Jobe

Yeah I get your logic here if we were specifcally talking about an attraction that was targeting international tourism as its main drawcard. That is 100% true. Specifically if its Disney or Universal or even Legoland. However, when Wonderland was opened , it was built for the local population and market. The same could also be said for Dreamworld , Seaworld and Movieworld even now. ( with the exception of the NZ market). The majority of their marketing is pushed towards a domestic target audience with internationals being drawn there as a secondary consideration. I am thinking of a new build park at Somersby that is also targeting just the local population as their major concern. This precludes the need for being near a major airport. However, being in the best possible space for local population visits is the most attractive option here and hence why the Somersby site should be considered to be a viable option. Being smack bang in the middle of a catchment area of 6 million people is a strong reason to consider. This catchment area is also twice the size of the local population base for Brisbane and the Gold Coast combined-namely Brisbane at 2.2 million and the Gold Coast at 600,000. 3 Million versus 6 million is a powerful argurment for consideration when looking at this. This certainly evens out when you take into account the number of tourist visits for the Gold Coast over a year at 3.7 million but it certainly places both sites on a fairly even keel in terms of catchment numbers. These numbers do not include any out of town tourist numbers that would also potentially visit the site from Sydney tourist numbers of which there would be a further 3 million to add into the mix ( both domestic and international) Time wise lets look- Newcastle/Hunter to Somersby - 80 minutes Sydney CBD to Sommersby - 70 minutes Blacktown to Somersby - 62 minutes Parramatta to Somersby -64 minutes Even Campbelltown to Somersby is around 90 minutes. The entire Sydney basin is within easy reach of a site at Somersby. All of these major population bases are connected by far better roads than when Wonderland was built in the 80's. The infrastructure to get to Somersby are on Motorways that are acknowledged as some of the best in the nation. Travelling by car is not an impediment here since the times to travel are more than reasonable for a major attraction for any of the locals that live in the target catcment area. We have already seen that people will travel locally for a decent attraction. We know the need in NSW for a theme park the size of Wonderland is needed. Local people within that 6 million catchment base could easily fit this in for a day trip and it would be far cheaper than travelling to the Gold Coast by flight. Its easier to organise and we know that locals will first and foremost , support their local park. Why else do VRTP offer a local pass for their properties? The Gold Coast parks do not have fantastic public transport options- its mainly buses or coaches with no rail options. Light Rail will be a good addition to this if it ever gets off the ground but the majority of people drive to the parks. This would be the same for any attraction at Somersby and would be very comparable to the GC sites. Of course, PT would be established if there was an attraction and its only 15 minutes to Somersby from Gosford Train station where a major hub could be easily established. Jamberoo and Gumbuya are certainly further from their customer bases and yet people are still willing to travel to them. Both parks are surviving and thriving. Have they had time to establish this? Certainly for Jamberoo but I would argue that Gumbuya has forged their own identity and loyal customer base very recently in the last few years since they expanded and transformed into the park that it is. There is nothing stopping a new attraction/park from doing the same thing right now. Gumbuya has proven this and it would of course be dependent on what was offered. If Wonderland was opened today on a site in Somersby do we really think that it would not attract a sizeable interest and following from the 6 million people it was targeting? I dont think so - the interest in it would be huge and local people and families would definitely travel for it since that it is quite reasonable to do so. I just think that IF NSW were to ever get another ground up theme park, a site at Somersby would have to figure in any planning or thinking. It simply has a lot of boxes that it ticks, espcially in relation to other options and I do not think it is one that can be summarily dismissed out of hand. When you dig a little deeper, the pros for a site at Somersby do stack up for mine. Its all pie in the sky stuff of course, and I think its a long way off before another theme park is even considered for Sydney and NSW. Sad as that is.

Look I get what you are saying. Let me expand on my thinking here. This is in the area of one of the biggest growth corridors in NSW and smack bang in the middle of the 3 biggest population bases in all of NSW next door to the biggest freeway and transport corridor between the two biggest population bases- that is a powerful case right there. Australia's Wonderland when it began in 1985 was probably in a far worse position when it opened- and it had the same issues that were probably more disadvantageous than what a site at Sommersby would be. Australia's Wonderland opened with no rail links, no close connection to any major airport and at the time the road infrastructure was far inferior than what we have today. I just think that as a ground up site, it has its advantages. Everything grew around Wonderland and I think that having a major theme park situated here in NSW people would travel for it. They would also couple it with visits to either the Hunter region or the Greater Sydney region. Dreamworld, when it was built, also had no real infrastructure around it either. To get there, you travelled by car or by coach. And yet they came. Yeah I am talking about a separate entity here- not aligning with the Reptile park. Travel from Western Sydney shouldnt be all that much of a problem-in fact its the exact obverse of what Australia's Wonderland faced when it first opened and now the road infrastructure is that much more superior to then. The M4 and the M7 directly link to the North Connex and that leads to the M1 and before you know it, you are on the Central Coast. Exactly. To me it all depends on the product. Australia's Wonderland worked because of its uniqueness and sheer size to anything that had been seen in NSW at the time. People travelled to it. And it worked. The infrastucture around it grew over time. If whatever was built was a compelling enough reason to visit, then people would. Thats how Australia's Wonderland lasted for 20 years. Of course we know its history and its ending- and that partly had to do with its location but it was not a barrier to its 20 years of existence. Could not have said this any better. But lets remember that when Wonderland opened, the M4 was not even built. That sort of infrastructure came later. The M1 is already there and is acknowledged as one of Australia's busiest highways between a population of 5 million, 350,000 on the Central Coast and another 700,000 in the Hunter. Being smack in the middle of a catchment area of 6 million people is a powerful consideration in my reckoning and with the road infrastructure already being in existence it certainly makes one think. The knock on effects for the Central Coast would be hugely positive. Gosford to Sommersby is just 15 minutes away by road. I just do not think that we can casually dismiss this idea for a future site. It will 99% most likely never happen but I can certainly see the merits of it being considered and I also think a strong business case could be made for one. The best thing I can say about this comment is thanks for your input.

The Central Coast has plenty of land at Sommersby near the Reptile Park. It is close to the M1 and in between the 2 biggest population centres of NSW in Sydney and Newcastle along with the Central Coast. If the land was cleared for a project such as a new theme park here, it would seem like its an excellent choice as it ticks a lot of boxes. It is not 100% ideal as of course it would be in the middle of nowhere without any huge infrastucture but being connected to the M1 and only being an hour away from your 2 biggest population base means that it would be a desirable site. I certainly would not put it in the poor choices category.

So are you going to post it or are you going to hold us all in suspense? 🤔

You forgot 2 mat racer slides as well 😉

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/

💯 accurate. The far more logical choice where it should have gone.

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!

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.

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.

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.

This 👆 💯 agree. Was going to respond exactly the same way. Could not have put it any better myself.

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.

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.

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.