BuzzSaw (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
BuzzSaw is a Maurer Söhne
SkyLoop roller coaster
located within the Town of Gold Rush at Dreamworld
on the Gold Coast
, Australia
. It opened on 17 September 2011 as part of the park's 30th birthday celebrations
.
announced the addition of two new rides in 2011 as part of Dreamworld's 30th Birthday
. 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. The following day, Ardent Leisure filed a trademark application for the name BuzzSaw. On 7 July 2011, it was discovered that the name of the roller coaster would indeed be BuzzSaw. The outgoing CEO of Dreamworld, Noel Dempsey, leaked the name of the ride and Dreamworld's plans to team up with DreamWorks Animation
on his LinkedIn
profile page. Vertical construction for BuzzSaw started around the same time. On 20 July 2011, Dreamworld officially announced BuzzSaw to the public. By this time, the main lift hill tower was almost complete with a small portion of track installed at the base. By 1 August 2011, the return tower was complete and the track was installed up most of the main tower. On 8 August 2011, the single train was installed onto the partially completed track. On 19 August 2011, Dreamworld announced the ride would be opening on 17 September 2011. By the end of August, the track was complete. In early September, testing for the ride began. On 17 September 2011, BuzzSaw officially opened to the public.
, 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 (151.6 ft) above the ground. This also ranks it as the second highest inversion worldwide.
BuzzSaw consists of a single Maurer Söhne X-Car train
which holds 12 riders. The train features two cars which each seat riders in three rows of two (totalling six rows). Riders seated in the open carriage and are restrained by a lap bar leaving little to hold on to.
The steel roller coaster
track of BuzzSaw is 150 metres (492.1 ft) in length.
. 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. The sawmill has remained closed since with many people encountering the ghost of Jack on nights similar to that of his death.
. The station
is themed to a sawmill
in the town of Gold Rush and attempts to tell the story of Jack Darke. 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. Large circular saw
s (a.k.a buzzsaws) are located on the side and roof of the building.
, Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster. 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 (151.6 ft). 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. A single ride on BuzzSaw is completed in approximately 50 seconds.
Maurer Söhne
Maurer Söhne is a steel construction company and roller coaster manufacturer. Founded in Munich, Germany in 1876, the company has built many styles of steel buildings, ranging from bridges, industrial buildings, and even art structures. While known for building various wild mouse coasters, Maurer...
SkyLoop roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
located within the Town of Gold Rush at Dreamworld
Dreamworld
Dreamworld is a large theme park situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is currently Australia's largest theme park with over 27 rides including 4 roller coasters. The park is made up of several themed lands: Ocean Parade, Kid's World, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow, Tiger...
on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It opened on 17 September 2011 as part of the park's 30th birthday celebrations
Dreamworld's 30th Birthday
Dreamworld's 30th Birthday will be celebrated throughout 2011 at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Australia.-Overview:In August 2010, the owners of Dreamworld, Ardent Leisure, approved a capital expenditure plan in both Dreamworld and WhiteWater World to "strengthen ride inventory...
.
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. On 16 February 2011, Ardent LeisureArdent Leisure
Ardent Leisure is an Australian-based leisure company which owns and operates a leisure portfolio of over 100 assets across Australia, New Zealand and the United States...
announced the addition of two new rides in 2011 as part of Dreamworld's 30th Birthday
Dreamworld's 30th Birthday
Dreamworld's 30th Birthday will be celebrated throughout 2011 at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Australia.-Overview:In August 2010, the owners of Dreamworld, Ardent Leisure, approved a capital expenditure plan in both Dreamworld and WhiteWater World to "strengthen ride inventory...
. On 7 April 2011, it was announced that in addition to a family thrill ride (Shockwave
Shockwave (Dreamworld)
Shockwave is a Zamperla Disk'O Coaster in the Ocean Parade area of the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride opened on 25 June 2011.-History:...
which opened in June), a major thrill ride would also be opened in time for the September school holidays. The following day, Ardent Leisure filed a trademark application for the name BuzzSaw. On 7 July 2011, it was discovered that the name of the roller coaster would indeed be BuzzSaw. The outgoing CEO of Dreamworld, Noel Dempsey, leaked the name of the ride and Dreamworld's plans to team up with DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
on his LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
profile page. Vertical construction for BuzzSaw started around the same time. On 20 July 2011, Dreamworld officially announced BuzzSaw to the public. By this time, the main lift hill tower was almost complete with a small portion of track installed at the base. By 1 August 2011, the return tower was complete and the track was installed up most of the main tower. On 8 August 2011, the single train was installed onto the partially completed track. On 19 August 2011, Dreamworld announced the ride would be opening on 17 September 2011. By the end of August, the track was complete. In early September, testing for the ride began. On 17 September 2011, BuzzSaw officially opened to the public.
Characteristics
BuzzSaw is one of Dreamworld's Big 7 Thrill Rides ranking it alongside The ClawThe Claw (Dreamworld)
The Claw is an Intamin Gyro Swing located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride opened in September 2004 after months of construction and advertising.-History:...
, Cyclone
Cyclone (Dreamworld)
The Cyclone is a high-speed gravity steel roller coaster operating at Dreamworld. The roller coaster is one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, after originally being the tallest when it was first built...
, The Giant Drop, Mick Doohan's Motocoaster
Mick Doohan's Motocoaster
Mick Doohan's Motocoaster is a long motorcycle roller coaster at Dreamworld on Queensland's Gold Coast. The A$10 million ride, constructed by Intamin and opened to the public in September 2007, is associated with Australian motorcyclist Mick Doohan...
, Tower of Terror II and Wipeout
Wipeout (Dreamworld)
The Wipeout is a Vekoma Waikiki Wave Super Flip at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opening of this ride in 1993 caused part of Country Fair to be rethemed to Ocean Parade.-History:The Wipeout was opened in 1993...
. BuzzSaw boasts the tallest inversion in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
at 46.2 metres (151.6 ft) above the ground. This also ranks it as the second highest inversion worldwide.
BuzzSaw consists of a single Maurer Söhne X-Car train
Train (roller coaster)
A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...
which holds 12 riders. The train features two cars which each seat riders in three rows of two (totalling six rows). Riders seated in the open carriage and are restrained by a lap bar leaving little to hold on to.
The steel roller coaster
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
track of BuzzSaw is 150 metres (492.1 ft) in length.
Experience
Backstory
BuzzSaw is themed around a series of unexplainable occurrences in the Town of Gold Rush which date back to the late 1800s. In 1876, the Town of Gold Rush was formed. It was a prosperous town during the great gold rushGold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. After the gold ran out in 1887 they established a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
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. The sawmill has remained closed since with many people encountering the ghost of Jack on nights similar to that of his death.
Entrance and station
The entrance to BuzzSaw is located in the Town of Gold Rush where the Helicopter Joy Flights used to operate. This is opposite the former entrance of the Eureka Mountain Mine RideEureka Mountain Mine Ride
Eureka Mountain Mine Ride is a steel Wild Mouse roller coaster that is currently standing but not operating at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia.-History:...
. The station
Station (roller coaster)
A roller coaster's station is where the passengers board and alight from the trains. The station houses the coaster's control panel, and has devices for moving the trains in and out of the station and holding them in position, as well as devices for locking and unlocking the restraints and devices...
is themed to a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
in the town of Gold Rush and attempts to tell the story of Jack Darke. 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. Large circular saw
Circular saw
The circular saw is a machine using a toothed metal cutting disc or blade. The term is also loosely used for the blade itself. The blade is a tool for cutting wood or other materials and may be hand-held or table-mounted. It can also be used to make narrow slots...
s (a.k.a buzzsaws) are located on the side and roof of the building.
Ride
BuzzSaw is a steelSteel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
, Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster. 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 (151.6 ft). 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. A single ride on BuzzSaw is completed in approximately 50 seconds.