The Parkz Update: Dreamworld & WhiteWater World, July 2014
Another month and another Parkz Update from Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. This time we check in on some great improvements around Dreamworld while also checking on progress of Wipeout as it prepares for reopening, and of course the ongoing new attraction construction at both parks.
Image: Parkz.
The front logo is back in place and looking nice and fresh.
Signage indicates this is apparently a dragon.
Water, water everywhere...
The river is looking much healthier than it was in our last update.
As a result, the whole area feels less like a golf course and more like the tranquil bush it once was.
With visible water comes visible eels!
Between the closure of the paddle wheeler and the removal of the old waterfall, there's a lot less continuous movement to keep the river from taking on a life of its own. Hopefully the recent growth won't happen again anytime soon.
Speaking of H2O, the water over at the Log Ride has recently become very clear.
The fountain aerates and keeps the water surface moving to prevent plant and algae growth. The ride now has a typical chlorine smell indicting they're actively keeping the water clean.
You'd almost want to get wet on the Log Ride now!
The River Rapids is also looking good.
We take a look at an ancient reminder of prehistoric times...
... and another one.
Man vs. Wild: theme park edition.
Here we have a ride themed to a long-abandoned, haunted building full of scary machinery, and one of Dreamworld's most recent thrill rides, Buzzsaw.
It's everyone's favourite non-SBNO-roller-coaster midway games!
This guy is probably as bored with our Skylink Chairlift and Eureka Mountain puns as you are...
Obligatory Dreamworld Tower shot.
Who knew The Wiggles were thrillseekers?
The western gondola has been fitted with a steel frame.
That's not your uncle's new extension to the patio, it's the support frame for a camera system that will record footage of riders' expression on the 119 metre drop, taking on-ride photos to a whole new level.
This sounds better than "No enjoyment allowed 30% of the time."
Chris Sawyer's seminal 1999 game RollerCoaster Tycoon didn't just create a generation of roller coaster nerds, it inspired real-life theme park architecture.
Nothing sells hot dogs quite like hot dogs.
Ocean Parade
The original yellow painted pathways that were built alongside The Claw were in need of some TLC. The paint has recently been scraped away.
Wipeout is almost looking like itself again with the main structure back in place.
The gondola is back in place with all the wave facades again in position.
Wipeout refurbishment
Visually the refurbishment hasn't brought any real surprises, only some much-needed love.
It wouldn't be a Dreamworld ride if it didn't have vinyl restraint covers. This simplified yellow logo appears to be the new look for the ride, if the adjacent surfboards are anything to go by.
Cables temporarily hold the two arms in place while work continues.
The new viewing area will extend out a few metres into the pool area.
Test dummies lined up to try and get bragging rights on the newly relaunched Wipeout.
New ride construction
The central support structure for the new thrill ride will be located here.
The four sets of two steel bolts arranged in a square matches the support structure of a Gerstlauer Sky Fly. The grey fibre template and black support frame are a mould to precisely position these eight bolts while the concreting was completed.
Check our our earlier article (with videos) where we wrote about the Sky Fly as a possible attraction for Dreamworld.
What will likely become the ride's main operation booth.
The central column sits noticeably off the centre of the site with the control booth quite close over to the left.
It's great that almost all the existing vegetation looks to be staying put.
It's fair to say that the main load/unload of the new ride will sit in this large expanse to the left of the column. This area will soon be paved.
If you're wanting a shirt that says "This is literally every thrill ride at Dreamworld", we'd advise holding off for a few months.
Stairs – the theme park's mortal enemy – now connect Shockwave more directly with the front of the park.
WhiteWater World slide construction
Foundation work continues – here is the groundwork for one of the slide's many support columns.
There's perhaps no more exciting part of a new attraction's construction than the "piles of dirt" stage.
More foundations...
Fact: the bigger the concrete pylons, the more exciting the ride.
Foundations come in all different shapes and sizes.
A new slide means more pumping and water storage capacity is required. Here a new in-ground reservoir is being built.
Based on the area occupied, the new slide will be among the longest in the park.
That's it for another Parkz Update. As always stay tuned for all the latest from Australia's theme parks.
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