Jobe

A small update about Orphan Rocker has been recieved on ScenicWorld's Facebook page. Scenic World Blue Mountains Hey Benjamin and John, we've got our hands full with the redevelopment of the Scenic Railway but the Orphan Rocker is definitely something that we will look at redeveloping in the future! Yesterday at 10:55am · Unlike · 1 [*] Benjamin William Roach Cheers for the update. So where does it stand currently? Are the trains in good nick? Track still up to par and whole? Yesterday at 10:56am · Like [*] Scenic World Blue Mountains Hey Benjamin, yes its all still in relatively good nick although but not to standard for operating publicly- no work has been done on it since the 80s.

Are we forgetting Valhalla at Blackpool?? An all indoor flume ride?? Rode this back in 2004 and it was a fantastic , totally immersive experience!! Movieworld could do worse than have something similar to this fine example of an indoor dark ride!

That article looks a little old!! Especially the $2 a head!! Lol!! When and where was this article published??

No no apology as there was no mention of Mack at all!! And I am not kidding!!! lol!

Hi all, Not sure if this is widely known but there is currently available a new book which focuses on Australian and New Zealand roller coasters. It is available from Sydney's Abbey book shop and you can purchase online. I have included a link for those who are interested.http://www.abbeys.co...scintillatin.do This book is fascinating. It is the first I have seen that has focused on Australian and New Zealand coasters as a major topic ( although it does feature several from overseas) and it features some very rare early photos of coasters long forgotten. There are great pics from The Switchback Railway at Tamarama Beach, The Scenic Railway at Sydney's White City and also Robson's figure 8 which stood on the site of present day LPM. The articles and photos accompanying features on both Luna Parks are also rare and fantastic!! An interesting claim from the book was that the Wildcat, which was present at LPS from 1970 and was Australia's first all steel coaster, was purchased by the owners of the Lansvale group who owned Lansvale Hollywood Pleasure Gardens.Apparently , the ride still exists to this day in storage and their is some hope of it being re-erected in the future. It would be great if this piece of Luna Park history could re-emerge at LPS at some stage. There are also some fascinating articles on some early New Zealand coasters, of which I never knew existed. The book is well written and the author is obviously a coaster afficiondo- so much that he belongs to the Australian Coaster Club ( I did not know that this existed). All in all a great read, the content is well researched and I found very little innacuracies. Well worth the effort of seeking it out. I also acquired at the same time, the official Luna Park Melbourne Centenary book. This is only available from the park itself but is available on mail order if you phone the park. This is also well worth the effort as it contains many great historical photos and a huge amount of information about the early days of the park. What I found most interesting and one which will put to bed a lot of scuttlebutt , is the information regarding the Scenic Railway's historic trains. This comes from Brian Atkins, who is the park's official chief restoration consultant on the Scenic Railway. In the book, he explains that the Scenic Railway originally had 5 trains. They have managed to fully restore 3 trains and there are definitely enough parts to restore a 4th. Each train costs over $100,000 each to fully restore. Most importantly, Brian's workshop has managed to acquire a set of cylinders that are known as the "Barrels of Fun" In Australia, there were 3 sets of these Barrels that were made. One each for LPS in Coney Island, LPM for the Giggle Palace and one operated for a travelling showman named Kahle. Coney Island's set, as we all know, are still in existance, but the Giggle Palace's barrels were lost in the fire that engulfed the funhouse in 1981. However, LPM has acquired the original barrels from the Kahle family and hope to return them to the park in some form in the future. The book also indicates that the park has strong plans to re-introduce the Rotor back to the ride line-up, and very strong , fervent wishes to re-imagine the Giggle Palace and the River Caves in some state. There was no mention of acquiring any new coasters and the book does mention that the park is under strict height restrictions in regards to rides from the council. If you are fascinated by the history of LPM like me, then this book will be a welcome addition to your library!! Enjoy!!!

Awesome find!! I would love to hear the full version sometime!! Sorry cannot shed any further useful information on the recording or anything about it, but you have already done the first logical step and that is contact the park. Maybe they can help you out further or point you to someone who can?? It is however, an artifact of extreme historical significance and I hope your search for answers is not in vain!! Good luck!!

Very nice!! Thanks for this GoGoBoy!!

How about Grundy's and the Grundy's water slides??? The Timezone there now just doesn't cut it.....

Or double post to make a point....... Sorry Gazza..couldnt resist!!

There simply is not enough information to go on at the moment to say either way- it could be a ride, an exhibit, a new 4d attraction a themed walkthrough.....all I know is that I think its very clever of Seaworld to release this teaser so early. Our speculation from this early on will build the buzz for what ever is finally going to appear in 2014. All from one image. Great marketing I say!!

Hehe..not really. Also why like the comment and then state its a bit harsh?? Double standards much?? But moving on, as has been correctly pointed out $10 million is a MAJOR investment. This would put it in the ball park for the asking price for a decent coaster. However, that enough alone is not conclusive enough to state that with any certainity. Can any one come up with other possible options for the $10 million OTHER than a coaster?

Ok. But to be fair to Dreamworld, they did maintain Eureka for over 20 years. Whilst I certainly do not put it in the same calibre as Scooby or Bermuda, it certainly qualified as a decent dark ride attraction, which is certainly exemplified by the lamentation at its loss. I think Dreamworld COULD do a decent dark ride if the will was there but I certainly can see where you are coming from when you say "the more basic the better", especially in the way they have maintained some of the theming in their attractions over the recent years. Lets hope Dreamworld can surprise us in the future. Ah..ok thanks for that Reanimated. I was interested to know the extent that the mountain could be re-used. Obviously a new attraction in this position would be completely different and the entire mountain structure would have to be changed but its interesting to know what COULD be re-used and why it couldnt. Cheers.

Not at all.This is not the first time I have agreed with a comment coming from RWC,it is however, a rarity. It does prove though, that I value balanced ,well thought out and logical posts that stem from the realms of reality and truthfulness. If RWC could stick to this formula more often, he would not recieve the flak he does nor would he have the reputation he currently has. RWC CAN make some great points and can offer up som great insights into whatever topic at hand. I do not have a vendetta against him in the slightest nor do I wish to pursue one, but if utter crap is presented from anyone, then like most on this board, I will certainly question it!! I do not think that is unreasonable.... Now back to topic on hand........Joz do you feel that the entire mountain structure for Eureka must be removed or do you think that it could be recycled or reused in some way. I am only asking because you mentioned its flammability as an issue....has this been highlighted before?

Yeah agree RWC!! The Dreamworld cinema is absolutely ripe for 4D conversion!! This would be a great asset to Dreamworlds current ride line up. The current building could be utilized for this , making this area of the park once again a destination and it would also be useful as a crowd soaker, something sorely missing from DW since the closure of the original IMAX and now the paddle steamer. Couple this with a new mine themed semi dark coaster( a MS spinner or even a Gerslauter one perhaps as Joz suggested) would invigorate the Goldrush area quite nicely!! Make it happen Dreamworld!!

Sorry Gazza have been offline for a couple of days due to work. Whirlwind has nothing to do with anything remotely medieval, its just RWC putting his own spin ( pun intended here ) as usual in his posts. In case you havent found the links here they are. http://www.ukrides.i...&st=0&sk=t&sd=a http://www.coasterfo...=35133&p=833419 It's interesting to note that this rumour, as exciting as it is, has been supposedly sourced from info obtained from the the maintenance engineer from Camelot. Its a little shaky especially as RWC's line of questioning revealed that there was no park name attached to this info. If it occurs, I will be happy, but I am unsure as to the veracity of its integrity at this stage. I must admit, RWC's line of questioning to LPM and the answer given,whilst very vague,was in my mind, a little promising. If this coaster WAS to come to Australia, I feel LPM would be the best bet for its destination. Its footprint would be ideal for the size available. As the pic shows, apparently Whirlwind is not in THAT great material condition. If it was to come here to Australia, it would need a good refit. I would be happy for a park here to gain this ride- they DO look like fun and it would be an Australian first!! LPM is a great fit but I would really rather see it find a home in LPS ( wishful thinking I know, but at least I could ride it regularly there!! ) However, if it was reported that an Australian park had bought Camelot's Knightmare coaster, then THAT would be great news indeed......would love to ride that Schwarzkopf goodness....

Hehe...looks like a LOT of fun. Would be great if this was the basis for Seaworld's new 2014 attraction!!! It would be an excellent addition to any park.!!!

This is interesting news. On Coasterforce and UKRides it has been reported that the Maurer Sohne Spinning coaster Whirlwind from the defunct park Camelot has been sold to a park in Australia. Whirlwind was the prototype for this model of ride and before finding a home at Camelot did the travelling circuit in Germany. Apparently it's material condition is not great and it will need some work. IF this is true, the only 2 parks in Australia that have hinted at getting a new major ride this year are LPM and Adventure World. I wouldn't rule out Aussie World as a possible destination as well. Either way, this is an exciting rumour, and one that I hope bears fruition. I am dead keen to ride a Maurer Sohne spinner and have long advocated one of our parks gaining one. Fingers crossed!!

Thanks jjutp!! Apologies I didn't think this was such a difficult concept to follow. Maybe I need to be clearer in my postings....or a trifle more blunt perhaps?? Oh well...Lol!!

Yes that's him!!! The spelling Nazi........

No argument Reanimated. I believe I had stated all that needed to be said. There is no need to protract anything any further. As you have rightly pointed out, we have all been through this sort of thing before. But it's funny that there is one common denominater to all those threads right? And yes fingers crossed that this new ride DOES live up to Bermuda's mighty legacy.

That's obvious RWC. That's why I stated "may". But let's wait and see the finished product which WAS the point of the above post.

Yeah that's true but before you pass judgement lets wait and see the finished final product and in what shape and form the water coaster takes. It may certainly be a case of Bermuda what???

Certainly, it was scrapped as it was considered past its use by date. Apparently it was in pretty bad material shape by the end. It was second hand when it went in to LPS in 1982 as Geronimo. It was heavily modified when it went to Adventure World in 1989. The electric spiral lift hill was removed and a conventional lift hill was installed in its place. I am a little peeved that I never got to ride it, however in my family, my father has this dubious honour. It is a shame in a way, as it was Australia's last surviving Schwarzkopf coaster. The Huss Freefall tower now occupies the space where Turbo Mountain once stood. The last pic is from RCDB and shows where in LPS it stood and the original electric spiral lift hill.

I agree GoGoboy. I know it's a trivial thing but I too cannot for the life of me understand how a park as professional as Movieworld cannot get the names of TWO of their rides correct as originally presented!! It just seems like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at times!! As I said, trivial but slightly annoying!!

Agreed. Adventure World need a new coaster to put it firmly on the theme park map. Their current ride line up is quite good and a coaster will only enhance the parks reputation as a destination. If they get a decent coaster I would seriously think about making the trip over to finally visit. The hints the park has been teasing us with seems to indicate something impressive so fingers crossed!! However RWC I would NOT classify Turbo Mountain as a "mid sized " coaster.