BuzzSaw (roller coaster)

BuzzSaw
Location Dreamworld
Park section Town of Gold Rush
Status Operating
Opened 17 September 2011 (2011-09-17)
Cost A$7 million
Type Steel
Manufacturer Maurer Söhne
Model SkyLoop, X-Coaster
Lift/launch system Vertical chain lift hill
Height 46.2 m (152 ft)
Length 150 m (490 ft)
Max speed 105 km/h (65 mph)
Inversions 2
Duration 0:50
Max vertical angle 90°
Capacity 600 riders per hour
Max G force 5
Height restriction 130 cm (4 ft 3 in)
Trains Single train with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 12 riders per train.
Q4U available
BuzzSaw at RCDB
Pictures of BuzzSaw at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

BuzzSaw is a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster located within the Town of Gold Rush at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia.[1] It opened on 17 September 2011 as part of the park's 30th birthday celebrations.[2][3][4][5]

Contents

History

The first speculations about a new thrill ride for Dreamworld began in December 2009. A Gold Coast Bulletin report detailed a variety of new attractions for the Gold Coast theme parks in 2010, in addition to stating that Dreamworld were currently in negotiations with a manufacturer to add to Dreamworld's Big 6 Thrill Rides.[6] On 16 February 2011, Ardent Leisure announced the addition of two new rides in 2011 as part of Dreamworld's 30th Birthday.[7] On 7 April 2011, it was announced that in addition to a family thrill ride (Shockwave which opened in June), a major thrill ride would also be opened in time for the September school holidays.[8] The following day, Ardent Leisure filed a trademark application for the name BuzzSaw.[9] On 7 July 2011, it was discovered that the name of the roller coaster would indeed be BuzzSaw.[10] The outgoing CEO of Dreamworld, Noel Dempsey,[11] leaked the name of the ride and Dreamworld's plans to team up with DreamWorks Animation on his LinkedIn profile page.[10][12] Vertical construction for BuzzSaw started around the same time.[13] On 20 July 2011, Dreamworld officially announced BuzzSaw to the public.[14][15] By this time, the main lift hill tower was almost complete with a small portion of track installed at the base.[1][16] By 1 August 2011, the return tower was complete and the track was installed up most of the main tower.[17] On 8 August 2011, the single train was installed onto the partially completed track.[18] On 19 August 2011, Dreamworld announced the ride would be opening on 17 September 2011.[2] By the end of August, the track was complete.[19] In early September, testing for the ride began.[20] On 17 September 2011, BuzzSaw officially opened to the public.[5]

Characteristics

BuzzSaw is one of Dreamworld's Big 7 Thrill Rides ranking it alongside The Claw, Cyclone, The Giant Drop, Mick Doohan's Motocoaster, Tower of Terror II and Wipeout. BuzzSaw boasts the tallest inversion in the Southern Hemisphere at 46.2 metres (152 ft) above the ground.[1][21] This also ranks it as the second highest inversion worldwide.[21][22]

BuzzSaw consists of a single Maurer Söhne X-Car train which holds 12 riders.[21] The train features two cars which each seat riders in three rows of two (totalling six rows).[21] Riders seated in the open carriage and are restrained by a lap bar leaving little to hold on to.[4][14][23]

The steel roller coaster track of BuzzSaw is 150 metres (490 ft) in length.[21]

Experience

Backstory

BuzzSaw is themed around a series of unexplainable occurrences in the Town of Gold Rush which date back to the late 1800s.[1][14] In 1876, the Town of Gold Rush was formed. It was a prosperous town during the great gold rush. After the gold ran out in 1887 they established a sawmill and turned their focus to timber. On a clear moon-lit night, a sawmill worker named Jack Darke was killed by the buzz saw after he had a scuffle with some other workers who were attempting to set the place on fire. The circumstances leading up to his death were covered up by the town with the legend stating that Jack tried to burn down the sawmill and slipped into the path of the buzz saw.[24] The sawmill has remained closed since[24] with many people encountering the ghost of Jack on nights similar to that of his death.[25]

Entrance and station

The entrance to BuzzSaw is located in the Town of Gold Rush where the Helicopter Joy Flights used to operate.[26] This is opposite the former entrance of the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride.[27][28] The station is themed to a sawmill in the town of Gold Rush and attempts to tell the story of Jack Darke.[29] Within the building guests are directed through a series of queue switchbacks and pathways. Several television screens are embedded in the walls and show burning timber. Parts of the theming is caged off with crime scene signs. Throughout the queue, guests are able to hear the sound of buzzsaws as well as several warnings to not go any further and to escape while you can.[30] Large circular saws (a.k.a buzzsaws) are located on the side and roof of the building.[26]

Ride

BuzzSaw is a steel, Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster.[21][31] As part of Maurer Söhne's X-Coaster range of roller coasters, the SkyLoop begins with a vertical chain lift hill to a height of 46.2 metres (152 ft).[32] At the top of this lift hill the car is pulled slowly back over on itself before it is released into a full heartline roll and a drop down a steep hill back towards the station. The train then oscillates between the two hills before it is caught by the chain hill and slowly lowered back down into the station.[5][14][32][33][34][35] A single ride on BuzzSaw is completed in approximately 50 seconds.[21]

Marketing

Marketing for BuzzSaw began on 6 July 2011 when Dreamworld released a television commercial promoting their plans to open a "new bone-chilling thrill ride" by September. At this stage the name BuzzSaw had not been officially announced.[36] On 19 August 2011, Dreamworld launched a competition to "stay the night" and be the first to ride BuzzSaw.[37] The competition involved Dreamworld's Facebook friends uploading their scariest home videos.[38] Following a public vote and official judging, seven people won the opportunity to stay the night at Dreamworld from 10pm on 16 September to 3am the following day.[38][39] A second television marketing campaign was released on 8 September 2011 for BuzzSaw just before its official opening on 17 September 2011. The commercial stated "this September fear will reach new heights".[40] Banners around Dreamworld advertise BuzzSaw as a "ripper of a ride".[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Bedo, Stephanie (21 July 2011). "Dreamworld unveils latest thrill ride". Gold Coast Bulletin. http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/07/21/334225_tourism-news.html. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "Dreamworld - Australia's Favourite Gold Coast Theme Parks". Dreamworld. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/614CaOb19. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 
  3. ^ Dreamworld (15 September 2011). "Dreamworld Australia's Photos - Wall Photos". Photo. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150288444808613&set=a.127090438612.105255.30639128612&type=1. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  4. ^ a b Maeseele, Melanie (15 September 2011). "New thrill rides for Coast theme parks". Gold Coast Bulletin. http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/09/15/349755_tourism-news.html. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c Siegmeier, Melinda (16 September 2011). "New Dreamworld ride a real Buzz". Gold Coast Bulletin. http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/09/16/350061_gold-coast-news.html. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  6. ^ Ardern, Lucy; Westthorp, Tanya (30 December 2009). "Gold Coast theme parks in ride war". Gold Coast Bulletin. http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/12/30/174191_gold-coast-news.html. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  7. ^ Ardent Leisure (16 February 2011). "Ardent Leisure Group - 2011 Half Year Results". Australian Securities Exchange. http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20110216/pdf/41wt35qqv17fqr.pdf. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  8. ^ Ardent Leisure (7 April 2011). "UBS Australian Emerging Companies Conference". Australian Securities Exchange. http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20110407/pdf/41xxblgn0fy2r0.pdf. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  9. ^ "Trade Mark Details: 1419020". IP Australia. 8 April 2011. http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/atmoss/Falcon_Details.Print_TM_Details?p_tm_number=1419020&p_ExtDisp=D&p_Detail=DETAILED&p_Search_No=1&p_Lastrecord=FALSE&p_Is_Internal=F. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  10. ^ a b Dempsey, Noel (2011). "Noel Dempsey - Australia | LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. http://webcitation.org/5zzn7ERxW. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  11. ^ Ardern, Lucy (7 July 2011). "Dreamworld CEO calls it quits". Gold Coast Bulletin. http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/07/07/330581_gold-coast-business.html. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  12. ^ Wilson, Richard (7 July 2011). "Buzzsaw ride, Dreamworks coming to Dreamworld as CEO departs". Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/article/2011/07/07/273-Buzzsaw_ride_Dreamworks_coming_to_Dreamworld_as_CEO_departs.html. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  13. ^ Wilson, Richard (10 July 2011). "July 10, 2011 - BuzzSaw". Parkz Update. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/update/2011/07/10/274-July_10_2011.html. Retrieved 13 August 2011. 
  14. ^ a b c d "Dreamworld Reveals its new Bone Chilling Thrill Ride". Press Release. Dreamworld. 20 July 2011. http://about.dreamworld.com.au/Media-Centre/Press-Releases/Press-Release-Pages/July-2011-Dreamworld-Reveals-its-New-Bone-Chilling-Thrill-Ride.aspx. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
  15. ^ Hayman, Peter (21 July 2011). "Queensland theme park adds new thrill ride". Attractions Management. http://www.attractionsmanagement.com/detail1.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&codeID=270553&site=AM&dom=N. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
  16. ^ "PhotoMaps by NearMap". Aerial Imagery. NearMap. 21 July 2011. http://www.nearmap.com/?ll=-27.862383,153.31445&z=20&t=k&nmd=20110721. Retrieved 13 August 2011. 
  17. ^ joz (1 August 2011). "2 new rides for Dreamworld in 2011". Photos. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/topic/5573-2-new-rides-for-dreamworld-in-2011/page__view__findpost__p__72312. Retrieved 13 August 2011. 
  18. ^ Troy81 (8 August 2011). "2 new rides for Dreamworld in 2011". Photos. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/topic/5573-2-new-rides-for-dreamworld-in-2011/page__view__findpost__p__72354. Retrieved 13 August 2011. 
  19. ^ Troy81 (26 August 2011). "2 new rides for Dreamworld in 2011". Photos. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/topic/5573-2-new-rides-for-dreamworld-in-2011/page__view__findpost__p__72578. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  20. ^ porkerpig89 (4 September 2011). "Buzzsaw testing Dreamworld Australia". Video. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuBHStfnxMQ. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Marden, Duane. "BuzzSaw  (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Roller Coaster DataBase. http://www.rcdb.com/10048.htm. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  22. ^ Marden, Duane. "Volcano, The Blast Coaster  (Kings Dominion)". Database Entry. Roller Coaster DataBase. http://www.rcdb.com/474.htm. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  23. ^ "Maurer X-Car Coaster". Brochure. Maurer Söhne. http://www.maurer-rides.com/files/amusement/pdf/P_X-Car_Coaster.pdf. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  24. ^ a b "BuzzSaw - Backstory". Dreamworld. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/614DnOGSi. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 
  25. ^ Dreamworld (18 August 2011). "BuzzSaw Ghost Videos". Videos. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8F03E56A87855833. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 
  26. ^ a b c Wilson, Richard (16 September 2011). "The Parkz Update: September 16, 2011 - Dreamworld". Parkz Update. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/update/2011/09/16/. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  27. ^ "Dreamworld". Park Map. Dreamworld. 2002. 
  28. ^ "Dreamworld & WhiteWater World". Park Map. Dreamworld. 17 September 2011. 
  29. ^ Gordon, Rebecca (16 September 2011). "BuzzSaw - Dreamworld". Nine Gold Coast News. 
  30. ^ Wilson, Richard (22 October 2011). "Dreamworld, October 22, 2011". The Parkz Update. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/update/2011/11/02/289-Dreamworld_October_22_2011.html. Retrieved 4 November 2011. 
  31. ^ "Buzzsaw (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/_/_/_/rides/1476-.html. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  32. ^ a b "SkyLoop XT 150". Maurer Söhne. http://www.maurer-rides.com/x-coaster/skyloop/xt_150/. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  33. ^ Haydon, Nicky (16 September 2011). "BuzzSaw - Wild Ride". Ten News. 
  34. ^ Maurer Söhne (14 October 2008). "Maurer Söhne: SKYLOOP official video". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjH3IGnygO8. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  35. ^ "BuzzSaw - The Ride". Dreamworld. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/614Dp0ORb. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 
  36. ^ Dreamworld (6 July 2011). "$99.99 Unlimited Entry World Pass Offer - Dreamworld & WhiteWater World Theme Parks". Television Commercial. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj_M9wACuYI. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
  37. ^ Dreamworld (19 August 2011). "Dreamworld Australia's Photos - Wall Photos". Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150263034713613&set=a.127090438612.105255.30639128612&type=1. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 
  38. ^ a b Dreamworld (19 August 2011). "BuzzSaw:"Stay the Night" Promotion". Facebook. http://apps.facebook.com/contestshq/contests/148056. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
  39. ^ Dreamworld (13 September 2011). "We had so many...". Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/dreamworld/posts/279637755397712. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 
  40. ^ Dreamworld (8 September 2011). "Dreamworld's Buzzsaw". Television Commercial. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgm5YTtlfqo. Retrieved 17 September 2011. 

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