Leviathan is the new-for-2022 wood coaster at Sea World Australia. This Gravity Group creation
does a lot of things well- airtime, pacing, speed- and it also has a unique backwards row.
While this coaster is a fantastic ride, it may be the most inefficient wood coaster out there.
Find out everything you need to know about this ride in this review!
Leviathan was announced in 2019 as part of a $50 million project to revitalize Sea World.
It would be the anchor attraction in the New Atlantis area. Most notably,
Leviathan would be the first wood coaster built in Australia in nearly 35 years. This has led to the
coaster being marketed as Australia’s most iconic wood coaster. Not sure if that is appropriate for
such a new ride, especially when you have a classic wooden Wild Mouse at Luna Park Sydney,
but everyone agreed this should immediately become this park’s new signature attraction.
It was slated to open in late 2020. However, the ride was initially delayed to 2021 as a result
of the covid-19 pandemic. Construction was in full swing in late 2020 and early 2021, and the
ride seemed poised to hit its late 2021 opening date, but the ride was again delayed. This time
until Easter 2022. Then the opening was pushed to September 2022 and finally December 2022.
So why was the ride delayed 3 additional times? The park cited pandemic-related shipping delays
as the primary cause, but the postponements remind me of what we saw at the US SeaWorld
parks. While similar, these parks are not owned by the same company. Yet both parks seemed to
keep advertising the new ride to drive season pass sales, only to then push the ride’s opening back.
This allowed them to milk their new ride. We saw the same thing happen with Iron Gwazi, Pantheon,
Ice Breaker, and Emperor. I get why parks did this to maximize their return on investment in
a difficult time for the amusement industry, but it was not a good look for the parks. However,
all is eventually forgiven if the ride is a home run. And Leviathan, for the most part, is.
This ride has a commanding presence as you enter Sea World. The giant wooden structure
can be seen from the main road and it looms over the entry lagoon. The ride’s overall appearance
becomes even more impressive as you get closer. Gravity Group is the master of cramming a big
wood coaster into a tight space. Just look at what they did with Kemah Boardwalk’s Boardwalk Bullet.
They squeezed a 3236 foot or 986 meter ride into just 1 acre. They did something very similar with
Levithan. The coaster has just an extra 44 feet of track, but it was squeezed into a similarly
tight footprint. As a result, the ride has a bazillion crossovers. It’s nearly impossible
to tell where the train will go next. That’s especially true when you’re waiting in line. The
queue is placed in the center of the structure and you just see the coaster flying all-around you.
The only weird thing with this ride’s looks is the abundance of yellow steps on the catwalks
running through the layout. It gives the coaster a golden glow when viewed from above on Trident.
Along with the ride’s physical appearance, you have some awesome theming. It is one of
the best themed wood coasters in the world. The entrance area is stunningly gorgeous. You
have a grassy wall bearing the ride’s name and two waterfalls. Then to top it all off,
you have two massive bronze statues on both sides. Few entrances look better!
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. After riders are batched,
you walk through this atmospheric tunnel to the station. It’s a rocky cavern has a dark blue hue,
some illuminated ruins, and eerie cries play out. It feels like a walkthrough attraction.
Then you reach the station and it’s a work of art. It continues that cavern aesthetic and adds in a
series of video screens. These are on the walls and above you. A giant sea creature, aka the
leviathan, starts swimming around and taunting riders, telling you that you don’t belong.
I’m struggling to think of a cooler station out there. It really gets you hyped for your ride.
While this is one of the ride’s biggest strengths, it is also it’s biggest flaw.
It’s an amazing reveal, but waiting until the last second to show it craters capacity. This is one of
the least efficient wood coasters in the world. Each train holds 24 riders. You have 12 rows of 2.
The last two rows are the special backwards seats, which are an upcharge experience.
This coaster has and will run two trains on busy days,
but the park’s owner in Village Roadshow likes to run one train on quieter days.
Only one train’s worth of riders is admitted into the station at a time. The next group aren’t sent
through the tunnel until the prior train has been dispatched. With one train on the course,
you arrive at the station roughly when the prior one completes its course. But with two trains on
the course, there will be a train sitting in the station for a minute or two just waiting.
Once in the station, seating is on a first-come basis. If you want to
guarantee yourself a particular row, ask to be the first one admitted into the tunnel.
The attendants seemed happy to honor that request if you asked nicely. From what I saw,
most people fill the station front to back, so you almost always can get the back rows if you’d like.
There isn’t a bad seat on this attraction, but I think the ride has a bit more power in back.
The backwards row costs an extra $20-$25 per person per ride. While I was willing to pay
this a few times as a coaster enthusiast coming from a foreign country, I almost
always saw this seat go out empty. I’m sure the park analyzes demand versus the price-point,
but the fee they charged seemed too high to attract causal guests. Whenever anyone uses
the backwards row, the grouper radios the station to describe the person who paid for the experience
so they know who should be in that spot. And one important note if you’re coming from
overseas, you need an international data plan to experience Leviathan
backwards. The only way to get on the attraction is to purchase a time online.
This park has no wifi nor a way to sell this experience in-person, even at guest relations.
I really hope this can be remedied in the future. We had some issues with our hotspot the day we
visited, which made it difficult to even purchase the backwards row for a large chunk of the day.
Once everyone has their row, you are briefed about the ride’s strict loose
article policy. Nothing can ride with you. Everything must be placed in the cubbies on
the unload platform. This even includes glasses with a strap and anything in a zippered pocket.
If the ride is running two trains, the platform should be clear by the time you’re up there.
But if the ride is on one train,
you’ll have to wait for everyone on the prior train to clear the station.
Another small operational delay is if there’s someone in the backwards row.
As another failsafe to make sure their row isn’t stolen, the crew waits for everyone
else to take their seats. You aren’t admitted through the air gates until this happens,
meaning they have to wait for those two riders to put their belongings off to the side as well.
Once everyone is seated, the restraint check process is actually pretty quick. You have the
standard Timberliner lap bars that swivel from the side. They can come down tightly
if the employees push hard, but I find their profiling comfortable even when that happens.
Riders in the station are at least entertained by the leviathan video screen during this arduous
boarding process, but it’s miserable for anyone outside in that queue line.
There were points when I thought the coaster broke down, but nope, dispatches really took that long.
So what could be done to fix this issue? What I wish had been done was to make the
station a dark ride scene before the lift. This would allow the full show scene to playout
while the other train is being loaded. This would allow trains to be sent more quickly.
The park claims this coaster has a theoretical capacity of 720 riders per hour, which assumes
a train is dispatched every 2 minutes. Dispatches were taking three times as long.
The pre-boarding policies led to this coaster having an hourly throughput of roughly 200.
That’s absurdly low for a major wood coaster, especially one meant to be the
signature ride at your park. This ride makes GhostRider look like Expedition Everest.
With the current set-up, I think there are a few things that can be done.
First, I wish more groups were admitted into the station at once. This is the norm in
other countries, but almost every coaster in Australia let just enough people to fill the
next train. That’s it. This has the benefit of having the next group ready to go once
the train is ready and you also have more time to appreciate all the details in the station.
I would have happily waited longer in there versus the outdoor queue.
Second, I wish the loose articles were handled differently so people can board the train faster.
I wish there had been a way to use a double-sided locker system like some rides in the US. Or at
minimum, tell riders what the loose article policy is before they reach the platform. There’s plenty
of time to do so. Again, the restraint checks are fast, but it takes a while to get to that point.
Three, I think those in the backwards row could be denoted by a wristband- like you
see on Steel Taipan at Dreamworld- or some other method like a token.
This would allow them to board at the same time as everyone else.
I’m not sure if any of these changes would ever be implemented, but I didn’t think it would be fair
to criticize a ride without considering possible fixes. I’m not faulting the employees. I’m almost
certain this is the standard they are told to follow, but it causes the standby line to crawl.
There are a few ways to bypass the long waits. First, you can use the virtual queue system. It is
a free service included with your park ticket. You can reserve one ride at a time on the park app.
Once your time is called, you have a half hour to return. Once you use your pass or it expires,
you can book another. And you are free to keep booking Leviathan over-and-over
if you’d like. Return times will run out on busy days, so make sure to grab one early.
Second, you can use the park’s Fast Track skip-the-line system. I didn’t see this
advertised online, but they sold it in person. You can either purchase the full system, which gives
you one-time access to all of the park’s major rides for roughly $100, or you can purchase single
shots. The latter cost $30 the day I visited. Both Fast Track and Virtual Queue have a separate line
bringing you right to the tunnel to be batched. Third, you can pay for that backwards seat.
I found it funny this was cheaper than the single shot price for a forwards ride.
To me, I’d think backwards would be a far more desirable experience, but that’s just my opinion.
If you try to go here at opening or close to beat the crowds, two things are working against you.
One, Sea World doesn’t open rides until a half hour after the front gates. And I’ve heard this
ride sometimes opens late due to track walks. Two, this park closes lines early so the last
train is dispatched right at closing time. Once dispatched, I have nothing but praise for
the experience. You turn the corner and ascend the 105 foot or 32 meter tall lift. It’s a loud lift,
but it does give a good view. You have the water to your left and the park to your right.
You’ll also hear some aquatic sounds and speaking on the way up.
At the top, you round a tight corner. Speakers then loudly blurt out the ride’s name.
Outside of this, there’s no theming along the course. Well unless you count those sweet looking
trains with the sea creature on front. But that’s perfectly fine by me. This ride is so fast paced
and frenetic that it would be impossible to comprehend what you’re whizzing past.
After that turn, you head down a sizable first drop. It’s a straight drop that’s fairly steep
for a traditional wood coaster. This drop is particularly great in back. The tight
turn before it provides some laterals. Then you get good sustained floater the whole way down.
If you’re in that backwards row, it feels like you’re freefalling as you’re pulled downwards.
A lot of Gravity Group wood coasters offer ejector pops, but you won’t get that on Leviathan. All of
the airtime is of the floater variety. It’s sustained on the larger hills and drops. Then
the smaller humps give quicker pops. While I tend to prefer ejector airtime, the quantity of
airtime combined with this ride’s speed makes the coaster feel plenty out-of-control and exciting
start-to-finish. There isn’t a single dead spot on this ride. It hauls all-the-way to the end.
After the drop, you have a big banked turn. It’s roughly half the height of the drop,
so you charge through it. In fact, most elements on this coaster are low. But the
change of direction gives an abrupt lateral kink. You then rise upwards, which gives everyone some
decent sustained airtime. Then there’s this banked double down. Everyone gets two pops of airtime.
The bursts are stronger further back in the train, which makes sense for this type of element.
The train then careens around a low turn with some laterals. Then you hop upwards,
getting some more negative Gs. Then you turn into what-I-believe
to be the ride’s second largest element- this big camelback in the center of the ride. I was worried
you’d lose too much speed, but you get good sustained airtime, particularly on the descent.
This is followed by a turn around the queue structure banked at 90 degrees.
The visual of your hands scraping against the catwalk is sublime.
Then you have a quick dip down and a little speed hill. Both have quick spurts of airtime and the
latter dives into the dense wooden structure to create a fun near-miss and enhance the speed.
You then twist to the left and have a little hump giving a meager bit of airtime.
Then you have a larger bunny hill. You get solid floater up front,
but it’s quite a bit more sustained in back as you drop back down.
Then there’s another low turn and this banked double up. Expect two more little pops of
airtime. Then you have another sizable drop on the other side. The airtime is pretty weak,
but the drop is sort of profiled like an s-bend so you get a fun lateral kink at least.
After another turn, you have another drop giving a fine burst of airtime in back.
Then you have a little speed hill that abruptly tosses everyone into the air.
Leviathan then rises upwards one last time, giving those up front a decent pop of airtime.
Then you round a corner and hit the brakes. It’s your first chance to breathe after 50 seconds of
chaos. As I said earlier, this ride does not let up. That’s especially true in the backwards row.
The layout is already near impossible to predict, but it’s even crazier
when you can’t see all those hills coming. My one concern with this coaster in the long-run
is its smoothness. The coaster is brand spanking new right now, so it’s running fast and smooth.
But we’ve seen some other Gravity Group coasters tear themselves apart if they aren’t properly
maintained. Examples include Hades 360 at Mount Olympus and Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimmee.
This is the first wood coaster at a Village Roadshow park,
so there’s no precedent how they will maintain a ride like this.
I hope they are proactive with the trackwork since the layout is phenomenal.
So what would I rate Leviathan? I would give Australia’s newest wood coaster a 9 out of 10.
This feels like an updated Boardwalk Bullet. The convoluted layout is filled with a bevy of airtime
hills and quick turns. You have no clue where you’re going next and the pacing is incredible.
The one con with the ride experience is that the airtime never goes beyond floater,
but the speed and quantity of those negative Gs is more than fine in my opinion.
Then you also have the cool thematic elements as part of the pre-boarding experience.
I just hope the park can find a way to boost this ride’s capacity.
This is a ride you’ll want to experience over-and-over, but that line will really
limit you if the park has any sort of crowds. So those are my thoughts on Leviathan at Sea
World Australia. What are your thoughts on this wood coaster? Was it worth the wait?
Let me know what you think about this ride down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
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lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!