Leaderboard

SE reopened today giving a good look at the foundation that was constructed during the maintenance period. (ThemeParkOgre)

Construction to start after the school holidays. The construction compound is to be located at the old log ride site, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the site offices, power & internet are currently being installed and connected in readiness for construction within the log ride area now.

Wild Style and Mild Style! (previously Hard and Soft styles)

Superman Escape reopened today and looked to be running one train. Happy to report that the speakers in the area are back, playing the iconic Superman theme!

I think a Dr. Who ride, because according to most of the suggestions here, that building is much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside

Another good thing about the theatre is that it can be used for multiple things (much like the Nick one) when it was Madagascar it could only be used for that only.

A few things that people should probably keep in mind: The area isn't finished. Let them put in all the theming and rides they have planned before making judgements. The theming inside the area is far more important than a sign you'll just walk past. A reasonably generic sign allows for unlimited theme and ride changes within an area of the park. With a Dreamworld owned IP, they can theme rides to whatever they want inside the land, add and remove rides as they need to, and build their own IP. Kids in that age group do not care about ABC Kids as a brand. They care about specific characters and shows. A fairly generic sign also allows for seasonal and event theming at the entrance to the area which could be far more visually appealing. 'ABC Kids World' is additional licensing that Dreamworld would need to pay for. Personally I'd rather they sink that money into new rides rather than new signs which can be changed in a few years anyway. Linear television is dead. ABC Kids & ABC Me branding will eventually all just merge into ABC iView branding which is where most people are watching ABC Kids shows anyway (on SmartTV or mobile devices). Investing in promoting 'ABC Kids' as a brand or a themed land doesn't really serve Dreamworld or ABC in the long-term, particularly since kids are already experiencing the ABC brand as iView. This isn't my opinion, this is what Libbie Doherty - the head of ABC children's has repeatedly said at industry events. After 20 years of bad decisions and outright neglect, Ardent are finally investing some money and attention into the park. They've hired the right people to do it, but they don't have an unlimited budget. Sure, we'd all love to see incredibly themed areas, particularly with what was lost in Madagascar Madness, and Gold Rush, and the absolute abominations of MDMC, SkyVoyager and the mess of land-locked waterslides crammed into the front of the park. Realistically, our parks do not, and will never get the daily attendance required to build and maintain sprawling themed lands with licensed IPs. MW couldn't maintain the DC villains area and have struggled to maintain WB Kids. Every element of detail and theming on every ride, every themed building, character statue, sign, speaker, screen, fountain, shade sail, queue rail, garden bed and path is something that is going to be exposed to the harsh QLD sun and storms and abused by millions of visitors a year. It all costs money to paint, clean, maintain and replace. Every dollar that is spent on repairs and maintenance is a dollar that isn't spent on new rides and attractions. Baking those hard costs into your designs up-front is not a wise business decision, and is not sustainable unless you're Disney or Universal. A fibreglass 3D sculpted sign for a kids area is not going to increase visitor numbers or increase in-park spending. Improved theming/painting/lights on the GD will. New rides and attractions will. Personally, I think the sign is fine. I think using Dreamworld IP in K&B is smart. I think DW is making a lot of good decisions, the best being to bring back Rivertown and move all the kids rides into one themed area.