I suppose I have to give the run down on some of Australia's park locations...
Dreamworld is located in a native bush area, with some swamps towards the left, and sporting fields behind, which have a wall of pine trees to act as a buffer zone for the park. To the right, across the road is a school (can't be too easy to concentrate when Thunderbolt booms and screeches its way around every few minutes). It is just of the main eight-lane highway that connects Brisbane, the capital with the tourist city, the Gold Coast.
Movie World is five minutes down the highway. They are located on a large clear hilly block, with a native bush buffer zone at the back for housing that is located further up in the hills. To the right is the Warner Village film studios (where Scooby Doo, Ghost Ship were filmed and Brad Pitt's new movie wasn't). Further to the right, on the other side of the studios is Wet'n'Wild Water World, the water park in the Warner Village chain of parks.
Sea World is the most uniquely located of the Gold Coast theme parks. It is situated on what is a sand bar that has grown over the years to be connected to the mainland. The actual width of the land is probably less than 1km, and Sea World takes up more than half of that in width. This is a park that's working with limited space (not to mention land that'd be worth an absolute fortune)! Take a look at this great site with nifty pictures of the park growing into what it is today: http://www.geocities.com/doza35au/History_now_and_then.html
Wonderland Sydney is set on a large semi-cleared hilly block, surrounded ultimately in all directions by working class residential housing (there is a highway seperating it on one or two sides). With the trees and hills surrounding the park, you wouldn't know from the outside that there's a theme park in there, and inside you would think you were in the bush.
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So what if the best coaster in Australia is a second hand Arrow?
I remember driving by Dreamworld and not being able to stop. Too bad. But actually, when I was in Australia one of the last things on my mind were roller coasters. What was the name of the defunct park sitting in the shadows of the bridge in downtown Sidney? I remember they had a SBNO looper and it was in a cool location.
GADV is in the middle of a big swamp, and they own all of the land for like 1 mile down the road from the staff entrance. (Campgroud where our group stays before weekend, all these signs that say property of Six Flags)
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Incidentalist said:
Oak's Park is located on the banks of the Willamette River in Sellwood, just a couple miles south of downtown Portland. Up on the bluffs behind the park you get great views of the park and the skyline. You beat me to it,Incidentalist!;)For you railfans out there,Oaks Park is boardered by the Portland Traction Company railroad right of way to the east of the park.It still operates with an elderly EMD SW-1 diesel locomotive to service an industrial park in the Milwaukie/Sellwood area.At one this railroad had lines that went to south of Oregon City to Canemah to a connection with the Southern Pacific.(now Union Pacific,how I miss seeing SPs' ancient,grungy SD-9s:()and and line that went several miles up the Clackamas River beyond Estacada connecting with several logging railroads.The line to Oregon City was abandoned in 1967 and torn up in 1972,but the right of way is still intact,and is reportedly owned by Tri-Met and retained for a possible light rail or streetcar line.(how history repeats itself)The Sellwood to Boring line was abandoned in 1990 and torn up in 1991,despite an effort to save it as a railroad.This was part of the Estacada line. I rode one of the last trains to ever run on this line before it was torn up.This is now a hiking/biking trail known as the Springwater Corridor.Oaks Park was built as a trolley park by Portland Traction Companys' predecessors. It is interesting to me how Philadepgia Toboggan Company and Portland Traction Company share the same initials.(PTC)So,I have ridden on 2 types of PTCs,a railroad and coaster trains!
To get back on topic ,my favorite park,the PNE/Playland in Vancouver BC,is surrounded by a residential area with the Canada Hwy 1 freeway to the north of the park.The setting is very scenic as Vancouver is surrounded by mountains that are snowcapped much of the year.
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Lets' save the Vancouver PNE Coaster before its'too late!
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Coaster count:32
top3 wood:Boulder Dash, Wildcat, Thunderhawk
top3 steel: Steel Force, Nitro, S:ROS@ SFNE
To add to Jim Fisher's description of La Ronde:
La Ronde is on one of two islands that make up a park. The two islands were the former site of Expo '67 and some of those building still stand being used for something else now. Highlights of the two islands incude the Montreal Casino (one of the few in the world with panoramic windows overlooking the city and park), two museums, a large outdoor concert venue, an olympic rowing basin, miles of bike trails and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve home of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix and a CART race.
All that plus extreemly simple car and metro (subway) access combined with one hell of a view make its location one of the best there is.
The metro stop for Ile Sainte-Helene isn't really anywhere near the entrance for La Ronde... you end up having to walk quite a distance to get to La Ronde from the Metro station.
There's a shuttle bus that runs every 5 minutes from the metro to the park if you don't want to walk 15 minutes
There is no way to exit the mess of parking lots and get back to the 15 without going the wrong way on Pont Jacques-Cartier and going into the city.
Yes there is. Turn left instead of right when you get the choice of going to downtown or South Shore. However better signage would help...
La Ronde is crappy!
Not much I can say to that. There is no more well thought out and insightful comment that "crappy"...
Where do I get that option, though? You have to drive back up the exit ramp and you can't turn left when you get to the bridge. You have to turn right, with traffic, and then you end up downtown.
Before you go under the bridge to the other side where you can't head south you go to the left. I have never had a problem but from your discription, there needs to be improved signage, esecially due to the fact getting back on the bridge in Montreal is not easy.
It's poorly operated, dirty, and the grounds aren't pretty.
While I will unfortunaly have to agree with you, it has gotten much better since Six Flags bought it. Things have improved and I hope they continue in the right direction.
Carowinds is 15 minutes south of downtown Charlotte, NC along interstate 77, in a town called Fort Mill. You got some hotel and restaraunts around it, but mostly its surrounded by business parks/ buildings. No real nice looking countryside or anything.
Ghost Town in the sky, though not a very thrilling park, has got to be one of the best settings of any amusement park. elevation 3000 feet or something, on the top of a mountain. it is located about 45 minutes west of Asheville NC. The yo-yo swings are built on the side of a cliff, and when they tilt forward, you just brace yourself on the edge of that mountain. BTW you need to take a chairlift and a bus to get to the park!
Busch Gardens Tampa, a great nice park, is surrounded by the fast food chains, cheap motels, and just a very unscienic area.
Canada's Wonderland, when I first went there in 1987 was out in the country about 20 minutes north of downtown Toronto. Now its surrounded in the suburbs of Toronto, townhomes, condos, etc.
Six Flags Darien Lake surrounded by farms and campsites, and the small town of Corfu NEw York, which you'll miss if you blink.
Adventureland [IA] is next to a casino in Altoona, IA, which is about 5mi from Des Moines. It's otherwise cornfields, with the exception of the impressive park structure. There are hotels, fast food places, and a truck stop across the streets.
SFEG: *That* is the South Platte River? That's sad.
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