Now for the coaster-less update of the trip: We took a brief side trip to Queenstown, New Zealand. I highly recommend it, as it is a short flight and Queenstown is absolutely beautiful and feels very vast, clean, and (mostly) untouched. You can take a cableway up to the top of a mountain, where there is a bungy and a downhill cart racing attraction. The ride is fun, but the views from so high up are what make it so special.
We went ziplining with Paradise Ziplines, which also involved hiking through some mountains and around a beautiful stream. Then we went on a jet boat through the river featured in the Fellowship of the Ring and the new Mission Impossible movie. Like I stated before - no coasters, but the scenery and other attractions definitely make it worth the trip.
Attachments
The whole town is situated on this lake
There is a mountain behind it, filled with fun attractions
Racing carts down
We did not do the bungee, but we did enjoy the view
Ready to zipline!
Here is one of the streams we ziplined over
They said may Lord of the ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings scenes were filmed in this area
There were so many Lord of the ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings tours driving around
More landscapes that were in Lord of the ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings (I think)
You could also bungee jump over this river
Mission Impossible had recently finished filming here
Lord of the ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings also utilized this river
So I was only given one day in Queensland, Australia. That meant I had a total of 7 hours to go to Movie World, Dreamworld, and Sea World (Australian parks close promptly at 5 pm for some reason, even in summer) But, even though I was only at Movie World for 2.5 hours, I was able to ride all the coasters, eat, and take some pictures and videos.
The staff here was incredibly friendly, but they don't mess around when it comes to "no loose articles". They have eagle eyes when it comes to your pockets. The attendants spotted the outline of my hotel key card in my pocket and made me go put it in the fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo.
So I love Movie World. It's what I imagine a Six Flags park might be like if Six Flags invested in theming and a higher quality park experience. My only complaint is that Movie World is pretty small. So here's my take on all the coasters:
DC Rivals Hypercoaster (front seat): This is my new favorite type of hyper coaster! Anyone who's been on the Mack launch coasters knows how comfortable the seats are. Now the first half of the ride has some good airtime, maybe a little more intense than large B&M hyper coaster hills. But then the 2nd half is filled with insane ejector air - like an RMC but without the quirky sideways airtime. (backwards seat): This coaster backwards is the single most intense coaster experience I've ever had. It left a bigger impression on me than my first ride on X, or I305, or my first ride on Steel Vengeance. It may just be me, but extreme airtime when you can't see it coming is thoroughly unsettling and incredible. So overall, I think this is a top 10 coaster, and its only real detractor is that it is built next to the parking lot.
Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy: It's an alright SLC. The ride is only slightly smoother than T3 at Kentucky Kingdom (they both have the new trains with the new restraints). Yes, it does have that cool bonus helix. And yes, it is the best, most intense part of the ride. But what elevates this above every single other SLC is the queue line and the theming. And, if you're going to have an SLC, you might as well theme it to "Shock Therapy" at an Asylum.
Green Lantern Coaster: It's exactly what you expect. Quirky, kind of short, but fun. Not as good as El Loco at Adventuredome.
Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster: I really liked this one. It's like a Wild Mouse, but with lots of fun surprises thrown in.
Superman Escape: The coaster part is a slight disappointment, as it has little to no airtime. However, I had no idea how extensive of a dark ride portion there was. The whole "trapped in a subway" storyline is executed very well, with minimal but effective set pieces. And the moment where Superman "rescues" you left a big smile on my face. I wish Six Flags would clone this coaster (or at least the dark ride portion) cause I would love every single one.
Attachments
We headed straight for DC Rivals
Those trains look so cool (and comfortable)
Unfortunately, the back row costs extra (but it's worth it!)
If you've ridden Time Travel in the back, multiply that first drop by ten and you get this drop.
Big beautiful elements in the beginning; crazy airtime at the end
All the line had cool theming elements
Pretty standard El Loco. The 4-a-row seating didn't change the experience much
The Drop Tower was being worked on
Hard at work inside the tower
The character actors were really good. Dare I say Disney caliber?
I was bummed out to see this closed
Looks like a great flume ride
This coaster just makes me happy
Superman's dark ride section was amazing.
The rest of the ride is fun, but not as great as others like it.
The best themed SLC ever
Looks pretty standard here
But the line is very well themed
More theming
Even more theming
Bonus Helix!
Hard to say goodbye, but we had to get to Dreamworld!
Great report! DC Rivals backwards really looks like one of the best coaster experiences out there. I loved Time Traveler's backwards ejector air filled drop, so I can only imagine what an entire layout of that must be like.
I'm sort of shocked Superman didn't have any airtime. That looked like a pretty solid layout.
Lovely report! I also loved Superman and thought it had great airtime (but mostly in the front). Do they still have allocated seating at the Aussie parks? A definite policy downside...
Sydney's Wild Mouse is pretty good but by all accounts didn't live up to Blackpool's version.