Theme parks in Australia are gearing up for what they believe will be a post-pandemic travel frenzy. Four Australian parks in particular will open a combined total of six new coasters in 2021. They range from record-breaking, triple-launch coasters to a few that are more family-friendly.
Below we take a deeper dive into the coasters that are opening “Down Under” in 2021:
Steel Taipan at Dreamworld
Coomera, Queensland
When it debuts late 2021, Dreamworld’s Steel Taipan will be the only triple-launch coaster in the southern hemisphere.
The Mack Rides coaster will feature a multi-pass launch. This means that the coaster’s trains will first launch forward into the wave turn (as seen in the graphic above) but will not have enough momentum to complete the turn. The train will fall backward into a reverse launch that will — courtesy of a switch track — carry the train up a twisted vertical spike (below).
As the train falls forward down the vertical spike, it will launch forward to a top speed of 65 mph with enough power to maneuver through the wave turn. And from there, it will complete the remainder of the layout.
Watch the on-ride POV animation below to get a better idea of how Steel Taipan’s multi-pass launch will work:
Steel Taipan will stretch over 3,937 feet in length and will stand 128 feet tall at its highest point (the twisted vertical spike).
The coaster’s four inversions include a vertical loop, a double-inverting twisted horseshoe roll and an in-line twist.
The coaster’s layout is similar to Mack’s “Blue Fire” model, which was first built at Europa Park and has since been constructed at other parks across the globe. Steel Taipan, however, is unique in that it features a reverse spike and a multi-pass launch. It’s also slightly taller, faster and longer than the Blue Fire model.
Additionally, the last car of each train will spin, as demonstrated in the video below:
Mack debuted these new two-seat spinning cars last year. They are touted as being more agile than the original four-seat spinning cars.
Steel Taipan takes its name from the Taipan family of snakes, which is native to Australia.
The coaster is due to open in late 2021. It was originally scheduled to open last month but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Leviathan at Sea World
Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Construction is well underway at Sea World on the Gold Coast of Australia (no relation to the US SeaWorld parks) as the park readies its Leviathan wooden coaster for guests in June 2021. The Gravity Group coaster will stand 105 feet tall and will reach a top speed of 5o mph.
The last car in each of Leviathan’s two 12-car Gravitykraft trains will be reversed, giving two riders the chance to ride the coaster backward.
Leviathan under construction (photo courtesy of Sea World).
Leviathan will be the centerpiece of “The New Atlantis” area of the park, which will include two other rides…
…Vortex, a top spin (which is already open) and Trident, a 14-story Starflyer tower swing ride.
The below graphic shows all three of the “New Atlantis” attractions.
Pictured from left to right along the waterfront: Vortex, Trident and Leviathan.
See renderings of Leviathan, Vortex and Trident in the video below:
Big Dipper at Luna Park Sydney
Sydney, New South Wales
As part of a $30 million upgrade, Luna Park Sydney is welcoming nine new rides, three of which are coasters. The largest and most significant of that trio is Big Dipper, a launched single-rail coaster manufactured by Intamin.
Big Dipper will be the world’s first launched single-rail coaster. The coaster model, dubbed a “Hot Racer,” is one of Intamin’s four new coaster concepts that it unveiled over the summer.
Riders will experience two launches, the second of which will catapult trains to a top speed of roughly 45 mph.
The coaster will feature two inversions: a sidewinder and flat spin.
But one of its most visible elements will be the non-inverting loop.
Luna Park Sydney Managing Director Peter Hearne said that the new coaster has been “specifically designed to ride very low to the terrain where appropriate, in harmony with the historic landscape features of the site.”
Due to Luna Park’s urban location, the park is subjected to strict noise, height, lights and other operational restrictions.
The coaster’s name is a throwback to two of the park’s former coasters that also were known as “Big Dipper.”
Watch an animated on- and off-ride video of Big Dipper below:
Unnamed Family Shuttle Coaster at Luna Park Sydney
Sydney, New South Wales
The second most exciting of Luna Park Sydney’s 2021 coasters is an unnamed family-friendly shuttle coaster.
The unnamed family shuttle coaster is visible in the bottom half of this rendering.
Riders will traverse forward and backward through the coaster’s 593 feet of track, reaching a top speed of 31 mph. It will stand roughly 40 feet tall.
Shuttle Family Coaster layout by Gerstlauer
The coaster will be similar to the “Shuttle Family Coaster 181” model by Gerstlauer.
A similar coaster, Rewind Racers at Adventure City in Anaheim, CA, opened in 2015.
But that’s not all — are at least two more roller coasters opening in Australia in 2021.
In addition to Big Dipper and the family shuttle coaster, Luna Park will also open a small kid-friendly coaster which is yet-to-be-named.
Finally, Aussie World (Sunshine Coast, Queensland) will open a Reverchon spinning mouse-style coaster, similar to Ragin’ Cajun at Six Flags America.
With this roster of new coasters, Australia will be near the top of many coaster enthusiasts’ bucket lists when it is safe to travel internationally.
Which of Australia’s new-for-2021 coasters are you most excited to ride? Let us know in the comments section below!
to be honest, even with these additions, visiting these isn’t high on my list, and I live here.
The Gerstlauer family shuttle coaster is a custom layout.
Hi Cathy! Thanks for clarifying. Do you have a source or any additional info on the differences between this and the Adventure City coaster? They look very similar.