Ideas for Luna Park Sydney

[Nebuchanezzar]

Neb old son!!! Long time no hear from!!! Have to say though-not one of your better ideas............ Cheers Jobe

Which part? The Claw part or the function dealie part? Pity they can't move Coney Island down towards Lavender green and extend the midway. Yes. That would solve all problems.

[paauly101]

Im just sick of all of lunaparks rides.. They get very boring after going to lunapark so many times. Its not a real theme park like wonderland. Ah, i could never had got sick of riding their rides. And it had alot to chose from too. The flume is owned by Joylands better amusement hire. It was manufactured by Reverchon. Thats all i know. I saw a picture and it seems to be a bit like splash canyon only in reverse. Also one of the drops is wavey. Looks alright. Im still disapointed there isnt a major thrill worth going for like speed or megadrop or some of the rides theyve had in previous years.

[joz]

I might be reading this wrong, but the two main thoughts coming from this thread are: the park is a tacky assortment of flats and the park needs more flat rides. A flume ride IMHO is a great ride for Luna Park, face the drop towards the harbour and you'd be laughing. Having said that, a big permanent one out the back would much better

[paauly101]

We all know LPS would never get a non carnival ride. Im saying put some GOOD carnival rides in. Not old rides that date back to the 70's. That just sucks. I only ever go in the holidays for the temporary rides. So i think a whole bunch of new rides would draw in some crouds. But these xmas holidays im not really that happy that there isnt going to be a thriller. They could have definately picked a better ride than a flume. 2 little splashes and its over. Id rather speed/megadrop/powersurge any day

[Nebuchanezzar]

Im saying put some GOOD carnival rides in. Not old rides that date back to the 70's.

o_0 It matters not the age but the quality, kind sir! I'd give anything to have the zipper swinging parallel to the boardwalk. That'd be fantastic. Tumblebug, ranger and UFO are all quite modern anyway, aren't they?

[Gazza]

I still don't get what the big problem is...everyone likes flumes (The 3 major Gold Coast parks all have them so they must be crowd pleasers) LPS doesn't have a water ride, and its not exactly discriminatory....thrill seekers and the less brave will both give it a go. 2 little splashes? I might have a little splash if it is a ride like this, but its not, its a full sized flume that will most likely soak you.

[Jobe]

Gazza I too dont get why a flume ride will be bad for LPS. As a matter of fact it is a very good move for them-in all of LPS history they have never had a flume based ride other than the River Caves. As I have stated before, I would have rathered had one of the portable River Rapids ride that are also made by Reverchon-it would have been unique in Australia and would be a great family addition to the ride lineup at LPS. LPS needs a influx of at least 5-6 permanent rides that are sympathetic to the current parks footprint(ie they need to be able to fit and mould with the existing buildings) and they also need to be somewhat resident friendly ( and by this I mean not TOO noisy and any permanent structure would have to have a height restriction). Does this rule out LPS acquiring any more coasters? I think not. There are many manufacturers that could quite conceivably fit in any number of smaller coasters within the park. (Steel Hawg from Indianna Beach is at the forefront of my mind) You could also fit in a Wicked Twister style coaster in between the cliff face and the Big Top and enclose it in a Mountain type structure to reduce noise with either end coming out to face the open sky. Move the Dodgems back to under their original position under the Wild Mouse and this would free up space to accomodate a River Caves type ride that could meander out the back and intertwine with the Wicked Twister coaster under the purpose built mountain. I would also love to see a Zamperla Disk'O Coaster located in Maloney's corner-it would be an Australian first and is a moderate thrill ride that would be a great attraction. Its a pity that the owners of LPS do not share the same vision that some of us do!! Gazza, Joz I would love to hear your ideas or thoughts on the issue-perhaps Gazza you could do us one of your famous drawings?? Cheers Jobe

[paauly101]

So am i the only one that would rather have Speed in? Cause thats all im saying. Id rather have something more thrilling. Id be sure to give it a go but im still pretty disapointed LPS couldnt come up with something good for the xmas holidays. Ive been waiting since RES to get on another major thrill and its been a total let down. But im sure it will still be fun..

[mickey_079]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't speed cost a lot more to operate? And isn't it a lower capacity ride? It would be a terrible choice of ride, especially in the holidays considering how busy they actually get. Look Paul, if you don't like it why do you visit? Why not travel a little longer and go to Jamberoo? It's a worry if Luna Park is the only thing you can think of to do in the holidays.

Edited December 11, 2008 by mickey_079

[paauly101]

Im saying id rather have speed in. Its a better ride. I didnt say i wouldnt really like it. Its just a let down that something better isnt there because a flume isnt the best thing in the world to have there. Lunapark does NOT get anywhere near as busy as Jamberoo so thats just a stupid suggestion. But Jamberoo at least has rides that are connected to the ground. Its a worry that you think Lunapark is the best thing that people go to in the holidays. Getting sick of their rides. Im still going to go but because it'd be a good day with some friends.

[Gazza]

Yeah, speed was a good ride, but at the same time flumes are a good ride too...LPS has no shortage of 'thrilling' spinning rides, but they have a real shortage of fully fledged rides that have an actual layout. Plus anyhow, I personally am more interested in a 'new' ride, rather than a flat ride that already appears at various shows all year long, and I just find a bit hard to believe that it would be a 'disappointment' and you can be so dismissive....its not as if its some kids ride or something. How many travelling rides are available for the summer period anyway? Would you be disappointed with everything except for speed? Next year I'll be disappointed with any other than a floorless coaster at MW, because any other ride choice clearly is no good

Edited December 13, 2008 by Gazza

[paauly101]

Is MW getting a new coaster?

[Spotty]

Not that we are aware of, Gazza was just being sarcastic and taking the mickey out of you basically.

[paauly101]

Lol, gazza you crack up.

[mickey_079]

^ I'm sorry but...

[Nebuchanezzar]

Big splash looks sucky. Claw would have been so much better. Oh my yes.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Ok well I was wrong: Big Splash has proven to be very, very popular. An excellent temporary addition to the park.

[paauly101]

Im going next week and its going to have to be pretty freakin fantastic to make up for speed.. But your right. Most non-thrill seekers would love it.

[Gabs]

Ok well I was wrong: Big Splash has proven to be very, very popular. An excellent temporary addition to the park.

Big Splash was fantastic! It's a quick ride and also has a large capacity (ie. about 500-1000 persons per hour). Even if the queue is at MAXIMUM (100-200 people in line) you're only waiting about 5-10 minutes. SO an excellent addition - very pleased they brought this one in for the holidays! Hope they introduce a ride like this or a new coaster and make them permanent.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Big Splash was fantastic! It's a quick ride and also has a large capacity (ie. about 500-1000 persons per hour). Even if the queue is at MAXIMUM (100-200 people in line) you're only waiting about 5-10 minutes. SO an excellent addition - very pleased they brought this one in for the holidays! Hope they introduce a ride like this or a new coaster and make them permanent.

It's staying until the end of March

[T-Rex]

From my experience, because the picnic area is rarely used by the Luna Park Sydney visitors (they eat anywhere in the park anyway), they should cement that area to expand Maloney's Corner to make room for more rides. Though Luna Park remains okay, I have some ideas: First of all, they should buy some of the temporary rides they receive every school holidays as permanent rides so they could have more rides. Here's some rides which I think are really good and SHOULD be added as permanent rides. Chaos - Chance Chaos Claw - KMG Move It Dominator - KMG Dominator Hard Rock - Technical Park Street Fighter Music Trip - KMG Tropical Trip Rainbow - Huss Rainbow Zipper - Chance Zipper Maybe because there's plenty of room for a small rollercoaster in the spot where the Tumblebug is, they could move that ride to another spot and put either the Crazy Coaster or the Taipan there (dunno why the Easter Show Carnival gets the big travelling rollercoasters. They should be reserved for amusement parks instead of annual carnivals). Or, if they can't have another coaster, put an extra ride near the Tumble Bug (maybe one of the current rides they have in Maloneys Corner or one of the suggested rides above, preferably the Zipper since it doesn't take too much space). The Dominator could be placed in that empty space next to the Wild Mouse (where they sometimes put one of the holiday rides), the Claw, Music Trip, Rainbow, Chaos and Hard Rock will make perfect additions for Maloney's Corner. With the area expanded, they could have more holiday rides. Anyway, that's my idea for improving Luna Park Sydney. Any comments are appreciated. By the I forgot to mention that if Luna Park Sydney adds the Rainbow, it will have its 5th permanent Huss ride. Think about it! Tumblebug - Huss Troika Ranger - Huss Ranger Spider - Huss Breakdance Flying Saucer - Huss UFO Rainbow - Huss Rainbow Talk about having a plethora of rides manufactured by one of the world's most prolific thrill ride manufacturers, ain't it? Huss rides are totally awesome! They might do getting some rides manufactured by Chance, KMG, Mondial, and Zamperla, though.

[Gazza]

I guess I'm from the other end of the spectrum. I'm not a fan of concreting the park and whacking down carnival rides....Thats what is 'wrong' with the park right now! It feels tacky, and it's not a particularly engaging place. I'd like to see more effort put into future additions now the class action is over and the park perhaps has less to worry about with noise. I mean, if you combine Maloneys corner with the picnic area, you have a pretty decent sized site...Surely it has more potential than to just be ashplhalted and rides chucked down willy nilly? So I'd be looking at purchasing permanent rides, and continuing the style of the other half of Luna Park, so there is actually some continuity. I'd like to see the place follow a similar strategy as some of those historical European parks that are also very limited for space, but still successfully provide modern thrills whilst remaining sensitive to a historical context. So that said, If you were looking to add a coaster, there are plenty of decent ones out there that are specifically designed for small sites: http://www.rcdb.com/ig4309.htm?picture=8 http://www.rcdb.com/ig3573.htm?picture=1 http://www.rcdb.com/ig2722.htm?picture=11 I think the lack of a vertical thrill ride is a bit of a lost opportunity for a place like Luna Park, a gyro drop for instance would provide nice panoramic views. If this super splash ride was popular, then I think a log flume has potential for the park, I'd look at winding it around and under other things, much like what they have done with Vikings Revenge at Sea World.

[T-Rex]

Hmm... Yes, it might seem a bit unfair to demolish the picnic area just to expand Maloney's Corner. I mean the only thing is that not everyone uses the picnic area most of time (usually varies at a certain time or so). The only idea was to bring in the kind of spirit Luna Park used to have in the old times, especially 1995 and 1996. Nowadays, it seems to focus more on entertainment than on being a fully-fledged carnival complete with knockabout rides and high-speed rollercoasters. There are no doubt some decent rides there, though I believe there is enough room for more, especially in Maloney's Corner. Those coasters you suggested look pretty promising, but they are from overseas. I dunno if Australia has any type of rollercoaster like that. Honestly, I'm only familiar with the two rollercoasters that come to the Easter Show. Maybe they should just keep Tumblebug where it is now, and put compact rides near it. Maybe they should move the Kids Rides there so that there could be some room for more rides (Rainbow, Chaos, Claw and Zipper are excellent choices for permanent rides in my opinion). Ah, yes, Luna Park does seem to lack a vertical drop ride. What about the Mega Drop? It may not be tall, but it's the tallest drop ride Luna Park could get if they feel that Wonderland's Space Probe 7 was too big to fit. The Mega Drop is indeed another noteworthy addition for Maloney's Corner. Honestly, flume rides are more suited for the summer, though they are fun. Anyway, my previous suggestion was just fair enough, cause if you think clearer, riders who want to ride a Huss pendulum ride without going upside-down (aka the Ranger) will have the Rainbow, the park could have more rides that flip you erratically and spontaneously if they add the Chaos and the Zipper. The Claw, Dominator, and Music Trip look also good (just love KMG rides). Maybe they should add the Thunderbolt, a Chance Matterhorn. Works like the park's Tango ride, but the cars are bobs that swing from side to side as the ride speeds up. Definitely breathtaking. Let's hope they do try to add more permanent rides in the future. Since they don't have to worry about the noise levels, they could throw in more rides.

[Gazza]

Those coasters you suggested look pretty promising, but they are from overseas. I dunno if Australia has any type of rollercoaster like that. Honestly, I'm only familiar with the two rollercoasters that come to the Easter Show.

It shouldn't matter if they are from overseas....Remember 100% of Australia's mechanical rides come from overseas anyway, so if they wanted one they would just ring up the manufacturer and place an order. So if they wanted the first one i linked to they would contact Intamin: http://www.intaminworldwide.com/iag/index....8&Itemid=32 If they wanted the second, contact Gerstlauer: http://www.gerstlauer-rides.de/english/Gerstlauer_E.html If you wanted the third, contact S&S: http://www.s-spower.com/familythrill/elloco/elloco.php Quick question though, It seems as if you are suggesting taking travelling rides and giving them a permanent home at Luna Park. So what happens to the various shows that occur throughout the country? Couldn't you just buy new rides, or second hand ones from quite large second hand ride market?

What about the Mega Drop? It may not be tall, but it's the tallest drop ride Luna Park could get if they feel that Wonderland's Space Probe 7 was too big to fit.

Check out the Gyro Drop...the rotation feature would be really effective since all riders would get to see all the sights of the harbour before the plunge: http://www.ridetrade.com/rti/index.php?opt...7&Itemid=37

Maybe they should add the Thunderbolt, a Chance Matterhorn. Works like the park's Tango ride, but the cars are bobs that swing from side to side as the ride speeds up. Definitely breathtaking.

Perhaps one difficulty though is that on the surface, both rides look very similar....going around in a circle along a wavy track. Parks add new attractions to attract new visitors, and if you have two rides that look 90% the same, there is not as much incentive to pay a visit if they have done it before.

Yes, it might seem a bit unfair to demolish the picnic area just to expand Maloney's Corner. I mean the only thing is that not everyone uses the picnic area most of time (usually varies at a certain time or so).

I don't disagree with expanding into this area, what I do disagree with is just continuing the bitumen and chucking down rides willy nilly....Right now there is a real discontinuity between the front and back of the park. At the front, it feels like you are in an Amusment park. At the back, it feels like you are in a car park with rides in it. If they are going to do something to improve the back of the park with new rides (Which they should) then they need to have a cohesive character throughout. However, on the topic of flat rides, I do think the Sky Roller looks like a really interesting idea since each person can control the experience. http://www.gerstlauer-rides.de/english/Gerstlauer_E.html Overall, however, at the moment the parks line up is too unbalanced, quite a lot of flat rides and spin and spews, but not enough 'tracked' rides (Eg Coasters, dark rides, water rides etc) and until this unbalance is adressed it won't become any more popular than it is now. Edited May 1, 2009 by Gazza

[T-Rex]

If the rides come from overseas, then I guess there is a possibility for Luna Park to purchase one of those coasters. Then if that's the case, they could contact some of the ride manufacturers to purchase some of their attractions.

Quick question though, It seems as if you are suggesting taking travelling rides and giving them a permanent home at Luna Park. So what happens to the various shows that occur throughout the country? Couldn't you just buy new rides, or second hand ones from quite large second hand ride market?

It might be difficult to take travelling rides to make them as permanent rides for Luna Park because they are property of their respected owners (Rainbow is owned by O'Neill Shows, Chaos and Claw are owned by Durkin Amusements, and so on). Then again, some of the Luna Park rides used to be travelling rides that appeared in different shows before then. If anyone has seen images of a Huss Rainbow, Chance Chaos, KMG Move It, Dominator and Freak Out) being currently on sale should post them in. That Gyro Drop looks pretty nifty, but doesn't it seem a bit too big? With the rides I requested, if there is still enough space, then it could seem like another perfect addition. What is the rarity of a drop-tower in an amusement park anyway? Maybe instead of Maloney's Corner being a bland carparklike area filled with rides, they could try to spice it up a little bit to make it look more appealing. Maybe if they reused some of the decorations they used to display in 1995 and 1996, the area might have the same visual appeal as the midway. I don't really know what else is there to make Luna Park have complete continuity as it should.

Overall, however, at the moment the parks line up is too unbalanced, quite a lot of flat rides and spin and spews, but not enough 'tracked' rides (Eg Coasters, dark rides, water rides etc) and until this unbalance is adressed it won't become any more popular than it is now.

I don't know if Luna Park would have enough room to include more 'tracked rides' like rollercoasters and log flumes (maybe having just one more is a possibility), but there would still be some unbalance because it would be 2 or 3 'tracked rides' against 10 flat rides. Besides, Luna Park is more of a carnival-themed amusement park, and even though it may not have a huge collection of rollercoasters like Cedar Point of the United States, people still enjoy taking on the flat rides. I like both types anyway, so I don't mind if they throw in more flat rides instead of rollercoasters. I feel they should add another so we could have another rollercoaster to ride apart from the Wild Mouse. Comments, anyone?