Eureka Mountain Mine Ride
| Eureka Mountain Mine Ride | |
|---|---|
|
The Eureka Mountain Mine Ride building. | |
| Previously known as Lost mine ride | |
| Dreamworld | |
| Park section | Gold Rush Country |
| Coordinates | 27°51′45.5″S 153°18′57″E / 27.862639°S 153.31583°ECoordinates: 27°51′45.5″S 153°18′57″E / 27.862639°S 153.31583°E |
| Status | Not Operating |
| Opening date | 11 December 1986 |
| Closing date | 7 November 2006 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Wild Mouse – Enclosed |
| Manufacturer | HyFab |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 1:10 |
| Trains | a single car. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 4 riders per train. |
| Restraints | Seat belt |
|
Eureka Mountain Mine Ride at RCDB Pictures of Eureka Mountain Mine Ride at RCDB | |
Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was a steel Wild Mouse roller coaster that is currently standing but not operating at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia.[1]
History
The Eureka Mountain Mine Ride opened on 11 December 1986 alongside the Thunder River Rapids Ride as part of Dreamworld new land, Gold Rush Country.[2]
On 7 November 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride closed for maintenance.[3] At the time Dreamworld stated that the ride would be closed temporarily to ensure the safety of all guests.[4] In 2010, Dreamworld stated that the closure of the ride "basically came down to new ride technology, upgraded safety regulations and responding to what the public wanted. Like the old Thunderbolt Rollercoaster, the mine ride served us well for 25 years and was “retired...” to make way for newer computerised attractions like The Claw, The Motorcoaster and AVPX. In Summary - rides have a life span - like a car - it comes to a time when you need to spend a lot of $$ to fix it up so when it is no longer a very popular attraction sometimes it is better to invest in something newer...... ".[5] The ride itself remains standing to this day[1] with the queue and entrance transformed to house a couple of carnival-style games.
Ride
Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was manufactured by Brisbane-based company, HyFab. The ride was a Wild Mouse roller coaster enclosed in Eureka Mountain.[1] The ride would begin with guests entering the Eureka Mountain Mine and boarding on of several 4-seater cars.[1][4][6] After being pulled up a chain lift hill, guests would be confronted by an animatronic miner who would light a stick of dynamite. After it explodes, the car would take guests through a variety of sharp, hairpin turns and fast, steep drops.[7]
Eureka Mountain Mine Ride originally featured dual stations which allowed two cars to load and unload at the same time. In 2002, the practice of using these two stations was discontinued.[7] In 2004, the ride system was upgraded.[7]
Potential Reopening
Speculation began in early 2015 about the ride's potential reopening. In the previous year, Dreamworld underwent a restoration on the Wipeout and Ocean Parade, as well as repainting The Claw. Some speculated that Eureka Mountain may feature as part of Dreamworld's restoration. Furthermore, water-dummies have been seen in the ride's entrance, and carts have been successfully cycled through the ride. On the 10th of February 2015, Dreamworld posted on their Facebook page "There is no official % on if this ride can be reopened or what else it could become. It is not off the table but certainly not on the table where we can be putting time frames or percentages on it. Everyone wants it back, and if it is possible there is a chance that one day that could happen".
In September 2015, Dreamworld began construction around the exterior of the ride's entrance, but is yet to confirm or deny the potential reopening of the ride. As Gold Rush Country will be celebrating 30 years since opening in 2016, it is plausible Dreamworld may be planning to relaunch the ride to coincide with the anniversary, however this is unconfirmed.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Marden, Duane. "Eureka Mountain Mine Ride (Dreamworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ↑ "Dreamworld History" (PDF). Dreamworld. 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ↑ "Ride and Attraction Maintenance". Dreamworld. 2006. Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- 1 2 "Dreamworld - Family Rides". Dreamworld. 2006. Archived from the original on 15 December 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ↑ Dreamworld (23 January 2010). "Basic FAQ about Dreamworld's Rides". Facebook. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ↑ "Dreamworld - Eureka Mine Ride". Dreamworld. Archived from the original on 19 June 2005. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Eureka Mountain Mine Ride (Dreamworld)". Parkz. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
External links
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
