Gold Coaster

I never had the privilege of going while Steve was there still alive. I can imagine the place wouldn't be the same for those who were able to get there beforehand. That said, it's a place I definitely want to check out as an animal lover & I do freelance articles for a European amusement industry magazine. I suggested to the magazine that I conduct an interview with Terri & Bindi and a feature on the Zoo & they loved the idea.

Certainly. I think even the biggest optimists on this board gave up on Eureka reopening ages ago! It's all boarded up and I gather they can no longer source the replacement parts. I too share a deep fondness for Scooby. LW is ok too but between Scooby, Wild West Falls and Superman, I would be happy if those were the only rides in the park. LTRR is excellent though dated in terms of technology and needing maintenance/refurbishment. But it has quite a good atmosphere. Much more than Bermuda Triangle these days which is kind of going by the wayside. Have you considered doing Australia Zoo at all?

No cheese or onion? What's the point?

Hi there. Your schedule sounds great & I'd definitely love to meet up with you for Aussie World having never been there (don't have a car and enthusiasts really don't seem to want to go there)/ the other Gold Coast days. Anyway, please PM me with your IM/email detail. For some reason, I can't seem to send messages, Firefox is having conniptions.

Brisbane: Mt Cootha is awesome, that's where the TV stations are... being the highest point, you can see right over the city. The kiosk is a pretty good place to eat but the restaurant is overpriced and overrated. I am sick of Brisbane though so, really, that's the only thing I feel like mentioning. Southbank Parklands is pretty nice though and you can always get your Eye credit. And yes, I don't think anyone here would argue with me using the word 'credit' for this particular Eye... But if you don't give a crap about Eyes, you'll get a decent perspective from Mt Cootha. If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant, go to BIG FORTUNE in New Farm (Merthyr Rd, where the Coles is). The chef is an ex-Hong Kong police inspector. Be sure to try his salt & pepper squid, ginger shallots as well as the crab & sweet corn soup. Melbourne: you could probably do the Neighbours tour if you're into that show, they'd probably run it through the holidays and assuming there's no filming going on, you will be taken to the actual street and walk around it, drive past the studios or whatever. Know you've been to Luna Park...hmm.... the Museum is also very very good. My one major visit was spent auditioning for Idol (and I made the Judges, go me! ) so I really didn't do all that much... afterwards I spent my time in Coburg, one of the outer suburbs visiting a couple of people so didn't really do all that much apart from what I mentioned...

The lists filled up quick though and are largew so should be quite a good contingent of 'hot and cold running chills' and Grim Grinning Ghosts And I will be on every night, come find me

Now that's something to try sometime...maybe not. Churros on the other hand - I could eat THOSE all day.

Let's just all move to Orlando or the Midwest shall we ?

Oh yeah, forgot about the food. But it's not like SE has loops, corkscrews etc. I think having gone on several US/European coasters I'm just used to more intense layouts -- didn't get sick on those either. The only time I've been pukey has been on Dad's boat/in a car with him "driving", LOL

Mmm, I saw the Alleyway from the Lethal Weapon end ... I only had my zoom lens with me so just took two side-by-side shots at the time. Some decorations have gone up in Main Street - cobwebs, spiders and some stuff in the windows as well as promotional posters. Here's a bit of a look from some of the photos I took.

^ (Hey DJ, I sent you a PM) Batwing... I could ride that for awhile easily. I don't really find it intense... Hey when Hamish & Andy rode Superman Escape, does anyone recall how many rides it took before they were sick? I think any Gold Coaster (LOL) with inversions would do that to me eventually but don't think I'd get to the puking stage on SE.

^ What happened?

No, I'm saying if he can squeeze Dreamworld in, Mick Doohan is worth doing at least once. And it's all about body proportions. I'm tall and don't find it the least bit uncomfortable. Besides, there is plenty to do at DW to fill out a day. I'm not saying go to the park solely for the one ride.

At times I think I'd settle for a Volare... and you know how bad those are!!

^ Yeah but how many rollercoasters is there to ride in Australia? You should do Mick Doohan just for the experience - it's quite fun but not Jet Rescue quality, though the first 30 seconds are quite fun. The theming is quite good too. And have you done the latter? The Claw is an awesome ride though I'd understand you not being in a rush to go on it having done so much overseas. It's not a very long cycle though ... and I could have sworn it used to go longer. Agree with you about Scooby, Wild West Falls and Superman Escape. My German friend who I worked with at Wet'n'Wild was really going to miss Scooby in particular as we agreed it really was a one-of-a-kind ride. Certainly leaves a certain Six Flags Batman attraction for dead hey? AVPX looks solid though. As soon as I get my next pay, I'm going to buy the DW and WWW combo pass and finally get to do that. I -would- recommend Whitewater World to the OP, haven't been in ages and looking forward to going back again.

Movie World, hands-down. 1. Great rollercoasters. Superman Escape, fast, smooth and nice airtime if your restraints aren't crunched down too tight (tip: stick your gut out a bit until they've been past). Pre-launch sequence hard to beat. Scooby great coaster/ dark ride combo. Roadrunner... fun family coaster. Lethal Weapon...quite intense and interesting layout. Not as painful as it's made out to be.Cyclone & Reptar just don't have the impact. 2. Immersive atmosphere 3. Better flume by far. 4. Shrek 4D: a Universal attraction that is great every time. 5. Hollywood Stunt Driver: Better than the Nick shows at DW of course if you're not a kid! 6. Easy to get everything done without need for a queue-skipping device. You will definitely be able to get a few rerides in on your favourites.

Yeah, it's good to see more nights this year and the scare factor being amped up, bravo! I echo the fact the park needs to be darker and there be an increased use of select lighting/smoke. RE: The alcohol: I'm not a big drinker so this isn't a dealbreaker for me one way or another. I just don't see it becoming widely available throughout the park given it's not an adults-only event. One thing I would like to see is a dramatic increase in wandering characters appropriate to that particular area of the park. Main Street could be classical monsters from the movies, Wild West could have ghostly gunslingers, perhaps a few victims of hanging... nice big area for them to wander around. And Looney Tunes could have Bugs etc in their Halloween outfits when they're not in shows. Not sure about the Batman/Superman area, maybe have some of those villains running rampant like Scarecrow.

What about a penguin shooting dark ride?

^ There's one in Scarborough Street, Southport -- walked past it the other day. Angus beef pizza you say? Sounds a little bit... fancy I must try that sometime.

Personally, I'm going to wait and see how the prices are. Sure, they might not be a nutritious dining option, but the occasional Domino's pizza anywhere is not going to create health problems. I know I will have one sometimes. Besides, if you're at Wet'n'Wild, you'll be walking it off in no time climbing all those stairs

Nah, theme it to AC/DC!!

My favourite Wacky Worm has to be the one with brakes at every turn at Martin's Fantasy Island - Crazy Mouse The complete lack of any slight level of thrill makes it truly craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazyyyyyyyyyy!

SWEET! Mind you, Wishes is no slouch in the entertainment stakes either...

STEEL COASTER: Superman - Ride of Steel (Six Flags New England) WOODIE: (1) El Toro (2) Boulder Dash (Lake Compounce) DARK RIDE: Haunted Mansion FLAT RIDE: Samurai (Thorpe Park), Skywalker (Show Ride) TOWER RIDE: Sky Screamer, Marineland http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8044831402644746539# - due to the awesome view over Niagra Falls AUST COASTER: (1) Superman Escape (2) Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster (3) Jet Rescue AUST FLAT RIDE: The Claw

WOW. That's something none of us would have known. THANKS!