The Parkz Update: Around the grounds at Village Theme Parks

As we head into winter we check in on the goings on at the three main Village theme parks on the Gold Coast. The new slides at Wet 'n' Wild have been delivered to site. Over at Sea World progress has slowed on Leviathan. Incremental improvements continue at Movie World in time for their 30th anniversary.

Image: Parkz. New water slide parts have arrived.

Update By Parkz
5 June 2021

Wet 'n' Wild

With the old Mach 5 tower gone, works have begun on the new H2O zone slides.

Blue, purple, yellow, green and orange slide parts have arrived at site. Easiest to see are the large sawtooth pieces for the tailspin elements used on Kaboom! This part of the slide will eventually be like a large tilted dish you slide around the edge of.

All the new slides are being provided by Whitewater West, who are based just outside of Vancouver, Canada.

Pipework is in the ground for H2Oasis, a new splash pad area for the kids.

Movie World

Movie World's fountain has undergone an upgrade for the parks 30th anniversary.

The golden Bugs Bunny looks great, and makes you wonder why the fountain never had a landmark in it until now.

A new Hollywood sign has been installed too, but it will probably look better once the steelwork is hidden by more vegetation and you get the effect of the sign sitting on a vegetated hillside.

Main Street looks much better now that the screens have been shifted out of the way of the Daily Planet building.

The lighting trusses look a bit more professional now that they have been painted cream to blend in better with the rest of the roof structure.

The windows around the park have various business names featuring people connected to the park. A new one has appeared above Dirty Harry Bar.

Guests can pose in front of this promotional graphic for Space Jam: A new Legacy. Lets be honest though, who wouldn't love a Space Jam kids interactive dark ride.

Green Lantern is operating with two cars after an extended closure. This is one ride where some safety videos in the queue could help throughput. Currently operators allow cars to sit parked in the station whilst they explain the boarding instructions. If they disseminated this information while you are bored in line instead, they could easily increase throughput.

After many years of operation, the gardens in the queue have become very lush. It truly is the 'Green' Lantern.

Doomsday Destroyer is also operating after an extended closure.

You can spot that a new beam has been installed across the ring, with a monorail crane, presumably for lifting things more easily off the motor platform. The sides of the seats have been painted a solid bone white, removing the orange details previously seen.

The rest of the themed area is open too.

When the precinct opened, guests could purchase RFID wristbands to activate the interactive games and effects. The park then eventually attached wristbands on cords to allow guests to use these for free. As of June 2021, these free wristbands are gone, and with the shop closed, there is no way for guests to get a wristband to use these!

Despite the closure of Arkham Asylum coaster, the area leading to the entrance is still very much open.

It creates a bit of a quiet zone, but its strange they opt to keep this open instead of corralling everyone down Main Street.

Time will tell what new attraction will appear here.

Sea World

The entrance experience at Sea World still remains a downfall. The first impression is one of clutter rather than a wide welcoming entry. Once you get under the roof, you are moved through a photo area, and filter through the ticket booth area. Compared with Movie World, there is no quick way for prepaid ticket or passholders holders to bypass all this and get in easily, so a few guests asking questions or making a purchase can hold up the whole entry line.

Social Distancing means lines to get into the indoor exhibits.

As of June 2021, progress has slowed in the New Atlantis area. Currently there is no sign of work on the site of Trident.

No works have commenced yet on the station building, in contrast to Steel Taipan, station up at Dreamworld, which already is well underway.

The final turns and final brakes are done. The bit of galvanised steel track on the left is the maintenance bay / storage track.

The bit of track with orange on the bottom left is right at the end of the course before the turn upwards into the brakes. Look closely and you can see the ride actually concludes with a mini bunny hop. Should be a good little kicker to round out the ride.

A new perspective of Leviathan from Sea World Drive.

What we are nicknaming the triple cross.

All that needs to happen now is the installation of mechanical systems, and of course, some trains on the track.

Leviathan from across the Dolphin Nursery (Now with added shade).

Vortex as viewed from Dockside Tavern. They really gotta do something about that blue mechanical building. It really sticks out among what is a very curvaceous and sculptural looking ride.

A new menu offering from Village Bean is a Choc Banana frappe.

Seal Guardians is one of a long line of Seal Shows.

The main show follows a slapstick comedic storyline, however at the present time the park is running a "behind the scenes" presentation explaining seal behaviours and training. In all honestly, it's an enjoyable show, and it still has a few good gags without feeling forced