There were plenty of thrills – and more than a few spills – when Bendigonians lined up for their turn down the City Slider on Sunday.
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The touring water attraction drew hundreds of slippery dippers who tubed down View Street between the Rifle Brigade Hotel and Rosalind Park.
First aid and lifesaving-trained volunteers lined the two-lane slide to look after patrons and to hose down the slide, keeping it slick.
The 325-metre long and six-metre wide waterslide began operating at 9am and didn’t turn off its taps until after eight o’clock.
The two-laned amusement ride was padded with 35 millimetres of foam underneath its blue surface to cushion the landing for accident-prone tubers.
A free miniature slide was provided for children under 100 centimetres tall.
Newlyweds Leisa and Chris Lenon were wedded only yesterday and celebrated their first day of married life by take a turn on the City Slider – in their wedding attire.
Mrs Lenon said she and her husband were thrill-seekers, and she was not worried about ruining her white dress.
“We’re big kids, and we couldn’t wait,” she said.
“I had an incredible day yesterday, and this is just a bonus.”
The post-wedding water party began life as offhand remark on Instagram, Mrs Lenon joking it would be funny to see the pair go on the slide in their marital get-up.
But friends and family quickly encouraged the act.
The long time friends exchanged vows in a garden ceremony yesterday and squeezed a slip down the slide in before they headed to Thailand for their honeymoon.
They welcomed special events like the City Slider to Bendigo.
“To get the community together, I think it’d be good to have more stuff like this,” Mrs Lenon said.
Volunteer Raihani Rahmet also said the slide was a boon for the town.
“It’s good that they bring it to Bendigo,” she said.
“We need more things like this, especially in the summer for younger people.”
She answered an online advertisement looking for volunteers and agreed to come on board when she found out she would get a free session on the slide.
“We had to be here by 6.30 this morning. It’s worth it though,” she said.
“I can’t wait to get on.”
Before it was brought to Bendigo, the City Slider had recently visited Canberra, Sydney and Wollongong.
It is also scheduled to head to Adelaide, although a date is yet to be confirmed.
