Boomerang

When Boomerang arrived in 1984, Bellewaerde was broadening its character from gardens and animals into a fuller amusement park. Near Ypres in West Flanders, the new Vekoma shuttle gave the visitor a crisp steel landmark among the park’s landscaped grounds. en.wikipedia.org· bellewaerde.be

The engineering is tidy and memorable. The train is drawn up, released through the same three inversions, and then brought back along its own road in reverse, a compact piece of Vekoma theatre that makes a return journey part of the design. coasterpedia.net· fr.wikipedia.org

Bellewaerde’s Boomerang holds a special place in the model’s story. Sources record it as the first Boomerang coaster in Europe, and as the first example of the type to open to the public, so the line of later machines begins for visitors here. en.wikipedia.org· coasterpedia.net· fr.wikipedia.org

The present park listing still gives Boomerang its old, plain honours: 32 metres high, 80 km/h, and a 1984 build year. Its working figures are carried in the record as about 700 riders per hour, with a reported cost of about $3 million. bellewaerde.be· nl.wikipedia.org