a business perspective I would feel that the following will occur:

- Log ride and vintage cars open before December 2017, or January 2018, with added safety features (just like our favorite restraints on the shockwave)

- If they choose to shut the Wipeout it will be quickly replaced with a new flat ride (they will DEFINITELY replace it very fast)

- TRRR will be demolished before December 2018. It probably won't be replaced, or if it does they will put some retail stores their. Like "Gold Rush Candy" - LOL just kidding.

- The main walkway near Eureka and Giant Drop which passes by the TRRR will be opened once the river rapids is demolished (obviously)

- Eureka will continue sitting there alongside with Chairlift and Blue Lagoon (sorry).

There will be no Hypercoaster or "big" new ride. I would expect maybe a small flat ride of some sort over the next couple of years.

Anyway that's my ten cents worth. It's my opinion and prediction which probably isn't half accurate as I am not dreamworld. I know we like to speculate the big things but I try to be as realistic as I can. We know what Dreamworld is like. They won't focus on Gold Rush, they haven't done much to it since just a few years after the park opened. And now that we know that Dreamworld isn't too worried about keeping rides SBNO, then they will probably just keep doing it and focus on getting the visitors in through "experiences", when really, I would, and many people here would rather have rides.  

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by themeparkaddict

[Jay Jay The Jet Plane]

35 minutes ago, themeparkaddict said:

Don't forget it's been 7 freaking months since the thing has operated. This is a computerized ride, I mean it's old, but it would be considered quite safe. 7 MONTHS!!!

*4 months*

[Minions!]

Just to add in, not too long ago I saw the CEO(Thought he just sat in his office and waited for his pay check) and a fair few fancy looking guys in suits and nice clothes, holding some plans and stating that what was on the plans were for was similar to Disneyland???? I caught a glimpse off one of the plans as I was walking past them, and whatever it was looked pretty odd, and it wasn't a Hyper coaster unfortunately, but it looks like they're spending a bit of $$$ on whatever it is!! And what is even more odd is that I've seen them there twice and they were mainly paying attention to Eureka, but when I sneakily had a better quick glimpse out of the corner of my eye, it funnily enough looked like a pirate ship looking thing or paddle wheeler? At least I know they're actually going to do something with the space!!

[Brad2912]

Bundle load of inaccuracies in what you are saying @themeparkaddict

I also wouldnt preface something by saying "I can promise" and then postface it by saying "I'm not Dreamworld I'm probably wrong". 

This however is my favourite part:

1 hour ago, themeparkaddict said:

I have had my own business in the past and coming from a business perspective I would feel that the following will occur:

Was your business a multi-million dollar theme park struggling to recover from an in-park tragedy that has eroded consumer confidence in your safety and operations, coupled with a challenging competitive market environment; and limited financial resources to utilise to slow and or stop the decay in visitor numbers?

If no, that statement before your ideas/timeline would have been just as relevant had you said:

"I have had an imagination in the past, and coming from a pure imagination perspective I would feel the following will occur:" 

[themeparkaddict]

15 minutes ago, Brad2912 said:

Bundle load of inaccuracies in what you are saying @themeparkaddict

I also wouldnt preface something by saying "I can promise" and then postface it by saying "I'm not Dreamworld I'm probably wrong". 

This however is my favourite part:

Was your business a multi-million dollar theme park struggling to recover from an in-park tragedy that has eroded consumer confidence in your safety and operations, coupled with a challenging competitive market environment; and limited financial resources to utilise to slow and or stop the decay in visitor numbers?

If no, that statement before your ideas/timeline would have been just as relevant had you said:

"I have had an imagination in the past, and coming from a pure imagination perspective I would feel the following will occur:" 

Lol. Absolutely right there with the business thing. I was putting myself in their shoes and making decisions based on past business experiences when things go wrong.

My post may have been a bit inaccurate and poor quality by saying I promise, but I got the spelling and grammar correct didn't I?  

My post was trying to outline the following, that in my opinion:

- Eureka has a 0.5/10 chance of reopening.

- Log Ride and VC has a 8/10 chance of reopening.

- Wipeout has a 7.5/10 chance of reopening

- Dreamworld won't do much with Gold Rush.

Either way, lets hope DW becomes something awesome!

24 minutes ago, Minions! said:

Just to add in, not too long ago I saw the CEO(Thought he just sat in his office and waited for his pay check) and a fair few fancy looking guys in suits and nice clothes, holding some plans and stating that what was on the plans were for was similar to Disneyland???? I caught a glimpse off one of the plans as I was walking past them, and whatever it was looked pretty odd, and it wasn't a Hyper coaster unfortunately, but it looks like they're spending a bit of $$$ on whatever it is!! And what is even more odd is that I've seen them there twice and they were mainly paying attention to Eureka, but when I sneakily had a better quick glimpse out of the corner of my eye, it funnily enough looked like a pirate ship looking thing or paddle wheeler? At least I know they're actually going to do something with the space!!

I also thought he just sits in his office waiting for the pay check. Interesting to hear what you are saying. Let's hope that they turn Dreamworld into the next best thing to Disneyland.

Edited July 16, 2017 by themeparkaddict

[themagician]

@themeparkaddict I agree with some of what you've said, but I wouldn't say DW aren't bothered about people seeing the river Rapids. They've got fencing all the way around, with no way to see it. And if you are going up GD, I doubt most people ride it to see it, as you go up the tower pretty quick, and are probably more focused on the height and waiting for the drop.

I don't think they've given up on Wipeout, and it's still in bits and hasn't been touched lately is because they are waiting on parts to arrive, so maybe they can't do anything else before they arrive. The ride operated for a couple of weeks before going into maintnce, and is definitely a loved ride. So I doubt they will just get rid of it, especially after all the money they've spent on it in recent years. 

 

[Slick]

Since there's just so much crazy speculation, i'll clarify: Dreamworld's CEO has gone on record to say that "areas" will be refreshed and repurposed. Adding to that, the Mine Ride, Log Ride & Vintage Cars will re-open by December this year. So here's some logic: if you wanted to be smart with your capex (and the major reason for the Mine Ride's closure was due to changing safety standards (mainly the envelope of the ride's tunnels) then if you've got a team of folks who are removing the Rapids Ride, it'd then be cost effective then to get them to work on the removal of the Rapids Ride, removal of whatever you need removed from the Mine Ride and have the Rapids Ride landscaped appropriately & ready for whatever you plan to put in there next in one hit.

From there, you, as an enthusiast can ask logical questions that flow on from that. If there's no Rapids reservoir, do you need any of the bridges or elevated pathways anymore? And if not, is that why there's a path being poured down the bottom of the Giant Drop as we speak? Is that why they've waited so long to install the electronic boom-gates for the train at Main Station? Maybe they were waiting to do two or three sets all in one hit? And from there, if i'm being conscious about capex, what do I, as a CEO, fill that land with? If I was Craig, i'd maybe move the Model T Ford Cars there. It's inoffensive, it's nostalgic, it's a great family ride and it would be dirt cheap to fill a large space with, especially with something that families love. It fits the old timey theme, and would help bridge the area well.

There you go. There's some serious thinking there that's based logic and facts that I would love to see on Parkz more instead of constant back and fourth over nothing that happens constantly.

As a side-note, Wipeout is being worked on as we speak. A lot of the areas where there was visible NDT have now been painted over with a primer.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

12 hours ago, themeparkaddict said:

I got the spelling and grammar correct didn't I?

You asked for it...

13 hours ago, themeparkaddict said:

Dreamworld has had a long reputation of racking up the leaves but not clearing them out.

This is a computerized ride

if it does they will put some retail stores their.

raking, computerised, there.

Since this is an Australian site, the American spelling using a Z in place of an S is technically incorrect. Clearly your American spell checker missed that one.

I won't start on missed capitals or missing punctuation, but there's a bit of that too.

[themeparkaddict]

Thanks for clearing some things up guys. We will see what happens in the near future and hope for the best for Dreamworld.

10 hours ago, Slick said:

If I was Craig, i'd maybe move the Model T Ford Cars there. It's inoffensive, it's nostalgic, it's a great family ride and it would be dirt cheap to fill a large space with

That would be an awesome idea in every single way. Email Craig and let him know 

[Reanimated35]

13 hours ago, Slick said:

move the Model T Ford Cars there. It's inoffensive, it's nostalgic, it's a great family ride and it would be dirt cheap to fill a large space with, especially with something that families love. It fits the old timey theme, and would help bridge the area well.

About bloody time if they do. 

[Ashley]

The dark side of DW moving the Model T Ford Cars into the river rapids space is the ride would be very what you could cal long. The rapids took about 3-4 mins from start to finish with a speed of about 45km/ph where as the cars move at a pretty obliviously slow speed meaning it would take well over 5 mins.

If it was just temporary to fill in the space for sure but I would probably wouldn't do it for permanent or long term.    

 

[rappa]

So a long ride is bad??

 

I remember when the park signature attractions were 20 min experiences. 

Nowadays they are que and 2 min ride...

 

I know which I prefer