thunder001

I went to the park yesterday and after speaking to some ppl in the park, I had heard a rumor about a new attraction. No one would say what it is or where it would be going, just that it would be here by the end of next year. Have to speak to Rabid as I have not spoken to him about this yet, so it could just be a rumor like the others. Only time will tell. Any thoughts?? Ok..spoke to Rabid and it is confirmed for September 2005 and will rock your world ppl. Start guessing. :eek:

^ OK, fair point made in the fact that someone more than likely got it wrong, wether it was someone not constructing the set correctly etc. My point was simply that it was too soon to lay the fault on one person or group of ppl. It is plain and simple that something major went wrong with the safety procedure's that should be in place. Let me boar all of you for one second. At this time, almost all trades have to undergo some style of Risk Managment course, that relates to their trade/area of work. What this would have involved in this case was all the department heads within the production, getting together and outlining the risks involved to cast and crew while shooting this sceen. From that meeting a "Plan of Action" should have been drawn up to combat any problems that may arrise from the equipment in use, such as a fire evac plan etc, and who whould take part in the soulation to those problems. If this was done then the fire could be put down to a "freak accident" and no one is to blame. If not, then we could be almost sure that someone's head will roll so to speak. I only know this cause I have had to set through 4hrs of the course last night, not to mention another 3 course yet to go on the subject. Why? I am now the safety officer for the electrical company that I work for and it is my job to fill out this style of form on EVERY job we do. That adds to a hell of a lot more paperwork then I like, but it is now required in all trades in Qld. Hope this helps in any way!

I know that in the past if you were a Max Action pass holder, all those in your group up to 6ppl (I think?) got into the park with a 10% discount. Just wondering if it also applied to your friends if they got a pass when visiting with you, and now the park is trying to use this as something new?

Not trying to make it personal at all Richard, but you stated and I quote "I think with little or no doubt that there was some definite negligence on the fire marshals' part.". What happens alot, and it is something I myself am guilty of, is that we jump to conclusions on what little information we have. Now that we have what seems to be the correct info from those who were there, it think it is safe to say that the fire marshals were in no way negligent and should be given a pat on the back for getting everyone out of the building in time. I direct you all to here to see what I am on about. Courier Mail So it was not as we first thought. I have to agree with Joz and just be thankfull that everyone got out and no lives were lost.

^ And this is coming from your years of fire experence??

^ Bit harsh about the fire marshal Richard. From all reports this was started from a large candell fire affect and I could only guess that the set was made from pine and foam rubber, as most sets are to reduce cost. That means if the fire fell onto the set up high from normal ground level, the fire would have spread so fast that even the sprinkler system would not have helped. And please remember that in most cases the sprinklers are only to slow the fire so that ppl can get out safe before the fire crews turn up. Also with the building haveing metal walls with sound proofing along the walls, in theory the building would act like a big oven. I really don't see anything stopping this fire after the flame reached the set. I do hope that the parks insurance will cover this as we need to get the movie industry revived in this state. Only time will tell.

The large circle is the loading platform as the floor drops away similar to the Leathal Weapon. The ride then starts it's motion back and forth. If any one caught the special last year on thrill rides on Discovery Channell, you would have seen the Huss version on the show. Should not type and drink beer at same time.....Not a good idea...

The day in question was rained out and have only been twice sence then due to the Max Passes running out....and working 6 days a week does not help...Try it sometimes Will try to break it after tax returns come in....If I get a return???

With a ride count of 998, it is GD for me. Also have no trouble with the OTSR at 6ft 1in but with a lot more padding on the shoulders, due to years of League. Best ride on the coast is Scooby Doo, just don't get there often enough.

^ Thanks Joz as I try my best to follow in the footsteps of millioniars. DJ, I simply stated what was told to me and as it related to the thread I chose to post it within the thread. And for your info, the site is doing nicly without us having to post "adds" everywhere. You see the site was done to cater to the world not just to Australian fans alone. The hits from within Oz for the site only equal about 1/20 of the total hits on the site. Most of ours visitors are friends of Ians from the UK and the USA from his time in those countries. We are not trying to steal anyone from anywhere and Richard knows that he is welcome to do the same over on our site also. So in closing...... P.S I find it strange that the park would bring in a large crane for normal maintance Richo....if you can shed some light on this it would be helpfull..

Well then let me tell you all that something very interesting has started to happen to the log ride....stay tunned at ozcoaster for more info and pictures.

^Well, I did mean to set it up with that selection, in case people felt more than 1 of the ideas was valid. So with that in mind,

Should the log ride be removed in the future to allow the park to increase in size, or would you rather let the park find another way to expand to the land out the back of the park. In my own thoughts about this, it seems that the park would not miss the ride and it is almost due for either replacement or a major upgrade due to the age of the ride. If it is removed, what should the park do with the land and if not, where would the park place any other major attractions in the future, (Thunderbolt land not included). Leave your thoughts on this matter here.

I can see your point Rich, however it is one of the oldest rides in the park and by removing it, opens up a lot of land that could be used for other reasons. This could be a ride or a hole new land, the only things to consider is the size of the land behind the ride that the park owns and the flow of the park also should be taken into consideration. We all know that MW stuffed up a bit there and it is something that DW has avoided to this point. However much we disagree, it is an option for the park to remove it for the above reasons. But as you said, it is an easy ride for the park to operate and a family based ride. Only time will tell if it is to remain. Perhaps this should be made into it's own fourm to allow others to comment on it and not to stray from the original topic?

Yeah, got the time frame wrong on that one.

Just getting off topic for one moment, Joz the reason for the parks opening late on ANZAC Day is proberly to offset the fact that they are not allowed to open the parks until after 11:30am. This is something that is a norm on ANZAC day within Australia, but the first time that the parks have stayed open later to allow more time for the guests to stay in the park. Nice idea from them for a change.

Still think that within the next 5 years, the next ride to either go or be re-vamped will be the log ride. Sure it is a family fav with visitors to the park, but having this style of ride so close to the River Rapids seems a bit of an overkill. If you think about the park expanding the water park side then the removal of the log ride will open up the area to the rear of the park where the Big Brother area is. This will allow a flow through area from the water park around to the animal display area and add the room for at least another 2000 ppl in the park per day. The land that the parks owns out there would also allow for a new water park to be opened with the entry to come from the Town Square side of the park in the future. If the park wants to seperate the water side from the main park, then this area allows the park to move all the water rides to a new location and opens up land on that side of the park for future use. Remember that this is only my thoughts on what COULD happen. I am more than likely to be completly wrong, but it is a thought.

Even though we all know that it is not going to happen, I sure hope that the park gets a new coaster within the next couple of years to replace the bolt. My guess for position would be out near the log ride, between it and the animal area at the rear of the park. This way they could get more ppl out to the rear of the park and this would also help with the crowd dispersment within the park. Just a thought...

^ Say what you want to Shifty, but the rest of us will beleive it when we see it on site at Dreamworld,( like that will ever happen).

Tried to post something, but forgot what it was...Bugger!!

If any one is interested, there will be updates done at ozcoaster every couple of days or when anything interesting happens...look for the first pictures late tonight or tomorrow morning. Enjoy the pictures as Ian only lives less than 5min walking distance to the park, and I am sure that he will keep us all informed.

Don't expect to see the Demon at DW anytime soon. Dreamworld bought Cyclone due to two reasons, price and age of the product. The ride first opened in 1995 ( if memory serves, but if I am wrong I am sure that Richo will help me out ) and it only opperated for a few years so was in great nick. The second thing was the price, as $5 million for a coaster is great in anyones terms. As for the Demon, I first rode it back in 1988 at the World Expo Fun Park in Brisbane, where it stayed open for a year and a bit before being sold to Wonderland. The ride is now 16years old and has not had a great life as far as care goes. But then again if the price is right, you never know. Although I have heard more RUMORS that Aussie World are still interested in the ride for the Sunshine Coast area. Only Time Will Tell.

^ To add further to what Rabid and Richard have allready said, the PLC's used in the ride would have been outdated in 1998. The "latest" as far as these are concerned are only about 6-12months old and are now on their way out. To update these, you would have to remove all the sensors from the track as well as the cable, because the new style sensors do not work as well with the old style cable and most work on fibre optics style cable anyway. See what you learn when you are at work and need to know about something new for that job. Who would have thought you would learn this while working to install a production line in a factory.

I know that the Gold Coast Parks have said that they are not buying any of the rides at this stage, but this does not mean that it won't happen. Think of a nice Space Probe at Sea World, and the Demon at Dreamworld, and the others might also move. And yes I said MIGHT. I will tell you a story that happened to me a couple of years ago. I was at DW and overheard 3 gents in suits talking about moving the entrance for the TOT to the other side of the tracks. I posted it and got bombed with comments saying I was nuts, and the park also told me that it "was not something that the park was planning in the future". About 3 years down the track and now look what has happened. Take a leason in this thing called life and buiness and that is " Never say never when it comes to making money". The GC Parks will do what they can by spending as little as they can to gain the most from it, as we all remember DW latest ride. All I am saying on the fate of the rides is to wait and see, and the same goes for a new major park in Sydney. With Wonderland going, you never know what the state and local Gov will do to try to create new buiness within the state. Even if it means large tax breaks for a new park to be built. Just wait and see what happens and hope for the best and .......have faith!

Ex OP. Fair enough you did say that the park was closing, but if memory serves, you told us that the park would close on X-Mas of 2002. This comes a full year and a bit later, just off a little with the timing. I guess that the park tried to give it another year to see what happened? But I have to admit that you were the first to say that the park was closing and we all said that you were wrong. Well I have to say it in all fairness, YOU WERE RIGHT. At least I will say it. Have fun a Luna Park now guys, and I will be thinking about you all as I visit my local parks on the Gold Coast...