If the twists and turns of Jamberoo Action Park's famed Funnel Web water slide aren't enough, thrill seekers can now delight in new high-adrenaline, zero-gravity rides.
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After a decade in the making of planning, construction, and several unprecedented delays, the park's state-of-the-art Velocity Falls has finally opened ahead of the school holidays.
"We originally hoped to get it operational last season," Jamberoo Action Park marketing manger Grant Wright said.
"But due supply issues relating to COVID ... as well as flash flooding which caused damage, we had to clean up and reassess the integrity of the site several times.
"So it's very exciting to finally be able to open the park at the same time as having the new rides available."
The ride, which replaced the Splash Out at a cost of around $8 million, involves eight individual slides, with a further two "multibump" slides, extending approximately 30 metres from the base to the top.
The zero gravity attraction was built by Canadian water park experts ProSlide and arrived in Jamberoo on 45 42-foot shipping containers March last year.
The new ride precinct features The Stinger, which Mr Wright dubbed the most thrilling ride at the park.
It involves standing in a drop box, having the floor released from under you, and letting gravity do its thing as you zoom through the slide.
"This is a first for Jamberoo," Mr Wright said.
Octo Racer is more accessible to the whole family, Mr Wright added, which has eight lanes that are timed, providing for a competitive experience. He even revealed some of his secrets to up your speed.
"You need a nice equal distribution on the mat so it's smooth and runs through the tube on the water as you ride," he said.
"You also need to stay low in the turns to get the fastest times."
Officially opened on Saturday, the ride has an overall ride length of approximately 160 metres and an elevation drop of 21.59 metres with a rainforest/waterfall theme inspired by Fitzroy Falls.
Mr Wright said it was the result of planning that dated back before the Funnell Web opened in 2017, and teased more rides were coming to the park in the future, including an interactive river with wave pool that will delight 4000 patrons an hour.
"We have plans that take us into the next decade, with more developments around what we call the Kangaroo Island master plan, which is the area around the Funnell Web and the Perfect Storm," he said.
He confirmed there are no plans to remove any of the existing favourites at the park to make way for the new plans.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
