Noll_57

Looks good! Seems like it might have internal LED lighting if the promo images are anything to go by, which will be pretty cool. Between this and Gumbya‘a new coasters, Melbourne’s theme park industry is really booming.

Visiting the park today, it seemed pretty clear that the Dreamworks license is about to expire. The most obvious thing being that the gift shop has now been completely gutted. The area is in pretty desperate need of some TLC right now and considering Dreamworld are usually pretty good with their presentation and upkeep, the fact it hasn’t received it seems like another clear sign it’s days are numbered. At this point, I’d say it’s almost certain that this is where the new area will go.

That video seems to have been removed.

I have to admit, that’s very sad. Seems like most new centres are installing these systems now.

It’s nice that they’re including those bonus offers with third party groups, really helps to increase the value of the pass and sweeten the deal. What’s wrong with the Timezone refurb? Apart from losing some classic games (especially those from Sega World Sydney) I don’t see what’s so bad about it?

Looks amazing, can’t be too far from opening now!

One of the ride markers is located on the opposite side of the pathway, so I think it’s possible some work might be taking place over there too.

None of those Kinect games actually work at the moment. It’s only the practical effects they’ve fixed.

Wow, I was not expecting that level of theming! If the finished product looks anything like the concept art, these new additions might end up being some of the most highly themed attractions we’ve seen in Aus in a while! I fully agree that this could easily become one of the country’s best parks.

Forgot to mention, the hi-strike/exploding bank in the Doomsday precinct has been fixed! It now automatically activates as soon as you press the plunger and the old wristband reader has been completely bypassed. Same goes with the other effects in the area, they now just activate automatically as soon as you walk over to them.

Here are some close-up shots of the area. These “Ride” markers have now been placed in various locations around the area: This appears to be the location of the operator’s booth: Some of the existing speakers have been removed and one of their protective housings has been dumped near the former Marvin attraction: Existing electrical cables are also in the process of being removed: Some more general shots of the area:

I managed to get some photos of the area the other day and it looks a billion times better IMHO. The Carousel looks like it’s just about ready to open too.

It’s pretty easy to see who the target market is just by looking at the design of the place. It really doesn’t scream family theme park hotel. It just looks like a generic, modern, corporate hotel plonked down at the front of the park (though it is aesthetically pleasing).

Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t the spark effects and associated infrastructure on WWF custom made specifically for the ride? Pretty sure I remember hearing it took a lot of R&D to implement them and they were designed specifically with the space in which they were being installed in mind. I don’t believe commercially available “off the shelf” components/systems were used. If true, it would be pretty difficult to reinstate the effect today (as great as that would be).

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but Movie World really needs another decent dark ride much more than it needs a new coaster right now IMHO. The park already has a pretty solid line up of coasters (plus it’ll be receiving 3 more when WOO opens up), but highly immersive, themed attractions are what it currently lacks and what I believe VRTP should be looking at in the future. I know many who still miss the likes of LTRR and Gremlins, an updated take on those sorts of attractions would be a great addition.

I too am pleased to see that VRTP have followed through on their promise of a well themed area and they should be praised for it. TBH, I was starting to become a little worried that the company had forgotten how to do decent theming (aside from perhaps the Doomsday precinct) and their parks would continue to slowly steer away from their thematic roots and become like Six Flags over Gold Coast. Glad to see this isn’t the case and I hope they continue to provide quality theming going forward as it certainly helps elevate the experience overall (looks promising with the announcement of WOO). Even though it’s still early days, from the small glimpses we’ve seen so far, you can tell the queue line is leaps and bounds ahead of what we got with Green Lantern and DC Rivals and it’s great they actually thought about presentation instead of giving us another basic Stratco tin shed with a few murals. Can’t wait to experience it fully in person. Of course, the big question is will the old Leviathan animatronic from Creatures Of The Deep (that was spotted being stored back of house a while ago) make a reappearance? While I also love Scooby, I would say this is a much grander entrance and has a lot more spectacle to it overall. Though I do admire what Scooby pulls off.

Quick update on the area. As you can see, several plants and trees have now been removed and it looks as if the speakers and lights are about to be taken out as well. There’s also something piled up in the middle of the seating area, but I can’t quite make out what it is.

Odd, I swear I’ve never noticed it before. Perhaps I’ve just been incredibly unlucky and it’s never activated correctly while I’ve been riding. Where exactly did it used to play from? The speakers on the lift hill that play it now are definitely new and weren’t there prior to the recent referb.

I’ve been on WWF many times since 2008 and I’ve never heard it before.

Turns out the “new” audio on the WWF lift hill isn’t really new at all. It’s actually a restored effect that obviously hasn’t worked for a very long time. If you look at this old POV from 2003, the sound effect can clearly be heard playing at 2:02: Pretty impressive that MW went to the effort to install new speakers to bring this long lost effect back.

Just stumbled upon this YouTube channel called Greggy Gilgen, which is a gold mine for videos of the parks in the 90’s and early 2000’s! Some highlights include a POV of the Gremlins Ride complete with the entire blooper reel pre-show, a full ride through of the original Batman ride and a Wild West Falls POV that includes parts of its pre-show as well as the original “expanding barrel” finale! Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMX5clFDUE8ynDOZ4MzO4Q/videos

It’s very hard to hear, but I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be a group of guys claiming they’re “Mountain Police”, to which a second character replies saying “If you’re the police, where are your badges?” No idea why it’s there or how it relates to anything, but I’m quite certain that’s what it says. Also, not sure who else has noticed but the original lift hill audio that used to play in this section (a very short loop of music about 30 seconds long) has for some reason become the main background music for the entire queue line as well as the splashdown area and constantly plays on repeat. Not sure who’s bright idea that was. Drove me nuts last time I was on the ride. I feel sorry for the staff who have to sit and listen to that all day. Bring back the original 1 hour long music loop with Will Smith any day!

Anyone know why there’s now fencing around the tree? Seems odd considering the “stage” only just opened.

Putting the ride where the big tree is would block the main thoroughfare into the area and potentially cause a lot of congestion. I think the spot they’ve chosen is the best. That area has desperately needed some attention anyway.

Was the smoke in the broken pipes working as well? Apparently they fixed that effect the same time they restored the outdoor misters, but I’ve never seen it actually work.