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I don't mean to alarm anybody but Steel Taipan has themed bins. THEMED BINS.

The lack of theming and bridges and facades for the new generation of rides is certainly disappointing. Here are a few pictures of scenes from Luna Park highlighting the absolutely brilliant theming that was created circa 1935. No wonder the older generation of visitors always remark on how Luna Park had charm and evoked such strong memories. Below is excellent examples of the Ghost Train facade. If this was built today we would all be marvelling at it!! This provides such an evokative atmosphere and strong impression of the ride before you have even entered the queue area. The Goofy House, an opening day attraction , was transformed over the years into The Hall of Science and .... The Mystic East and was also briefly The Model Electric City before finally settling on its final transformation as Davy Jones Locker. Note that the same building was pretty utilisied for all these attractions over the years, with some additions. A simple windmill as shown here is one of the more remembered and effective pieces of theming to grace Luna Park- this was installed in 1935 and was finally removed in 1981- a testament to its build quality of the time. Several rare shots of the interior of the River Caves scenes!! It highlights the artistry of the day and how effective it was in creating the mood that has given so many people such strong and vivid memories of this ride. Even a simple game stand has been elevated with the use of theming as its backdrop for the Lets Duk Sweetie location. Everything was recycled or reused at Luna Park as the giant fish backdrop from the Lets Duk Sweetie stand also had another life as a photo location and band stop. An elaborate bridge such as this elevates a simple Octopus ride into the fearsome Spider - one of Luna Park's fondly remembered rides. One of my favourite pieces of theming- the original Tumblebug. This was recreated for the 1995 opening and the reimagining of the ride but was sadly removed for the 2004 reopening when the 'Bug was moved onto the Big Dipper site. A rare pic showing the intricate work that went into the Big Dipper and River Caves mountain. What did a giant pelican have to do with a ride called the U drive? Nothing but it sure made it memorable- the beak opened and closed as it sat there daring people to come and drive. And finally here is a picture of @joz and @rappa moaning about the galvanised fence on the new Big Dipper........ In all seriousness though, as can be seen by 6 or so pictures, there is a reason why the Luna Park of yesteryear had so much charm and evoked such strong memories in a generation of people who visited over the years. The park in all likelihood will never have the same level of immersiveness that the original park did, but it must make a far better effort to restore the charm that has been lost. The Volare and the Helter Skelter area are definitely a good start and are wonderful examples of what can be done if mind and method are one and the approach is focused. I am willing to give Luna Park some leeway in allowing them to grow the theming and allow them to finish the job before I pass judgement. Fingers crossed that the execution is far improved from what we have seen so far and that adequate gives way to amazing and brilliant and allows each ride to be remembered for its intial impression and aesthetic in each visitors memorybank. To do so would be the overarching win for the park. I live in hope that this occurs in some way.

Path to Giant Drop underneath the coaster is now open.

Jaggs has also been invited to the park to check it all out and his video provides even more of an overview of the area

Sorry for your loss.

Overheard a cast member say tonight was 8500 & the cap on all nights are 9000.

Can confirm! Best event all year personally. The food isn't great though but that's just Dreamworld.

From what I’ve heard from others, a part from the entry and parking issues, the event is really good

It's really buzzing tonight. I think they're doing quite well given how busy it is. Very nice, and honestly looking at Facebook in regards to complaints is like looking at a dump for trash. Gold coaster looks especially nice.

PUSH, is that you!

No that was the line. No entry via WWW Someone has royally fucked up logistical here. this crowd makes fright nights at MW look like an off peak day at dreamworld

I don't know. This subject isn't my forte - its why I asked. For me - the metal tunnel bridge prevents people from dropping objects onto the train or into it's path. I can't see them achieving anything similar in timber without it looking even worse. The only other 'bridge over a coaster track' I can think of in Australia is Storm - and that is a fully enclosed shipping container - which granted, does fit the 'theme' of that particular ride. A very fair statement. Not sure how much they can do with 'stainless tunnel number 1' but if the midway sightlines are done well, the backend is probably less critical. I am sometimes amused at the bipolar nature of this place. Vortex - "well, you could never have expected them to ACTUALLY build all that theming" LPS - "why aren't they making it look better?"

I think its safe to say that what we are ending up with for the expansion insofar as theming can at best be described as barely adequate. What must be remembered here is that the main person for planning this expansion, Brad Loxely, left 12 months before the actual announcement and the final plans. I know for a fact that several designs that he chose , including names for rides had been changed after he left the business. This includes the selection of the Intamin Hot Racer, which i think we can all agree , is not a bad thing, considering that the option chosen was a custom layout Eurofighter. However, having been privy to some of the designs and names that were originally planned, it is frustrating to see a lack of sympathetic theming and nods to the past in what we have ended up with. I am willing to reserve judgment on the Big Dipper, queue, station and wall as it is obviously still being constructed and could well recieve painting or murals more sympathetic to the moorish theming of the entrance. I can add though, that the original planner Brad has expressed frustrations with the final execution and the loss of some of his thematic elements that had planned for each and every ride. The first lost opportunity for mine has been the generic naming for the majority of the rides - some of them are simply uninspiring! and the lack of bridges that hopefully can be added in the near future. We do have to celebrate the fine additions that have been added and the sense of joy and excitement for when they finally open. Fingers crossed that better thematic elements and better assimilation of queues into the Luna Park aesthetic can still occur.

Yeah I'm not gonna sit here and say that the area/logos/signage look spectacular but I don't think it was a lack of effort as much as a bad decision made by probably someone higher up without a creative bone in their body and carried out by someone with no power to change it. The fact to me that Volare fits well with the classic Boardwalk theming and was their most recent attraction before these seems to point to them thinking the Maloney's Corner area doesn't need thematic consistency with the turn of the Century Board Walk theming the rest of the park at least attempts to emulate. I'm not gonna fully pass judgement on Big Dipper's queue and station until it's complete though, a few weeks back we would have thought there wasn't going to be a themed wall blocking the station but now that is coming in. As I said earlier it currently looks more like a scare maze then a queue but there's still a few months till opening. I would be interested to see the rules in regards to a queue being so close to and going over a ride envelope.

The point I'm making is that inside of that budget, there's still plenty of decision making that lands us in "generic modern corporate" and not at all in the realm of Luna Park Sydney. Take Sledgehammer's logo for example: This ultra-modern "theme park" logo is such a juxtaposition to the brand that it almost looks out of place on the website. And it would've cost the exact same amount of money to design a more fitting logo, more fitting colour, more fitting trim etc. etc. Are these choices going to change the experience in such a way that you'll be fooled into thinking you're at California Adventure? Of course not. Will it make the overall experience feel more cohesive and at home at Luna Park? 100%. And in time, when there's plenty of money post-COVID, the groundwork will be there to plus these attractions further (something Disney's been doing for decades).

Just touching on a few points: I think you're right, but that's a low bar to begin with too, and I personally would want our parks (which are fundamentally businesses centred around profound enjoyment and escapism) to exceed our expectations and not just meet a low expectation that's nearly two decades old. The park had some pretty beautiful facades way back when even despite the space-issue (I should also point out that during that period there was plenty of Victorian-era facades and motiffs interlaced with the oriental architecture at the time): I wanted more and I reckon the public deserved more. It's not a budget thing, I do believe it's just an effort thing. There's so much potential to play into the eccentric Coney Island "oriental meets art deco vibe", from the trim on rides: Colour-use (above and below) & sign design: even little things like typefaces all play a role in setting that theme: For me the issue is that despite so much rich design culture that was worth tapping into in order to make something iconic, we got "modern corporate". It's fine, it'll do the job and it'll make them a good bit of coin, but at the end of the day i'm just not really chuffed by the execution.

"Never buy a smart car, the only way to make it go fast is to scare it"

This morning I was invited out to Dreamworld to get a sneak peek of Steel Taipan and a walk through of the entire area. I’ll start out by saying, overall they’ve done a good job with the area. It’s very nicely presented, good aesthetic/theming elements and watching both trains in testing while in the queue/entry areas is awesome. I was able to take a few photos of the area, so I’ll describe what I captured and if anyone has any questions, I’ll try answer them the best I can with what I can share publicly. The entry signage is something we’ve already seen, but here it is up close The path leading to the queue entry A look at the entry and exit paths There is a test seat before joining the queue. The garden beds throughout have been done very nicely. Suits the theme/style. There is a main, single rider and Tailwhip queue. The queue wait time and ride safety information sign is yet to be installed, but will be positioned here. The station area is massive and allows for many people to be organised for loading to make it as efficient as possible. There are also large fans in the station and queue. The screens will show boarding information. Here’s a closer look at the train

Boomerang only sounds bland because enthusiasts know the term well and we're all sick of Boomerangs. For normies, it's a great description of the ride that simultaneously appeals to Aussie sensibilities.

The pilot was my father who recently passed away. This event changed him and he was never the same again. Happy to answer any all questions. Thank you for the way that you asked your question.