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Ahh smol bean and school holidays I love this parkz tradition.

I don't think nights will sell out (unless artificially limited to encourage panic buying) but I think we already discussed that strategy ad nauseum. We didn't think they would sell out this year but the increased price point was meant to substitute that - the park still makes similar money, but the overall park attendance numbers are lower, making it a more enjoyable event for those willing to pay for it. A lot of people are still spending "in this economy". While tales of woe are out there, and money is getting tighter, we are not in recession and the financial stresses spruiked in the media are not universal. They're real, they're out there, and they're affecting everyday people... just not everyone at all times.

The name is corny; and the animatronic isn't 'world class'. But I think it's great to see something like this at our parks. We rarley see animatronics (it's been over ten years since the last one was installed), but for the target audience it's awesome and it in an impressive animatronic, considering it's in a splash pad. I've always admired Disney/Universal for having interactive characteres (prime example is Donkey at Universal) and wished our parks would follow the same route and they finally have. I know DW have a more anologue approach when it comes to attractions (they generally prefer to have attractions/elements that are simpler in their engineering to ensure reliability, rather than having reliance on screens, animatronics, etc). So this octopus came as a surpirse to me, but a good one, and I hope it is reliable because it already seems very popular with kids. I can imagine the interactive version of the octopus might only be on weekends and holiday periods, but I'm glad it also has an auto option so it's not in a 'sleep' mode. Overall, I think the splash pad will serve it's purpose very well and it's proving very popular, so it will be ticking all the boxes for the park. It's not the prettist splash pad, but it has a lot going for it and fills a gap in the parks lineup. The interactive screen was a good concept, well presented with the rockwork wrapping around it, but with its location due to sun glare has become a poor choice. The rockwork needed to be deeper so it was more something you stand within/under to help reduce the glare; or in a different spot entirly (ie, on the inside walls of the dodgems). I think this area is an overall good expansion for Ocean Parade and adds a lot more value for families. Let's hope the rest of a OP gets an overhaul, with more attractions to fill the large void in the area.

The splash pad is a win. They've replaced a thoroughfare with an all-ages attraction that introduces what I believe is Australia's first interactive animatronic. This will be a genuine memory maker for a lot of families that isn't hidden behind an upcharge or paywall.