Waterpark Profile
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triple Tantrum Alley, an enclosed funnel slide called T5, the Bombora wave slide, Riptide and the Curler. Boomerang Bay is the park’s lazy river. Almost half a kilometre-long, it also features a rapid section to keep guests on the edge of their tubes. Wet‘n’Wild Junior, meanwhile, features 10 child-friendly water slides, a kid-sized river, interactive splash pads and the southern hemisphere’s largest tipping bucket.
The Surf Deck, conceived by Steve Kriticos, allows stand-up and bodyboard surfers to experience a wave similar to a giant ocean barrel. This, like the giant 75m-tall Skycoaster swing ride (10m taller than the Sydney Opera House!) are available to guests on a pay-as-you-ride basis. On arrival to Wet‘n’Wild, visitors are issued with an
RFID-equipped MyBand wristband, acting both as their ticket into the park and a cashless payment system for food, beverage, merchandise and other adds-ons such as cabanas and various photo products by Magic Memories. For AUS$50 (US$45) they can also avail themselves of an all day fast pass. As at Wet‘n’Wild Las Vegas, the new park in Sydney is likely to experience a lot of blazing sunshine and so WhiteWater’s slides at both facilities were fabricated using the company’s SilkGel technology, which provides 100% UV stability, excellent chemical resistance and durability.
High expectations “Because Wet‘n’Wild Sydney was brand new,” highlights WhiteWater’s senior project manager
A panorama of the park
Michael Ayotte, “there was a lot of other construction going on in the site. This meant that we had to co- ordinate with a lot of other schedules, such as the general contractor’s. A challenge that comes with any export project is international shipping and customs.” “The expectations were high,” continues Ayotte, “yet the challenges along the way were met with enthusiasm. I feel a great sense of accomplishment having delivered this project on time and on budget. Village Roadshow is a long-term client that we enjoy working with. We’ve worked with them on numerous projects over the years and various Wet‘n’Wild branded parks. To put it simply, they’re good people.” The holiday rush is now over, but guests can expect
Wet‘n’Wild Sydney to come alive again during the After Dark sessions this month and later in the year, when the park will stay open until 11pm. Specialist sound and lighting has been installed throughout the venue and this, together with a pulsating sound and a light show by Bruce Ramos, who has worked on some of U2’s arena spectaculars, give it a whole new energy after the sun goes down. “Our night time trade has been a hit, with both families and teens rocking under the stars,” confirms Warhurst. “It provides an entirely different in-park experience for our guests.” Single day admission to Australia’s freshest waterpark is AUS$69.99 (US$62.70), or $54.99 for pensioners or guests under 1.1m. Lockers starts at $10.
wetnwildsydney.com.au
WhiteWater
down under “Australia is a growing and very important market for us,” says WhiteWater’s local representative Jim Corbett. “Since we opened an office here five years ago, sales have increased annually by at least 50%. One of our strengths is that we are the only waterpark supplier in Australia with our own full time installation staff.” Aside from the traditional waterpark market, WhiteWater Australia has developed new busness in the municipal leisure centre sector, where there are as many as two or three potential outlets in each small town and potentially hundreds in big cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Both here at venues like caravan parks, WhiteWater is enjoying success with it AquaPlay range. In Frankston, Melboune, for example, the company sold its first ever AquaSphere in addition to a Constrictor slide and an AquaPlay unit. “We are now working with clients for new boutique small indoor/outdoor waterparks,” reveals Corbett. “We’ve seen further expansion in the hotel/resort market as more operators try to keep guest within the confines of the resort to spend their dollars. “We expect more FlowRider sales. The large slide market is one which is just picking up as we’ve started a number of new and replacement slides this year in multiple aquatic centres. Another new market for us is children's play centres, where we are already marketing the products of Prime Interactive. For a country of only 22 million people, the Australian market has huge potential.”
The After Dark sessions have proved popular
FEBRUARY 2014
33
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