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Jobe

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Jobe last won the day on October 16 2023

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  1. So are you going to post it or are you going to hold us all in suspense? 🤔
  2. Here is an updated interview with Jim Eddy, owner of the Jamberoo Action Park in NSW. It details that they are indeed gearing up for a new attraction that is planned for this year- weather and conditions permitting. That will be the Action River which , from the above artwork, looks super long and will encompass a large tunnel through the Funnel Web and Perfect Storm slide complex. What they also state is that a SECOND wave pool will be constructed along with the River. There is no mention as to if this Wave Pool will be any different to the exisiting Wave Pool but they do add that these attractions are being added to help with capacity. Beyond that, the artwork does show another slide complex to the right of The Funnel Web and also the Master Blaster water coaster that has its circuit around the end half of the new Action River. These 2 future attractions will complete the Kangaroo Ilsand Master Plan, started over 20 years ago. Hopefully the Action River will be the equal of Volcano Bay in Orlando's Action River, which has to be one of the best of its types and examples in the world. In other quick news Jamberoo have replaced their old land train with a new unit- one that is larger and higher capacity. Thennew land train is now powerful enough to climb the mountain and it completes a full circuit of the park with stops at every major slide and the 2nd Station of the Chairlift. Its a great addition to the park as it encompasses some great views of the surrounding landscape and is now a great attraction in its own right. This runs throughout the day and when i visited last weekend, proved to be extremely popular. So quick discussion here- will this addition catapult Jamberoo into the position of best water park in Australia? The competition is fierce and there are several contenders who could take that crown....... https://regionillawarra.com.au/how-visionary-jim-eddy-turned-a-cow-paddock-into-the-largest-water-theme-park-in-nsw/11216/
  3. 💯 accurate. The far more logical choice where it should have gone.
  4. Absolutely think that Dreamworld should turn their attention on Motocoaster next. It badly needs a retheme and new trains to better fit in with the Rivertown them close by. I doubt they would opt for spinning cars however. They would be the best option and would really bring something to the ride for sure. Even if they heavily rethemed the entire layout, added in some enclosed sections and gave the ride generic straddle quad bike trains with similar restraints to Jet Rescue and this would still be a far better ride for it. Paddle steamer- I can definitley see the need for it but I think its a very small chance of it happening. A water coaster or a well themed log flume with indoor and well themed sections should happen before any new coaster. This should be the priority for mine after the Moto coaster retheme. As for flats I think Dreamworld needs something unique and different from what is already out there in the Australian theme park landscape. The reason Wipeout was so beloved and iconic was because there was nothing else like it in Australia at the time it was installed. Give the punters something that is good to ride, that is going to leave a positive impression but one that they can only get at Dreamworld and will leave them wanting to come back for more. Wipeout did that for the entirety of its lifespan and was why it was so successful. These would all be excellent contenders in my opinion. From RES - The Oracle Also from RES The Sunseeker From Fabbri Rides- The Spider From Fabbri Rides again The InControl A well themed one of these would make an excellent Family thrill installation Then again,how long before we see one of these in Australia? Or one of these? Or if we want to play with nostalgia lets have the updated Reef Diver II Incidentally , RES have done some great versions of flume rides and Rapid rides and they also have a a great concept for a Water coaster that Dreamworld could do wonders with a custom layout...... https://ride-engineers.com/rides/water-coaster/ Plenty of options for Dreamworld to play with. Great topic!! Looking forward to hearing other ideas!
  5. Ahhh Another one bites the dust!!! Such a shame this could not have got off the ground. This would have been a great attraction for the Sunshine Coast area and couple with Aussie World and Australia Zoo would have stamped the Sunshine Coast as major alternative to the Gold Coast. The Sunshine Coast area is crying out for a water park on this level and it would do extremely well if another player were to come and pick up the pieces.
  6. Amidst all the exciting news coming out of IAAPA today , we also have some news closer to home. The Monoply attraction in Melbourne, which had been delayed, is finally set to open today. Next time I am in Melbourne I will swing by and check this out. https://concreteplayground.com/sydney/travel-leisure/monopoly-dreams-melbourne-opening?fbclid=IwAR2mQuZTTosoRZnU3CyxU8NyhOFlNM4OvwENBJtP4r-E2Lu13iXKIGfDvq4 The attractions official website is here.
  7. My assumption is that if they are announcing this on their map, then for mine the Go karts are gone for good. They certainly do occupy a decent parcel of land and whilst I do not expect a coaster announcement, it would be great for this park to install a new themed area with 2-3 new family thrill flat rides. This park needs to balance out its dry attraction offerings and this would go a long way in addressing that.
  8. This 👆 💯 agree. Was going to respond exactly the same way. Could not have put it any better myself.
  9. Hey I am just repeating what has been reported in the media and quoted what the park’s CEO has stated in an interview. They seem fairly confident it can and will be done.
  10. Hmm interesting. Well if that is true then its not overly positive , however, it is their space and they can manage it as they see fit , just like any other function space. I do not think the intention here is to stop the Big Top from holding functions at all, ratheras I stated earlier, I believe that this will be a seasonal , holiday run attraction. Indeed the official media release says that this technology will be later used for corporate functions, live music and product launches etc.
  11. Do you have examples here? I think you might be surprised here. Given that its a free entry park, people can choose if they just want to do this attraction and then leave. Also given that its an hour long experience, this pricing point sits pretty well with other similar events such as the Van Gogh travelling experience which was extremely popular. Of course , it will depend on how good this experience actually is and also will they be able to alter it so that different experiences can be shown to attain repeat patronage. Perhaps they will have seasonally different shows every year to entice people back. This may only have a limited holiday run as well. That will keep this experience quite fresh if they do. Time will tell but its great to see the park being innovative with the spaces they have.
  12. Luna Park Sydney has released details of its new $15 million dollar imersive attraction, the Dream Circus. It has provided almost 90 years of fun but now Sydney's iconic Luna Park is entering the digital age with a new immersive attraction pegged to be the next chapter of the park's history. Luna Park opened in 1935 on Sydney Harbour during a time of economic and political turbulence during the Great Depression. The theme park offered "escapism, wonder and joy" for residents during that difficult time, CEO John Hughes said. The historical face of Luna Park and as it looks now. (Nine / Supplied) "Born in the midst of the great depression, Luna Park was built in Sydney out of this need for being social to escape through some of that frivolity," he told 9news.com.au. Eighty-eight years later, torrid times have hit again but Luna Park remains to offer a similar escape. "Now in 2023 with what is happening globally on the back of a pandemic, we think that there is this innate need again to escape, somewhere to go have fun and somewhere to go socialise." From December 22, Luna Park will have upgraded the Big Top to an immersive experience attraction, opening with a locally created experience called the Dream Circus. A render of inside the Big Top immersive experience. (Supplied)HERE The park has made the $15 million investment into redeveloping the Big Top to compete with the globally growing demand for immersive experiences. Luna Park will offer a 3000-square-metre fully accessible multi-purpose entertainment venue within the Big Top with "Barco projection technology, a spatially mapped audio system, hologram technology, motion-activated LED screens and the latest in lighting technology". It provides a 360-degree visual and audio experience in the Big Top that will initially be used to show the Dream Circus production and later for live music, product launches, fashion week and other corporate connections. The event space will open with the Dream Circus production. (Supplied) Sydney Luna Park CEO John Hughes. (Supplied) The move into the immersive and digital space is the future for the amusement park, the CEO added. "We know globally that Gen Z, Gen Alpha are craving these highly social and immersive experiences," he said. He acknowledged that simply relying on rollercoasters and rides at Luna Park isn't sustainable for the future of the theme park and moving into the digital space and creating an "Instagrammable" experience will attract a new wave of visitors. "Luna Park has historically pushed what is possible creatively it has always been a leader in the next best thing," Hughes said. "It is in our DNA. We are replicating it in a 2023 way to a 2023 audience who are largely digital natives," he said. The park already welcomes 1.1 million visitors per year - a return to pre-COVID-19 numbers, Hughes said - but with this new experience it hopes to attract 50,000 visitors this summer alone. Luna Park is sticking closely to its history honouring the best of the new technology while remaining a heritage Art Deco amusement park with classic rides and attractions. From the current to construction site to event space in seven weeks. (Supplied) The Dream Circus is a narrative journey to be premiered in the Big Top. (Supplied) But as the CEO noted, with Australia and the globe facing difficult economic times again in 2023 and the cost of living crisis squeezing budgets, the park believes it has hit the right balance on pricing with the new experience. Starting at $35 for kids and $45 for adults, the team said it is pricing "comparable to a movie". "When you look at the broad spectrum of going to the cinema, going to other attractions or going to shows that come to town we think that is priced quite low given the experience and quality," Hughes said. "Hopefully people can see the value proposition of coming to the park for a ride pass and an experience pass for the Dream Circus for a fairly affordable price." The link to the original article can be found HERE This seems like an excellent proposition for the park- at the same time it converts a function space that can be utilised into a permanent attraction but the attraction itself can also be used to enhance the features of the function space. It will be interesting to see just how and what this attraction actually looks like when it opens to the public. Either way, it certainly shows that Luna Park are still thinking out of the box and have followed up their recent significant investment of 9 new rides with this experience. The Luna park site has been updated to reflect the new attraction and has more info. It will be an upcharge and ticketed attraction and is not available if you are an existing annual pass holder. Info from the website is as per below:
  13. This has been posted on the Facebook site , Lost Amusement Parks of Australia. Its not often you hear of a defunct coaster in Australia and New Zealand that you have never heard of but this is what this group is all about! Please see the below post regarding the Cloud 9/Runaway Mine Roller coaster on New Zealand's South Island. Thanks to 𝔻𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕥 𝕊𝕋𝔼𝔼𝕃 ℝ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕠𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤 and member Davd Mahan for this post. Cloud 9/Runaway Minecoaster at QEII Fun Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. After the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand concluded, the park that was built to accommodate them was left relatively empty, so throughout the 70s and 80s, many amusement facilities were built, The area would eventually be given the name "QEII Fun Park" (QEII is short for Queen Elizabeth II, whom the area was named after), and it was quite popular, the Cloud 9 roller coaster was a looping shuttle coaster where you would be lifted up a spike backward and then dropped down into the loop, and then roll backward and go through the loop again. It opened around September of 1985, making it the first roller coaster to go upside down in the country, beating out Corkscrew at Auckland's Rainbow's End by one year, The coaster was reportedly built and operated by the Paterson Brothers, Gavin, Neville & Lyndsay, who run a tire shop in Christchurch. Many locals stated the ride was very loud and shaky, and many did not believe the ride was safe. Residents in houses near the park called it an eyesore and were annoyed by the sounds of the ride running, and after much (apparent) discussion, the coaster's owners agreed to remove the loop, probably around 1988-1989, this also required part of the ride to be moved. With the loop being removed, the ride's main draw was lost, and ridership went down sharply, furthermore, the noise issues were not fixed, and the ride was still as noisy as ever. Due to these factors, the ride was scrapped near the end of 1989, this was the only permanent roller coaster operating on New Zealand's South Island, so after its closure, it was left without any coasters, and it remains that way to this day. The QEII Fun Park remained open until the early 2000s and the neighboring water park stayed open until 2012 when it was destroyed by an earthquake. (photo credit to Dick Smit, Kim Bartlett, Jo Zervos, Susanna Preston, the Christchurch Star, and Christchurch City Libraries) Has any members of the group actually ridden this? Who has even heard of it? Very interesting and apparently made in house!! Has anyone ever heard of this? Or even have the credit? Just thought that this was interesting and historic enough to share. I certainly have never heard of it!
  14. Just to add to this here is the article. ( Thanks @Rabbit2014 for the link) It has some interesting info in it. THE BIG BANANA FUN PARK TO INTRODUCE BUMPER CAR ATTRACTION SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 ATTRACTIONS / ENTERTAINMENT / SAFETY / TOURISM Coffs Harbour landmark The Big Banana Fun Park has announced that its latest addition, an interactive Bumper Car attraction, will open before the end of the year. Featuring an infrared shooting system and a digital scoring display, the new attraction will provides a modern twist on the classic Dodgem Car ride, making it a more thrilling and competitive experience. Manufactured by the market leading Italian supplier Eurogames, the attraction’s original ‘shoot & spin’ function makes the Bumper Cars spin when shot while a digital scoreboard keeps track of the number of targets hit, to reward players and enhance their ride experience. Anticipating that the new Bumper Cars attraction will captivate both families and thrillseekers, The Big Banana Chief Executive, Michael Lockman advises "we are delighted to introduce an attraction that not only adds excitement for our customers, but also aligns with our strategic vision for the future.” Emphasising the importance of innovation for the fun park, Lockman adds “the Bumper Cars attraction is designed for customers as young as three years of age, making it an exciting experience for the entire family. “This facility has been designed to operate in all weather conditions and is expected to offer a competitive edge over other destinations, as it will be a unique attraction in Regional NSW.” Images courtesy of The Big Banana. Also opening by Christmas is the much delayed second tower in the waterpark. It will feature a duelling raft slide and will add some good capacity to the water park and beef up their offering. The Alpine Slide is apparently still in the planning and development stages still and is definitely going ahead. The delay may mean that there were some issues getting this approved through council. With this delay, this means that wilst the Big Banana Alpine coaster was the first to be announced in Australia, the new Alpine Coaster at Thredbo be built now will be the first to open in Australia. Good times though!! Thredbo Plan New Alpine Coaster Snowy Magazine Nov 21 2022Updated November 21, 2022 EXCITING: An image of the proposed Thredbo Alpine Coaster. PHOTO: Thredbo / digitally enhanced THREDBO Resort have submitted a development application for a new Alpine Coaster ride that will add another layer of adventure at the resort. When approved, this rollercoaster-like toboggan amusement attraction will wind 1,040m through alpine and subalpine vegetation zones, from the top of Lovers Leap to the Valley Terminal precinct. Running adjacent to the existing Snowgums chair for the uplink, the top station and start of the ride would commence just below the current first Snowgums unload. The rendered image (above) supplied by Thredbo shows proximity to the village and the base area around the Merritts Gondola and the current old tennis court area. The proposed line and location of the Alpine Coaster. Thredbo Resort General Manager, Stuart Diver has previously discussed the planned ride at stakeholder marketing presentations. “Subject to approvals we expect the Alpine Coaster to be open for winter 2024,” said Mr Diver. “The Alpine Coaster will be a really exciting addition to Thredbo’s year round adventure offering and will provide an experience that aligns with Thredbo’s focus is to provide premium experiences for our guests in addition to the great offerings we currently have.” This is all part of a new wave of upgrades at the resort that guests will see in the coming years. Following the construction of the Merritts Gondola launched for winter 2020 and the Easy Rider T-Bar replacement for winter 2022, Thredbo will roll out a comprehensive lift replacement plan over the next eight years – including replacing the Snowgums Chairlift and Gunbarrel Chairlift with high-speed six-seater chairlifts. This will increase lifting capacity by up to 40% at the resort. Development application (DA) Images and location of the proposed new Alpine Coaster.
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