Toboggan Hill Park is one of Nelson Bay’s most popular family attractions, located in the heart of the Port Stephens region on the NSW coast. Toboggans, a maze, climbing wall, roller skate rink, and now bowling, the park draws families and visitors from across the Hunter Valley and Sydney year-round. LaneCraft was brought in to replace some of the park’s older indoor attractions with four Kern bowling lanes.
Four compact Kern bowling lanes with custom-themed scoring software and a 15-minute timed game format. This is the venue where the Kern format was proven. The name came later, but the format started here.
The Brief
- Format: 4 Kern lanes
- Location: Aquatic Close, Nelson Bay, NSW
- Key requirements:
- High throughput to keep up with the park’s busy periods
- Scoring that kept games competitive between kids and adults
- A themed experience tied to the Toboggan Hill Park brand
- Simple operations with minimal staffing
What We Installed
Four Kern bowling lanes. Compact lanes using lightweight, same-weight Kern Balls on a tenpin pin arrangement with no gutters. No bowling shoes required. Families walk up and play immediately.
Custom 15-minute timed game mode. Purpose-built for quick turnover. Each session accommodates up to 6 players per lane, with sub-five-minute changeovers between groups.
Toboggan-themed scoring software. After each shot, players watch their toboggan race down the track on screen. The scoring algorithm keeps games close across different skill levels, so a five-year-old and a competitive adult both stay engaged throughout.
Streamlined venue operations. One staff member oversees all four lanes. No shoe counter, no ball rack management, no lane maintenance between sessions.
The Results
The bowling lanes at Toboggan Hill Park handle up to 72 guests per hour across the four lanes at capacity.
- Sub-five-minute changeovers between sessions
- All-ages accessibility with no barriers to entry
- All-weather revenue as an indoor complement to outdoor attractions
- Custom-branded experience from the Kern Balls to the scoring screens
- One of the park’s most popular attractions since opening
Client Testimonial
We couldn’t be happier with the results, including the after-installation support. Their team was professional, efficient, and clearly experts in their field who developed a specific game to suit our needs. Every stage of the project has been handled with care and attention to detail.
Communication was excellent throughout the process, timelines were met as promised and the workmanship has been great. They made everything easy from start to finish.
We would confidently recommend this business to anyone looking for reliable, skilled, and genuinely customer-focused bowling installation specialists. They did a fantastic job!
- The Toboggan Hill Park Team
Behind the Build
Toboggan Hill Park attracts a wide audience, so it was important that the scoring kept games fun and competitive for everyone. The custom 15-minute mode and the themed scoring made that possible, while the operational design ensured the park could move large groups through without bottlenecks.
The toboggan animation after each shot ties the gameplay to the park’s brand in a way that feels natural and fun. It is the kind of detail that works because the software is built in-house and can be adapted to each venue.
Visit Toboggan Hill Park
Toboggan Hill Park is located on Aquatic Close, Nelson Bay, in the Port Stephens region of New South Wales. The bowling lanes operate alongside the park’s other attractions including the toboggan run, maze, climbing wall, and roller skate rink. For opening hours and bookings, visit the Toboggan Hill Park website.
Related: Explore all game modes | Learn about our software | Considering a venue installation?
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