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Australia- Sea World & Warner Bros Movie World PTR

Tony

Hyper Poster
EDIT: Warner Bros. Movie World PTR now posted below.

Well I never thought I'd be in Australia this year but my mother decided that we'd go around a month ago so obviously I was very excited. The initial plan was to spend the 2 weeks in Sydney so I didn't have much hope of doing any parks but then we decided to do a week in Sydney, 5 days in Brisbane and 2 days in Surfers Paradise.

As I didn't have much time in Surfers where all the main parks are located, I had to choose which one I wanted to do most. Well Dreamworld probably has more to offer but their coasters look pretty average, they seem to have a good selection of flats though. I chose Movie World because of Superman Escape. My family then decided they wanted to go to Sea World so that was a nice surprise and an extra 2 credits :p .

So the first day in Surfers we did Sea World .
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Sea World is located just beside the beach in Surfers Paradise. Admission is ridiculously expensive like everything in Australia :p at $71.95. The man at the ticket counter did some sort of deal which added a second park Wet'n'Wild or Movieworld for only $2 extra per ticket so it was good value after all.

All the rides are located in the middle of the the park. The first ride we did was the parks log flume which is called "The Flume" I think. Well the theming around the ride is very good but as far as log flumes go it's the worst I've done. It's pretty short and only has one drop!

5/10

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The other water ride is "Bermuda Triangle" which was closed due to scheduled maintenance. It looks like a clone of the one in Movie Park Germany.

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Jet Rescue is the parks new Intamin coaster for 2008. The layout is all close to the ground and it features 2 tyre propelled launches. Well it was awesome! I loved it! The initial launch is fun, not that powerful though. It then goes into a sharp banked turn and into a tunnel which features a booster launch and adds a nice and sudden sense of speed to the ride.

The next part of the ride is wild featuring sharp, heavily banked turns taken at a very high speed. It zooms into the very short brakes then quickly around the last corner into another set of brakes. For a family coaster that barely gets off the ground it turned out to be really awesome and definitely the surprise of the trip! 9/10

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The parks other coaster is an old Arrow looper called "Sea Viper". It got a new paint job and new Kumbak trains for 2009. This one features a loop and double corkscrew and that's basically it. There is a really good head chopper after the corkscrews with the monorail. Well it wasn't that rough at all.

The Kumbak trains for steel coasters are definitely better than their trains for wooden coasters :p . The restraints have a pointless extra bit sticking out on the right side which blocks your right arm from moving so it's not possible to put your hand up. Like the rest of these coasters it's pretty average. 5/10

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The rest of the park is nicely themed and landscaped.
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The Dolphin show was pretty good.
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The new Pirate show located on the main lake at the front of the park was **** .
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Theres also a good shark exhibit:
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Polar Bears:
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There are also Penguin and Stingray exhibits.
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There are a few other smaller exhibits around the park as well as a Sesame street kiddies area. There is a small rather crap looking water park within the park as well but it costs an additional $5.

There are also helicopter tours and cruise tours located within the park for an additional charge as well as an on-site hotel.

It's quite a good park but it could really do with some sort of whale exhibit/show to make it feel more complete. They seem to be pushing the park as a resort and it's nice to see them doing some work with the ride section with the recent addition of Jet Rescue and the work done on Sea Viper.

Had a very good day even though it was 32*C and roasting hot :D . Overall park rating: 7/10

I will post Warner Bros. Movie Park sometime over the weekend.
 

Ollie

CF Legend
If Bemuda Triangle is anything like the one in Movie Park Germany then I know how AMAZING it is. :D

Looks like you had a good time. Jet Rescue looks like good fun. :)
 

Gazza

Giga Poster
Code:
Sea World is located just beside the beach in Surfers Paradise. Admission is ridiculously expensive like everything in Australia Razz at $71.95.
Haha, I know. Once upon a time when I was younger Australia used to be a fairly cheap place to live compared to the rest of the world, though that has sort of been eroded in recent times, and we aren't too different to Europe these days...It was funny being in the UK and finding many things cheaper there than what I pay at home, or being at Disney in the US and thinking that the food wasn't that overpriced.

For a family coaster that barely gets off the ground it turned out to be really awesome and definitely the surprise of the trip! 9/10
Indeed. When this was being built I was sort of rolling my eyes a bit, but when I rode it I was pleasantly suprised. I think the fact it does the layout at such a high speed considering the size of the turns makes it what it is.

The new Pirate show located on the main lake at the front of the park was **** .
You know, they got rid of a really good water ski show to put that in :(

It's quite a good park but it could really do with some sort of whale exhibit/show to make it feel more complete
This is not in any way related to the incident in Orlando (I can pull up posts I've made in the past on other forums), but for a while I've thought whales should really be kept in captivity anyway. They are a bit too big, live shorter lives, and they really need the space to be able to dive deep and hunt, which no theme park could provide, let alone a place as constrained as our SW. When I saw the orcas at SW San Diego I thought it was a bit offputting the way their dorsal fin was all flopped over because of the enviroment they are kept in.

Anyhow, nice TR, I'm looking foward to hearing how you found Superman and Scooby Doo at WBMW.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
It's great to see a PTR of these parks. So rarely do people visit these parks, it's great to get to hear some reviews and opinions on them.

Jet Rescue looks a lot of fun too!
 

Martyn B

CF Legend
Nice trip report. Its good to see some parks you dont hear too much about. Cant wait for the next update!
 

Tony

Hyper Poster
Warner Bros. Movie World

Well I was quite looking forward to this park because of Superman. The weather was crap on this day. It was raining for most of the day but was mostly a slight drizzle but it was still warm. It wasn't too busy and most people remained within the main street which is covered and features the parks cinema attractions and shows etc..

The park has very similar theming to Parque Warner Madrid but the quality of theming here is better than Madrid's. There is a nice atmosphere around the park but it soon becomes very apparent that this park seriously has very few rides. I don't know what it was like before they got Superman or Batwing...

The first thing you notice when you enter the park is Superman, it's located right in front of the entrance.
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I was a little worried as I didn't see it running so I went straight to the queue. Well at the entrance you have to pay $1 for lockers as they will NOT LET YOU ON WITH ANYTHING!!! So I paid for the locker and joined the queue. It was only running one train and the queue looked a little lengthy. I was just relieved that it was open... well a minute later the announcement; "Superman is closed due to weather" :( . I left the queue to see the slightest drizzle ever!!! It was barely raining :evil: .

So then I went to Batwing the parks S+S tower. I was relieved Superman is the only ride they close during rain as everything else was running. Batwing was walk-on.
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The ride was fun, not to thrilling. The only other S+S tower I was on was Parque Warner Madrid's which I preferred. The launch was fun and a nice little pop of airtime at the top as well as a nice view of the park. 6.5/10
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As I got off Batwing, I noticed Superman running a train with people! I quickly joined the queue which wasn't too long and... wait for it..... "Superman has been forced to close due to weather". The rain was getting a little heavier so I feared I wouldn't get on it at all.

So I went to ride the parks Vekoma SLC, Lethal Weapon - The Ride. This is my second Vekoma SLC after Blue Tornado in Gardaland. Like Blue Tornado this also features the extra helix at the end.

As my camera was in the locker by Superman I didn't get any real pictures of the ride. Anyways the theming in the queue is really good. It starts with you entering some sort of Theatre or something, then into another room which is sorta like a back lot with allot of wrecked cars.

The ride wasn't as rough as I expected, well I was doing everything I could do to stop the headbanging. It was quite fun up to the in-line twists which were rough as hell. The extra helix was probably the smoothest part of the ride but there is a big jerk at the end of it as it enters the brakes. It was rougher than Gardaland's but still an okay ride. The exit is also pretty well themed with you exiting through a gas station. 6.5/10

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Well Superman started running again!! So I went back and queued. All going good... we were then just about to get on... then again "Sorry Superman is closed" :evil: This was the third time it happened and I was not leaving until I got on!!! Everyone left the queue bar a few people. We waited and waited and 30mins later it reopened!!! So we got on the train and off we went.

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Superman has a very good theme. You are on the Metropolis MRT subway, during the queue you are warned tremors are occurring in some parts of the city but everything is okay. There is a safety demo played on TVs.

Beware of Spoilers - skip the next paragraph if you don't want to read about the pre-show!
Well I knew Superman had some sort of pre-show but I was surprised at how long and good it was. You exit the station and start moving as if your on the subway.. next you hear allot of loud warning of tremors and locker doors to your left start shaking and banging. Few other things I don't remember. You continue along and see water pouring down to your left and crashed cars. It is really well done and surprisingly long, you then make a final turn to line up with the launch track. You then hear Superman say "don't worry" and something else and then your launched.

The launch is similar to Rita's and packs good punch. You go straight up into the top hat which pulls some nice G's and has a strong burst of airtime at the top. The drop has a twist to it and provides some more airtime. Then there's a turn which leads to a big airtime hill which has some strong airtime, followed by a high speed turn through the building and into another airtime hill. Then a final steep banked turn into the final hill and the brakes.

The ride was even better than I expected probably due to the pre-show and the awesome airtime on the top-hat as well as some decent pops on the airtime hills. 9/10

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So as there was still no-one in the queue I said I'd go for a quick re-ride, then again "Superman is closed blah blah....". So I collected my bag and went to ride Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster. Beware of spoilers...there's quite allot of them :p .

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Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster is a Mack indoor Wild Mouse. Due to it being indoor and all it had the longest queue due to the rain. You enter a large room which is a large cattle-pen. Luckily it wasn't that busy so most of it was empty. It's really nicely themed and the Scooby Doo film is showed on large screens with behind the scenes footage which passed the time. You then move into a corridor which then leads into the station.

The coaster cars are really nicely themed to monsters. Just as I was about to get on a large mans restraint wouldn't close.. usually after an attempt they just tell them to get off.. but the op kept on trying and trying. She kept locking and releasing the restraints for about 10 minutes before he finally got off :roll: .

This isn't any standard Wild Mouse and it has quite a few surprises. Anyways the first part of the ride starts of as a Ghost train with a few animatronics and really good theming. You then eventually get to an elevator lift which carries two cars at once. As you start to raise up in the dark the cars start to tilt steeply to the left and the right which was really cool. When you reach the top of the lift you go down a big drop backwards! You then reach a set of block brakes and see the normal wild mouse layout. The Scooby Doo theme music is played really loud with all lighting effects and lasers etc.. It was really awesome and quite funny.

Anyways then it's your standard wild mouse ride but with the awesome music and effects! You reach the brakes but there is another quick surprise drop before you hit the loading station. It's a really fun quirky ride and really big surprise. The theming is excellent and the ride is full of surprises. 7/10

So then I went to the last big ride. Wild West Falls, well it wasn't really a day for water rides but this is an awesome flume ride. I knew what to expect as I've ridden it's clone at Parque Warner Madrid.

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Beware of spoilers.
The theming around the whole ride is amazing. I thought Madrid's version was well themed except they did some major cost cutting with their theming which makes it look more cheap and plastic looking.

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Well the ride starts off with a lift to the first drop, which is a backwards drop with an airtime hill. There is a small bit of airtime on the hill and is quite a decent sized drop. Next you drift slowly around an abandoned Wild West town which features some nice effects. Then it's back into the mountain and another lift up to the main drop. The drop is huge and as you hit the splash pool a number of water cannons each side go off which completely soaks you. It's a really good, fun ride with awesome theming. 8/10

As we decided to call it a day and leave I wanted to try and get another ride on Superman. Well I joined the queue and it was broken down, they were testing it so I said I'd wait around. Well it finally started running again and I was soon sitting down with my restraint locked. The op checked the restraints and then rechecked and said "wait, do you have something in your pocket?". I said well yeah my wallet but it's zipped in, well then he gave out to me and got me off the ride :roll: . Another Op brought me over to the door into the shop and said come back through this door when you get rid of it. So I quickly gave it to my brother and went through the staff door and was straight back at the front. The train returned to the station and then "Sorry Superman has been forced to close because of weather!!!" :roll:

I gave up and just left. Superman really annoyed me as it literally ran one train and closed then reopened and ran another train and closed all day! Anyways at least I got one ride on it :p .

The park is really well themed but it does lack rides. It has 2 big coasters, 1 flat, 1 family coaster and 1 water ride. That's basically it. There's a Looney Tones area with a Vekoma kiddie coaster but I didn't bother riding it. For the high admission price they really should add more rides to the park. Wet'n'Wild was next door and we were going to go but the weather was to bad. For some strange reason they have an Intamin Half Pipe :? . I think it would be better suited in the Themepark rather than the water park. The water park looks like it has allot to offer though with tonnes of slides.

There are also regular buses to Dreamworld from Movie World which is just down the road so it is possible to do both easily in one day by public transport. I didn't bother as it was my last full day in Australia so I headed back to the apartment.

Overall Park rating: 7/10

Oh and while I was in Sydney I also saw that weird mountain coaster that never opened which was a nice surprise :p .

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Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Yeah, shame about Superman, although it does look like a fairly good ride. I watched a POV on YouTube and it actually looks quite good.

Again, nice to get a PTR from this park. Good one!
 

Ollie

CF Legend
Just watched a POV of Superman Escape and it's almost exactly the same as Rita's layout except with a pre-show section and a top hat before going into the main circuit. Some sections are probably more drawn out or higher of the ground but the way it goes over the hills and round the bends is the same way Rita does.
 

Gazza

Giga Poster
^I'd say the main difference between Superman and Rita is that Superman has ejector on all the hills, not just the first one :p
 

Lucy

Hyper Poster
Also Superman Escape's better than Rita :D

Great PTR Tony - brings back memories of when I went 4 years ago - similar weather too as I was worried I wouldn't get on Superman due to the rain but luckily it stopped by the afternoon.
 

Tony

Hyper Poster
Superman is definitely better than Rita. There is more airtime on the hills and the tophat is awesome and probably the best part of the ride. The theming is better than Rita's and the pre-show is also very good. I still think Rita is a pretty good ride though. I'd rate Superman above both Rita and Kingda Ka and on par with Furius Baco.. (Well I think Baco's awesome despite what others think :p )

How come you didn't go to Dreamworld?

Well it came down to time, Surfers was the last place on the holiday and we only had 2 days there. My family were going to Sea World the first day so I went there which I'm glad I did as Jet Rescue looks better than any coaster at Dreamworld.

I had basically free tickets to Movie Park and Superman looked better than anything at Dreamworld. Mick Doohan looks slow and ****, an arrow looper... a kiddie SLC and Tower of Terror looks okay but I've done Kingda Ka and I'm sure a 100mph in 6-7 seconds is rather crap.

The flats look good though but then again they are only flats. The only ride I really missed out on is the drop tower.

I'm sure I'll be back in a few years so I'll get there eventually!
 

Gazza

Giga Poster
^Sums it up...GD is awesome, and at this time of year is easy to whore it. The Claw is good, but I'm guessing you've probably ridden Maelstrom at Drayton anyway.
Your'e pretty much spot on with everything else...Motocoaster is ****, Cyclone is OK but a fair bit rougher than Sea Viper. ToT was good for its time, and is still decent, but I guess it pales in comparison to stuff like Stealth even.

Besides, if I hypothetically found myself on the GC with one extra day, I'd be going to Wet n Wild over DW because it's amazing.
 

SaiyanHajime

CF Legend
I had a good day at Dreamworld when I went, but that Sea World deffo looks better.

Movie park was awful, but at least it has a good coaster now.
 

TarkaTrax

Mega Poster
Cool reports, always interesting to see reports of parks that we don't hear much about. Thanks for sharing! Should sort out my Tokyo trip report, you've inspired me!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Glad to hear your thoughts on the parks over here. I have to agree that our parks are way over priced for what they have. Movie World isn't as good as it once was. Did you do Hollywood Stunt Driver? The previous show (Police Academy) was much better and I found it more enjoyable.

Shame you didn't go to Dreamworld. Might be mostly flats but they are decent plus AVPX is quite well done.
 
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