[Arthurs Seat Chairlift]

Well, maybe it's just a stunt for the state election, but today it was announced that the Arthur's Seat chairlift would be rebuilt as a quad chair with a few gondolas. I'm one of the biggest fans of passenger aerial ropeways in the country, but I'll believe it when I see it. I think it's only marginally more likely as the gondola that the Myrtleford Chamber of Commerce want to build going up Mt Buffalo. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/...from=public_rss http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-na...1030-177ut.html P.S. Since I last posted on this topic, I've found a few more chairlifts including one that was recently built in Queenstown Tasmania. Does anyone know a thing about it, I can't find a website for it. My list of passenger ropeways in Australia. Feel free to correct it or add to it. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._.28non_snow.29

[Village Roadshow expands into Sydney market]

From Village Roadshow Limited annual report 2010. p. 3. In September 2010 VRL also announced it had signed a conditional agreement with the New South Wales Government to build and operate VRL's fourth West 'n Wild water park at Prospect in Western Sydney. Subject to finance and various planning approvals, Wet 'n Wild Sydney is expected to open during the summer of 2013/14, with VRL investing approximately $80 million in this world class venue. Catering for all ages the park will include Australia's largest man-made beach and wave pool, duelling water coasters, a variety of both teen and family oriented water slides and a toddler pool with interactive water play zone. ... (then a bit of stuff on water management to placate the greenies). The key here are the words "conditional agreement" and "subject to... various planning approvals". After the disaster of the aborted VRL theme park at Werribee in Victoria, VRL has been scared off dealings with state governments in Australia who are prone to changing their minds depending on how aggressive lobby groups and greenies are, even after a contract has been signed. Sorry to disappoint RaverGuy, but the NSW government were about as ditsy on this issue as the Victorians were. Keneally certainly didn't lure Wet and Wild to NSW, rather VRL had to push very hard to be allowed to build it by reminding her that it would be about the only big construction project in the basket case economy that is Sydney's west. VRL already operate a few tourist attractions in NSW, namely Sydney and Manly Aquariums, Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Tower Observatory and Skywalk. They are already in NZ too Brendan. A couple of years ago their aquariums division bought Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in Auckland.

[Michael Jackson Themepark]

Whether you liked him and thought he was just a little misguided or disliked him and think he was an evil pervert, there has to be a lot of fun in thinking up apt rides for a Whacko Jacko theme park. I'm not as imaginitive as I'd like to be, but surely we can think up rides based on song titles and/or his idiosyncrasies?

[Arthurs Seat Chairlift]

THE Arthurs Seat chairlift has closed for good after more than 40 years as one of Victoria's most popular tourist attractions. The lift has been shut since May 2006 after three accidents in four years. Richard Hudson, owner and operator for the past 30 years, is conceding after a long battle with safety authorities and the courts to get the lift operating again. The chairs were removed last Friday, and Mr Hudson is planning the removal of the poles, cable and other machinery parts. Most of the 40-tonne structure will be thrown away or sold for scrap, even though it has been refitted and strengthened in recent years. The kiosk at the base of the lift will also be demolished. Mr Hudson insists the lift would be safer than ever after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the revamp. But he was not prepared to keep battling authorities. Mr Hudson has run the lift since 1979. At its peak, more than 100,000 people a year rode to the top of the Mornington Peninsula summit. He described the closure as a shame for the Victorian tourism industry. He estimated he has lost about $3 million while the lift remained idle for more than two years. Mr Hudson fired a parting shot at WorkSafe, saying the changes the organisation wanted him to make would make the lift unsafe. "I could have it up and running in a day and it'd be as safe as it has been for 40 years," he said. "It's state of the art. It's equal to anything anywhere." WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said safety was paramount. "WorkSafe's role is to ensure the operator has the capacity to ensure ongoing maintenance is done and that potential risks are managed consistently," Mr Birt said. But Mr Hudson said WorkSafe had no expertise in the area and teams of officers had failed to come up with a workable solution. Mr Hudson said he received no assistance from Tourism Victoria or the Victorian Government to get the lift operating again. "It's a tremendous shame how the government as a whole has treated this place," he said. When the chairlift opened in 1960, one headline said it was "Victoria's touch of the Riviera". Another evoked the Eiffel Tower. The 950m ride up the Dromana hillside rewarded visitors with one of the best views of the bay. Mr Hudson estimates that some Victorians visited the lift at least five times during their lives -- as a child, a teenager, an adult bringing overseas visitors, and as a parent and grandparent. Jason Griffiths, owner of Arthurs Hotel restaurant and reception centre on the summit, said uncertainty over the future of the lift had damaged his trade and the local tourism industry. "People come here and want to know when the lift is going to reopen, and we don't know and it's embarrassing. "It's sad. The time and the passion that Richard has put in has been tremendous. "It's deplorable that people get treated like this." Peninsula tourism consultant Steve Robin said many Victorians had childhood memories of the chairlift. "It's a crying shame that the chairlift would be closing permanently," he said.

Well that looks like it for Arthur's Seat. The Arthur's Seat chairlift was almost entirely rebuilt in 2003 - 2004, so it's fairly new, especially as it hasn't been used for a few years. There is a strong market for second hand chairlifts. A year ago Mt Buller's ABOM/Howqua chair was demolished and moved to Mt Selwyn (in NSW). They had it operating for this years ski season. Other relocated chairlifts include The Nut (Stanley, Tas) which formerly ran at Mt Baw Baw and various amusement park and showground chairs. So if the proprietor of the Arthurs Seat chair says he can't sell it, then he's not trying very hard! This web page has a list of every chairlift and gondola to operate in Australia. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._the_snowfields

[Theme Park discount tix]

I'm a shareholder in Village Roadshow, so I get two for the price of one tickets valid until 31/12/10 for Village, Greater Union and Birch, Carroll & Coye cinemas and these parks: Australian Outback Spectacular, Sydney Tower, Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Aquarium, Wet & Wild, Sea World, WB Movie World. I recently bought a packet of Coco Pops which had a buy one, get one free voucher on the back for most zoos in the country. This is valid until the end of this year. Snoop around supermarkets and you may still be able to get these packets. Keep your eyes open and it's amazing what you can pick up.

[Arthurs Seat Chairlift]

Thanks folks, I couldn't remember the year the old Sydney showgrounds closed. I've also added another chairlift for W.A. It ran at some dressage horse display attraction but had a tendency to break down. It was moved to Adventure World where it appears to be fairly reliable these days, presumably because amusement parks have mechanics experienced with this sort of thing. Back to the Arthur's Seat chairlift. I always thought it would be a good (and fairly slack) summer job for a team from a ski resort. They deal with busier and more complex chairlifts in winter, so running a fixed grip seaside chairlift should be a doddle for them.

[Arthurs Seat Chairlift]

Thanks Reanimated, that's exactly the sort of extra information that I'm looking for. I will ammend the page to show your correction.

[Chairlift & gondola info needed]

Hi. I've compiled a list of every chairlift and gondola to ever operate in Australia. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._the_snowfields I have the ski resorts sorted out, but details of some chairs and gondolas at parks and showgrounds are a bit rough. I'd be hugely grateful for any extra information or corrections to this listing. Thanks, Dave.

[Arthurs Seat Chairlift]

Parks Vic has opened tenders for the chairlift and sent prospectuses to a few dozen possible operators. Applications close in December 2009. On another issue, I've compiled a list of every chairlift and gondola ever built in Australia. While I have the ski resorts covered, not all the information is complete for chairlifts and gondolas at parks and showgrounds. Any extra information (no matter how trivial) would be appreciated. Thanks. http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Australi..._the_snowfields