jake_hunt

I can see both sides here I guess, but I would say it's fairly unique. It's like Triple Vortex with two enclosed funnels and the last one is full-size, while Funnel Web is essentially the Green Room (give or take a few helices and bends at the start). There's a different ride experience between those two.

No no no no. Very different concept, one identical element. That's like saying every roller coaster with a cobra roll is essentially the same roller coaster.

Sad story that. That's what the risks are when animal parks are done wrong. But, when done right, we get such wonderful conservation groups as SW, Currumbin, Fleay, Dolphin Marine Magic in Coffs, Australia Zoo etc etc etc the list goes on. Probably more parks do it right than wrong when all's said and done, which is encouraging.

SS drives me insane with its anti-Sea World crap. That's like an anti-drugs association attacking the DEA.

Also, the visitors bureau states that delegates spend more time at the Gold Coast than any other Queensland tourist destination - not that it is the most visited, which I am fairly sure is Cairns, although I'm having a hard time finding any meaningful tourism stats...

@SunshineTom Cairns and the surrounding region gets more tourists annually than the GC (It's 3rd in Aus compared to 6th in terms of tourists per year). There's a big market for a park there.

Coffs draws far more tourists than you think. Not as many as the GC, but that would change if it had a major tourist drawcard. As for Northern Queensland, it has the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree. It's one of the most popular tourist destinations in Australia.

@SunshineTom Closest I can think of to an abandoned "theme park" in Aus is Atlantis Marine Park in Perth. http://www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/western-australia/atlantis-marine-park-in-western-australia-lies-abandoned/news-story/36631b569356fe35cc83313a8f2ea8f5 Not really a theme park as such, but a marine park with animal displays etc. Think Sea World and aquarium have a baby with no rides and more animals.

@Inverted Similar to my ideas. RMC would be fantastic for that area. Gold Rush is definitely the area of the park that needs desperate attention, which has only been emphasised by recent events. With BuzzSaw the only remaining attractions, the whole area either needs to be rethemed or have new rides installed to revamp the area - namely a family attraction to replace TRRR, and something else to draw crowds, ideally a full-circuit coaster. I'd say RMC would be perfect, but I'm not sure how it would go for space? Someone might have a better idea than me, as I'm only up there once a year, but I wouldn't think that Gold Rush and Blue Lagoon combined would be enough for a decent wooden coaster, especially if you wanted to keep the general Gold Rush area? I'd say a new coaster where EMMR was - saw a wonderful idea a while back for a Eurofighter - and a family ride to replace TRRR, which I hope is a water ride of some type. Then later, when DW gets back to financial stability, a larger coaster, perhaps an RMC/other wooden or a B&M, in the old Blue Lagoon/Big Brother area (if there's enough space).

As much as I would like that Jurassic World idea, I'd either put it further north (ie Northern Queensland) or further south (ie Coffs Coast), because the landscape would better suit and be less protected than the Hinterland, which is mostly national parks and stuff. Plus, being a fifth (sixth if you count WWW) major park on the Gold Coast just means competition and lots of it, which has the potential to kill such a big and expensive idea. Don't really have my own idea for a new park... I'm more of a "how could the current parks get better" kind of idealist.

A medium to large coaster and a thrilling flat in the area vacated by Sea Viper and Pirate Ship would be ideal imho. That's assuming they don't demolish VR. If this is the end of Viking's, they'll need another family ride probably to fill that demographic of kids not quite ready for Storm, but sick of little rides.

And Captain America. That was only one disappointment.

JR is definitely closer to a thrill, mainly only because it's closer to the ground though. From memory, JR is actually slower.

@AlexB That's false advertising on DW's part in my opinion. MDMC and JR are what I would call a "family-thrill".

Ugh, this is so confusing! Things pointing both ways! On the one hand, it seems odd that SW would remove the signs first upon an unannounced closure. If they're actually getting rid of the rides behind our backs, wouldn't there be plenty of things on the demolition to-do-list before "#134: Take down signage."? Then again, they weren't aged, faded or outdated in any way, and the timber being removed from behind the drop isn't a good sign... My humble opinion is that the ride will remain open, and that SW is taking the time to do a full run-through/refurbishment, patching up anything that looks worn/faded/broken etc. Probably prompted by the TRRR incident, and they thought it safest to make this maintenance period a big 'un. Because honestly, if SW removed VRFR before opening a new ride, that takes them down to TWO FAMILY RIDES and NO THRILL RIDES for the upcoming peak period... And surely, if the ride was ageing, you'd either maintain it to keep the crowds dispersed and add it to the checklist for demolition, or replace it ASAP...

I'm not sure what you're referring to... The red ring in the bottom right is the ring of fire from the SpongeBob coaster. The yellow thing, I have no idea, but there was land reclamation and stuff going on there, so it might be an excavator/work equipment.

I dunno how late to the party I am here (didn't read timestamps), but I think you guys have covered most of my complaints. The paths are too hot, not enough shade, lockers are too expensive, sick of having to carry rafts. In terms of attractions, I'm glad the Racer is being replaced. That should have happened a while ago. Some of the ProSlide suggestions so far (Flying Saucer, Tantrum) would work really well. The next slide(s) to need an upgrade would be River Rapids. Aside from the queues, which are beyond ridiculous, the slides just generally look worn and a bit run down (or they did last time I was there). Great slides for the family, but they need a paint job and a more convenient queuing system.

In terms of attractions at existing parks... - A large, more conventional coaster at Dreamworld, I'm not picky about the type, B&M would be ideal - A thrill ride at Sea World, maybe something like Manta or Mako in the US - A few more family/thrill flats at WBMW to spread the crowds and queues - Expansion of WhiteWater World, which is obviously happening gradually - Another roller coaster (not necessarily a big one though) at Aussie World - Ditto at LPS - Expand the FunTime/Adrenalin Park back to its old size, Sling Shot and Vomatron aren't enough alone - More THEMED rides with STORYLINES, like Bermuda Triangle and WWF. There is a noticeable lack in Australia, after seeing parks overseas in Japan. Animatronics and immersiveness are something we undervalue, particularly on the GC. In terms of future attractions in locations that don't yet exist... - A second theme park somewhere on the Sunshine Coast - A second (dry) theme park in Sydney, maybe Wonderland reopening, maybe somewhere new - I would hope to see a Disney park, but I don't think Australia is ready for that yet - Ditto for Universal (heck, maybe even a Six Flags if we get the crowds to support it eventually) - A larger, DW-sized park somewhere OTHER THAN the Gold Coast (maybe Sydney/Melbourne/Sunshine Coast)

Having just read the article here on Parkz today, I am indeed wondering (if RCDB is accurate, of course)... Why would WBMW build this coaster to be so close to 200ft but not quite? I understand that height isn't everything, but 3 feet or 2.7 feet or whatever... that's nothing! Why would you go to 197ft and just decide that's high enough? Especially if they realise that 200ft is required for hypercoaster status...

While I personally find Viking's to be boring, I also see the other side to this whole argument. The first time I visited SW at the age of about 3, I rode it non-stop all day. It's the kind of thrill that appeals to younger kids, and those who aren't ready for/into bigger thrills like Bermuda, Corkscrew, and nowadays Storm/JR. I'd be sad to see it go. While it's not my favourite ride by any stretch of the imagination, it's a classic, it's been around much longer than I have, and there's plenty of memories in it.

@Jessicajealousy You're probably right there. I just meant flume as an example. I'd like a family ride, and if possible a water ride, but that's if they ever replace it at all.

I would hope they do replace it with something, although I agree an Intamin rapids ride may be pushing their already damaged media image a bit. However, the ride leaves a major scar in that area. It and the BuzzSaw were the only things keeping our hopes up for the maintenance of Gold Rush, not to mention how it was incorporated into the landscape, almost being a natural landmark in itself rather than a standout ride structure (I'm talking about the ride course/channel in case I'm not being clear enough). I'm hoping for something family-friendly if they do replace it, so I'd say a flume/water coaster would be good.

@Jamberoo Fan I guess that's better than I thought it was, I only breezed through the article. Guilty as charged.

@JeffreyMoore I remember 45 minute queues for it in my glory days. It and the Log Ride were the two necessities when I was a kid. I can't see people being that keen for it ever again unfortunately

http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/dreamworld-fan-slams-park-for-selling-photographs-after-tragic-deaths/news-story/0079cfcdf3dc69aa0cf03707334eed47 By the way, now they're blaming the velcro straps. Which is ridiculous, since the ride functioned without them for years, and the accident would not have been prevented with bigger restraints. What do they want, shoulder bars?