Jump to content

Wonderland News (Beach Construction!)


Flea
 Share

Recommended Posts

"This year the BEACH at Wonderland will be celebrating our 10th birthday and with this will be opening a new slide.  The beach area will receive a new face and with this we will be giving away an undisclosed amount to one lucky punter.  Stay tuned for more details."
Well like thunder said, the beach area will receive a new face. This could mean an addition, along with some long overdue renovations to the area. Replacing the flooring on the tower could be the first of a number of steps.......?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

this is my theory i know everyone is saying that they will be splitting the beach which is a good idea becasue what they are probably doing is seperating it as a drifferent fee for those who just want to go to the beach but none of yous mentioned one thing, who said that visitors actually going to wonderland can't go, it will be like the australian wildlife park where you can go to the main park the wildlife and the beach all at once. i mean dreamworld and seaworlds beach area is small compared to wonderlands and yes they probably will add new attractions, i dont really think it needs refurbishing as the tropical plams and plants make the area look so nice and thats it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can go on a speed slide or free fall slide at just about any water park... they are a very standard attraction with the same configuration everywhere. An old concept really. I like Wet n Wild's new upgraded version of the old speed slide - speed coaster. I personally love the Aqua Tube. Lots of fun. The only problem is the queue to get on it is soo long during peak periods because there are just not enough attractions in The Beach to keep people busy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahhh ok... The Freefall slide is like Double Screamer at WnW, except you ly-down instead of squatting on a board and skidding. Instead, you make a giant, painful, SPLASH! The Speedslide is similar to Super-8 Aqua Racer @ WnW, except you don't ly-down with a board thingy, you ly-down on your back like the Freefall slide. The Aqua tube is exactly like Terror Canyon I & II @ WnW, except it doesnt have special effects, or go down a hill, its very boring. The other attractions WERE another waterslide, and a giant adult pool. Oh yeah, don't forget the kiddie's pool! :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy_q69 said: "Well, water slides don't take that long to build than big Coasters, so Christmas time looks like the best bet."
Where are they going to put the pool at the bottom? The Beach opens 27th September so i think that it would be pushing it a bit to get a new slide in by then. Yes the Beach and the park in general need a new attraction and not another show. ~Former
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I have received some official news from contacts within Wonderland regarding plans for the waterpark. At this stage The Beach will not be getting a new attraction, just a basic overhaul. The following work is being carried out prior to this seasons opening (most of this we have already discussed) - 1. Tower supports are being repainted and some of the stairs are being repaired. 2. The free fall and speed slides are being refurbished. 3. The pools will be repainted. 4. New beach huts and seating areas will be added. 5. Overall colourful paint job to liven the place up a bit. It does not sound like there are any plans for the rumoured 'slide'. You never know what's going to happen in the future but at this stage there definitely hasn't been any info released.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This makes me wonder if the "New Slide" that I was informed of, was just ment to be that the parks are referbing the slides. Will send an e-mail off to the park on Monday and see if my contact tells me anything different from the email that I posted for you all to see in one of these posts. For those who don't believe that this is true and who think that I might be making this up, I will send a copy of this email to one of the guys down Sydney way....I think that Flea is down there so off to him it goes. This is just so you know that I was not making up this info and that it was received from the park...thats all. As yet I have not received any news from the park reguarding the Thunderbolt or any other rumors you might have heard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thunder, I definitely agree with you on this one. I think your contact in management was probably just referring to the refurb of the speed and free fall slides when they mentioned 'new slide'. It would be nice if they were a little clearer though wouldnt it? So misleading! I'm looking forward to seeing what response you can get from them now. Oh and by the way I think you originally mentioned a competition was being held to launch this years season of The Beach. This is correct. The competition is going to be called something along the lines of 'Message in a Bottle'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Thunder I am also down in Sydney so if theres anything I can do for you feel free to give me a shout. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the 'new slide' is just a refurb...just another example of what I'm always saying. Management tries to pass the place off as a first rate park whilst running it on a 5th rate budget!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Heya everyone, It seems there is not much info floating about regarding WS and anything new they may be adding. A search using Factiva / Reuters news engines here at work digs up some interesting stories on Sunway but no real information on WS. Given the precarious position the Sunway group has been in until recently (Asian economic crisis, Sars etc etc) I am not surprised they have not spent much money on the park with the exception of maintaining it to an acceptable level. With the new investments in the Wonderland business park we might just see some of the proceeds going towards a major new attraction or themed land. I have spoken to one of my brokers in Singapore (who does our Malaysian dealings) and requested they find out what / if any major new investments are planned for Sunways - "Sydney Theme Park Pty Ltd" unit. If Sunway care to indicate that they are spending serious money at the theme park then we at least know something new is coming. I don't expect to be told about coming attractions, just if they are investing $$$'s. Cheers, Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm interesting Michael. I'm definitely looking forward to any info you can gather re sunway's future investment. I have always been disappointed by the fact that Sunway does not make Wonderland's financial details public. Afterall, Sunway is a public company. I'm always very interested to read through the Warner Village parks detailed results, which are all accessible on their website.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's all, as I'm sure you're aware, the conditions of being a public company in Australia - all critical information must be available to the public. It's also why the Australian listed parks are not prone to even hinting at coming attractions - they're simply not allowed to (which is why coming here with "insider" information mightn't be the best idea). I'm not sure of the specifics of the KLSE (Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange), but I'm guessing that the information's accesible through their website, and might even be more specific and useful than the information available through ASX.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard, In my capacity as an Equities Trader I am not allowed to use / divulge any insider information that I might recieve. Not only would it cost me my job, I'd lose my dealers licence and possibly face a stiff fine or jail term. The information that I have requested from one of my Int'l brokers is only financial / directional stuff. Even if I did manage to find out something commercially sensitive I wouldn't be posting it on these message boards! (re: above insider trading.) I did a fair bit of hunting around with Sunways financials for the past few years and they had been selling a lot of assets to get them back in the black. They kept the Wonderland interests for good reason I would suppose. Cheers, Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

:| HHHmmm finally got back some information from my broker in Malaysia re: Sunways Ifrastructure investment at Wonderland. Apparently it is proposed to spend *nominal* amounts on infrastructure investment within the park not *substantial*. The rest of the information was about the business park. What would construe *nominal amounts*? A new ride or two? Or just things like shows etc? Cheers, Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess is that nominal amounts would refer to things like re-painting and refurbs such as what has happened at The Beach. It probably also includes new additions like the Super Hero retail outlet. That's the problem when you have a theme park owned by an asian (Malaysian) company. They don't understand that you need to invest large amounts of money to get money back. They have the same attitude with staff... pay them absolute minimum wage but still expect the best performance from them. I don't really think that attitude works in Australia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Without any significant investment or even new rides in the park in nearly 10 years, they've sustained among the highest attendance of any theme park in Australia. It's largely due to geographical location more than anything else, but the fact is, the park has been profitable for a number of years with nothing significant. I don't think there is any problem with having the park run by a Malaysian company. I furthermore don't see how an Asian company is any different from an Australian or American company in that the sole goal of business is to make money. They don't invest large amounts of money in the park, but they're still running what is among the most profitable parks in Australia. I'm going to leave the wage section out - if there's really an issue with wages, then I'd think the union would try their best to do something about it. I'll agree that nominal sounds to be what they're doing right now - repainting and whatnot. While we'd all love to see new rides, and agree that it would be the sort of investment that would do the park well in the short run, I'll refer you to the above two paragraphs, which I think sums up why they're said to not be coming any time soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In regards to unions assisting with wage problems... Unfortunately in recent years unions have become far less influential and a large amount of power has shifted back to the employers. This is due to the introduction of workplace agreements etc. Great for the employers (particularly cheap employers) but not good at all for employees. Richard, I am interested to know where you have been able to access information regarding Wonderlands financial situation? It would be very interesting to compare the various parks around Australia with Wonderland. I think it's quite sad if Richard is correct and Wonderland is still successful even without any new attraction. It frustrates me that the people of Sydney are all still happy to return to Wonderland year after year even though nothing has changed since their previous visit. It also makes me wonder why no other major theme park has been opened in Sydney. The competition would be good for Wonderland. An attempt was made with Sega World but this was a dismal failure. From what I understand amusement attractions in Sydney simply do not work well. So why has wonderland been such a success? Although I would still like to see proof that Wonderland has been a success, afterall it has changed hands a few times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonderland's yearly attendance figures hover above the 1 million mark. Compare that to Dreamworld, which is now up at around 1.1 million, and the average for each of the Warner Village parks is 1.06 million (combined total of 3.2). The fact that the park can perform as it does, is simply because of it's location. The fact that there are 6 million people within an hour or so of the park, compared to on the Gold Coast, where there might be 2 million. Only 45% of the guests are actually from Sydney, 27% international is the next highest and at the bottom is 6% interstate, showing that it is definitely a regional park like Six Flags parks, not a destination park (as with the Gold Coast parks) like Disneys. So really, only 7.5% of Sydney residents visit Wonderland each year. It's not necessarily that they're happy to visit a park with nothing new, it's just that a visit every few years or whatever can keep up the levels of attendance. Each Sydney resident averages 1 visit every 13 years - each has been an average of 1.35 times in their life. (Statistics are fun! :D ) International or interstate guests (and to a lesser extent, regional guests) aren't the ones who are attracted by new shiny things. Let's face it, unlike a family holiday to the Gold Coast, where 50% or more of the time is spent at the parks, an interstate guest is just filling in a day with Wonderland, they're not basing their trip around it. International guests simply do the park because the coach takes them there (a little generalised, I know). There's room for a theme park in Sydney, definitely. Just don't go with the gimick approach that Sega World used, or near a bunch of yuppies as with Luna Park. Interestingly enough, Dreamworld was originally planned for Sydney, but no suitable land was found down there, so they went to the Gold Coast instead. A theme park in Sydney would really have to be something to do anything useful at all. Unless you're willing to put up something that'd give even the Gold Coast parks a good fight, an investor is wasting their time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard, Interesting statistics indeed! I could understand Sunway not investing in WS for a few years there due to the economic problems in Asia. Those times have passed and WS must have been making them money through these times otherwise they would have offloaded it like their other underperforming assets. I never did understand the logic of closing down LWL and one wonders whether a new *Marvel* themed area will be put in it’s place or it will be bulldozed and turned into business park land. Not having a themed childrens area must be affecting revenue or attendance. Even if they only opened it up on weekends / school holidays, it would boost patronage no doubt. The infrastructure is there! Back to the e-mail I got back from my Malaysian broker, I went back asked her how she construed the information given back to her in the context of *nominal investment*. Her analyst got back to me suggesting that investment in new attractions, extensive refurbishment programs would be nominal investments. He also made mention of the tie up with Marvel which should see some sort of themed area in the park with a new attraction to make the most of the tie up, which is generally what theme parks do when they have this sort of branding agreement. That’s about all the information I can get! Cheers guys, Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.