Jamberoo news - attendance skyrockets, police called to quell traffic queue.

[Gabs]

Hey everyone, just thought I'd post this news up if anyone is at all interested in NSW's largest water park: Jamberoo Action park. The articles below appeared in the last month in the local Illawarra newspaper and make for an interesting read. Police were called to Jamberoo Action Park about a month ago to quell the traffic queue which was almost up to three kilometers long - all the way back to the F6, or Princes Highway (and Freeway). The local council is also considering banning all future construction at the park until all these traffic issues are resolved. Read below for more detailed information: Park drives patrons wild; Police to tackle Jamberoo traffic MICHELLE HOCTOR. Illawarra Mercury. Wollongong, N.S.W.: Jan 29, 2008. pg. 9 JAMBEROO Action Park experienced the downside of being too popular on the weekend. A record attendance of 11,600 on Sunday was tempered by headaches with traffic, the queue at one stage backed up to Albion Park, resulting in concerns expressed to police. Park owner and Tourism Illawarra chairman Jim Eddy said the traffic snarl was a one-off that should be considered in context. "The inclement weather in the week preceding Sunday resulted in a pent-up demand." Mr Eddy said that the park had experienced problems with traffic three times this year, but for the most part traffic flow had been smooth, including yesterday's experience when attendance reached 9000. "We've had up to 10,000 in the past and we've not had a problem with the roads," he said. "It was just that one day and it was out of control, it really was. We lost about 1500 people who turned around and left when they saw the queue was so long." Mr Eddy said that with plans in the pipeline to expand the $20 million theme park even further, he was anticipating the traffic concerns and had commissioned an independent traffic study on the feeder road and park. "The study is looking at the traffic volumes, what the queue lines are and when the traffic hits," he said. While the wait was arduous in the street, Mr Eddy said queues inside for the park's two most popular attractions, the Taipan and chairlift, was no longer than 30 minutes, which he said was not long by international standards. Lake Illawarra police Chief Inspector Bob Noble said he intended to raise the matter of traffic management at the park at the next Kiama Traffic Committee meeting. "That road is, for all intents and purposes, a quiet little country road which struggles at times to cope with the volume of traffic at peak tourist times," he said. Meantime, Mr Eddy has withdrawn his plans to operate helicopter flights from the park, for now. The plans, submitted to Kiama Municipal Council in August, were withdrawn after the council's legal advice indicated the proposal should be dealt with as a stand-alone development with a separate environmental impact statement. He hoped to submit a new application this year but was not optimistic it would be off the ground next summer. ----------------------------------------------- Council mulls water park's traffic woes MICHELLE HOCTOR. Illawarra Mercury. Wollongong, N.S.W.: Jan 30, 2008. pg. 9 KIAMA Municipal Council will consider placing a ban on all future development at Jamberoo Action Park until traffic problems are resolved. The decision, made at last night's general meeting of the council, follows congestion at the theme park on Sunday when a record attendance of 11,600 resulted in a traffic jam that extended as far back as the F6 at Yallah. Councillor Joyce Wheatley asked that the council defer consideration of any future expansion of facilities at the park until "satisfactory arrangements" were made for traffic movement. She asked that this include any new rides proposed as part of a master plan that had been submitted to the council. Cr Wheatley also recommended the matter be referred to the Kiama traffic committee, which includes police and RTA representatives, with a view to "facilitating traffic movements". In yesterday's Mercury park owner Jim Eddy said Sunday's congestion was a rare event, largely resulting from a week of inclement weather and the resulting "pent-up demand". Cr Wheatley, however, indicated the problems extended beyond these isolated events, asking that the traffic committee review the traffic problems "which occur at the park, particularly on weekends and public holidays". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In another article, Jamberoo truly shines as a growing park with numbers almost doubling this soon to end summer season. Snakes alive, Jamberoo mesmerises 17,800 GREG ELLIS. Illawarra Mercury. Wollongong, N.S.W.: Jan 16, 2008. pg. 6 THE new twin Taipan water slide's impact at Jamberoo Action Park was highlighted last weekend when the state's largest theme park smashed its attendance record. General manager Dax Eddy said 9100 people visited the park on Saturday, followed by another 8700 on Sunday. The previous best was 7800 on Sunday, January 21, 2007. Mr Eddy said it was interesting to see the difference in how the park handled the new record and the significant role the new Taipan ride played in providing thrills to 3000 people an hour. "Over the years we have been breaking records but the park has never handled the increase so well," he said. ---------------------------------------------- Investment in action park pays off; What I'm hearing Source: Illawarra Mercury. Wollongong, N.S.W.: Jan 12, 2008. pg. 53 LAST Saturday I ran a story about two businessmen in their 30s who have made an impressive mark on the Australian auto industry since they purchased Wilsons Holden two years ago. Ashley Tory and Dean Leary took their enthusiastic management and ownership style one step further last week when they acquired Albion Park Mitsubishi. But this week I would like to highlight the business bravery of another in this age group. They say once bitten twice shy, but Dax Eddy has been rewarded for his courage in investing in the Taipan waterslide, which is swallowing up hundreds of people an hour at Jamberoo Action Park, the state's largest theme park. But it is not the first time the public has responded to Dax's willingness to invest in multimillion-dollar improvements to the park. He has show change can be good if you give people what they want; that is, fresh new outdoor adventures with a greater choice of activities. And that response has given him the confidence to continue with the $20 million revamp of the theme park his father Jim Eddy started with a grass ski slope on a Jamberoo dairy farm more than two decades ago. A couple of years ago Jim told me the time was right for Dax to take charge because he brought a new energetic approach to managing the tourist attraction. Last week Dax told me that on two days between Christmas and New Year attendances had exceeded 7500. Dax knew the new ride would generate record crowds, but even he was not expecting to hit those figures so early in the new year. On the biggest day so far this summer, Dax said it took just eight minutes for 400 people to get through the ride. "That's 500 people per hour faster than expected," he said. If the weather holds, the potential visitor numbers generated by the park and its new action-packed twin-water slide could be huge. And the spin-off for accommodation houses and restaurants will provide a major boost to the Illawarra economy. But this achievement has not come without risk, as I mentioned earlier. So, congratulations Dax and members of the community who have supported such business bravery. Such massive investments in tourism infrastructure do not come without the confidence generated by large numbers of people responding to the modern facilities. Of course, the good news is that if visitor numbers continue Dax and the Eddy family will have the confidence to pursue their grand vision that will see more of the world's best water rides at Jamberoo. It could see the arrival of one of the most technologically advanced rides that incorporates the same magnetic-levitation technology as the Maglev train, which propels thrill-seekers up hill faster than they come down.

[GoGoBoy]

Thanks for posting the articles. Fantastic to see the park doing so well since the introduction of the new slides. This shows that the theme park industry is alive and well in NSW. Despite the false claims and excuses Wonderland made, the fact is if you invest in new attractions the people will come

[Jobe]

Despite the false claims and excuses Wonderland made, the fact is if you invest in new attractions the people will come

Good point GoGoBoy. This is also a lesson that the operators of Luna Park Sydney would do well to take heed of!!. Regular investment back into a park via new attractions is a sure fire way to generate interest and extra attendance which ultimately translates to the bottom line. To stay stagnant (like LPS for 4 years with NO new PERMANENT attraction or upgrade) is a recipe for disaster and ruin. I have never visited Jamberoo myself but I find that I will be definitely packing up the family for a daytrip sometime soon,especially if their impressive future plans come to fruition!! Cheers Jobe

[rappa]

This is very similar to the situation at Alton Towers in England where the world class park is fed and serviced by a country lane. I can only hope for the parks sake that the locals are smart about this is help rather than hinder the parks development, it will only mean good things for their local economy.