Jamberoo Action Park
Jamberoo Action Park is a large and expansive themed water park at Jamberoo, New South Wales. It is approximately 34 km from Nowra, 15 minutes from Kiama, 30 minutes south of Wollongong and a little over an hour south of Sydney.
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| Slogan | "Where you control the action" |
|---|---|
| Location | Curramore, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 34.6168°S 150.783°E |
| Owner | Dax Eddy, Jim Eddy |
| Opened | 24 October 1980 |
| Previous names | Jamberoo Recreation Park |
| Operating season | Spring through Autumn |
| Area | Curramore |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 15 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
| Water rides | 12 |
| Website | www |
Jamberoo Action Park is quite unique amongst other theme parks in that it is set amongst the hills and natural contours of the land and uses these features for the setting of many of the gravity fed rides for families and thrill seekers alike.
History
In 1974 the Eddy family bought a dairy farm in Jamberoo Valley. Due to the steep topography of the land, and following the reduction of milk quotas on the NSW South Coast shortly after the Eddy family bought the land, running the farm quickly became unprofitable.
Pursuing an alternative use to dairy farming on their land, the Eddy family opened a grass skiing facility, and started by ordering ten pairs from Italian grass ski manufacturer Rolka. The skis were a great success and, to facilitate a commercial operation with faster and easier ascents they built a rope tow on a steel cable, powered by a Holden motor. Another 20 pairs of skis were imported and hired out from a disused farm shed.
In early 1980 the Eddy family embarked on the creation of a recreation park with an amenities building, restaurant and car park, and chair lift.
The chair lift was sourced from the Snowy Mountains as part of an unsuccessful scheme to link the Charlotte Pass chalet to the Alpine Way at Thredbo. This venture was abandoned after high winds and repeated heavy snowfalls rendered it inoperable. As the lift was isolated inside a National Park it was removed by helicopter in pieces as the prohibited alternative was to drive vehicles off-road. Having removed all the pieces from the Alpine National Park, the Eddy family organised its transportation to Jamberoo.
Once there, the chair lift was upgraded and erected by experienced contractors. The drive unit required a new motor, the sheave assemblies (which were the cause of most of the derailing problems of the original lift) were redesigned, the cable was replaced and new chairs built around the frames of the originals. The remainder of the chairlift, including the towers and bull wheels, was in good order and was erected without modification.
The first stage of Jamberoo Recreation Park was completed in time for the staging of the 1980 Australian Grass Ski Titles, with final safety checks one day prior to the event. To ensure that the chairs were safe, two 200-litre drums of water (at least 400 kg of weight) were attached to each chair on the uphill side of the lift, the brakes were disconnected, and the chair lift allowed to build up speed. Staff then had to stop it by winding on a handbrake. Grass skiing received heightened attention in Australia when Jamberoo hosted the World Titles on 21–22 May 1983. The championships were contested by teams from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, England, the US, and a large contingent of Australian racers.
Over time grass skiing, being physically demanding and challenging, gave way to the more passive recreational pursuits now featured at the park. In 1981, the Splashout water slides were built by Waterslides Australia, the third to be built in the country. At 100 and 90 metres in length, each slide delivers 40 litres of water per second down the flume.
In 1983 The Blue Track Mountain Slide was imported from Germany and built by Weigand Leisure. This ride has always been voted the best attraction by visitors. The track travels 800 metres down the mountain.
The Green Track was built in 1988 and was a welcome addition because it reduced the queuing times and provided an opportunity for younger children and families to enjoy the ride. The Green Track is one kilometre in length and has a vertical rise from bottom station of 150 metres.
The Racing Cars were built in 1986 and were renovated in 1988 adding 16 new cars and extending the track by 200 metres. Racing Cars were replaced in 2012 by Stage 1 of the Kangaroo Island Masterplan, that incorporated the rides and attractions of Funnel Web and Banjo's Billabong. The speed boats were also built in 1986 and renovated in 1988. Both rides have been valuable additions to the Park providing a new and unique experience.
The Boats were replaced by Outback Bay in 2005 because the Park had outgrown them and the turnover rates were too slow. The Park did not have any further development from the period 1988 to 2000 because of the impact that public liability insurance was having on the business.
In 2000 the Park Management developed a Master Plan for the next five years. This Development Master Plan was designed to shape the future expansion of the Park and included five major attractions.
The first of the attractions in the previous Master Plan was built in 2001. Surf Hill was built by Australian Water slides & Leisure and proved to be a very popular new ride for the Park. Surf Hill is 100 meters long and each of the eight lanes deliver 15 litres of water per second down the flume. The vertical rise above the run out platform is 12 meters.
The Rapid River was the second attraction in the previous Master Plan which was completed in 2002. It is 240 meters long, 5 meters wide and is driven by four pumping stations circulating the River at 1.2 meters per second. The volume of water contained in Rapid River is one mega litre and is heated to 26 degrees. One of the most unusual features of Rapid River is a wave generator that creates waves inside the grotto.
These waves add a new dimension to the ride and assist in propelling the guests along the River. Another feature of Rapid River is the waterfalls which cascade 400 liters of water per second into the river over artificial rocks laid into the cliff on the western side.
The third attraction, Billabong Beach, was completed in 2003. It has an Australiana theme and was designed and built for children younger than 10 years old. The central building is called Shearer's Shed which features water slides falling off the veranda and crows that spurt water across the Billabong. The Australian animals, found throughout Billabong Beach, are interactive caricatures. The Grotto was painted by representatives of the original Koori Clan from this area and the Dreamtime story painted inside the Cave is a story of the Black Duck.
The fourth attraction in the previous Master Plan, Outback Bay, was completed in 2005. This development was built in-house using a Scottish company called Waves International. The wave is created by air pressure delivered into an eight wave chamber on the eastern wall of the pool. The air displaces the water in the chamber and pushes the water out of the chamber in the form of a wave. The wave machine is capable of making eight different wave patterns and 24 different wave styles, from parallel waves to ones that break from left to right or diamond pattern waves.
The most popular for general use is the diamond pattern. The waves are set on a cycle of 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off. The wave interval times are designed for people who just want to swim or those who want action. The wave pool has two and a half mega litres of water which is 2,500,000 litres. Outback Bay has an Australian theme and features a range of animals in the children's area plus a replica of the Contiki Raft and the Endeavor Ship.
In 2006, the name of the park was changed from "Jamberoo Recreation Park" to "Jamberoo Action Park".
During 2006 the Management Team visited a number of sites around the world and met with key manufacturers of water slide equipment with the purpose of designing a new Master Plan for the next 10 years. The mission of the company is to design a master plan that will carry the expansion of the Park into the future with the most exciting and innovative technology available in the world.
The final thrill ride in the previous masterplan development opened in September 2007. The Taipan is a giant water slide where up to five guests ride down the slide in a clover style raft. It is the darkest, scariest ride yet! The length of the ride is 160 meters and has a vertical rise of 18 meters.
FUNNEL WEB - The first high thrill water ride in the current new master plan known as "Kangaroo Island" opened in December 2012. The Funnel Web is the longest, biggest most exhilarating water thrill ride built in the world. At 270 m in length, guests travel up to 30 km per hour in 4-person cloverleaf rafts.
BANJO'BILLABONG - The first attraction in the current new master plan known as "Kangaroo Island" opened in December 2012. Banjo's Billabong is the largest Aqua play structure built in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a spectacular four-storey, 760 m2 Australiana themed with over 198 different water features crowned by a huge water bucket, which tips 1200 litres of water over the structure every few minutes. A 'hands-on' adventure for everyone containing multiple-level platforms, 6 water slides, valves, cranks, water cannons, bridge climbs & spray features.
Kangaroo Island Development -
This approved development will replace the entire area where our Go Cart tracks were once situated. While the Go Carts were extremely popular over the past 20 years they could only service around 250 people comfortably, the new development, when fully completed, will easily be able to accommodate 4500 to 5000 people.
To be built in several stages over the coming years the Kangaroo Island masterplan incorporates;
- Funnel Web, Longest Biggest most exhilarating water thrill ride of its kind... in the World. Clover leaf rafts loop and twist down the hill before dropping into the huge funnel and shooting out into the splash pool - Completed in December 2012
- Banjo's Billabong - Interactive Play Area - five times the size of the current Billabong Beach play area - Completed in December 2012
- Behemoth Bowl - riders whirl in a spiral around the massive bowl before dropping into a splashdown pool
- Giant Rapid River - This river attraction is twice as long as our current Rapid River and will connect all the rides in the Kangaroo Island Area. When you finish any of the water slides you will be able to get straight into the river to work your way around to other rides and attractions.
- Mammoth Mountain Raft Ride - Two huge flumes take water rafts twisting and turning down the mountain
- The Rocket - A rocket coaster incorporating maglev technology to propel people along the tube and up the hill
In addition to these main attractions, the development will also include several themed highlights including suspension bridges, dripping logs, rock walls, waterfalls, wave chamber, river tunnel cave, water jets and of course food outlets, toilets, change rooms and general amenities.
Gallery
Jamberoo Action Park
Outback Bay