The Wheel of Perth

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Hurricane
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The Wheel of Perth

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"World Tourist Attractions Australia are proud to announce the opening of a new Giant Observation Wheel, located on the Perth Foreshore, with spectacular views of Perth’s vibrant heart and the Swan River.

The wheel experience lasts approximately 13 minutes. After a brief introduction to the facilities available, passengers enter one of the 36 capsules and are gently lifted to a height of almost 50 meters for spectacular views of The Swan River and downtown Perth. A luxury VIP capsule with leather seating, flat screen TV, DVD and CD player is also available.

Tickets can be purchased in person from the ticket office located at the wheel, advanced booking, at discounted rates, is also available via our online system by clicking on this button (coming soon)."

The Wheel opened on the 7th of January 2009

This is an article from ABC:

"You may have some childhood memories of the fairground ferris wheel, and now a wheel is on its way to Perth. But, the man bringing it here, Nigel Ward, assures us it's no simple fairground attraction.

Ward has been taking wheels all around the globe and, in June, is set to bring Perth one that has been used on the Gold Coast and in Birmingham in the UK. "We do everything from short-term temporary visits of about 3 to six months to longer term contracts [of] three, four, or five years," he explains.

"Our wheels are state of the art, a million miles away from the traditional fairground ferris wheel most people might imagine. These are truly stand-alone visitor attractions [with] fully enclosed gondolas [and are] air conditioned, very graceful, multi-million dollar investments designed to fit into a wide range of environments."

So, how does such a creation end up in Perth? "We identify some key cities in each country that we're interested in going to and then make approaches to local authorities to see if they'd be interested," Ward outlines.

Once here, "we can set up one of these wheels in less than ten days and, come removal, we can usually get them down in five days."

The fear some might have is that a wheel in one of the world's windiest cities might come down a lot quicker than that when not intended. But Ward assures "they are engineered to a very high level and can operate in surprisingly high winds. We actually choose to stop operation if winds gust to a certain level which is still well below the maximum wind speed we're permitted to operate on, simply because it becomes a bit more of a thrill ride than most people are comfortable with."

The thrills of this ride should be of a different type. "Because of the location on your waterfront, you're going to be able to see for miles and miles," Ward promises.

"All of our market research shows that when people have friends and relatives visiting, they have a go, and a repeat visit is very common. Also, because the wheels are open normally from 10 in the morning 'til 10 in the evening, you've two different experiences, a daytime visit and also looking at the city at night from that height is a spectacular thing to do."

If it is something spectacular that you don't get time to do in it's initial time in Perth, Ward is hopeful you'll get further chances. "The vast majority of towns and cities we've been in for three to six months, nine times out of 10 we get asked to extend the stay because it has proved so popular," he points out. "If I take York [in the UK] as an example, we had an initial contract for three years we now have an option to extend for a further five at the request of the local organisations."

In Perth "we have an initial three month term but, if everything goes well, we hope to be able to extend that," he notes before adding, "we're very excited, we think it's a beautiful city, the views across the waterfront are spectacular and we think it's ideal for a wheel."

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Vee
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Vee »

Not really interested personally - there's already been a marriage proposal on there though, so it must be popular enough :wink:

Lots more photos
Hurricane
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Hurricane »

Why are Ferris Wheels becoming so popular anyway!? I mean I think we have enough... and these are just the significant ones.

Skymaster
SkyView
Southern Star Ferris Wheel
Wheel of Brisbane
Wheel of Perth
Luna Park Sydney's Wheel
Sea World Eye (Currently in Storage pending construction on the Gold Coast)

I don't really think we need any more!
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Zamperla
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Zamperla »

I thought the one on the banks of Brisbane's Southbank was the one from Seaworld (I know it's a very similar model from the same manufacturer) - Ward mentions the wheel in Perth had spent time on the goldcoast - perhaps this is the ex-Seaworld one.
CoinKing
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by CoinKing »

1. Its Small
2. I get a better view from kings park.
3. Its a piece of sh**.
4. It costs 15$ to go on.
Top Gunner14
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Top Gunner14 »

Pfft another Wheel. Probably trying to get one up in every capital
Hurricane
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Hurricane »

The Sea World Eye was the same model as the Wheel of Brisbane, but different wheels. They are both Nauta Bussink R60 Model, but one has White Gondola's and the other is Blue. From memory the Sea World Eye is still in storage in Brisbane somewhere awaiting construction in Surfers Paradise. The Model of wheel at Perth is a Nauta Bussink R50. Both the Sea World Eye and Wheel of Brisbane feature 42 Gondola's whereas this one features only 36. Hopefully that clears up things for you Zamp.

Also... does anyone find it Ironic that someone who HATES Ferris Wheel's knows so much about them? :lol:
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Josh in Rocky
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Josh in Rocky »

I can't understand why everyone is so quick to bag the idea of Ferris wheels???
Stick one in every town if it gets every day people on an amusement ride!!!
Who cares if it doesn't cater to the thrill noodles on this website, if the public ride it and have a good experience, they will look for having another great experience at our local or captal shows,,, which meens more bums on seats on amusement rides, which meens the operators can afford to bring in the big expensive thrill rides we all want to ride...........
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Hurricane
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Hurricane »

Yes... but these wheels are not owned by travelling showmen, so it doesn't really support them. They are all owned by the UK group "World Tourist Attractions" And these wheels are becoming the Ali Baba's of the ride. There are now so many of them that they start to loose there appeal...










... But then again maybe I am being biased as I hate Ferris Wheels :lol:
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HUSSRAINBOW
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by HUSSRAINBOW »

Apparently due to Melbourne's heat wave, Southern Star was closed the other day, as engineers have found some of the struts have started to buckle and distort... See what happens when you get a Meisho Ride....
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princess
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by princess »

That is not very good, scary.
Hurricane
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Hurricane »

Hmm... sounds a bit like the old Thunderbolt... made by Meisho :lol:
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Top Gunner14
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Top Gunner14 »

Apprently the Brisbane wheel is averaging 7-9 riders an hour. So that's not really popular in Brissie. But they are good rides especially to the city from the air. I've got nothing against them, just strange they just keep popping up around Oz in the same sort of time frame.
Hurricane
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Hurricane »

That sounds about right for the Wheel of Brisbane. I have not even seen ANY advertising for it. Pretty poor effort by the Brisbane City Council if you ask me.
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HUSSRAINBOW
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by HUSSRAINBOW »

verfurths wheel did great at both Birrarung Marr, and Rye!
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Zamperla
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Zamperla »

Heat stroke: even the big wheel bucklesLauren Wilson | February 03, 2009
Article from: The Australian

MELBOURNE'S answer to the London Eye, the $100million Southern Star Observation Wheel, has fallen victim to the heatwave, just over a month after it opened.

Parts of the 40-storey high observation wheel, developed by ING Real Estate in the city's revamped Docklands precinct, cracked and buckled in the scorching temperatures that swept across Victoria and South Australia last week.

Safety concerns forced operators to close the wheel on Friday, just six weeks after its opening, and it is not known when the tourist attraction will turn again.

Engineers from Japan, where parts of the wheel were constructed, have travelled to Melbourne to report on the extent of the damage.

Speaking on radio yesterday, the chairman of the Southern Star Management Group, Fred Maybury, said it was disappointing the wheel had buckled.

Mr Maybury could not say when the wheel would be operational again: "Until I get the report, I can't answer that."

He said the heat had caused a buckling of the bracing members toward the centre of the wheel, which had caused cracks in the structure.

"We've had the designers here to assist us in what needs to be done," he said.

"We're taking it as serious, because we want the wheel to be fully operational and successful."

Severe weather and engineering problems caused the long-awaited development to be delayed twice before its launch on December 20.

Mr Maybury was not the only person to be disappointed by the ferris wheel's latest setback.

Sachin Jamkhedkar, 28, and his wife Renuka, 26, from Boronia, in Melbourne's east, took the day off work yesterday to celebrate their third wedding anniversary, with a trip planned on the 120m-high wheel.

"A few of our friends told us about the wheel -- that it's great and has nice views -- so we we planned to do it on a special occasion," Mr Jamkhedkar said.

The couple, who were told at the attraction's box office that operational delays had forced the wheel to close, said they were now unsure how they would celebrate their anniversary.

"It's disappointing -- we were looking forward to it. I suppose we'll just look around the shops now," Ms Jamkhedkar said.

A spokeswoman for Southern Star said the observation wheel was still under warranty, so the repairs would not come at a cost to the developers.

She said anybody who had bought tickets at the box office would be able to use their tickets on another occasion, or have their money refunded.
Josh in Rocky
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Re: The Wheel of Perth

Post by Josh in Rocky »

Hurricane wrote:Yes... but these wheels are not owned by travelling showmen, so it doesn't really support them. They are all owned by the UK group "World Tourist Attractions" And these wheels are becoming the Ali Baba's of the ride. There are now so many of them that they start to loose there appeal...


General public only see it as a 'ride'.. Not who owns what, so when the travelling showman do arrive, those same people may just return to a show they havent been to for years after their great time on a giant wheel???
I don't like them either, but will take my kids on them, the more the merrier I say.... Can only help when it comes to trying to revive the travelling shows...







... But then again maybe I am being biased as I hate Ferris Wheels :lol:
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