Flea

Right. A heavily themed extension to the main plaza, with every marvel product you can think of! There was little to no wind at all when I went on, so I don't know what was wrong with the ride. However, later in the day they did close off cabin one due to the winds, which then caused one hour lines for Space Probe. ~Flea

I made a last minute decision to go to Wonderland today (Sorry Andrew!), due to the re-opening of Demon. I was dropped off at approximately 2pm, allowing 3 hours of re-ride fun on Demon. I approached the ticket booth, and as expected, Demon was not on the closed rides list. So I got my stamp, and entered the main plaza. Something smelt new.. I looked to the left, then to the right and BAM, there it was. Super Hero Headquarters had opened 14 days early from the orginal opening date. While I expected this expansion to be much bigger than it currently is, it still gives the plaza a roomy feeling it never had. The "echo" area has now been beautifully painted with every Marvel character. On the ceiling of the new area are painted comic strips (called "The Rise of Super Hero Headquarters"), which is certainly worth a read (although you do look a bit silly when doing so!). This new expansion really is great, photos will come next week. After spending 30 mins looking at Super Hero Headquarters, I decided it was time for my Demon fix. While walking to the coaster, I noticed that the park was packed. The atmosphere was electric, every ride had atleast a 10 min wait... I felt like I was in a new park. Anyway, after spending 15 mins in line for Demon, I chose car no. 6 to sit in. Was the ride any different? No. Demon now suffers from major speed vibration and headbanging, and now even stronger brakes. Next up was Space Probe. I was allocated to cabin no. 3, not the best of cabin's to sit in, but it'll do. It seems that speed vibration has also cursed Space Probe. It was the worst ride I've ever had on SP, so I veered away from the ride for the rest of the day (that's a first!). I'd just like to point out that there is a new ride op on the crew, but I forget her name. She is very enthusiastic, and gets the cars dispatched fast. She also screams out "How was your ride?" (much like the Cedar Point ride ops do), which is, ofcourse followed by a loud cheer. It was now 3pm, so I headed down to goldrush to watch the IWA Pro Westling match. Despite the lame commentators and extremely small ring, this co-ed tag-team match was excellent. It had me on the edge of my seat (bench) through the whole match. Maybe I should start watching wrestling again... For the remaining hour, I rode Demon again, had my late lunch, then left the park. In my opinion, Wonderland has really surprised me in their preparations for Summer. The park looks stunning (the new colours in Transylvania have really surprised me, they look great on a sunny and busy Spring's day). I can't wait to see Wonderland in Summer, I think they will cope very, very well. Photos will be available next week at OzCoaster.net, ~Flea

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think it's Intamin. Just take a look at this picture of their Space Shuttle models.. http://www.intaminworldwide.com/img/i_prod...intro_r1_c5.jpg Sorry for the lack of information, ~Flea

I've been talking to Jaegar (Jaggie) for a while, and we have decided to have a Wonderland meet on the 27th. This will be a great oppotunity to have a meet as the new "Super Hero Headquaters" opens on the same day. Here are the details.. Date: 20th September, 2003 Time: 11am Meet: Lakeside dining area This should be a great, funfilled day. The Beach will be open also, so bring your cossies! *NOTE* My family has actually planned a holiday from the 26th-28th, so the date has been changed for the meet to the 20th of September. The Beach opens on this day. Hope you all can still come! Please reply to this post if you wish to come, ~Liam

Hello everyone, I took some photos on the weekend, using a cheap little disposable camera (my digital camera is currently in repair). So forgive me if the photos are not of very good quality! Now you've all heard about the new "Mardi Gras" approach to Transylvania's buildings. Transylvania was once a dark and gloomy land (the experience was even better on a cloudy day), these paintings have totally wrecked the "scary" appearence. Now onto the photos... Crappy food, Crappy colours A newly painted dining area, and two awesome water jets! While I still prefer the old look the CocaCola Cool Zone once offered, this one does look pretty cool (See old look here) Trainless Demon. Outside the park, you'll find two, absolutely massive buildings. This is apparently the "Wonderland Business Park". It's hard to describe how massive these buildings really are, but I'll try to put it into words by showing you some pictures! Thanks for reading, ~Flea

Ugh, first Steel Dragon 2000 and now BTMRR. Most deaths on coasters have been caused by enthusiasts deliberately making their lapbar as far away from the body as possible (for air), or standing up (See SRM 2003), but for something as serious as this, I can see lawsuits coming from every direction. According to a reader on Dnet, the guy did not die from the collision of the crash, but rather cardiac arrest later in hospital. The other ten injured apparently just have bumps and bruises, nothing as serious as the media states. This article at Miceage.com is worth a look... even if most of the text is not entirely true. Here come the "Why Roller Coasters aren't safe" specials on FOX! ~Liam

I just rang up Wonderland, and was told that The Beach will not be getting any new slides. Although Mary (the person who I spoke to) seemed very nervous when talking about The Beach. Could this be the case of management telling all staff to shush up about the rumoured new slides? ~Flea

I taped this also, and was pretty impressed with the segment. The editing was great, the whole segment seemed to maintain it's upbeat, "fun" feel to the segment. However, the vibration caused by the on rides made these classic coasters seem rougher than Thunderbolt. I wonder if they used foam around the camera to absorb some of the vibrations? Overall, it was great.. Liam "Finds it hilarious that she asked to be stapled on Xcelerator!" Schembri

Besides a little 'ride closure' sign infront of every ticket booth, then no, they aren't. The sign is very easy to miss, so most guests won't find out about the ride closures until they actually enter the park. Staff also tell people immediately after they buy tickets to enter Wonderland, thus, no refunds will be given. ~Liam

I took a trip to Wonderland today despite my dad's 50th birthday party being held the previous night (It was hellish- 70 drunken adults with black drambuie is not a good mix. Just ask my mum about cleaning the carpet!). I arrived at 3, and went straight to guest relations to get my stamp for entry. The little room was packed with 10 people... 8 of them weren't happy at all. They claimed that it was a rip off to be paying $50 just to ride the only major ride operating at the time (Demon, The Bush Beast and Snowy River Rampage are apparently closed until the school holidays). They did not end up getting refunds. I entered the park at 3:15pm. What first caught my eyes were two fairly powerful water jets placed in the middle of the lake. They are placed on about a 45 degree angle, they look great. However, the dining area located next to the lake has received the mardi gras paint. As expected, it looks stupid. I wandered around for a bit, and then bumped into a staff member handing out marketing surveys. Being as bored as I was, I asked if I could do it. It was certainly worth the time. Most questions were about how often you visit Wonderland, and what radio station you like etc. But there was a question about what you'd like to see at Wonderland, the options were.. New water rides Late night dance parties Movies at the beach New shows Character appearences There were also a few other options, but I can't quite remember them. The fact that they mentioned "New water rides" was interesting (note the rumour of a new water slide coming soon). Could this mean that the new water slide will be coming after all, just at a later date? Thanks, ~Flea

Wow, I can't belive Demon is down. Does anyone know why? The ride was running quite well on my last visit, so I can't see why it would go down. Annual maintenance maybe? Last time I talked to him (2 weeks ago) I think he said he was up to 11, 500 rides on Space Probe... so I guess he will hit 12, 000 on Friday? Thanks, ~Flea

I don't know why you would say good night at 3:30pm, anyway.. The Bush Beast is not open as of yet. It doesn't look like it will be open any time soon either. Buonasera ~Flea

That describes your passion for Bounty's Revenge.. Any flat from Intamin gets me excited really... mainly the drop rides. I'm actually starting to scare myself because of my addiction with Space Probe. I'll get over it someday, but not too soon. ~Flea

Is it just my computer (actually, it's my dad's laptop), or does this happen to other people aswell? There are no thumbnails, therefore I can't view the pictures in full size. But from what I can currently see, they look great. Keep up the frequent updates! ~Flea

You have to be freaking serious. The coaster I hate most comes to my home park.. anybody have a rope, knife or gun?

Coasters affected were Millennium Force, Gemini, Magnum XL-200 and a few others (including all flats that were operating at the time). Apparently, MF did not get stuck, but creeped over the hill instead.. thanks to some backup power. Cedar Point closed early that night at 7:00pm and re-opened the next day with minimal crowds. Btw, shouldn't this be in General Thrills?

I could see a small park buy it. You know, the parks with the typical Pinfari loopers with a few flats? It's good to see the park make some money out of it though- I personally would look for something else if it came to buying a coaster. I wonder if Dreamworld listed the ride as "very rough"?

Since this rumour has became a true one (thank you lord), would anyone be willing to be the photographer (someone with a digital camera and a Dreamworld AP) for the Thunderbolt deconstruction? It would be a real shame if no one got photographs of this "historic" event, so I'm hoping that someone will be willing to take up the job. I don't see why everyone is getting so upset over a really bad coaster, a new coaster is imminent! What's the bet that the Dreamworld reps are on the phone to Vekoma as we speak? ~Flea

What?! I don't get a fan club for coming to Wonderland every week, and Billy gets one for pushing a few buttons and making people laugh? And where's Kevin's fan club? This is an outrage! Although, this one is just a bit odd.. to say the very least. He's always laughing, lol! ~Flea

It is possible to get a view of LWL from Space Probe or The Zodiac. Beastie is still standing, with one of the trains on the brake run and the other on the transfer shed. Here's a pic that I took one month ago of Little Wonder's Land. Thanks, ~Flea

There have been reports of repainting in Little Wonder's Land. I was kind of leading to that area being themed to marvel, not Transylvania being totally revamped. I still have high hopes for my Mardi Gras themed land though... not. What next? Demon turns pink? ~Flea

We all know that Japan is the earthquake capitol of the world, but do we know what happens if a coaster is operating when an earthquake strikes? Think about this.. your riding Thunder Dolphin at Tokyo Dome, Japan. Your pulling out of a drop and about to go up a hill, when all of a sudden, an earthquake strikes. This would make a dramatic change in the coaster's speed.. would there be a rollback? From what I've seen, most coasters in Japan have extensive supports to protect the coaster from falling down from a severe storm, earthquake etc. How do these supports act in event of an earthquake? Do they absorb the shock of the earthquake and no damage what-so-ever is done to the coaster? It's an interesting topic, I wonder if anyone has been unlucky (or lucky in an enthusiast's case) to be on a coaster while an earthquake struck? Get it? ~Flea

I believe everything except for the 'new attraction for december 2003' bit. It just seems a bit too extreme for man to deconstruct a ride and build another one in it's place in a mere four months. I wouldn't expect something big in it's place if the ride is going to be open in December. None-the-less, I hated the ride, it was crap.. so joy. It still has all those features, so do you like the ride or not? ~Flea

Ew. Throw the evil wheel away! Seriously though, that's nothing. I remember seeing a B&M OSTR (far right) on sale at PGA's Coasterplooza event. Enthusiasts that attended the event said that the restraint was very expensive. B&M over Vekoma anyday, ~Flea

In a bold move to make Transylvania look more happy, painters have gone on a rampage and have painted buildings in Transylvania bright, neon "happy" colours. It's the most retarded thing to hit Wonderland, a year round Mardi Gra. Victims of the painter's rampage are.. Chill's and Thrills (formerly Merlin's Floss) What used to be a dark and gloomy grey and purple, this building is now a bright red and yellow. Disgusting. Batty Chicken The shop still has fences around it, being recently painted. Neon purple and green now posess this shop (along with the posessed food). Obviously, I'm very upset with this, as would you be if you saw this. I wish I had pictures for you all, but due to an unfortunate incident a few weeks back involving a ride op, my digital camera is broken. I promise I'll have them by next week. In other news... A complete deconstruction of the Speed slide has took place. Only the top section of the slide remains. The Bush Beast is still closed, reports have it that the ride was open yesterday.. either that or the ride was testing. Thanks, ~Flea