MickeyD

Interesting how do you come to the conclusion that the LTRR show building will be used only for a future minor attraction? Personally I could not DISAGREE more! The show building already has the necessary infrastructure to house a big new ride with power, generators, exhaust fans, air conditioning, pumps etc already there - not to mention a gigantic space that could easily accommodate a rollercoaster or new water ride without having to change much else to the outer structure. Putting a minor attraction inside this building would be a total waste of land resources, which we all know with MW has little of right now. I believe The LTRR will remain dormant for some time yet to come, perhaps with a major new family thrill ride going in some time in 2014..

- Now we just need a ridiculously high budget to pull that off!! oh well, Dreams are free

As far as a name goes and as per the latest Artwork out front of the site, I actually prefer "The Storm" - simple and punchy. Something the other titles on offer are lacking A Spring 2013 opening (September Holidays) sounds like a very promising amount of time given slabs have already been laid for many of the footers.. This is more time than VRTP's have allowed for an attraction construction since Bermuda and prior, Batman Adventure. Such a lengthy construction time frame would certainly suggest "Show" elements will be a big part of the new ride. The main framework of the Watercoaster could be knocked up well and truly by Autumn giving plenty of time to tweak everything else. I think the assumption that the other big attraction (for 2014) will occupy the original Bermuda Showstage has come from the placement of the sign, which suggests "This will be the site of SW's next TWO major attractions" - I'm in agreeance that some sort of more leisurely indoor water ride will go in there but perhaps partially share the show with The Storm? Perhaps too this building is being extended?? Very exciting stuff either way!!!

I went last friday night. very impressed by the atmosphere and overall show. I thought walking dead was a tad too brightly lit. Plenty of actors tho but for me more fun than scary. That was my 1st visit. Next I went on JL - only because it was a 10 minute wait while other ride's queues were stupidly long. Seriously, Arkham was out the door and around a corner. Operations are doing an outstandingly fucked up job of running things at the moment - does anyone on here care to agree? MOVIEWORLD, DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR RIDE CAPACITY, IT's PISSING PEOPLE OFF!!! The film vault was my next favourite by virtue of the lighting however, better signage is needed to warn ppl of the excessive strobe lighting used in this maze. I wouldnt be surprised if they have had issues with seizures. Personally I loved the effect - very disorientating! We arrived at 7 and with these 3 things done it was almost 10 already :-( just enough time to visit the slasher maze. I am so glad I saved the best for last!!! VERY impressed! The detail, set design, props, audio and lighting in here really blew me away. It was a genuinely creepy and all round pretty fucked up experience.. Well done movieworld!!! I hope hillbilly slasher comes back next year - almost 100% sure it will! my standing ovation goes to Technical services. Its gotta be one hell of a job setting up for fright nights and this year they have truly outdone themselves. These guys are the true heros of this show:-D. Operations on the other hand, well let's just say im going to start a new topic re this

I heard the new transformers ride going in to Florida has a $40mil price tag which really surprised me. Perhaps the cost has come down due to the R&D already done on the ride? Still 40 mil is way over our heads

I got to ride JL Monday - along with half the rest of south East QLD.. Seriously MW need to work on their operational requirements on a day-to-day basis. There must have been something like 10 thousand people in the park and not nearly enough units operating or staff on to adequately cope with this kind of crowd. 1 hour plus waits everywhere and JL didnt open till after 11, while superman 1130 odd.. Testing should be taking place hours before park opening like it used to but the attitude up top seems to have little concern for customer satisfaction? I guess inadequate staffing keeps many out of the rides and in the shops? I hope this will not remain the norm Anyway I was fortunate enough to walk into the park when JL was about to open so pretty much walked straight on. The pre show/queue look great, atmosphere, lighting and new animatronic at the load area certainly sets an exciting expectation for the ride! I was lucky enough to see pretty much everything up and running as intended on this first time on the ride. As it appeared I share the sentiment of others in that for me too overall the ride missed the mark. What I liked: - entry queue/anticipation and atmosphere - 1st animatronic (load) is this the old Batman unit reskined? Hmm - lighting throughout the ride - projection effects, fog and fog screen - family an interraction - some of the larger screens What didnt work: - audio throughout ride (muffled and confusing) granted this is being worked on - mannequins in street scene wtf? - smaller 3d screens just not very effective - starfish/aliens just looks so fake. I dunno - needs some WOW factor to give the show scenes more oomph. Stuff like more fog, wind, vibration or other sensory effects that involve the audience more with the show and perhaps create a creepiness that the ride suggests at the onset - I wanted a more satisfying finale rather than just a heat lamp turning on briefly above. Perhaps add strobe lighting and intense wind blasts to the end so people come off voing "wow that was awesome" - rather than "that was cute" which seems to be more of the response right now

I wouldnt count on a new rollercoaster for oxenford anytime soon. Over the next 5 years I expect that mw will focus on adding the kind of new attractions that will balance the park in every way imaginable as well as broaden the appeal of its brand. Without question they have an instant hit with justice league, certain to be the new favourite of many. Im so glad they made this decision because it will open peoples perception of what to expect in a theme park and that there is more to them nowadays. Not just high priced shit food, rollercoasters and spin-&-spews. Dont get me wrong I LOVE a good rollercoaster, dont even mind the occasional twirly ride, but everything in balance. That's what makes a good Theme park. Justice league's success will determine what type of attraction will take place of the toon shed, in turn shall also finally decide the fate of bermuda. If the dinosoars in the park havent already offered a clue, more important to see if the public approve first.. Call it a trial?;-) if a park needed a new coaster, SW is it. MW has 5 and all unique. A different direction for them now is a fitting 5 year plan. This is the kind of strategy needed for Coomera. A vision that can take DW into a bright big beautiful tomorrow. Aussie are travelling overseas now more than ever and Disney has suddenly got much closer for many. Only a few.years ago it was but a dream for most. DW needs to go back to its origins and return to being a THEME PARK as opposed to a FUN PARK.. Fun parks close down. History has shown that. If DWs next major attraction must be a coaster then its gotta have theme and imersion. A mine ride that's also a dark ride is logical.pick ur design, mouse, spinner, just give it some show! That's what DW needs. Personally id rather they built a highly themed interactive dark ride next over a coaster but only if the did it with a respectful budget and careful planning

Perhaps but the whole mountain structure would have to go 1st and be stripped right back to the imax wall. Probably too expensive and only a multi level dark ride could fit in such a small space, or as joz suggested, a station for a whole new ride that could surround the gold rush area? Again prob too expensive, at least for a few years. If only they did that last year instead of buying two meh rides huh? If i was running the dream place, my oh so grand 5 year plan: * move the tigers over to be with the other animals, add a new signature enclosure (maybe some big 5 from Africa and remodelling that entire area as the Dreamworld wildlife experience. Saving the planet would be the overall theme and presentation with all sorts of ecologically friendly touches added. This would become the parks way of competing on a sw level * add a show attraction to connect wiggles/dream works area that is a true competitor to the mw style big shows but a la Cirque de soleil. Something that's visually spectacular, world class and a big hit with people of all ages. A fantasy theme featuring characters from dream works makes sense and with a decent budget, say 10 mil. Given the parks new international partnership, surely they could tap some amazing talent from universal to pull off something truly world class. Read all the way to the end to see how this can be done * next up i would focus on condensing the themes of the park, realing the Claw over into dreamworks land, beachafi the ocean pde some more and overhaul the look and feel of main street to give it a feel of fantasy, thats colorful but not tacky, like a beautiful dream come to life and a fitting 1st act for the park. An all new 4d adventure featuring imax size would wow all ages. This theme would extend down to giant drop making it some crazy professors sky falling machine (think Jules Verne) and a high speed dream maker - another crazy invention that lets people be thrusted into their own Dreamworld (inclose mdmc adding, smoke, mirrors, light,audio -like riding a giant calidiscope!! The parks train would be plussed and feature sneak peaks into new attractions that connect it much as disneylands railway does. Further down would sit a beautiful old steamboat now turned restaurant. The area would blend nicelyold the once wiggles area, now gone and replaced with more dream works stuff for the littlies. Tot would also be rethemed dreamworks too * next up gold rush would be expanded to include the log ride which would be enclosed out back and real effects/animations and be all indoors till the end, adding a fire scene and conveyer launch to give the ride ommph and finale. Meanwhile across the river rumours persist of prospectors discovering an old forgotten homestead. Long since abandoned and reportedly home to gold and ghosts. Lots of ghosts! A drum bridge is built to cross the river for the 1st time ever, luring whoever may dare to enter the place where supernatural forces will do whatever it takes to stop anyone from reaching their treasure! This would be a highly themed scare dark type ride that would thrill using fear and excite the audience with an unprecedented use of fx never before seen on this level by dw! It would encompass the entire island area . Atleast 15 mil+ for this puppy but without question an example of an exciting new direction! In keeping thrillseekers happy, a runaway mine train would once again be added to gold rush but this time featuring indoor, outdoor segments together with a healthy swag of show fx and as joz suggested it would lap the entire area adding kinetics and excitement. The new multi car people eater would start and finish inside an all new mountain, still behind imax before heading east to the river and diving over the river before plumetting down an old mine shaft beside the haunted homestead ride before racing north and again blasted out of a cave near the sawmill beside the log ride and thrusted on to the caves of the rapids, through darkness before flying overhead an old oar bridge reaching back to the new mountain station entry/exit. No loops but a few good lim launches, smooth transitions, drops , G's and a bit of wow show would make this ride an absolute hoot. Again, albeit pricey. The land between blue lagoon and the studios would become legoland Australia and the parks 3rd gate. Yeah i went there. Yeah so maybe im dreaming for a better dw with unrealistic ideas but you know what? This wouldn't be so far fetched if Universal parks and resorts were convinced somehow to take a greater interest by buying it a better future? It would be frankly the only way we would ever see them doing parks here in oz, by taking an existing one and give it a bit of world renowned Universal appeal hehe. I believe only they could help reshape dw with such grandeous. Ardent just needs to Convince them to part with say 100 million bucks to help rebuild in exchange for a 50/50 share. Why not bring along the folks at legoland for the ride too? Ardent would supply the land and existing brand while taking half the Lego profits, half of the new dw (shared with universal) and half with Lego over www. Thoughts people? Yeah I've thought about this maybe a bit too much but just maybe such a spectacular future could oneday become a reality for Dreamworld and indeed if so the face of our Aussie parks? So don't say one day dreamworld, get on the blower to Mr universal and make him an offer he can't refuse!

...and EVEN Soft Serve?!?!? WOW! That'll really get the cash registers spinning:. Seriously i hope they have some decent fare on offer. Restaurants in general are having to up the anty nowadays and theme parks should be no different if they want to be getting a slice of the action. Disney are doing a fabulous job of this right now and its only a matter of time that we too will follow suit

Slick that's fucking hilarious!

Haha shux and thanks But (sorry to misunderstand you) i didn't design the bat ride, but u could say there were more than a few coincidences and similarities between my idea and the finishing product. Mine was a rollercoaster that basically started the same way and would prob have cost at least 10mil more+ simulators were huge at the time . All said and done, a job there is all i really wanted. They gave me that and quite a bit more! I met the designers and the silver fox plus got to visit the site as it was being constructed, being one of the first ever to ride, one day supervising it from the tower control room that once sat at the top of the garage overlooking the 6 motion bases

Well done on taking the initiative to write to the park with some great ideas Jacob - something that i often did when i was a kid and teen with the gcs magic mountain when it suddenly closed (never to see the 'grand' refurbishment it promised), later again world expo park and then at 15 mw - my best effort designing an attraction to be called 'batman adventure the ride' - that one got me a job and career that spanned a decade in theme parks and beyond in the tourism industry 20 years later to today.. so you never know where it might take u? I know other regulars on this forum that have and still are following such an exciting career path! Back on topic. I 100% agree with joz and original on what should happen with dws future. The themes or 'lands' need to be condensed to just 5 or so. The park has gone just wrong over the years by adding loose themes and small new lands every time a new ride is added.the exception being the last two which hopefully reflect a positive change. I had a dream once that dw closed for a huge overhaul and the main st area right down to motocoaster and gd took on an emerald city like fantastic fantasy look. Very quirky and like a 'dream'- after all isn't that the parks theme? Wrap a tube with lights and effects around mdmc. Too costly to just remove. Whack a spectacular ghost train dark ride style attraction across the murraysippi-something to truly take on the guys down the road! Oh and hi to all ye park peeps. Thought i better pull my finger out and write something. Been a while, i guess I've been waiting for a decent topic. Nice one nate:)

^I'd much rather see a Windseeker built

^Of course! If MW are looking at retheming LW and perhaps too Batman, they would surely only be looking at something that has marketing capability. I have no doubt such re-themes will sit somewhere within the DC Universe as that appears to be the direction that area of the Park is moving. Maybe look into the future to see what DC have up their sleeves for 2012 and/or something that would be a nice complement to what has already been done

trouble with Steamers (hehe) over time they rot away their surroundings exposing them to moisture and rust. High upkeep costs for past attractions like Gremlins were largely caused by the amount of steam and moisture used. By the time the ride got it's first big overhaul the squad vehicle at the unload dock (which had constant steam running through it) literally fell to pieces when it was taken away! I noticed they removed the steam effects from the Tune ride a few years back as well. WWF used a mi-fog effect that created a cool misty haze around the geyser area without steam or chemicals but I haven't seen it running in years. I thought this was the same kind of machine used over at Superman

^ I was a part of the LW opening crew and can tell you the themeing there was always about the same (burnt out building, theatre, car wrecks, graffiti etc were all there on opening day -in fact since the removal of the pre-show, today that ride is themed less so The lack of themeing on this GL project is nothing short of an abomination on part of MW - the station is so sparse it doesn't even have an undercover maintenance bay.. WTF? Is this the kind of thing we can come to expect from the 'new' MW? ugh, fucking dreadful Don't expect much in the way of new enhancements after it opens either. Never been their style. Really not much you can do in a week so don't hold your breath people. Aussieworld did a better job themeing their flume ride

Cheers Gav - I stand corrected. I must say it certainly 'felt' like canvas standing under Main Street at the MW 20 year reunion party last weekend

Seriously what's the go with all the white canvas awnings everywhere?? It's almost like GC businesses have struck a deal with the manufacturing company, literally covering the Coast in the things! I thought it hilarious watching the 1st (and for me last) episiode of Tera-nova and low and behold, white plastic awnings are featured... Is nothing safe from these things?? Functional? yes. Cheap looking? ABSOLUTELY!

Thanks for your friendly feedback and suggestions guys! Like anything new it would require loads of research, development and dollars thrown at it to get right. I think it has enormous potential and could very well be the 'magic bullet' idea to help lift per cap revenue across the Parks. A similar but more thematically appropriate version could also be developed for the Bermuda site and wouldn't that be cute to see two old favorites grow and evolve along side one another?

Not me personally but as bizarre as it may sound, what if developing a major attraction as a type of up-charge could be a positive thing? It would be extremely appealing to all ages with a strong theme & marketability. A unique combination of repeat-ability, player incentives, thrills & competitiveness would make it highly addictive & worth paying for if people saw value in it. When it comes down to choosing a suitable theme & marketing opportunity, you simply cannot go past Looney Tunes. They're older than your Grand Parents and forever timeless. Over 100 Looney Tunes characters could offer countless combinations and story-lines in a fast-paced interactive 3D environment that's never the same twice! The new Transformer's ride is about the closest to the way this show would play out opting for .an impressive 3D digitally animated environment instead of physical sets presented with cheap Sally-bots. Better to leave the robot stuff to the people at Disney who have the money to do it right This would be a whole new Theme Park ride/experience that combines the appeal of sideshow games, prize winning & arcade games in a way that's never been done before. Offer 1 free entry to the 1 day Visitor and a handful of bonus 'free' entries to the VIPérs (amount depending on pass type). Give em a taste to get em hooked! Charge say $10 pp a Game/ride which includes a plastic smart card that would be inserted into the console and contains all of the players particulars, recording their score and later awarding accordingly. After the ride you would exit through the obligatory shop to collect your prize, perhaps by sticking your card in a machine and in most cases a voucher would be dispensed. These could be great cross-promotional tool offering things like Ice-creams, 2for1 lunches, special merchandise offers, Outback show offers, Resort deals, so many things you can do but designed as incentive's to increase customer spending. For higher scores and random / spot prize winners there would be a huge prize pool ranging in value dependent on score. Again there are so many possibilities with how this could be marketed.

nicely put. The Tune shed is huge and could easily house another coaster but i'm pretty sure Theme Parks can also build other types of rides? Interactive shootouts are smash hit family fun and especially adored by anyone with a game console or 2 back home. Here's a crazy thought: In yet another world first, MW's latest attraction...... A pay-for-play shoot-em dark ride encouraging competitive riders to fork out their dollars to out-do the Looney Tunes and their own personal best scores! The circular shaped cars would each have 6 outward facing seats that unexpectedly spin throughout the ride. Each rider equipped with Sonic Radar Pistol, audio com, lap restraint and safety protecto (3D) goggles. The ride would house numerous digital 3D screens of all shapes and sizes, providing 360 degree 3D animated show scenes that would be embedded with hundreds of infra/laser target points. With each scene running on say a 30 minute loop, the overall experience would be different each time as you spend little more than 15 seconds in each one Get a top score & win a giant stuffed Bunny to take home. If your a bit 'unco' like me then you might be shit enough to win yourself a token to have another shot! Go again, yep still pretty shit, here, have another ride on us! Third time's a charm, your 1st 'meh' score and a giant blow up Tweety thingy just for you.... WOW! Want another go? OK this time it'll cost ya!! How could you resist a chance at winning those crazy bunny ears or glow in the dark Martian Helmet? better still... a giant dust collector because everybody wants one of those!! OK so this idea might sound a tinsy bit ridiculous and even a little immoral promoting 'kiddie gambling' by luring people in with promises of cheap trinkets and addictive fun?? The Park has to make money somehow & what better way than by enticing pass holders to open their wallets to come play inside the world's biggest Skill-tester!!!

It's been a bit dead on the forums the last few days so I thought I'd kick off a new topic about our recently deceased Dark rides, their Past, Present & Future. Once upon a time, three Grand Show's performed to an audience of millions with the majority holding them in revere for unmatched spectacle & endearing magic. To me, they paved an entirely different direction for the future of our Parks and set the benchmark high for what tomorrow held. This turning point came 20 years ago after Menzies & his team permanently brought a touch of Uncle Sam's Magic to the people of Down Under. 100% calling the shots and telling us what we wanted, they focused on new Attractions that we Aussies didn't 'get' at the time but Americans very much did and back then that's all that mattered. MW was always influenced by Universal & they by Disney. Our own Lassiter's, Tunes & Bermuda rides would never have existed if it weren't for Pirates of the Caribbean. To be sure you can thank Disney for Back to the Future and our own Batman ride too. Likewise, Splash Mountain inspired Jurassic Park that later gave us our own version, WWF. What's good for the Goose hey?? By contrast, our Park's today face a somewhat unplanned and alternate future. One that's now driven by the needs of our local market. This has become their only lifeline for survival so must be embraced or else face harsh judgement by the hand that feeds it. I think it's wonderful that we have not lost the 'Spark' despite mediocre expectations of today's visitor. But whilst there's been plenty of good stuff to celebrate you simply cannot ignore the void left behind by the Bat, the Bunny & Bermuda. This has played on the Hearts of devoted Aussie Theme Park Enthusiasts and our own Parkz Community for some time. It has clearly signified a new direction for the Company and certainly not one that many of us admire. Like or Loathe, this is how things are so best get use to it people!! So today we have 3 big dusty buildings and I reckon not even they know what to do with them!! All purpose built & only good for the kind of ride that's since become too costly and apparently not what people want anymore. I wonder what the insides of tunes/bermuda look like right now? Are all the show scenes still sitting there breeding spiders and snakes or have they been entirely gutted? It would certainly feel weird standing in the middle of the Tune building, completely empty, just the canal etc. I think Batman has a different future because with a few adjustments here and there it can become something that 'fits' the new direction. With all these buildings just sitting there I cannot help but think something more is going on inside! I hope at least anyway When you compare the old way with the new, MW and DW now seem to be on similar paths. Ultimately that (it seems) is what the average local Aussie visitor really wants; They really want a FUN Park with lots of coasters and the more whirly rides, the better! I'm glad to see MW are still going the extra mile to impress (fancy extras for GL etc) but sad to see this coming at a cost elsewhere as they continue to swap out the old for the new What do you think? is there a bright future for the show buildings that once housed the Bat, the Bunny & Bermuda? If so what do you think would be a suitable 'fit' for each one given today's market/demand and company direction? Whatever is on the cards, I wouldn't count on seeing a decent dark ride added anytime soon

I would say 5-6 cars running for comfortable operation, ie the 1st at load, 2nd unload, 3rd at the final run between the 2nd last to final trimstation, whilst the 4th ascending the lift hill and 5th in full flight. A 6th and 7th car perhaps awaiting dispatch beyond load, between the load/unload points or banked up behind unload. You can only go as fast as your slowest point and in the case of GL that will be the dispatch intervals. I expect these will be amazingly quick given no guest will have loose articles together with the spacious design of the cars allowing fast and comfortable boarding

Coaster or not this is going to be a mighty fun ride. Love the Trains with the extra features and the fact that once again MW are opening a beefed up version of an existing ride model to provide Aussie theme park lovers with the best we could ever hope for. They'll get around to opening up more family/dark rides but right now at least public demand has asked for another Coaster for the Park. I am sure most out there cannot wait to give it a go and it will most certainly serve the park well for some time

^spot on what you said here. i know myself and so many others have all expressed the same concerns. Unfortunately we are the voices of the Enthusiasts who no doubt make up less than 1% of the people going to the Parks. The loudest our voices can shout is through sites like this one but at the end of the day we are still only 1% and care about all the shit that most people out there don't even notice. I think they are now treading a little dangerously with the most recent decision to close batman though You know what? I bet all of these closures came about as a result of Guest feedback surveys.The closures only started happening after the VIP passes kicked off. I am sure the surveys would have asked multiple choice questions like "What types of rides or attractions would you like to see more of?" with everybody circling a roller-coaster over other options like dark, family or water rides. Remember about a year ago some individuals who worked at the Park were blabbing on here about something being planned to replace the Looney Tunes Ride for a Christmas 2011 opening? BTW this person hasn't been back here for nearly a year.. anyway it was probably announced at an awards night ages ago.. Anyway whatever ''it'' was had no place whatsoever themeing wise in the realm of the Looney Tunes.. Evidently some surveys were later put out to customers voting on for another rollercoaster and forcing it to be built at the front. They probably reviewed the customer reaction to the closure of Bermuda finding the level of complaints to be surprisingly few and thought ''fuck it, you reckon anyone will notice if we shutdown the Tune ride?" And perhaps 6 months on after the Tune ride's closure they again saw surprisingly few complaints and negative feedback. Seeing that both Batman Adventure and Tunes drew about the same average daily attendance figure and with marginal complaints coming through from one closure they would expect the same again, I'm probably so right on the money with what i just said that if MW management read this they'd probably go blaming known staff for talking out of line. I want to make it very clear that I have never discussed with or passed on any gossip, rumours or sensitive information from anyone here. In reality, I just know the Park like the back of my hand even after 10 years. I also know that if they can get away with shutting a couple of rides to save drastically under budget that end of year bonus cheque would be looking pretty tasty for somebody - especially with retirement surely just around the corner