Melbourne/Victoria Theme parks & Attractions Thread

L2 said:

Do any of these amusements parks here actually count as a proper "theme park" in the international sense?

I love visiting the big theme parks on my regular overseas holidays but sadly we're not ever going to get one here for two reasons - poor climate and lack of population hno:

And before anybody argues about the former, well it's true. There's only 4 months out of 12 with consistent decent outdoor weather here, you wouldn't get anybody at all turning up to a theme park here in June.

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Many theme parks in the US are seasonal parks.

I know of a few Six Flags parks in the Midwest that are are in far harsher climates than ours so only operate for half of the year. Those parks are significant investments to sit idle half the year but they make it work.

I do think though that you would still get a fair amount of visitation to a theme park here in winter if it had the right mix of indoor and outdoor attractions. Obviously outdoor water rides would be a no go at that time of year though

Funfields, Adventure Park and Gumbaya Park are all mini parks at this stage, but they are all investing in the future so we will wait and see what transpires. It will take significant financial risks though to scale up those parks to include rollercoasters and any other theme rides that really bring them to the next level.

I do think though that a bigger indoor theme park could be a winner. There are a couple in Dubai which could be looked as a case study, given that it would allow year round visitation. In a local context, Legoland discovery centre was a good start but there’s far more that could be done if the appetite was there to invest. Once again though, always a risk.

^^ I know for a fact that the new LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne has attracted quite a few families from inter-state and has definitely enhanced the tourist experience, especially for young families. Children also need something to do to! At the end of the day, kids are just kids and would want to do something fun and mainly targeted at them, so I think its important to have a theme park or atleast a decent one built in Melbourne. I'm sorry but the Zoo, Aquarium and Science Works is not going to cut it ! Atleast with LEGOLAND now opened, it adds abit of variety.

LEGOLAND is the closest thing Melbourne has to quality and high brand recognition at the moment, who doesn't love LEGO?

Melb1 said:

I'm guessing this thread will die a quick death. We are absolutely pathetic in this state for anything amusement park related.

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This thread was created to place all updates and news for theme parks and attractions in Victoria in one place - so hopefully it won't die, however dormant, as you can see in the first post, there are a few projects happening at the moment!

Melb_aviator said:

Many theme parks in the US are seasonal parks.

I know of a few Six Flags parks in the Midwest that are are in far harsher climates than ours so only operate for half of the year. Those parks are significant investments to sit idle half the year but they make it work

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I'm guessing those would be supported by the size of the population base in the region? Chicagoland alone has 9.4 million people.

The seasonal variation in the Midwest is quite extreme, sure it might be snowing constantly in winter but in summer they have consistent heat and humidity which is perfect theme park weather.

And even then, Six Flags is no Disneyland or Universal.

pdoff said:

Tourists don't come to Melbourne for amusement parks and a city that prides itself on arts, restaurants and culture wouldn't be home to the kind of population where you would expect amusement parks to be popular. That's why Australia has the Gold Coast.

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Correct, this is not a city based around outdoor attractions, and the things we do have (like the Australian Open) are seasonal events.

There's no point trying to achieve everything, each city has it's specialties. Outdoor theme parks are not suited to somewhere with a moderate population (by world standards), a predominantly cooler climate that is not a particularly large tourist hub by world standards.

And on the flip side, not many people go to the Gold Coast for the "arts and culture".

Melb_aviator said:

Agree that it’s not a necessity, but it adds to the mix of experiences that can be offered.

Melbourne/Victoria can not let our tourism product become stale. We do need new attractions to drive visitor interest, especially to appeal to the repeat visitation market.

New galleries/museums or unique visitor experiences drive interest. Can’t just keep trying to sell the brand based on a few graffiti laneways, bars, restaurants and shops forever and expect that to pay dividends in the long run.

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I certainly don't disagree with new galleries or museums. My comments are directed at amusement parks or anything particularly tacky.

Excuse me if I get a little cringe-worthy here, but Melbourne is fortunate to have developed an appeal based on its abundance of character, which, yes, includes its laneways, bars, restaurants and shops along with trams, heritage buildings, buskers, crowded sporting and cultural events, crowds out and about generally, etc... it's 'the vibe' man! It's an intangible asset that is unique and already appeals to the repeat visitation market. Anything tacky thrown into the mix will damage that.. period.

I think LEGOLAND is great and doesn't fall into the category of amusement parks. Having said that, the Melbourne Star isn't an amusement park either but is an example of a tourist attraction that I'm talking about - it's tacky, reeks of cheap commercialism (despite the sizeable $$ invested in it) and just doesn't belong in Melbourne. I'm glad it's tucked away where it is though rather than somewhere more prominent, like I recall it was proposed for Sandridge bridge at one stage.. that was a well dodged bullet.

^^ Every City needs those attractions that some may find cringeworthy. Some of those are drivers of tourist interest, even if it doesn’t seem apparent to locals at times.

You are right that the Melbourne tourism strategy is mainly based on events and experiences, but that still needs a mix of attractions to appeal to all ages and interests. The underpinning of any strategy is a well diversified offering.

Even though we have a solid product, it still needs refinement and continuous improvement to help shape the future needs of potential visitors.

L2, you are right that Chicagoland has a population double Melbourne’s, but the weather in summer can still be just as unpredictable in my experience there.

The Six Flags brand position is mainly around rollercoasters, with far less themeing than a Disney or Universal. They don’t push themselves into that space, instead choosing their lane to deliver to their target audiences. It’s likely a better fit for this market, but at the end of the day it all comes down to investment return. Australia is not a big market which certainly does create a far more challenging investment environment for any project of significant scale.