Australia’s Maze Sequoia Park transforms into Outback Splash

AT: Jeffrey Seifert

PERTH, Australia — Just in time for the summer season (down under), Perth’s Outback Splash is set to open its new four-slide tower complex. Designed by Polin Waterparks of Turkey, the complex features two body slides and two raft slides, adding almost half a kilometer of waterslides to the park, including the fastest body slide in Western Australia.

The slides will run from a new six-story slide tower and were on track to make their debut on Nov. 20. According to Paul Woodcock, Outback Splash director, all the structural steel of the slide tower was completely assembled by August and all the fiberglass was onsite. He stated, “We will soon see the mammoth task of lifting and installing almost half a kilometer of fiberglass waterslides. We are working with the ongoing support of the WA Health Department, our safety specialists and a world-class international engineering team.”

Woodcock added, “We are proud to expand our range of attractions here, which will increase the park’s appeal for visitors of all ages.”

The Wedgie, one of the tallest in all of Australia, will offer thrill-seekers an adrenaline-filled plunge with a near-vertical drop in an open tube. Single riders will achieve a speed of up to 47 mph as they plummet feet-first down the slide.

Gold Rush pays homage to Western Australia’s mining history. Also for solo riders, this enclosed tube will take guests on their own “gold rush“ as they careen at up to 38 mph through multiple twists and turns in a gold-colored translucent body slide.

Two people can experience Blackout together. Starting out true to its name, the enclosed tube raft slide will begin with a pitch-black section, but then suddenly surprise riders with a dazzling display of colorful translucent stripes and other special lighting effects.

The fourth attraction is one of the more popular slides from the Polin catalogue — a Turbolance. Dubbed The Wall, it will be the first of its kind in Western Australia. Riders aboard a two-person raft will meander in an enclosed tube with special lighting effects similar to Blackout, but with slower acceleration. As the raft bursts into daylight, riders will suddenly plunge down a steep drop, only to be met by “the wall,” where they climb almost 30 feet up a near-vertical open fiberglass section. Eventually losing momentum, riders will experience weightlessness as the raft reverses direction. It then traverses back down the wall, pops over a speed bump and terminates into a splashy runout.

Along with the enhancements to the property comes a new name. The water park formerly known as Outback Splash at the Maze was a part of The Maze Sequoia Park. The combined park will now be called Perth’s Outback Splash. The entire complex features the expanded seasonal water park and several attractions that are open year-round such as mazes, miniature golf and a children’s playground, as well as some unique animal encounters. The park, which opened in 1981, originally gained attention with its 27,000-square-foot timber labyrinth and now includes a hedge maze, tractor tire maze, two brain-teaser mazes and, for the little ones, a tangle maze. Guests also have the opportunity to experience encounters with koalas, emus, kangaroos and wombats. The Splash Island waterslide playground made its debut in 2013 and three years later Octopus Bay Kids Splash Zone was added. On weekends and school holidays, the park also operates a 30-foot inflatable slide called The Plummet.

The four-slide addition is the first expansion aimed at thrill-seekers in their teens and twenties as the park is looking to expand its appeal to a broader age-range audience. The park, located near the Swan Valley region, is hoping to capture more tourists from Perth, Western Australia’s capital city and the fourth most populous city in the country. Swan Valley, noted for its fertile soil, has seen a recent expansion of tourism-based destinations such as numerous wineries, microbreweries, a chocolate factory, restaurants and cafes, as well as food festivals based on locally grown produce.

Completion of the NorthLink dual carriageway multi-lane highway later this year should shorten the drive time from central Perth to about 30 minutes.

outbacksplash.com.au

This article appears in the NOVEMBER II 2019 issue of Amusement Today.
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