Abyss is a

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. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...

located at the Adventure World amusement park in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. The $12-million attraction was announced in April 2013, and construction began the following month. It opened to the general public six months later on 1 November 2013. The Abyss is a

Euro-Fighter The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of E ...

, a roller coaster model from

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany. History In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the Anton Schwarzkopf-o ...

that features a "beyond-vertical" first drop which exceeds 90 degrees. In addition to several inversions, the Abyss reaches a top speed of along the two-minute, ride.

History

In mid-2012, the 15-month phase of planning and construction of ''Abyss'' began. In April 2013, Adventure World announced on their

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page that they would be adding a $12 million, world-class attraction in 2013. By May 2013 construction had begun. In June 2013, a

concrete slab A concrete slab is a common structural element of modern buildings, consisting of a flat, horizontal surface made of cast concrete. Steel- reinforced slabs, typically between 100 and 500 mm thick, are most often used to construct floors and ...

was poured prior to the construction of a

show building Show building is the name often given to various enclosed structures at theme parks that contain attractions such as rides and entertainment shows. The exteriors of such buildings may be themed on some or all sides, but their hidden "backstage" a ...

. Shortly after track arrived in July 2013, Adventure World officially announced that the ride would be a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, similar to

Saw – The Ride Saw – The Ride is a steel roller coaster located at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model opened to the public as the steepest freefall roller coaster in the world on 14 March 2009, with a drop angl ...

. Construction of the ride was completed by Gerstlauer crews over seven weeks. The name of the attraction was revealed on the

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

of September 2013 as ''Abyss''. The announcement was made on Friday the 13th due to the ride's horror theme. ''Abyss'' officially opened to the public on 1 November 2013 as the single biggest investment in the park's history. Adventure World's CEO Mark Shaw stated the addition of the ''Abyss'' was an attempt to elevate the park "from adventure park to theme park". The park expected double-digit attendance growth following the addition of the ride. Prior to the 2013 opening of ''Abyss'', Adventure World's only roller coaster was '' Dragon Express'', a small junior roller coaster by

Zamperla Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found in ...

. Adventure World previously operated the

Anton Schwarzkopf Anton Schwarzkopf (8 July 1924 – 30 July 2001) was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs ...

-designed ''

Turbo Mountain Turbo Mountain was a steel roller coaster at Adventure World in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. The ride was closed and removed in 2009 to make room for a HUSS Shot'N Drop tower named Freefall. The ride was originally located in Luna Park S ...

'', before its closure and removal in 2009.

Characteristics

''Abyss'' is a custom Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter with of track. The ride's vertical lift hill takes riders to a height of before dropping in a 100°, beyond-vertical drop. The two-minute ride features a top speed of and exerts up to 4.5 times the force of gravity on its riders. ''Abyss'' contains three inversions including an

inline twist Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Comm ...

enclosed in the ride's show building, as well as an

Immelmann loop Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Com ...

and a

dive loop Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Comm ...

outdoors. The ride features four

trains In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often know ...

which each seat riders four-abreast in two rows. The theming around the ride was manufactured in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and includes thirty ancient druid guardians, exposed tree roots, upturned trees, and an entrance archway.

Ride experience

The ride begins at the

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

inside the show building. Once the train departs the station, it makes a slow turn to the right. A quick drop follows, before the train rounds a series of left turns into the first inversion, an inline twist. The train emerges from the show building and makes a slight left towards the

chain lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...

. Once at the top of the hill, riders drop down at an angle of 100°. The second inversion of the ride, an Immelmann loop, is followed by an overbanked turn around. An

air-time In the context of amusement rides, air time, or airtime, refers to the time during which riders of a roller coaster or other ride experience either frictionless or negative G-forces. The negative g-forces that a rider experiences is what create ...

hill, where riders experience the feeling of

weightlessness Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight. It is also termed zero gravity, zero G-force, or zero-G. Weight is a measurement of the force on an object at rest in a relatively strong gravitational fi ...

, and a right turn leads into the

mid-course brake run A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust t ...

. The train exits the brake run with a left turn into a

. A left turn leads the train into the final

brake run A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust ...

, before returning to the enclosed station.

Reception

''Abyss'' has been well received. Edwin Dickinson of the Australian Coaster Club praised ''Abyss'' for its smoothness, intensity and pacing. He described the ride as better than ''

Superman Escape Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...

'' at Warner Bros. Movie World, stating Adventure World "certainly lifted the bar for roller coasters in Australia". The

Australian Associated Press Australian Associated Press (AAP) is an Australian news agency. It was established by Keith Murdoch in 1935. AAP employs around 80 journalists who work in bureaus in all states and territories of Australia except the Northern Territory. It al ...

commended the ride's ability to continue to be thrilling after multiple rides. Natalie Bonjolo of ''

Today Tonight ''Today Tonight'' is an Australian current affairs television program produced by the Seven Network. It aired from January 1995 to November 2019 in Adelaide and Perth. Editions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were previously produced befo ...

'' stated she didn't "know whether to laugh or cry" at the end of ''Abyss'', describing the ride as unbelievable. Local MP Joe Francis described the ride as an "amazing piece of mechanical engineering".

References

External links