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Ah yes... I used to love the days of operating Lethal before it became Arkham and things got complicated. As soon as the harnesses released, we would wait until everyone is off the train but still messing around with loose items and then the gates would be opened. It honestly made such a difference, it was around 2011 that they started putting in all sorts of strange procedures like not being allowed to do this. I can't remember the exact reasoning they told us but it was pretty BS. Operations were honestly at it's peak around 2009 - 2012 TBH and by the time that 2013-2014 came around things were starting to really go downhill... and then we ended up with what we got now. Even during those periods they had some trials (and many errors) that didn't last long that really destroyed operations and thank god they stopped those quickly. Superman running with no unloader for example was a total disaster, being able to send 4-5 trains every 30 mins instead of the usual 6-7 was not fun, that and the paid lockers... ugh.

No, it's not PLC based at all. Sally don't do drive systems, they didn't even really do all the interactive stuff back then either. The drive system is completely separate from everything they developed or designed by them. Everything else you see, lighting, video queues, effects queues, it's all dmx controlled/served by solid state motion controllers that tie into the show control program developed by Alterface. Communication for scoring systems are handled wirelessly and converts back to serial data for the video servers/game servers. It's more akin to a video control center, has nothing to do with ride control at all. Alterface is a control suite (program) running on a windows server that is the bridge between the physical (shooting actual mapped targets) and the interactive elements with things like the projected screens. A great example of how queued events work in the ride is what happens when you get a stoppage during the ride and suddenly you can't shoot any of the targets ahead of you. If the stoppage is long enough, sometimes you'll even see the video replayed on the screen while you are sitting there waiting, or your lasers might completely time out and switch off like the game has ended. It's like 3 or 4 different systems working together. So you can't just upgrade or remove one element/system and expect the rest to continue to work. It's not that simple, which is why you wont find changes to the story/gameplay, like with additional/new scenes added.

I think the tower does look nice and i’m glad they did actually add the trident on top of it but, i did think it would be a bit more bigger and “dramatic.” here’s what the area now looks like with the rides completed; Credit: @jaggsjourneysau - instagram. I can’t wait till we get our first off ride glimpse of Leviathan running though, hopefully day time testing starts soon🤞🏼

Yeah, that ride opened without ongoing delays.

Jamberoo has officially confirmed that the new attraction Velocity Falls will open with the new season in 6 weeks time!! This is fantastic news for the park and it should be a huge winner with the punters!! I can see Jamberoo having an excellent season !! Looking forward to visiting in February to check out the new installs.

That’s great news, hopefully it’s because they’ve released how bad of shape the ride is in and this will give them plenty of time to get it back to how it originally was

I am all for Adelaide getting a decent theme park but I think we will see snow in Darwin before we see a Disneyland in Adelaide.

That's the best possible news. Keep it shuttered until its worthy of being open and not an embarrassment to the park.

I was able to get down to Jamberoo on Saturday so I got some photos of the area while going up the chairlift. Speaking to staff they said the slides will all be installed by next week and they still have intention of opening them this season. As sceptical as I am about that there where people actively working onsite the whole day.

How Michael Clancy fought back after nightmare of Dreamworld tragedy “Murderers!” With a scream, two men jumped the counter of the guest services desk at Dreamworld, spraying their venom at the innocent staff. “It’s your fault!” they yelled, as security guards wrestled them down before dragging them away. It was 2016, just weeks after the October 25 tragedy that claimed four lives, and guest services supervisor Michael Clancy was under attack and struggling to cope. He’d witnessed the horrific aftermath, his dreams were tortured by the terrible scenes he’d seen, but as he struggled to help the theme park get back to business, he found himself under constant harassment. Park patrons would spit at him, staff were emailed death threats and even his own children were bullied at school – by parents – for what had occurred in one of the darkest chapters of Gold Coast history. Michael’s corporate career at Dreamworld, of which he was so proud, had turned into a living nightmare. Three months after the tragedy, he quit. It was all he could do as he fought for his life. Drowning under the weight of PTSD, depression and anxiety, he tried every therapy he could imagine, but still found himself wishing that, if only he could sleep, he would not wake up. “It was the most awful time,” Michael says. “All of us who worked at the park at that time have suffered, even if they weren’t there on the day. “There’s not one of us still left. I get anxious even now if I have to drive down the M1. I know we’ll never forget those who lost their lives that day, nor should we, but I think we have forgotten just how many people were deeply impacted and still suffer. “My own children were targeted. I received a call one day from the before-school hours carer who said another parent had gone up to my son and told him ‘your Dad’s killed people’. “My daughter was defending me but this parent said ‘if your Dad works for a company that murdered people, then he’s a murderer’. Thank goodness the school suspended that parent, but that’s just one example of what we went through. “My daughter didn’t even want to tell me because she knew how much I was struggling, she wanted to protect me at her own expense. I felt like a failure as a father. “I just couldn’t understand what was happening to me. I saw three heart specialists, and was out of pocket more than $3000, because I just couldn’t believe that the physical sensations I was feeling were from anxiety. I thought I must have cardiac issues. “Yet nothing was helping. I tried every form of therapy but I was just sinking further down. “Then one day I said to my wife, ‘I think I’m going to get a bird’.” And that was the day Michael discovered his wings. Through caring for his Eclectus parrot Archie, Michael found his purpose again. And he found a friend. Simply caring for the bird was enough to get Michael out of bed, and chatting with Archie got him out of his head. As he learned to better manage his own PTSD symptoms and triggers, Michael realised that birds would be the perfect companion pet for many others facing mental health challenges. Now, with the help of his feathered friends, Michael has turned tragedy into what will soon be a registered charity – Parrots for Purpose – matching more than 500 hand-raised birds with humans in need of support companions. “I’m not so deluded as to think I can change the world, but what we can do at Parrots for Purpose is to make someone’s world happier. And we’re doing that one bird at a time. “Not only did Archie help me find purpose in my day, but now my whole life has purpose. My family and I all do this together and it gives me such joy to help others. “This was born from a tragedy but I am so grateful that where a lot of people turned to alcohol and drugs, I turned right at those crossroads and chose this path instead. “The stories that I hear back from the people we have helped make up for what I went through. It’s restored my faith in humanity. “Doing this work is effortless, I haven’t had to stress or worry about what’s going to happen next, it’s all unfolded naturally … not to get too spiritual or supernatural but it feels like it’s charmed. “I’ve also had so much support. I could never have done this without the support of the NDIS and Carers Queensland, starting something like this while you’re still dealing with PTSD is an extra challenge. But it just reminds me of how much others need this help. “I work with a lot of returned soldiers, and recently I’ve been helping a number of refugee families. The children have seen so much trauma so matching them with a native budgerigar gives them someone to love with no memories attached. This is a creature they’ve never seen before. “Sometimes I feel like an ambulance chaser – wherever there is a disaster or trauma, there I am. I’ve given away 19 birds to victims of the floods who lost pets. “I get so many referrals from GPs and health services, it’s amazing to be recognised for this service. “The beauty of a bird is that it’s so easy to care for – but it still requires attention. You don’t have to take it for walks if you need to stay indoors, there are no smells, and not many dogs or cats can sit on your shoulder and talk to you. These birds have so much affection and personality, they’ll curl up under your chin to snuggle. It’s true animal magic.” While Parrots for Purpose continues to spread its wings, Michael says he’s ready to take the next step and become a registered charity so he can help more people. He says while he would happily sell a kidney to keep funding the service, it would be nice not to. “It would be amazing to one day be able to draw a wage from this, however small, but my main priority is just to make sure that this can continue for as long as people need it – not until I run out of internal organs,” he laughs. “Having seen death so close and understanding the truth of mortality and how things can change so quickly, I know that when it comes to money you can’t take it with you. I’m not interested in being rich – although I do have to feed my family. “Doing this, I sleep well now. “I know I’m making an impact, however small, in this world.” And that’s what will live on.