Jump to content

The Gold Coaster: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
King Vegita (talk | contribs)
2,688 edits
adding citation
King Vegita (talk | contribs)
2,688 edits
Line 69: Line 69:
* {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=Sam |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2005 |title=Luna Park - Just for fun |edition=2nd edition |publisher=Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd |location=Sydney, Australia |id=ISBN 0-646-44807-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=Sam |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2005 |title=Luna Park - Just for fun |edition=2nd edition |publisher=Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd |location=Sydney, Australia |id=ISBN 0-646-44807-2}}
* Historical information boards located at [[Luna Park Sydney]]
* Historical information boards located at [[Luna Park Sydney]]
* "Qld: Big Dipper Roller-coaster Unleashed as a Cyclone". ''AAP General News''. December 20, 2001). Accessed via [Highbeam http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-49061670.html] March 26, 2008.


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 21:54, 26 March 2008

Cyclone
Cyclone at Dreamworld
Luna Park Sydney]] (1994-2001)
Dreamworld (2001-present)
LocationLuna Park Sydney]] (1994-2001)
Dreamworld (2001-present)
StatusOperating
Opening date1995 (Luna Park Sydney)
December 26, 2001 (Dreamworld)
CostAUS $8,000,000 (Luna Park Sydney)
AUS $5,500,000 (Dreamworld)
General statistics
TypeSteel
DesignerArrow Dynamics
Inversions2
Duration2 min (approx)
Capacity400 riders per hour
Cyclone at RCDB

The Cyclone is a steel high-speed gravity rollercoaster operating at Dreamworld, one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere,[1] and was the tallest when it was first built.[2][3] Designed by Arrow Dynamics[4], the ride was installed at Luna Park Sydney in 1994[5] under the name Big Dipper,[6] but operational restrictions caused following legal action by local residents complaining about noise pollution resulted in the ride being shut down after 9 months[7] and contributed to the park's 1996 closure.[8] It was sold to Dreamworld in 2001[9], and sections of the track intertwine with water rides at the adjacent WhiteWater World.[citation needed] When it was brought to Dreamworld, the ride was the first megarollercoaster to be openned on the Gold Coast since 1995.[10] The ride is advertised as part of the "Big 5" thrill rides.[11]

Construction

The Cyclone was constructed at a cost of AUS $8 million in 1994 at Luna Park[12] using over 1,000 tons of steel and 15,000 sets of nuts and bolts.[13] . The ride was purchased in 2001 by Dreamworld who spent AUS $5.5 million on the coaster: AUS $3 million for the coaster itself and AUS $2.5 million for installation, modification, and developing the coaster's theme and accessories; AUS $500,000 overbudget. Much of the modification was with the supports; in Sydney, the coaster partially oversat a single story building and the supports had to be redesigned to rest on the ground.[14]

Track layout

Cyclone track interacting with slides at WhiteWater World

The ride stands 40 metres (131 ft 3 in[15]) above ground at its highest point, runs 900 m (2,952 ft 9 in[16]) in length, and features a 360° loop and a reverse sidewinder[17] each considered an inversion,[18][19] with both track elements located within WhiteWater World. The single six-car train seats 24 passengers (6 cars with 4 passengers per car), and reaches a top speed of 85 kilometres per hour (53 mph) and a top acceleration of 3.0 g (31 m/s²[20]) during the course of the two-minute ride.

In 2001, Dreamworld chief executive, Tony Braxton-Smith, stated the ride was similar to being in an actual cyclone: "The name Cyclone fits the ride perfectly with lots of nail-biting twists and hair-raising turns to simulate being caught in a real cyclone."[21]

Queue

The ride's queue was planned as a story format matching the cyclone theme of the ride. The intention of the design was to occupy patrons as they waited in the queue through both visual and physical stimuli such as theatrical lighting and shaking floors.[22] Concept photos are available from the Sanderson Group.

History

The steel roller coaster, designed by Arrow Dynamics, was constructed during the 1994 redevelopment of Luna Park Sydney. Opening in 1995, the new roller coaster became a point of contention with residents, and was cited as the main example of the noise pollution generated by the amusement park. After appeals to various courts by both the resident action group and the park's new owners, it was decreed that the roller coaster could only operate at certain times, and under strict conditions. These conditions caused major shareholder Wittingslow Amusements to consider 'walking out' on the operating company.[23] The park's administration was doubtful of Luna Park's survival under the restrictions, and was proven correct when Luna Park closed in February 1996.[24]

The roller coaster remained on site until late 2001, operating on several occasions for charity-supporting events, including for the Variety Club and the The Spastic Centre. Between 1996 and 2001, the roller coaster was filmed for sequences in the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen video Our Lips Are Sealed and for Farscape Season 3 episode Infinite Possibilities Part I: Daedalus Demands.

Developers looking to redevelop Luna Park were sold the land on the condition that the Big Dipper be sold prior to any developments.[25] The ride was dismantled at the end of 2001, and sold to the owners of Dreamworld. The new owners transported it to their Queensland amusement park, where it reopenned on December 26, 2001[26] dedicated by Peter Beattie and Merri Rose MPs.[27] The ride still currently operates.

Fiscal results

In the first 6 months of the ride's release in December 2001, more than half of all visitors to Dreamworld rode the Cyclone putting it's popularity above The Giant Drop and Tower of Terror, but still lagging behind Thunder River Rapids and The Log Ride according to Macquarie Leisure Trust, owners of Dreamworld. They clarify: "The Thunder River Rapids and the Log Ride remain the most popular attractions in the park due to their large capacity and ride frequency."[28]

The Trust concluded that the Cyclone's success, along with the impact of social changes in Australian culture were able to offset the negative impact of the Ansett collapse and increase attendence by 6.9% and total revenue by 13.3%. They did not attribute a specific portion of this to the Cyclone itself.[29]

Notes

  1. ^ Cyclone Rollercoaster Dreamworld from www.yourgoldcoast.net.au
  2. ^ (AAP General News "Fed: Big Dipper renamed as Cyclone at Dreamworld" October 22, 2001)
  3. ^ Macquarie Leisure Trust Newsletter July 2002
  4. ^ http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/cyclone_dreamworld.shtml
  5. ^ http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/AU/Gold_Coast/Dreamworld/rides/243-Cyclone.html
  6. ^ http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/cyclone_dreamworld.shtml
  7. ^ http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/AU/Gold_Coast/Dreamworld/rides/243-Cyclone.html
  8. ^ (AAP General News "Qld: Big Dipper Roller-coaster Unleashed as a Cyclone")
  9. ^ http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/cyclone_dreamworld.shtml
  10. ^ Press Release: Dreamworld Guests Blown Away by Cyclone
  11. ^ Carne, Lucy "Just Add Water"
  12. ^ http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/AU/Gold_Coast/Dreamworld/rides/243-Cyclone.html
  13. ^ Press Release: Dreamworld Guests Blown Away by Cyclone
  14. ^ http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/AU/Gold_Coast/Dreamworld/rides/243-Cyclone.html
  15. ^ http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1523
  16. ^ http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1523
  17. ^ Press Release: Dreamworld Guests Blown Away by Cyclone
  18. ^ http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/coaster.php?cid=1
  19. ^ http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1523
  20. ^ http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/coaster.php?cid=1
  21. ^ (AAP General News "Fed: Big Dipper renamed as Cyclone at Dreamworld" October 22, 2001)
  22. ^ Sanderson Group - Cyclone Schematic Design
  23. ^ Marshall (2005), p 131
  24. ^ Marshall (2005), p 134
  25. ^ [ttp://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1523 http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1523]
  26. ^ http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1523
  27. ^ Press Release: Dreamworld Guests Blown Away by Cyclone
  28. ^ Macquarie Leisure Trust Newsletter July 2002
  29. ^ Macquarie Leisure Trust Newsletter July 2002

Sources

  • The Cyclone rollercoaster at Roller-coaster.com.au
  • Cyclone (Dreamworld)
  • "Fed: Big Dipper renamed as Cyclone at Dreamworld". AAP General News. October 22, 2001). Accessed via [HighBeam http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-47673404.html] March 26, 2008.
  • Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park - Just for fun (2nd edition ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-646-44807-2. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Historical information boards located at Luna Park Sydney
  • "Qld: Big Dipper Roller-coaster Unleashed as a Cyclone". AAP General News. December 20, 2001). Accessed via [Highbeam http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-49061670.html] March 26, 2008.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Gold_Coaster&oldid=201160633"