Jobe

*head slap*

I have a feeling that this will be similar to the Dinosaurs Alive exibition( It could even be by the same company) that was at LPS in the Big Top over the Xmas holidays. There were 11 animatronic dinosaurs with their own display area and themeing. They were actually pretty good!! It was very popular with families and entry to the exhibition was free with a full ride pass!! I expect the Seaworld one to be expanded on the one shown at LPS. I think this will be a good interim attraction for the park. The Lighthouse area is severely underutilised and as most people with kids will tell you- Dinosaurs are insanely popular!!! Well done Seaworld!!!

Great find!! I didnt know this existed!! Its rare to see a video of the park from the '95 incarnation!! Brilliant!! Its a shame that it was not left to develop because of the complaints from the residents- this would NOT happen now as the laws for this type of complaint have been changed under State law- in essence LPS COULD have another coaster in the park and it would be their perfect legal right to do so!! Unfortunately, the park shut again after all the bad publicity from the residents after only one short year!! Given LPS popularity now, this incarnation of the park would have been well recieved and well patroned- they had plans to build a River Caves ride under the Big Dipper slab itself.....*sigh* now that would have been a welcome return!!! Oh what could have been....

Agreed that LPM (and LPS for that matter!!) could be a whole LOT better that in their current states!! However I find it surprising that Scenic Railway was in the condition that you described. She has just recently finished a fairly intensive refit ( to fit in with Heritage conditions) and has been reported to be in good running order. The Power Surge was a temporary holiday ride and is a travelling unit and therefore not LPM's responsibilty.

Thanks Joz. Whilst they aren't huge obstacles for the re-opening of the Train as a ride, it DOES seem to point to the park not having any real intention of ever doing so. The question to ask, I suppose is why? These obstacles (The fencing, the small areas of concreting, the shed) are all brought about by the Park. If they were ever serious about keeping the Train as an attraction, surely the Park would have ensured that its route was free to continue in this role?? As an aside Joz, do we also know of the fate of the train itself?? Is it still in Seaworld?? Perhaps under the Seaviper station??

Agreed that the load/unload time is almost interminable at Dreamworld. If they speeded up the process then this would go quite a long way to negate the need for a 2nd train. Operations at Luna Park Sydney when Cyclone was Big Dipper were MUCH more efficient. As you can appreciate, Big Dipper was the drawcard at the time and drew huge lines. However, the crew used to pump through the crowds and the line seemed to constantly move. Wait times were not too bad. The same could not be said about operations at Dreamworld. I also agree with Joz. The ride itself is not that bad- I feel that it is actually better than a lot of people give it credit for. In its early days at Dreamworld its postioning seemed odd yet now with Whitewater World surrounding it and the helix diving through and around several slides and a tower it feels a much more "complete" ride. I still reckon it rode better at LPS the way it hugged the cliff and emerged to the helix from around Coney Island- it was a great ride then!! Of course it WAS designed to fit into LPS's footprint.........

The train possibly will never come back Aussie, this is true. But the real question is WHY?? As far as I can see, there is no real impediment for it NOT to re-open- not cost, not design , not due to public issues or popularity....no one (the Park included) has given anything that could be considered a valid reason....it really is a curious situation.

To be fair, LPM has never marketed itself as anything other than a funpark in all of its 100 year history. And in this list , it is probably the closest in being a true funpark more than any other mentioned. It must be noted that LPM was the original precursor to todays modern "Theme Parks" and for this fact alone , it is extremely important to Australia's themepark history and landscape.

From my memory that seems correct Wycenuros. The train did one loop per cycle and left at set times. As has been noted, it did not run at certain times when certain shows were in attendance. I wonder if one of the reasons that it has not been re-opened as of yet, is because it drew patronage away from the monorail?? I mean, Seaworld already has 3 exisiting people movers, with the Train included. Perhaps it was seen as being superfluous to requirements because of this?? Just thinking out loud...... For those who miss and lament the loss of the Seaworld train I give you the below pic.....

I actually find the Cyclone's/Big Dipper trains fairly comfortable. This uniqueness would make it extremely difficult for Dreamworld to attain a much needed second train for the ride, IF that were to occur. They would probably purchase 2 entirely new trains if this was the desire. Would a new set of trains improve Cyclone by any great degree?? Opinions??

All of which is pretty minor works to get an already existing attraction running again. Seriously, the tracks are still laid and importantly the railway corridor still exists-it would be extremely easy for this to re-open The train used to be berthed under the Sea Viper station- as far as I know this still exists!! The train could be in long term storage there. I am not sure why it is beyond the realms of possibility for the Seaworld train to re-open?? No one has given anything concrete other than speculation and opinion and I am sorry, but at this stage, I just do not buy it. The strongest indicator for its NOT returning is of course the time it has been SBNO, but this does not preclude that it COULD be quite easily re-opened.......

If those metal struts ARE indicative of the "shed" theming being finally put in place, this then will be a welcome addition to an already well received ride. This will certainly add a touch of distinctiveness to the ride, and one which will certainly set it apart from its travelling cousin on the show circuit. All in all good news!!

This seems to have been missed in the ether somewhere-would anyone care to elaborate further on these comments?? I think its a big call to say that it would be futile to re-introduce the Seaworld railway- but I would be happy to be proven wrong with a logical argument and/or further information. Any takers??

The Star Trek Themed "Borg " coaster was going to be The Big Dipper from Luna Park Sydney. They were heavily into negotiatiions at the time and it was a done deal if the park had gone ahead. Needless to say, once that avenue fell through, Dreamworld swooped and picked up a bargain for the price.

The Warner Brothers store used to be on the corner of The Chevron Renaisance building. Its been gone for quite a few years now.

Hehe..its funny that a throw-away line that definitively ended a stupid, pedantic argument has now become a Parkz comedy classic- its good to see that a sense of humour , though smalll and insignificant, flickers and burns with a small flame. As noted, good to see!!! We need it to burn brighter and far more often!!

I am surprised this has not been raised before. I just want to clarify your points here AlexB. I do not understand what is the major impediment to re-opening the Seaworld train. I have not seen what the park has done to the tracks near the crossing next to the flume as you have noted , but in my mind, surely it could be re-introduced as a far cheaper option than it is to rip up the entirety of the track. Having 90% of the attraction in place would only require minimal effort and expenditure to get it up and running again. I am positive this would NOT be an insurmountable problem for Seaworld , if they truly desired to re-open the Railway. I completely agree with Joz in this. The re-introduction of the Seaworld railway would be a great returning asset and would be a very popular move with the public at large. I just do not see how any "attempt to resurrect it would be futile"-in fact I believe that it would prove to be a very simple and relatively cheap operation to return a much loved and still existing park icon back to operating condition.

That much is quite obvious. Thanks for the post Original. I ENJOYED reading it and it added great value to the discussion at hand, which is far more than can be said for other posts in this forum.

Yeah that was mentioned by the ride staff as well to me. This could mean any number of rides but I am hoping for something that is unique. In all probability it could mean a Powersurge...or a similar ride from Zamperla's lineup. Aussie World seems to be cultivating a good relationship with the company after the installation of The Redback. Sounds very promising though! Oh I dont know. A well themed playground would fit in extremely well with their target demographic..families. I think it would be a hit and would be a well received attraction. It also shows to the public that the park is continually growing and expanding, which , in the scheme of things,is very important.

Yeah from all reports they are excellent. I would love to ride an example of one these soon and I hope that one of our parks (Seaworld I am looking at you!!! ) adds one in the very near future!! I think they are also perfect for either Luna Park but that would be way to much to hope for!!

Mate I respect your opinion.I truly do. However I just wanted to gently point out that it is in essence, wrong.The evidence is out there for all to see- its irrefutable! Seaworld is marketed as a "Theme Park" by its owners. Everywhere in the media, to marketing, to this very website, it is referred to as a "Theme Park" . Sure it has marine attractions but that is just one (albeit very important!!) aspect of the park. This is not opinion. Its fact. It is not quite as simplistic as that djrappa. My issue with Surfrider going to Wet and Wild is because it came at the expense of The Pirate Ship being deleted from the park, which is where Surfrider was originally intended to go. At the 11th hour this was changed but this has left Seaworld without a flat ride, one that it could ill afford to lose. Given the knowledge that this has still not been replaced in Seaworld several years after the fact is, in my mind, a serious issue. I love knowing that a Half Pipe coaster has been added to our parks lineup...think its great!! Its MY OPINION that it is wasted at Wet and Wild and would be better suited to Seaworld. I am not bemoaning the fact that the actual ride was introduced..just its location. The decision to do this and not replace Pirate Ship with anything else is symptomatic of several of WVTP recent decsions regarding rides in the parks that I do not support or feel was handled "in the best possible way". I love the Gold Coast parks and our theme park industry but that does not mean I blithely agree with everything they do. Its great to have these forums to discuss these aspects of our theme parks. I think most will agree with that. Hehehe..I think I inadvertently did.....sorry but the discussion revealed the crucial reason why Pirate Ship was removed. Its great to see everyones opinions though!!

Sorry. In this I believe you are wrong. Seaworld is a themepark in every sense of the word. Just because it also has animal attractions does not dilute its theme park genes. It has a collection of rides that are heavily themed , something that no pure "marine park" would have in great quantity. Dreamworld also has fairly extensive wild life exhibits, yet I am sure you do not question its status as a theme park?? Yeah I have to agree with you here GoGoboy. Surfrider is an uncomfortable fit in Wet and Wild IMHO. It would definitely have been better served to have been placed in Seaworld as was originally planned. Despite some heroic attempts at theming to try and integrate it better into WW ( water sprays as has been mentioned ), it just does not really work. A water park is the LAST place you would expect to find a dry coaster and I feel that the majority of the paying public goes to Wet and Wild for ONE thing -thrill slides!! If Surfrider was removed I am betting that this would hardly register on the public perception of the park, as it is mostly focused on the water slide offering, which is intrinsically what WW is famous for. To try and alter that offering is pointless, especially when you own 2 other thrill ride based parks in your portfolio. Surfrider would have sat very well next to Seaviper and Jet Rescue and would make a very nice addition to a park, with limited space to begin with. Of course, we are all ignoring the fact that the original plan to install Surfrider was the real reason Pirate Ship was deleted from the attraction list. Since that was changed with it going to WW, Seaworld was left high and dry with a perfectly good ride removed with NO replacement. Seems to me to be a very bad managment decision at the time- one that has yet to be rectified.....sorry AlexB , I feel that the issues currently facing MW and SW ARE directly linked and clearly show decisions that can be attributed to management at the time as being "poor" Also, surely Pirate Ship could have been considered to be moved to another position in the park at the time?? Just thinking......

Ah!! Cheers, thanks for that themeparkgc. Aussie World is really moving from strength to strength and it looks like over the next 2 years it will really be a park to observe!!!! Excellent!!

At the risk of flogging a dead horse , I agree with these sentiments 100%, as they only build on the long held view shared by myself, GoGoBoy and others on the board. I am actually a little surprised that you share this view AlexB, as this situation is similar to the one currently afflicting Movieworld (ie attractions being removed without replacement and pesky Parkz posters having the temerity to question and discuss managements decision on why ). Seaworld is a park that requires a fine balance between animal attractions and rides. In recent years, starting with the removal of the Thrillseeker rollercoaster, Seaworld has steadily added animal based attractions (and don't get me wrong, these have been world class such as Polar Bear Shores and Shark Bay) at the expense of ride based attractions.Their ride line up has dwindled until it is what it is today. Seaworld desperately needs at least 2 decent family flat rides, the eventual replacement of Bermuda and the reopening and re-invigoration of the Seaworld railway before they consider expanding up and over the carpark. I say lets fix what lies within the parks boundaries before pushing them. The imbalance needs to be addressed. This brings me to another point. Does anybody have any explanation for the removal of The Pirate Ship? It obviously was not mechanical in nature, as it has now been successfully relocated to a park in Victoria (Funfields) So...why?? Does not really make sense to remove a perfectly working ride and NOT replace it?

Interesting..POP where did you hear this info?? A playground type attraction would be ideal for Aussie World. I seriously doubt the February open date but it COULD still be possible I suppose for an end of Feb launch. More likely if its going to go ahead it will be added sometime later this year. Somewhere close to the Giant slide would be ideal- Aussie World owns most of the surrounding land and has plenty of room for future expansion.