There’s an odd epidemic sweeping Australia at the moment: giant ferris wheels are springing up in nearly all its capital cities. Melbourne seemed to start the trend, with Adelaide and Sydney getting in on the ferris wheel act in recent months too.

Now Perth has planted its own (not quite so big) ferris wheel on the Swan River foreshore in front of the city center. The Wheel of Perth is in a scenic spot, for sure, but whether you actually get an interesting ride out of it is open to debate.

Plenty of locals have suggested the A$15 ($10) price tag for a maximum ride time of 15 minutes is a bit steep. And you get similar views over Perth city for free from nearby Kings Park. If you ask us, this wheel seems like nothing more than keeping up with the Joneses.

Related Stories:
· Wheel Set to Spin Later This Week [The West]
· Melbourne’s Wheel Finally Starts Turning [Jaunted]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Now Sydney Wants One Too [Jaunted]

[Photo: thatgrumguy] ]]> amandak 2009-01-29T11:45:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/24/75825/873

The world's biggest Ferris wheel shut down for six hours Tuesday night, trapping 173 passengers in capsules high above the ground after an electrical fire cut power to the attraction. Ten of the trapped managed to rappel out of their bus-sized pods, while the rest waited for the Singapore Flyer to restart to escape by foot.

While the wheel has lost power three times before, it's never been for as long as six hours. Officials were able to restore some AC and the intercom system after a time to help comfort the trapped tourists. Still, one said that wasn't enough to convince her to make a repeat visit:

I love Singapore but I don't think I'll come to the Flyer again.

As when Whistler's gondola broke down, we were really only curious about one thing: Tourists on the Singapore Flyer had to resort to using plastic bags because while the capsules can hold up to 28 people, they don't have bathrooms.

Related Stories:
· Tourists Safe After Drama at World's Biggest Ferris Wheel [AFP, via Google]
· Singapore Flyer Opens Again and Again [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-12-24T08:02:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/21/235144/13

It's finally here, and we're pretty sure it's not worth the wait. We're talking about the Southern Star Ferris wheel in Melbourne, an attraction that was originally planned to open for the 2006 Commonwealth Games (yes, 2006!), and then had various false starts before finally starting to spin on Saturday, with a fireworks-led grand opening.

So far, there's been a mixed reaction to the Southern Star and a lot of people think the A$29 ($20) price is a bit hefty. That, and Melbourne's not really a city that gets more attractive from the air. From a guy who won a competition and got his ride for free:

It's a bit dull. There's nothing really that interesting to look down on and I certainly wouldn't pay 30 bucks to do it again.

Our only tip for the Southern Star is that it could be a cool place to hang on New Year's Eve. It's usually open 10 am-10 pm every day but for New Year's it'll stay open until 1 am. Since the fact that it's open at all is a surprise, there are probably still tickets available. But be warned: The online booking system isn't working yet, so for now you have to physically buy the tickets down at the wheel itself--that's another reason we figure they're not sold out yet.

Related Stories:
· Southern Star [Official Site]
· Wheel Life Takes to the Air [The Age]
· Will Someone Please Hit the Switch on Melbourne's New Ferris Wheel? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Vermin Inc]]]> amandak 2008-12-22T09:30:35-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/8/433/69832

Whether the delay in opening Melbourne's new Southern Star Ferris wheel is a publicity stunt gone wrong, a safety problem or just plain bad organization, nobody knows, but rumor has it that sometime today, the wheel should start turning.

Or maybe tomorrow. Nobody seems to be able to tell us for sure. All we do know is that it won't be cheap to see the sights of Melbourne from the equivalent of 40 floors up--an hour-long adult ride will cost A$29 ($19), nearly double the cost of the big tourist viewing platforms nearby like the Rialto Tower or Skydeck 88.

So we're waiting to see that big wheel turnin', so to speak, and while we're not as convinced as the owners are that it's going to be the "new symbol of contemporary Melbourne," we're curious if nothing else. Sometimes that's enough.

Related Stories:
· Southern Star [Official Site]
· Southern Star Observation Wheel Charging $29 A Turn [Herald Sun]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Awaiting the Southern Star [Jaunted]

[Photo: avlxyz]]]> amandak 2008-12-08T09:30:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/24/62435/333

Apparently, Cedar Fair didn’t get the memo that theme parks are cutting back this off-season. The park operator recently announced some plans for Kings Dominion, just outside of Richmond, Virginia.

With an eye on, unfortunately, the family "staycation," the park is looking to add Americana, a 110-foot Ferris wheel that will likely give visitors stunning views of nearby Interstate 95. The wheel will feature 24 six-person gondolas, so your whole crew is welcome to hop aboard.

The other addition is El Dorado, another family-friendly ride that swings you around in a 1950s style automobile. Its pendulum motion will rock you back and forth up to 85 feet in the air for about two minutes.

We can’t confirm that we’ve purchased our 2009 season pass simply due to these two rides, but major points for expanding in the face of a global financial catastrophe!

Related Stories:
· Kings Dominion Announces Two New Rides for 2009 [Official Site]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of another park offering: FreaksAnon]]]> kjb 2008-11-25T12:00:19-05:00 37.8592340 -77.477464 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/20/7136/5903

Something must be in the water Down Under (and we don't mean too much pee) because every city's suddenly in a struggle to get their own ferris wheel. Melbourne's Southern Star is due to start turning next month and a ferris wheel in Sydney could start spinning any day too.

But it's the tourists and locals of Adelaide who are most obsessed with the ferris wheel thing. And fair enough, since they've been waiting over two years to see their colorful ferris wheel turn at beachside Glenelg.

Bankruptcy and tricky regulations are apparently to blame but nobody can really say for sure when the ferris wheel will start operating, although early December is the current rumor. Which will probably make it the last new Aussie ferris wheel to open, even though it got planned first. And the wheels keep on turnin'...

Related Stories:
· Glenelg Wheel Still Waiting a Turn [Adelaide Now]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Awaiting the Southern Star [Jaunted]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Now Sydney Wants One Too [Jaunted]
· Please Tourists, Don't Pee in the Lake [Jaunted]

[Photo: whatsound]
]]> amandak 2008-10-20T09:30:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/14/6408/2335

No sooner did we say Melbourne's better than Sydney and Melbourne's getting a Ferris wheel than we discover that Sydney wants to have one, too.

The proposal for a 45-meter-high Ferris wheel is on the desk of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority now, and if approved it will be sitting on Circular Quay shortly.

The big difference is that for some reason, the organizers just want this Sydney Ferris wheel to be temporary--after January 2009 it will (apparently) disappear. That's a pity, because although we love Melbourne, we do admit that the views looking over Sydney are better. Not that we're weighing into the Melbourne versus Sydney argument again.

Related Stories:
· Ferris Wheel Mooted for Sydney's Circular Quay [news.com.au]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Awaiting the Southern Star [Jaunted]
· Melbourne IS Better Than Sydney [Jaunted]

[Photo: bdonald]]]> amandak 2008-10-14T09:30:44-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/