Australian Amusement Fanatics

Hey, I'm heading out to the Paniyiri Greek Festival tonight. Will be able to give a report of what rides etc they have and hopefully get some photos.

RIDE LIST

• Skywalker
  Speed
  Extreme
  Skyflier
  Alien Abduction
  Energy Storm
  Cha Cha
  Dodgems
  Super Jump
  Rock n Roll
  Ferris Wheel
  Astroliner Rocket
  Water Balls
  Magic Circus
  Kids Rides / Slides / Inflatables

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So that explains why speed and extreme packed up and left last night

Well, first of all I didn't get to take many photo's due to not feeling too well after a certain ride (which if you read on you will find out what!)

SKYWALKER

I've got to hand it to Luke and Chris, I didn't think that this ride could look any better than before but i've been proven wrong. The front panels and a few of the panels on the ride have had some work done to them and it looks damn great. The ride had the smoke machines and the music pumping with a ride cycle that was just the right time. The ride was also running incredibly smooth and packed just the right amount of punch without being too over the top.

8/10





EXTREME

The ride has had a paintjob on the middle hub and overall the ride was just looking exceptional, not one light was out and the smoke and music just created that perfect party atmosphere. I will say the ride looks a bit incomplete without the full backdrop though. The ride cycle was good, fast and intense but not to a point where it was uncomfortable. The one thing I don't like about Extreme is the very short cycles though... I think 1.5 minutes is a little bit short and I would like to see the ride go for a bit longer.

7/10







SKY FLIER

The ride looks a bit strange with the top centerpiece missing, but looks stunning with all the lights up the tower. The placement of the ride was quite strange though... the ride was having to be raised all the way up (maybe 5m from the top) before being able to spin due to the proximity of trees, and the same thing for lowering. It was nice to cool off in the night breeze, but overall I do prefer the Wave Swinger

6/10

CHA CHA (DALES)

This ride has had some new LED lights installed which makes the ride look a heap better than it used to, but the ride in general is very tired. The ride needs an overhaul with a new paintjob and a mechanical one as well. It just didn't feel like the ride was getting up to speed or pulling the G-Forces that this ride is known to produce. On the plus the ride was running decent length cycles.

5/10

ALIEN ABDUCTION

This ride is a hard one for me to rank... due to how it made me feel afterwards. For a start the presentation is flawless on this ride, from the color changing LED's on the ship and signage to the pumping music and lights inside the ride. This is by far one of the best presented Gravitron's i've ever seen. Now... I had not been on a Gravitron in several years, nor do I think I ever will again...

After stepping into the ship, the ride started to spin. All was good as it approached what I thought was the normal speed. However after about 30 seconds of this speed, the operator then said to "Sit back, relax and enjoy the 5G spinning machine" and then it happened... I felt the whole ride jolt as it cranked up the speed even further. This ride was seriously hauling some ass! I had never in my life felt so much force exerted on my body and after about a minute of the ride going at this speed it was starting to become too much for me to handle. I would like to commend the operator inside the ride at the time, as he saw that I was looking uncomfortable and started to slow the ride down to ask how I was going to determine what to do. He then "Aborted the mission" as he said over the PA and stopped the ride. I stumbled out of the ship, shaking as I nearly lost everything over the side of the stairs... having to sit down for quite some time afterwards.

Now, obviously I can't score the ride on experience as it wouldn't rank high for me, but based on the appearance and the staff alone I would give it a 8/10

SUPER JUMP

For anyone that has known me for a while, you will know that I was not a fan of the Techno Jump style ride due to my height and the harness system. However after today's ride my opinion has changed. The ride is looking in top shape with all new lights and a paintjob and it's just looking great. The ride went for about 2 minutes each direction with a mulitude of patterns and it was honestly just a damn fun ride!

7/10



ENERGY STORM

When you first look at this ride, you can't help but think how bad it looks. I really don't know what the owners were thinking by changing the colors from the original factory ones. However the ride itself is nothing short of brilliant. The ride was running slower than it used to, which is a good thing because it means the ride is much smoother. It went for a good 4 minutes (lifted twice to the top) before coming back down to "rewind" as the operator called it. The cars spun around at ground level so fast that the G-Forces felt as though you were going to fly away. I just wish that the ride looked as good as it rode. IMO the seats are more comfortable and the ride experience is a bit better than Extreme but the appearance just really lets this ride down.

7/10

GENERAL PHOTOS

Cheers for the photos and review. Super Jump is looking good funny how you hardly ever hear of it out, does it do a heap more Qld events?
Agreed there Alien Abduction looks great, I haven't ridden a Gravitron for years, last was at Dreamworld in about 03-04

nice pics, and the review is great, I see Speed and Extreme are there, very weird, but now I know where they ended up, they weren't here at Gympie on Saturday for the show for some reason but now I know..

It normally does a few other shows like Redcliffe and sometimes Crackerjack but yeah, you don't see it out too much. Quite a few rides often pack up on the friday night and set up early saturday morning from shows like Gympie as the greek festival is always packed each year and makes heaps of money. Rides like Skywalker and Extreme at some points throughout the night are full loading as well so it's good to see them making money. I'm really glad to see Super Jump having it's overhaul though and i'd love to see it do more shows... but with Airmaxx 360 on the scene now who knows...

Love Paniyiri! It's a great festival for those thinking of going. The Showmen's Guild always supports it well, even though there are multiple conflicting events.
Agree with all your comments Hurricane, thanks for the photos and review. TPA's extreme is getting around a bit this year, it keeps popping up in surprising locations. FJFs new wheel is a nice compact unit. Sky Walker, Extreme & Energy Storm all in my top 10 rides of all time, so I was very pleased with the line up!

The showmen's guild doesn't "support" this event so to speak, it's an independently ran show that is organised by Tony Marcovich (Coney Fair Amusements). They have the contract to the festival and each of the operators pay a set amount to have their rides at the festival. Based on the location though, the festival always makes a truckload of money and attracts a very good lineup of rides. I personally think out of the 3 shows this weekend (Gympie and Ipswich) that this one had the better lineup.

Also that wheel isn't a new one, it's an older one that's been refurbished as far as i'm aware... In fact it's quite an old model (Similar age as the Skymaster) jf i'm not mistaken! And yes, Extreme really is popping up in all sorts of places, seems to have taken the spot of Power Surge on the lower run this year as it did the Greek Festival last year. I would not be surprised to see it do shows like Crackerjack and Redcliffe as well in the coming weeks.

II gave round up a go for the first time ever. Interesting, ride haha. Yeah hands down great line up. Ipswich need to move it back a week inline with the start of the run north. Didn't realise it wasn't a guild controlled show.

Festivals are very rarely guild ran because they are not an "official" show. It's essentially a big hire job just like a fete. And normally the Greek Festival is a week after Ipswich show but don't know why the dates clashed this year.

Absolutely awesome review Hurricane!

Alien Abduction was at the Easter Show but I avoided it because I heard about how fast it operated, no good for me as it was for you.

Yes... this particular Gravitron is FAST... but according to the Wisdom website both models travel the same speed of 24RPM. I know for a fact that Dreamworld's model didn't run that fast in the later years as you barely stuck to the walls... I don't know what made it feel so much faster than say Durkin's one that I rode a year or 2 ago.