Richard

You would assume that the bridge collapsing as boats went under -- possibly with some Bermuda Triangle-esque fire -- was the original plan, but budget/design/timeframe/safety considerations turned that idea into the thoroughly unconvincing speaker explosion we ended up with.

He said he asked questions about annual passes at the annual pass processing area and then guest services. These particular employees absolutely should know the answers to these questions. Every year VRTP go about the pass renewal process with uncertainty, mixed messages and last minute changes. The issue here is obviously not with the front line staff who don't know the answer, it's that an answer has not been properly communicated within the organisation to those that should know, let alone other employees that might encounter queries. Let's give the antagonism a rest... it's really not fun.

Coasters seem to be trending in exactly the opposite way -- see inverted, floorless, flying and most recently wing coasters. It's apparent that the demand is for less -- not more -- connection between riders and track. Arrow's pipeline coaster was the product of a company that was fast losing ground to newer, more innovative European concepts. When you look back at it now I think it's pretty clear that the same maneuvers and much, much more can be done with a much more simplistic track and train design. The novelty of being trapped in a cage or surrounded by track to me wouldn't be worth the severe limitations the pipeline design presents.

I forgot all about the first generation Freefall rides. Probably a stretch to call them a drop tower, but I rode SFMM's back in the day and would have to nominate it as my favourite freefall ride for the sheer novelty of it looking and feeling like you're going to die.

I honestly didn't look in any great detail at the photos while they were up, but in the half a dozen or so that I clicked on, I'd say: -The structure of the ride looks sound. -Station needs reflooring. -The cars obviously need cosmetic work, but reupholstering these would be something that takes place every few years if the ride were operating anyway. -Theming needs rebuilding. What isn't apparent is what might be required by way of safety or structural upgrades. If there's work needed to bring it up to code, this could well be the most significant cost and the real decider. Getting it up and running to a circa-2006 operational standard however seems like a minor cost when compared with removal or replacement.

While the most useless vending machine Dreamworld added would have to be the hot chip machine they once had located all of 50 metres from multiple food outlets, a mobile phone charging station sounds like a great way for them to get in on a decade-old concept that battery and charging technology will likely soon make obsolete.

As much fun as these anti-sensationalised titles are lately, I've renamed this one to make it a bit less generic. For what it's worth, it sounds like a pretty unremarkable incident, though the fact that it was the first cycle of the first day of the season is at least a bit newsworthy. As far as roughness goes, I've ridden it a handful of times over the years -- I try to make the trip out to Coney Island every time I'm in NYC for an obligatory ride on the Cyclone and a forgettable Nathan's hot dog -- and it's far from the roughest coaster out there. I've always thought it's pretty good for its age, especially considering it has a pretty wild layout.

It certainly wasn't an isolated slow cycle that we happened to capture on Vine. This was how the ride was operating launch after launch on this day, indicating that's how it was programmed to operate. I'd invite anyone that sees the ride reaching higher heights to share photos/videos, because this is really what these updates are all about... starting a discussion.

Check out the article on our homepage... I covered most of these observations in that piece earlier in the week. Based on the photos, the car is completely separated from the rails; none of the four sets of wheels were correctly on the track.

My memory of Big Banana's toboggan is that it's short. I think I only rode once so never worked up to trying full speed. As I recall, Jamberoo is the only park to feature "slider" toboggans which feature two wheels and two nylon pads that slide, rather than four wheels. The result is they navigate banked turns easier but also tend to max out at a lower speed. Still great rides, but definitely less skill involved. Corin Forest's is the only one I've fallen off on though I came close at Merimbula, which is my pick of the lot. I've always thought that the Big Banana would be one of the best locations in Australia for a Wiegand alpine coaster. Really would love to see the place fleshed out into a decent destination.

S&S are a fine company. Certainly not a cheap alternative to Intamin/Mack/Vekoma -- three companies who have also had their share of incidents over the years and would be more or less equally regarded in the industry and priced accordingly. S&S certainly weren't the "cheap option". They are known for pushing boundaries and as a result have built a few lemons in their day, but they have a track record of safety and reliability consistent with the other manufacturers that you mentioned. Your engineering friend wouldn't be wrong to suggest that the forces are considerably more for these larger cars. But your friend would also have an appreciation for the amount of design, simulation and testing that would go into each and every component. Without any further information no one can determine where blame for the incident lies. But S&S's experience or history as a firm is a red herring; 20+ years is a very solid history for a company, not to mention the intellectual property they have attained through their acquisition of ride engineering pioneers like Arrow Dynamics as Slick suggested.

If I remember I'll share some closeups of Green Lantern's wheels later today. It's the same basic assembly... it wouldn't surprise me if it's even the exact same part, which would make sense from an engineering and fabrication perspective given everything else about the ride systems is identical.

I'd disagree -- all El Locos share the same track gauge and functionally identical cars and wheel assemblies. That photo is exactly what you'd see up close on Green Lantern. Plenty of photos on this site showing the wheels reasonably clearly to compare the two.

Another angle from the scene (from Gold Coast Bulletin) shows that the front bogie is at least partially detached from the track and appears to be short a wheel, while the rear has completely separated from the track. I'd lean towards joz's theory that whatever fell off on the front wheel bogie became debris and in turn caused the back to completely rip off the track. News footage showed the rescue crews securing the train to the track with nylon straps before starting to remove the riders. Reports that the car was travelling faster than usual just before it happened sounds like typical embellishment from bystanders.

"Issue like this"? You've conflated an incident fueled by unsubstantiated speculation where a secondary safety mechanism seemingly engaged as designed, with what is looking to be a very obvious and public critical failure of a major component. We don't have any interest in obfuscating the truth or treating our parks with any unwarranted reverence, but wild speculation and supposition really has no place anywhere.

Just to prevent things getting too off-topic here, I've removed a few posts and will quickly reiterate our basic policy with regards to photos taken at theme parks: We encourage the sharing of photos from theme parks. We also advise that members follow all rules and terms of entry while there. We don't enforce these rules on behalf of theme parks; it's up to individuals to just do the right thing. No one wins points or credibility by breaking the rules. If folks want to further discuss the responsibilities of park-goers then please feel free to start another topic.

Ardent Leisure has such a bizarre portfolio of assets that it's hard to ever imagine the company embracing a true theme park visionary at the helm. I have no qualms with savvy business operators at the corporate level overseeing the diverse leisure/hospitality/lifestyle businesses that they manage, and this appointment may well fit that criteria. However if I were a shareholder I too would be unsure about the appointment as Deborah Thomas has a resume that seems strong in marketing/advertising but very light on operational experience. The problem is that at the Dreamworld level we see a revolving door of CEOs who have no skin in the theme park game. It'd be great to see them go global in the future to find someone who understands the unique theme park industry and is willing to commit to a longer game. The recent run of 2-3 year chief executives doesn't exactly scream long-term plan...

Unheated water temperatures lag behind air temperature. So when it's averaging 27ºC outside, you've got water that's around 22º, and that's cold water to swim in for most people. The anomaly is the Gold Coast water parks, who manage in the colder months purely thanks to holidaymakers from the southern states and NZ who are acclimatized (or stubborn/delusional/crazy) enough to consider it good swimming weather. If the Gold Coast wasn't a major holiday destination they'd happily close the water parks for 3-4 months of the year with no complaints from locals.

Charm is what you'd hope for with Luna Park Melbourne. My most recent visit was about six months ago; I've never been to a park so dirty and dilapidated in my life. I actually find it a bit disgraceful that such an iconic piece of history is being allowed to rot like this when it certainly gets the patronage to justify a serious makeover and redevelopment. The Scenic Railway was down for annual maintenance so we were spared that pain, but it sounds like it still possesses that unique ability to cause so much roughness at such slow speeds.

Good point -- the artwork has been attached to the original post.

The artist's impression and what's described seems like exactly what you'd get for about $1.6 million. You see more extravagant "water parks" at council pools these days... these are not inherently expensive attractions to build.

I can't say "fun" and "tyre changing simulator" are two things I'd necessarily group together... damn OHS.

The test dummies aren't typically to simulate the weight of a full car of riders but rather to provide enough weight to ensure that the cars have enough momentum to make it around the track. Two has evidently been deemed sufficient for Eureka Mountain. I think you'd be reading too much into it all if you think they're strategically putting cars on the track to try and get a rise from Internet followers. It is what it is.

I feel like I'm missing something here... we're looking at a real car with real water test dummies. There is ongoing work happening on the ride and that position on the track is where cars come to a stop at the end of the course.

No different from Sea World's dreadful excuse for a ski show. These contracted shows must be a pretty good deal for the parks... they're after all giving year-round business that would help these companies retain staff, as well as decent training facilities. The latest dolphin show proves that there is simply no writing talent within VRTP anymore. I don't know what perplexes me more: that they think that these are even vaguely worthy replacements for their predecessors, or that VIP pass holders actually line up for this crap on repeat visits. Here's a troubling thought... Fish Detectives is now the best produced show at an Australian theme park.