Jobe

Excellent!!! Will be visiting this park in January so looking forward to returning!! Haven't been there for 7 years- will certainly miss the Wild Mouse coaster they used to have!! Looking forward to seeing all the improvements that have been made since then and of course the opening of the SX360. Their new spinning Wild Mouse coaster, will , unfortunately, be open mid to late next year.

No the response came after Speedy Beetle's installation and they were definitely referring to long term plans to attain a second signature coaster on the Metropolis site.👍

Wow mate. Never thought I would hear the day where you dissed a Huss product!!! 😳

I never stated that they should utilise the entire footprint that Big Dipper occupied. I am merely saying that there is enough room for a second coaster on the existing Metropolis site. Yes the Pinfari Zyklon is a compact coaster , however the site is now sitting empty and dormant. It is used as a space for temporary attractions for the moment. This space could more than handle a small Eurofighter, Maurer Spinner, S&S El Loco, Premier Rides Sky Rocket II, Custom S & S Mine Train Coaster, Custom Mack Big Dipper Coaster, Custom Zamperla Thunderbolt, Custom Mack Wild Mouse- need i go on? The fact is that the public find coasters, on the whole, as the most thrilling exponent of any amusement park. To have a new coaster would be a far bigger drawcard than settling on 2 or 3 unremarkable flats. The introduction of any 2nd coaster would not precipitate the loss of any space currently utilised for flats so the number of rides within the park would be unaffected. And as I stated before, if the park is clever, you can certainly succeed in having another flat within or close to the ride envelope. Potentially a Drop tower could also be ideally situated in this space, depending on what coaster was actually installed. Either way, its a moot point. LPM have confirmed that this space will eventually be the home of a 2nd coaster as a direct replacement for the long gone Metropolis. They have signalled that this is their intention and that , although there is no timeframe for this at the present time, they have been investigating options for the site.

A new video has been uploaded to Youtube on April of this year that shows footage from Luna Park Sydney from 1972. This footage is some of the clearest I have ever seen of this time period - for its age the quality is excellent. Highlights on the 3 minute video include: Excellent footage of the rare Calypso- an early version of the Spider. This was an early Mack ride and an example can still be found at Cedar Point Good footage of the Tumble house attraction in action. Excellent profile on LPS's Rock O Plane Excellent footage of LPs's historic carousel- now sadly lost to Australia. Never before seen colour footage of LPS's original Tumblebug ride. This would have to be close to just before it was replaced by the Hurricane. The Tumblebug was an original ride from the 1935 opening. Sweeping footage of the extent of the Midway from this period showing Davy Jones locker, The Wild Cat and The Ghost Train. The best POV of The Big Dipper in colour that I have ever seen. @19Michael96 mate I think this will interest you greatly. Consider how quickly the park changed from this video in 1972 to 1978 comparing the footage below. Gone is the Tumblebug to be replaced by the Zipper. The Calypso is also gone, replaced by the Roundup. There is also the introduction of the Hurricane and several other travelling rides within the park like the three armed Octopus. Some of LPS's original charm had been lost by this stage. Blink and you miss it but there is footage of a flying chair ride in the 2nd video that only arrived in the park in the late 1970's. This ride stayed until the park shut down in the aftermath of the ghost train fire and was sold in the fire sale in 1980. Its speculated that this ride was picked up second hand and found its home at Dreamworld where it has been refurbed and still resides today. Its been moved around the park several times - it was called the Zumer at one stage and now is the Puss In Boots Swing. If this is the same ride that came from LPS, it has not been 100% confirmed , however, the timeline certainly does fit.. See the below fairly rare footage from the 1980's incarnation for comparison that highlight the changes to the park in a little over a decade.

Hahaha the only redeeming feature of the original IT is Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise. Its on par with Skarsgaards version IMHO. And whilst the remake is excellent , its also a big budget Hollywood tentpole picture, done 30 years after the original, with all the latent advances in digital effects that were simply not possible at the time of the original. Its very hard to compare , as its not exactly apples for apples. @Skeetais absolutely right. For the full IT experience, read the book. It is a sprawling , huge tome that many ( myself included) consider to be the best thing that Stephen King has committed put to paper. And given his bibliography, that is certainly saying something. A horror maze themed to IT though should be an excellent and atmospheric experience.

Hehehe....havent ridden Pandamonium yet so will let you know what I think of the ride experience. Going to Dreamworld in January for the first time in 6 years so will definitely give it a whirl. They certainly do LOOK nauseating. Perhaps the Endeavour would be a better fit and replacement if Enterprise was to go- they are certainly popping up in Six Flags parks for next year. They certainly look like the spiritual successor to the Enterprise ( I am sure @HussRainbow87 may not agree 😉 ) Love the idea of utilising Cavel street for LPM. Whilst there would be some loss of parking , the loss of the street would not adversely affect any traffic flow and it would also create a seamless link to the nearby Palais theatre , linking the 2 precincts together as one. They could also utilise the small parkland at the back of the park to link into the Cavell street area, giving them more room to work with in adapting the area to park use. Dont think it will ever happen but it is a good thought! The Huss Giant Jumper is a beast of a ride and I would LOVE to see one in Australia but I am thinking it would be a bit big to install in LPM. All the same , its a shame that no other park other than Canada's Wonderland has picked one of these up. The opportunity to ride this is another reason why Canada's Wonderland holds so much attraction. From what I have read though, this ride had notorious reliability issues- not sure if these have been resolved? A Sky Flyer ride would be ideal. If the park was clever, you could install a new custom coaster and fit this ride type somewhere in the coaster's envelope. It doesn't have to be the biggest model either- something similar to Seaworld's travelling model would be ideal. Also , a decent Drop Tower like the Hair Raiser at LPS would be an excellent ride to install. Small of footprint, this would provide a great backdrop for the LPM skyline and give sweeping views right across Port Phillip Bay. One addition that is definitely a major possibility is the return of the Rotor. Once again, an attraction with a relatively small footprint, the Rotor has a huge history at LPM. Installed at both parks at the same time, the Rotor disappeared from LPM in the mid 70"s. The park has mentioned several times their desire to see the Rotor returned to the park.

I dont agree with you in the slightest here BaconJack regarding a second coaster for LPM Luna Park Melbourne has had 2 signature coasters since 1923. Right now what is missing from their lineup is a modern steel compact coaster- one that will look good from a distance and add to the St Kilda skyline but also give a decent riding experience. There are plenty of coasters that could be developed to fit in the space they have- something from Gerstlauer is the obvious choice. With good planning and a customised layout, they could fit a decent coaster in and potentially another flat or even a dark ride. The potential is actually quite large. Consider the above photo from the mid 70"s. LPM fit into the current Metropolis envelope the 1923 vintage wooden Big Dipper and also the River Caves dark ride. At this time the park also had the Giggle Palace, the Rotor and the Ghost train in operation. Yes there are definitely rides that need replacing from their current ride lineup. The rides you quoted are probably about right. The AS1 is a piece of garbage now and a new modern simulator would be just the ticket. As much as I love the Enterprise, I too feel that its days are becoming numbered ( Sorry @HussRainbow87) A Zamperla Super Air race would be a good replacement- the newer upgraded model would be that little bit different from Pandamonium at Dreamworld. Alternatively , A Zamperla Endeavor would almost be a like for like replacement. The Meisho Swing ship is also ripe for replacement. A Zamperla Disk'O" would be an ideal replacement and would fit into the same ride envelope. I would also replace the current Ferris Wheel in favour of a newer and larger model- the Sky Lab wheel at LPS is one of the most popular rides and a similar sized wheel would have a similar attraction in St Kilda. Finally, I think a Huss Rainbow type ride would be the perfect addition to LPM. These rides deliver a good amount of thrills but are great for entire families to ride. Pretty sure that Huss Rainbow's are no longer in production however ( @HussRainbow87 you can provide a definitive answer here) most major ride manufacturers have a similar type of ride that could be sourced. However, the biggest change that needs to happen is that the park desperately needs an owner who is willing to invest in the park. A 5 year plan for overall improvements ( not just ride replacements- general park and facilities improvements ) is what is really required. LPM is very small. What it does have is its sense of history and I think the park undersells this to a major extent. Its never going to be a major player like our big parks but it certainly does fill a niche for the Victorian public. It is an icon of Melbourne and is well located on the St Kilda seaside to take advantage of this beach and holiday atmosphere. Other than LPS, there is simply no other park like it in Australia.

Its a tried and trusted marketing strategy. It hits the target audience on a highly emotive level. Yeah seen it utilised many times before to varying degrees of success but this is very very well done. You cannot help but feel connected to Village personally after viewing and that is one of its main purposes. Nice. Wonder how Dreamworld will react to this and what will be their counter delivery? @Brad2912 do you know if this is meant for general circulation, or is it part of a greater social media campaign only or does it form the nucleus of a raft of new TVC's?

Change of ownership perhaps @Mark Shaw ?

You really have no idea , do you Push?

Just a small update for Luna Park Melbourne. The Zamperla powered family coaster, Silly Serpent has been retired from the park for good. It has been replaced on its site by the SBF Visa family coaster Speedy Beetle. This was originally located on the old Metropolis coaster site since its introduction to the park late last year. It was discussed at the time whether the Speedy Beetle was intended to be the Silly Serpent's eventual successor, given its age. The park has intimated that their will be announcements soon on new rides that will be coming to the park. Fingers crossed that they finally get a decent second coaster to replace the old Metropolis. There is a good amount of space to work with here and they could certainly fit in any number of smaller compact coasters- think Gerstlauer , Maurer , S & S or Zamperla. Above is an older aerial pic of the park with the Metropolis still in place- ( a Pinfari model Zyklon) This area is a substantial bit of LPM's real estate and its high time that the park invested in a ride to fill this space and maximise its full potential. Of course this should only be the start of some targeted , real investment into the park, which , has been sorely lacking for quite a while. Of course the heritage rides such as the Scenic Railway, the Ghost Train and the Carousel are all expensive attractions to maintain ( and SHOULD be retained) but there are many filler attractions that need replacing. With LPS now having the roadblocks removed for their own $20 million dollar ride investment, its time that Lindsey Fox, as the owner of LPM, lives up to his promise to restore the park to its former glory, when he stated when he purchased the park in 2005.

Didnt realise that Surfrider needed replacing...........pretty sure its not at end of life yet.

You are correct that Six Flags Zhejiang is still in construction. I thought that it had been cancelled, its opening has merely been delayed. The waterpark only is due to open in July 2020- there is no set date for the theme park itself to open from what i can see. That's not to say it wont open or be completed , but it certainly has been delayed considerably from its projected opening. The three announced parks to open in China that you mention are certainly in the works- they are planned additions for and will be located in Nanjing. The 3 planned parks comprise a water park, a theme park and an adventure park. Whilst they have been announced and are planned, I suspect much will hinge on the success of its Zhejang site. Things will become clearer once the theme park at Zhejang finally opens. I wouldnt expect the Nanjing site to be ready for a minimum 5 years. They have projected a 2022 opening at the Nanjing site but we all know Six Flags have been notorious for delays.

I think that, as has been suggested, this tower will become a huge destination and crowd soaker for the park. The fact that there are 6 body slides means that this will certainly attract people wanting to try all 6 of the slides.- expect this to be very popular! Its great to see a body slide of this stature come back into vogue- no lugging mats or rafts to ride. Every park needs a selection of these type of slides and these look very well presented. Looking through the Polin website, they certainly do offer an excellent variety of installations and are a good alternative to Pro-Slide or Whitewater West. Canny move by Dreamworld to go with Polin ( for what ever the motivation is- I am betting price was a big factor). Its good to see a water park mix up their offerings so that they do not become a poster catalogue for one manufacturer (which WWW had drawn criticism for being previously.) Polin's Australian partner Swimplex Aquatics must be absolutely chuffed with this announcement and their recent installations around the nation. This will be their first foray into a major theme park in Australia and I am betting that it will not be there last!!!

The Jersey Devil looks like a beast of a ride!!! Maybe this is the ride that Dreamworld should have gone with?? Or as a follow up to the Blue Fire clone?? And yeah the Powersplash is leftover from the cancelled Six Flags Dubai park, of which several rides had already been procured. Look for the rest of these rides to be spread out amongst the other Six Flags properties. And a Powersplash for WnW? I would rather see one at Seaworld as a direct replacement for the Vikings Revenge............

I too am also sceptical about the whole project. Its a Six Flags property and its another attempt by them to have an international park. They have tried numerous times to open a successful international park , but each time this has failed. The recent Six Flags Dubai has been cancelled, the 2 parks in China have been cancelled and their short foray into Europe was not successful. The only redeeming feature for mine here is that this is purportedly being built using funds from a Saudi company called Qiddiya. ( hence the name). They are basically paying Six Flags for the right to use the name and also for their" expertise" in theme park management. The fact that 6 Flags are not funding the project does actually give the projected park a far stronger validity, for mine. If this does project does take off, then i expect the final product to be very different from the renderings ( which are , we all must admit, just plain awful) that have to date be shown. They have also indicated that a multi launch coaster , a tilt coaster and a wooden/ steel hybrid ( but did not namecheck RMC) would also be a part of the initial ride installations. Also, it must be noted , that Six Flags have not opened a brand new theme park from the ground up since 1971 ( Six Flags St Louis or Six Flags over Mid America , as it was then known. ) That's a long time between drinks! If it DOES open, it promises to be very amazing and will certainly put that area of the Middle East firmly on coaster enthusiasts wish lists. Time will tell but this does warrant closer scrutiny.

Great article and a brilliant breakdown of what the new coaster will bring to the party. Seriously hyped now to ride this- I have not visited the GC since 2009 and this announcement and the Seaworld investment has me wanting to visit the parks with an excitement I have not felt in years. Excellent stuff and proud that OUR parks are getting talked about again on the World stage for positive reasons. Lets hope this level of investment will continue into the next decade and foreshadows a golden age for our amusement park industry!! Great coverage Parkz- looking forward to the construction updates as they come for both Dreamworld and Seaworld's new investments!! Its a great time to be a coaster enthusiast in Australia-what a time to be alive!!

Agree wholeheartedly here mate. At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves- now that Sky Voyager has finally opened, has it been worth the wait?, will it be successful?, and will it be the start of a new era for Dreamworld? The first 2 are still open for debate , but coupled with the new coaster installation news and WWW slides, we have to admit that yes, finally , the wheels of progress are turning for Dreamworld. Hopefully we can look back in 10 years time and say that the day Sky Voyager opened , is the day that Dreamworld's future had been secured. I don't think we are exactly at the point where we can say that, but things are certainly far brighter and positive than they were 2 weeks ago! I firmly believe that this attraction will be a positive success for the park , its unique , an Australian first and its competitors are in the immediate area are unlikely to add a similar attraction, which will give the ride longevity and legs as an A class attraction.

Come on man......this is meant to be a positive occasion for Dreamworld. It doesnt need to be tarnished just yet.

Great review as always from the writers at Parkz!! Having ridden Soarin" at Epcot in 2017, I am certainly interested to see how this ride stacks up to it. This article certainly answers that question quite well, but the proof will be in the actual riding. Soarin' was a major highlight of our entire Orlando trip ( one of many!!) and this ride will have to be extremely good to be even mentioned in the same breath as Soarin'. The queue and pre-show sounds entirely frustrating though- why cant our parks get this right? The template in Disney and even Universal is right there- and whilst it would be churlish to expect that high a standard - surely we can get a decent facsimile that just works and doesnt' feel "clunky". Certainly looking forward to riding this in January 2020- I think that being such a unique ride and Australian first, that this will be a sure fire hit for Dreamworld. With today's announcement's of investment in a new coaster and expansion at White Water World, perhaps Dreamworld can finally step out of the long shadow of the TRR tragedy . Today is certainly a good day to be a Dreamworld fanboy and I am sure that Village is sitting up and taking notice-which will be a good thing for the GC and the industry. Given the already large investment of DC Rivals and the previously announced Seaworld Atlantis expansion, we can all hope that this is another major step into further investment and expansion for the industry and the parks on a scale the likes of which havent been seen since the early to mid 90's. Bring it on!!

Wold you really classify Buzzsaw as a launch coaster though? I would have thought not........

Great news !! Not exactly the opening with the required amount of fanfare that Dreamworld would have expected from such an important ride though. Looking forward to seeing the ride reviews as they roll in!!

Just put in one of these with some awesome theming- the video does not do the speed of this river justice- its an awesome attraction that would be great for soaking up the crowds!!

They look like an excellent addition- Australian first too!! My only concern is that they are quite mechanical- I would have some concerns over the inherent reliability of the slide? This is just my thoughts- I do not have any actual data to draw this on. Still I think it would be a standout attraction! Whats the capacity like?