| Dreamworld | |
|---|---|
| Location | Coomera, Queensland, Australia |
| Website | www.dreamworld.com.au |
| Owner | Ardent Leisure |
| General Manager | Todd Coates[1] |
| Opened | 15 December 1981 |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 85 ha (210 acres) |
| Rides | 28 total
|
Dreamworld is a large theme park situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is currently Australia's largest theme park with over 27 rides including 4 roller coasters. The park is made up of several themed lands: Ocean Parade, Kid's World, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow, Tiger Island and the Australian Wildlife Experience. These lands feature a collection of rides, animal exhibits, shows, food outlets and merchandise shops.[2] Dreamworld is well known for being the location of the Australian Big Brother House for 8 years. In December 2006, Dreamworld expanded its offerings by opening WhiteWater World next door.[3]
Numerous times throughout the year, Dreamworld remains open after dark. This event, known as Screamworld, features all thrill rides and a selection of children's rides.[4]
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In 1974, John Longhurst, father of future Australian Water-Ski champion and two time Bathurst 1000 winner Tony Longhurst, put his dream of building a theme park into practice and purchased 85 hectares (210 acres) of land beside the Pacific Motorway in Coomera. Longhurst spent two years, working 12 hour days, to excavate what is now known as the Murrissipi River. No expense was spared when Longhurst employed some designers who worked on Disneyland and Walt Disney World to design the park. It was up to a collection of Australian architects to mimic Australian pioneer buildings during construction.[3]
When it came to find attractions, Longhurst aimed to satisfy all age groups. Opening day attractions included the IMAX Theatre, a Baldwin Locomotive (now known as the Dreamworld Railway), Model T Fords (now known as Vintage Cars), Rocky Hollow Log Ride, Australian Koala Theatre and the Captain Sturt Paddle-wheeler.[3] The theme park was officially opened on 15 November 1981 by the Premier of Queensland of the time, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.[5]
Since then Dreamworld has constantly evolved adding new rides, themed lands and characters.[3] One year after opening in 1982, the Thunderbolt opened as the world's longest steel double loop roller coaster.[6] A new themed area known as Gum Tree Gully also opened. In 1983, Blue Lagoon water park opened[7][8][9] and Dreamworld introduced Belinda Brown as the park's third mascot.[3] In 1984 the park began seven day trading after two years of only being open Tuesday through to Thursday.[3] In 1986, Gold Rush Country (now the Town of Gold Rush) opened featuring Eureka Mountain Mine Ride[10] and Thunder River Rapids Ride.[11] In 1987, Koala Country opened and in 1989 the Skylink Chairlift opened.[3][12]
In 1993, the Wipeout opened as part of the new Ocean Parade themed area. In 1995 Tiger Island opened with the Riverwalk Restaurant (now known as the Billabong BBQ and Buffet) opened. In 1997, the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster Tower of Terror opened. One year later the Giant Drop, the world's tallest freefall ride, was added to the Dreamworld Tower. Also in 1998, four Bengal Tiger cubs were born: Rama, Taj, Sultan and Sita.[3]
The new millennium began in 2000 with Dreamworld adding a variety of kids rides in a new themed area called Kennyland. In January 2001, the Australian Wildlife Experience opened after the refurbishment and expansion of Koala Country. Later that year in April, Big Brother Australia commenced broadcasting following the redevelopment of Dreamworld's Amphitheatre.[3] In December 2001, the Cyclone opened after its relocation from Luna Park Sydney where it was known as "The Big Dipper".[13] Also in 2001, two new Bengal tigers, Kato and Kaasha, were born in Tiger Island. In 2002, Nick Central replaced Kennyland and Village Oval to include a wide variety of new and refurbished children's rides.[3]
In 2003, Dreamworld further expanded its wildlife offerings by running after hours "Sunset Safaris".[3] In August 2003, the Thunderbolt was closed.[6] After over 7 months standing but not operating, the Thunderbolt was demolished and sold for scrap metal in March 2004. Dreamworld has retained a section of track and at least one train in the park's back-of-house areas.[14] Later that year in September 2004, The Claw opened in Ocean Parade.[3][15] On 15 March 2005, the Skylink Chairlift, which provided a link between Gold Rush Country and the Australian Wildlife Experience, closed. It remained standing for several months before the wires were removed. The support poles remain standing to this day.[12] Gum Tree Gully closed to make way for the world's first Wiggles World which opened on 10 September 2005.[3][16]
In 2006, Ardent Leisure shifted its focus to improving its offerings of water attractions. In April, Blue Lagoon was closed[7][8][9] due to its planned replacement by WhiteWater World as a separate gated complex. On 24 June, the FlowRider opened in Ocean Parade.[17] On 7 November, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride closed and has remained standing but not operating to this day.[10][18] In 2007, two Sumatran Tiger cubs, Indah and Rahni, were born at Tiger Island. Later that year in September, Mick Doohan's Motocoaster opened[19][20] after the relocation of the Avis Vintage Cars.[21]
On 20 June 2008, SpongeBob FlyPants opened as part of Nick Central.[22] On 9 June, Tiger Island welcomed the birth of three Sumatran Tiger cubs: Ndari, Jaya and Shanti. In the middle of 2008, the final series of Australian Big Brother was produced leaving the house and studios standing upon completion.[3] In Ocean Parade, V8 Supercars RedLine opened on 26 December near the FlowRider and Cyclone entrance.[23] A few months later, the Vortex was closed and removed to make way for AVPX which opened on 10 April 2009.[24] Almost exactly one year later in April 2010, the Illuminate Light & Laser Spectacular began seasonal operation in Main Street.[25] In September, the Tower of Terror relaunched as the Tower of Terror II featuring a new, reversed car.[26]
In late 2010, Dreamworld announced that they would begin celebrating their 30th birthday by holding the Summer Funomenon over the summer school holidays. The IMAX Theatre was renovated to become the Dreamworld Cinema. A roof was constructed over Main Street between the entrances for Ocean Parade and Nickelodeon Central. The Marketplace in Main Street was also upgraded. Also a new tiger cub named Pi (pronounced pie) was born.
On 16 February 2011, Ardent Leisure announced plans to have an Easter promotion where lions would be on temporary exhibition from National Zoo & Aquarium who are renovating their facilities.[27] In March 2011, Dreamworld officially announced that "The Lair" would be themed to the Timbavati region in South Africa. The interactive exhibit features a triple laminated glass panel which allows guests to view the lions up close.[28] The Lair will be used for other exotic animal species in the future.
On 7 April 2011, Dreamworld announced that they would be adding a family thrill ride in June and a major thrill ride in September 2011.[29] On 18 May 2011,[30] the family thrill ride was officially announced to be a Zamperla Disk'O called Shockwave within Ocean Parade.[31] The ride opened on 25 June 2011.[32]
Towards the middle of 2011, elements of Nickelodeon theming from Nickelodeon Central started to be removed leading to speculation that the contract with the television network was being terminated.[33] By the start of the winter holidays on 25 June 2011, all of the rides were renamed to a generic kids theme: Kid's World.[34]
On 17 September 2011, Dreamworld opened BuzzSaw - a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster.[35] The opening of the ride was timed with the renaming of Gold Rush Country to the Town of Gold Rush.
On 10 November 2011, Dreamworld announced a three-stage plan to incorporate DreamWorks Animation films and characters into its theme park. The first phase, set to open 19 December 2011, will include the DreamWorks Holiday Shrektacular Show featuring 8 DreamWorks Animation characters live on stage. The second phase will include the retheming of Dreamworld's kids area, Kid's World, into a 8,400-square-metre (90,000 sq ft) DreamWorks Experience precinct. This phase is set to open in easter 2012. The final phase will be the development of an eating and meet-and-greet area called Kung Fu garden.[1] The three phases are expected to cost $10 million to complete.[36]
Like all theme parks, attractions are sometimes closed due to age and replaced with more contemporary attractions. Dreamworld has seen this action used a great deal of times, with many attraction closures, replacements and expansions. However, all of Dreamworld's opening day attractions are still operating to this day.[3][37]
Dreamworld is broken up into a series of themed areas - each with their own collection of rides, shows, attractions and shops. From the entrance (in a clockwise direction) they are: Main Street, Town of Gold Rush, Rocky Hollow, Australian Wildlife Experience, Wiggles World, Rivertown, Tiger Island, Kid's World and Ocean Parade.
Main Street serves as the entrance and midway for the park. It features the central station for the Dreamworld Railway as well as the Dreamworld Cinema. The area is mainly made up of food, beverage and retail outlets.
Town of Gold Rush is located to the left of Main Street. It opened on 11 December 1986 with the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride and the Thunder River Rapids Ride.[3] In 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was decommissioned due to safety concerns yet it remains standing to this day.[10] The area remains to be the home of the Thunder River Rapids Ride along with more recent additions including a Shooting Gallery, Old Time Photos and BuzzSaw (a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster).[38]
Rocky Hollow opened with Dreamworld in 1981 featuring the Rocky Hollow Log Ride. In 1998, the world's tallest free fall ride, opened in the area. Standing at 119 metres (390 ft), The Giant Drop accelerates riders at speeds of up to 135 kilometres per hour (84 mph) in a matter of seconds.[3]
Australian Wildlife Experience is a collection of wildlife attractions divided into several subsections which allow guests to view the animals in their natural habitats.[2] It is a registered zoo with 800 native and barnyard animals located within the Dreamworld grounds.[39] The area is also home to a set of Ford Model T vintage cars which can be driven around a small circuit.
Wiggles World is based upon the popular Australian children entertainers, The Wiggles. It is aimed at toddlers and young children and features gentle rides and attractions including the Big Red Car Ride and Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cup Ride. It was the first of many Wiggles Worlds to be installed at various theme parks around the world (although it is the only one that remains).[3][40]
Rivertown was another themed area that opened with the park in 1981.[3] The area originally was home to the Vintage Cars which have since been relocated to the Australian Wildlife Experience.[21] The area currently features two of the Big 7 Thrill Rides: the Tower of Terror II and Mick Doohan's Motocoaster.[2]
Tiger Island opened in 1995 as one of only two interactive tiger exhibits in the world. The exhibit featured various locations for the tigers to live, swim and play.[3] In 2010, the exhibit is home to 6 Bengal tigers, 6 Sumatran tigers[41] and 2 cougars.[42]
Kid's World is a section of the park designed specifically for children and tweens. All of the attractions in Kid's World operated previous to the 2011 opening of the area. The area's flagship attraction is the Sky Rocket suspended family roller coaster.[43]
Ocean Parade is the largest themed area at Dreamworld in terms of attractions. It features 3 of the Big 7 Thrill Rides - The Claw, Wipeout and Cyclone are within close proximity of each other. Ocean Parade has an Australian beach culture theme with some beach-themed rides scattered around the area including the Reef Diver and Stingray.[2] It also features an internal, park-hop entrance to WhiteWater World.
| Name | Type | Themed area | Manufacturer | Opened | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Animal Presentation | Animal show | Australian Wildlife Experience | Dreamworld | 2009 | |
| Australian Sheep Shearing Show | Animal show | Australian Wildlife Experience | Dreamworld | 2010 | |
| Australian Wildlife Experience | Animal exhibit | Australian Wildlife Experience | Dreamworld | 2001 | |
| Avalanche | Matterhorn | Kid's World | SDC Rides | 1983 | |
| Avis Vintage Cars | Vintage Cars (Ford Model T) | Australian Wildlife Experience | Ford Motor Company | 1981 | |
| AVPX | Indoor laser skirmish | Ocean Parade | Sudden Impact! | 2009 | |
| Blues Skidoo | Children's rotating ride | Kid's World | SBF Visa | 2000 | |
| Big Red Car Ride | Dark ride | Wiggles World | Simtech | 2005 | |
| Bumper Beach | Dodgems | Kid's World | Bertazzon Rides | 1983 | |
| BuzzSaw | Steel roller coaster | Town of Gold Rush | Maurer Söhne | 2011 | |
| Captain Sturt Paddle Wheeler | Slow boat cruise | Rivertown | Dreamworld | 1981 | |
| The Claw | Gyro Swing | Ocean Parade | Intamin | 2004 | |
| Cyclone | Steel roller coaster | Ocean Parade | Arrow Dynamics | 2001 | |
| Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cup Ride | Teacups | Wiggles World | SBF Visa | 2006 | |
| DreamWorks Holiday Shrektacular Show | Show | Kid's World | DreamWorks Animation | 2011 | |
| Dreambowl | Show arena | Kid's World | Dreamworld | 2002 | |
| Dreamworld Cinema | Movie theater | Main Street | RealD Cinema | 2011 | |
| Dreamworld Railway | Railway | Main Street | Baldwin/Perry | 1981 | |
| FlowRider | Sheet wave attraction | Ocean Parade | Wave Loch | 2006 | |
| Game Site | Video arcade | Ocean Parade | Dreamworld | 1983 | |
| The Giant Drop | Drop tower | Rocky Hollow | Intamin | 1998 | |
| Illuminate Light & Laser Spectacular | Seasonal light and laser show | Main Street | Laservision | 2010 | |
| Kite Flyer | Kite flyer | Kid's World | Zamperla | 2008 | |
| The Lair | Animal exhibit | Adjacent to Tiger Island | Dreamworld | 2011 | |
| Mick Doohan's Motocoaster | Launched roller coaster | Rivertown | Intamin | 2007 | |
| Mighty-Go-Round | Carousel | Kid's World | Unknown | 1983 | |
| Reef Diver | Enterprise | Ocean Parade | S.D.C. | 1983 | |
| Rock Climbing Wall | Climbing wall | Ocean Parade | Unknown | 2004 | |
| Rainforest Rampage | Ball play area | Kid's World | Prime Play | 2002 | |
| Rocky Hollow Log Ride | Log flume | Rocky Hollow | Dreamworld | 1981 | |
| Shockwave | Disk'O Coaster | Ocean Parade | Zamperla | 2011 | |
| Sky Rocket | Suspended family roller coaster | Kid's World | Vekoma | 2002 | |
| Stingray | Trabant | Ocean Parade | Chance Rides | 1983 | |
| Swinger Zinger | Swinger | Kid's World | Chance Rides | 1982 | |
| Thunder River Rapids Ride | River rafting ride | Town of Gold Rush | Intamin | 1986 | |
| Tiger Island | Animal exhibit | Tiger Island | Dreamworld | 1995 | |
| Tower of Terror II | Shuttle roller coaster | Rivertown | Intamin | 1997 | |
| V8 Supercars RedLine | Racing simulator | Ocean Parade | Dreamworld | 2008 | |
| Wipeout | Waikiki Wave Super Flip | Ocean Parade | Vekoma | 1993 |
The ticket prices vary from one package to another and these can be found at Dreamworld's website.
Q4U is a virtual queuing system that is offered by Dreamworld. Guests can book a small hand-held device for $10 plus $7.50 per user. For this price users can book their spot on eleven different rides around the park including AVPX, BuzzSaw, The Claw, Cyclone, Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster, Rocky Hollow Log Ride, Shockwave, Sky Rocket, Thunder River Rapids Ride, Tower of Terror II and Wipeout.[44]
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