Dreamworld (Australia)

Possibly the original Dreamworld logo with a generic log ride hut, paddle steamer, single loop coaster, main entrance building, wooden style coaster and train pictured. Some of the attractions depicted in this logo never existed at the park.

In 1974, John Longhurst, the father of the 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.[2]

With attractions, Longhurst aimed to satisfy all of the family. Opening day attractions included the IMAX Theatre, a Baldwin Locomotive (now known as the Dreamworld Express), Model T Fords (now known as Vintage Cars), Rocky Hollow Log Ride, Australian Koala Theatre and the Captain Sturt Paddle-wheeler.[2] The theme park was officially opened on 15 December 1981 by the Premier of Queensland of the time, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.[4]

Since then Dreamworld has constantly evolved adding new rides, themed lands and characters.[2] One year after opening, in 1982, a new themed area, Country Fair was opened. The new themed area featured Thunderbolt which opened as the world's longest steel double loop roller coaster.[5] A new themed area known as Gum Tree Gully also opened.

In 1983, two themed areas were opened. Blue Lagoon water park opened with three water slides and several pools.[6][7][8] The second themed area was Village Green. Dreamworld also introduced Belinda Brown as the park's third mascot.[2] In 1984 the park began seven-day trading after two years of only being open Thursday through to Tuesday.[2]

In 1986, a new themed area called Gold Rush Country opened featuring Eureka Mountain Mine Ride[9] and Thunder River Rapids Ride.[10] Gold Rush Country was themed around the Australian gold rushes. The same year, Dreamworld opened the Music Bowl (later became Dreamworld Studios).

In 1987, Koala Country opened and in 1989 the Skylink Chairlift opened.[2][11]

WipeOut was one of Dreamworld's oldest thrill rides

In 1991, to promote the Australian premiere of The Simpsons on Network Ten from 10 February, Dreamworld welcomed the characters of the American TV series. Guests could meet and greet with them as well as see them in the live stage show The Simpsons: Live on Stage, but the characters only appeared twice daily until 30 June.

In 1993, a Waikiki Wave Super Flip named 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, Dreamworld opened a slow boat ride named Creature Cruise which they manufactured themselves in Village Oval. Creature Cruise was operation for only a short time. The park also opened 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.

In December 1999, Dreamworld added a variety of kids rides in a new themed area called Kennyland.[2] They took up the northern portion of Village Oval and Creature Cruise was converted from a boat ride into a walk-through attraction.

The Cyclone (now The Gold Coaster) roller coaster which was installed in 2001.

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.[2] In December 2001, the Cyclone opened after its relocation from Luna Park Sydney where it was known as "The Big Dipper".[12] Also in 2001, two new Bengal tigers, Kato and Kaasha, were born in Tiger Island. In 2002, Nickelodeon Central replaced Kennyland and Village Oval to include a wide variety of new and refurbished children's rides.[2]

In 2003, Dreamworld further expanded its wildlife offerings by running after hours "Sunset Safaris".[2] In August 2003, Thunderbolt was closed.[5] It 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.[13] Later that year in September 2004, The Claw opened in Ocean Parade.[2][14] 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.[11] Gum Tree Gully closed to make way for the world's first Wiggles World which opened on 10 September 2005.[2][15]

In 2006, Ardent Leisure shifted its focus to improving its offerings of water attractions. In April, Blue Lagoon was closed[6][7][8] due to its planned replacement by WhiteWater World as a separate gated complex. On 24 June, the FlowRider opened in Ocean Parade.[16] On 7 November, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride closed and it remained standing until 2018[9][17] In 2007, two Sumatran Tiger cubs, Indah and Rahni, were born at Tiger Island. Later that year in September, Mick Doohan's Motocoaster opened[18][19] after the relocation of the Avis Vintage Cars.[20]

On 20 June 2008, SpongeBob FlyPants opened as part of Nickelodeon Central.[21] 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 for the Channel 10 Network was produced leaving the house and studios standing upon completion.[2] In Ocean Parade, V8 Supercars RedLine opened on 26 December near the FlowRider and Cyclone entrance.[22] A few months later, the Vortex was closed and removed to make way for AVPX which opened on 10 April 2009.[23] Almost exactly one year later in April 2010, the Illuminate Light & Laser Spectacular began seasonal operation in Main Street.[24] In September, the Tower of Terror relaunched as the Tower of Terror II featuring a new, reversed car.[25]

In 2009, a Bell 206 helicopter operating joy flights on behalf of Dreamworld crash landed in the carpark near the park's main entry. The pilot and four Taiwanese visitors to the park suffered minor injuries in the crash. The pilot was initially praised for avoiding crowded areas of the park,[26] but it was later revealed the crash was a result of mismanagement which led to the helicopter running out of fuel.[27] Dreamworld has not offered helicopter flights since the accident.

An aerial view of Dreamworld and WhiteWater World in July 2011.

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.

In 2011, two separate incidents were reported of handlers at Dreamworld's Tiger Island attraction being bitten by a nine-year-old Bengal Tiger and requiring hospitalisation. The park's life sciences manager said that both incidents would be investigated, and the park reviewed its animal handling procedures.[28]

BuzzSaw operated from 2011 to 2021.

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;[29] this was later revealed by Dreamworld to be "The Lair".[30] 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.[31] On 18 May 2011,[32] the family thrill ride was officially announced to be a Zamperla Disk'O called Shockwave within Ocean Parade.[33] The ride opened on 25 June 2011.[34] By the start of the winter holidays on 25 June 2011, Dreamworld's contract with Nickelodeon had been terminated, thus all of the rides in Nickelodeon Central were renamed to a generic kids theme: Kid's World.[35] On 17 September 2011, Dreamworld opened BuzzSaw – a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster.[36] 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 at a cost of $10 million.

Puss in Boots Sword Swing operated from 1982 to 2023.

[37][38] The first phase was the temporary summer show, the DreamWorks Holiday Shrektacular.[37] The second phase was the DreamWorks Experience precinct (the retheming of the existing Kid's World area) which opened on 31 March 2012. The final phase was the development of Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness. This area opened on 21 December 2012 with the park's eighth thrill ride, Pandamonium. In 2012, Dreamworld also saw the return of Big Brother[39] as well as the addition of the Big Red Boat Ride to Wiggles World.

AVPX closed on 31 March 2013.[40][41] It was replaced with Zombie Evilution on 13 September 2013. Zombie Evilution originally ran as a temporary scare maze until 14 October. On 18 October, the attraction reopened as a laser skirmish attraction with the same theme and backstory.

On 8 November 2013 the park was evacuated when a bushfire came within close proximity. Everyone in the park was evacuated within an hour. Dreamworld announced via Facebook that the park was not under any immediate threat and that back burning to protect it from any damage had started just outside the Big Brother complex. Later that day, Dreamworld again announced via Facebook that the blaze was under control thanks to firefighters and that the park would re-open as normal the next day.[42]

On 28 April 2014, the Reef Diver closed and was subsequently removed. On 20 September, it was replaced by Tail Spin, a Gerstlauer Sky Fly.

Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was rumoured to be reopened

In early 2015, Dreamworld teased that two new big attractions would be coming to the park in 2015. Throughout the early months of the year, rumours circulated as to the reopening of the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride, however these did not eventuate. Zombie Evilution once again reopened as a scare maze in April. On 12 May, Dreamworld announced that Wiggles World would become a shared kids' world based on the characters of the Australian children's television network, ABC Kids. ABC Kids World opened in June. Dreamworld also revealed plans for an extensive motorsport attraction, which was expected to be a new V8 Supercars attraction to either complement or replace V8 Supercars RedLine. On 26 July, Tiger Cub Kai was born. On 12 October, The Cyclone was closed for refurbishment as part of the Motorsport Precinct, labelled to open 26 December 2015.

The new trains for the Hot Wheels SideWinder were built by Vekoma.

On 25 October, Dreamworld posted new information on their website regarding the Motorsport Precinct. Including that the Cyclone will be renamed "Hot Wheels SideWinder" after Dreamworld entered into a partnership with Hot Wheels. Dreamworld also revealed that the Precinct will feature the Motorsport Museum (Featuring the 30 Peter Brock V8's) as well as six racing simulators, a new F&B (Food and Beverage) Outlet named Grid Burgers and Sports Bar, as well as a new retail outlet. The Precinct is sponsored by Dunlop, RACQ and Hot Wheels and opened on 26 December 2015.[43]

On 29 November 2015, Two Female Tiger Cubs were born. Later named Akasha and Adira. On 26 December 2015, The Motorsports Experience, including the Brock Museum, Trackside Merchandise Outlet, Grid Burgers Food and Beverage as well as the Hot Wheels SideWinder opened as advertised.

On 27 January 2016, Zombie Evilution closed to the public and would no longer operate as a laser tag arena, the attraction was still, however, utilised as a scare-maze for special events, such as Screamworld. On 9 February, Dreamworld welcomed two female white tiger cubs from Kagoshima City, in Japan. These two cubs were viewable in a quarantine enclosure located in front of the Zombie Evilution attraction. On 29 February, Tiger Island closed for refurbishment, the tiger cubs were still viewable in a new Tiger Cub Kindy area, located in Ocean Parade. Tiger Island reopened on 18 September 2016 and Cub Kindy was moved back to Tiger Island.

In April 2016 a man fell out of the log ride when he stood up mid-ride; he was then run over by two more logs that passed, suffered cuts to his head and almost drowned. The ride was closed for two days after while it was investigated by Queensland authorities. The ride reopened shortly after.[44] In October 2016, Kelly's Showdown and Jack's Watering Hole were permanently closed after most of the Gold Rush Country was blocked off to the public due to a fatal accident.

October 2016: a malfunction of the Thunder River Rapids Ride resulted in the deaths of four people.[45] The ride was permanently closed and later demolished.[46]

In March 2019, Dreamworld announced that Wipeout, the park's oldest thrill ride, would be retired and dismantled, and will not re-open from its maintenance period. It was replaced with a shaded seating space for guests.[47]

Sky Voyager at night in 2020

At a shareholders conference on 23 August 2019, Ardent Leisure confirmed that the Sky Voyager 'flying theatre' simulator ride would open to the public that day. The $17-million Sky Voyager was built in partnership with Brogent Technologies on the site of the former Dreamworld Cinema. It was originally scheduled to open in late 2018, but was delayed due to issues with design registration.[48] During the conference, Ardent further committed to a $50-million investment in their Dreamworld and WhiteWater World properties over the coming three to five years.[49] A $30-million launched roller coaster built by Mack Rides was scheduled to begin construction in early 2020.[50] The coaster's layout would be based on Europa-Park's Blue Fire coaster. A semi-shuttle multi-launch system would be used; a transfer-track will transport riders to the launch track, where the train is launched forwards, then backwards up a vertical spike, then forwards again to complete the track's layout. The coaster features 1,200 m (3,937 ft) of track, a top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph), maximum height of 38 m (124 ft), and four inversions. In addition, the last row of each train would feature backwards-facing spinning cars.[51][52] The park also confirmed that ABC Kids World would receive a multi-million dollar revamp, with confirmation of a new ride to come and further details to be announced at a later date.

On 22 June 2019, six children were arrested after they burnt down the Big Brother house. The children were found at Coomera railway station shortly after the arson. Two of the children were charged with vandalism. The house was completely destroyed and it was demolished along with the Dreamworld Studios shortly after. The wind that day blew the smoke away from the park so the park did not need to evacuate and nobody was injured.[53]

Just months after the closure of Wipeout, the park announced on 25 October 2019, that the Tower of Terror ll would cease operation on 3 November of the same year. The park cited "focusing our investment on the future and delivering new, world-class attractions for you to enjoy"[54] as the reason for closing the attraction. The park confirmed that The Giant Drop will continue to operate as normal, with the Tower of Terror II track being removed from the Dreamworld Tower structure over time. The press release also included confirmation that a new thrill ride would be announced sometime in the next year as the park continued forward with their multi-million dollar expansion.

6 person raft that carries passengers through the ride.

On 25 October 2016 at 2:20 pm AEST, four people were killed in an incident on the ride, on approach towards the unloading platform. A vacant raft had become stuck and the following raft, carrying four adults and two children, collided with it. The conveyor belt continued to push the second raft onto the front raft causing it to lift up and tip backwards with "persons being variously caught in machinery".[55] Two passengers were ejected from the raft, while the other two were trapped.[56] The deceased were two women, aged 32 and 42, and two men, aged 35 and 38.[57] A 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl who were on the same raft were able to climb out of the raft and onto platforms nearby once the raft conveyor had been shut down and did not sustain injuries.[58][59]

On 9 November, Ardent Leisure chief executive Deborah Thomas announced that the ride would be permanently closed and demolished.[46]

The Rocky Hollow Log Ride was the only remaining original opening day attraction that was still in the original form.

On 7 February 2020, Dreamworld Management announced that the Rocky Hollow Log Ride had been retired from service after 38 years of operation. The following statement was put out by Dreamworld:

"In order to continue Dreamworld's journey as Australia's biggest and best theme park, the Dreamworld team has made the decision to retire the Rocky Hollow Log Ride, which opened 38 years ago on 15 December 1981. Dreamworld guests should be assured that this decision to not reopen the ride following its recent scheduled maintenance has been made to allow us to continue developing new experiences for guests while taking proactive steps to deliver a new generation of rides."[60]

Dreamworld also announced a refurbishment of the Hot Wheels SideWinder coaster (renamed to The Gold Coaster) and an upgrade to ABC Kids World which includes a new ride.

On 22 March 2020, Dreamworld announced that they will temporarily cease operations for both Dreamworld and WhiteWater World due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Two days later, Dreamworld announced they had donated 755 kilograms (1,664 lb) of leftover food to OzHarvest.[61]

Over a month later, roller coaster supports for the new roller coaster announced in August 2019, started arriving at the Dreamworld carpark on 27 April 2020. Roller coaster tracks started arriving on 2 June 2020, however no land works had been done during the parks closure.

The Play School Art Room was removed from Dreamworld's website and all traces of the attraction were removed with the exception of the online park map on 17 June.[62]

On 12 August 2020, Dreamworld announced the reopening dates for the park as 16 September 2020. Dreamworld also announced that the majority of the Corroboree area was going to be temporarily closed and that FlowRider and the Big Red Car were going to be permanently closed after 14 years. The park removed indoor seating and reconfigured queue lines to allow for improved social distancing.[63]

In November 2020, Dreamworld announced the name for their currently under construction roller coaster that took up the land that was formally occupied by the Thunder River Rapids Ride. The ride, named Steel Taipan, is a Mack Rides Blue Fire clone with a shuttle launch, vertical twisted spike and spinning rear seat.[64] Steel Taipan officially opened on 15 December 2021.

On 17 July 2021, in an email to pass holders, Dreamworld announced that BuzzSaw would be retired after 31 August 2021. The ride was the 13th attraction to be closed since October 2016.[65]

Dreamworld also announced that the Dreamworld Express would be receiving new custom train carriages.[66] The refurbished attraction reopened in July 2022, with a reduced track layout and reversed direction of travel. The train now runs clockwise instead of anti-clockwise, with two stations (Central Park Station and Corroborree Station) instead of four. The previous track loop around the defunct Blue Lagoon site has been removed.

In April 2022, The Giant Drop closed for substantial refurbishment and repainting of the Dreamworld Tower. The attraction reopened on 24 June 2023.[67] On 24 November, Dreamworld announced a rebranding of the DreamWorks Experience and ABC Kids World themed area into Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland and the new Rivertown respectively, with rebranded and refurbished attractions as well as new attractions. These areas are expected to be rebranded from 2023 to 2024. Additionally, a new swing ride called The Dreamworld Flyer was announced for Main Street.[68]

• Happy Halloween is an annual halloween event that is held in late October. The event runs after the park hours at night with all the rides and attractions operating. A giant trick or treating event is present along with performances and special food and beverages outlets available.[71]
• Park After Dark is a night time event that is held several times through the year. The event runs after the park has closed. All rides will be operating along with entertainments and special food and beverages outlets.[72]
• Spring County Fair is an annual spring themed event first inaugurated in 2021. Unlike other events, the event is only held during the day. Farm animals are brought in during the event along with live acoustic music and special food and beverages outlets.[73][74]
• Street Food Festival is an annual food event at Dreamworld. The event offers food and beverage options in pop-up stalls, food trucks and existing outlets. The menu offers special limited time American and Asian food. Special entertainment is also offered during the event.[75]
• Winterfest is an annual winter themed event first inaugurated in 2019. The event is held during the day and night similar to Park After Dark. All rides and attractions are also operational. In addition, the annual Ice Maze, Toboggan Slide and Ice Skating Rink are also available. There are also special food and beverages outlets through the park.[76][77]

Main Street serves as the entrance and midway for the park. It features the central station for the Dreamworld Express as well as the Sky Voyager. There area is mainly made up of food, beverage and retail outlets. There area was extended after the removal of Rivertown, and now currently features the Motocoaster.[1]

Gold Rush Country 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.[2] In 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was decommissioned due to safety concerns, it was demolished in 2018.[9] Thunder River Rapids Ride was closed in 2016 following a fatal accident and was also removed.[82] Gold Rush Country also featured the BuzzSaw (a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster).[83] The area was extended after it took over Rocky Hollow as a sub-themed area. The area now includes The Giant Drop, which opened in 1998 as the world's tallest free fall ride. 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.[2] The area is also features Steel Taipan, a MACK Rides steel launched roller coaster.

Dreamworld Tower: home to the Tower of Terror II (track pictured) and The Giant Drop (gondalas pictured)

Dreamworld Corroboree is a collection of wildlife attractions divided into several subsections which allow guests to view the animals in their natural habitats.[1] It is a registered zoo with 800 native and barnyard animals located within the Dreamworld grounds.[84] There area is also home to a set of Ford Model T vintage cars which can be driven around a small circuit.

ABC Kids World is a children's area opened in 2005 (as Wiggles World). The southern part of the area features children's Australian TV series such as Giggle and Hoot, Play School, and Bananas in Pyjamas.[2][85] The northern part of the area (also known as 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).

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.[2] In 2010, the exhibit is home to 6 Bengal tigers, 6 Sumatran tigers[86] and 2 cougars.[87]

Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland is a section of the park designed specifically for children and tweens. All of the attractions in Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland have been refurbished from their operation as rides in DreamWorks Experience, Kid's World and Nickelodeon Central. The area's flagship attraction is Kenny's Forest Flyer, a suspended family roller coaster.[88]

Kenny's Forest Flyer roller coaster in Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland (Rugrats Runaway Reptar theme pictured)

Ocean Parade is the largest themed area at Dreamworld in terms of attractions. It features 3 of the 7 Thrill Rides – The Claw, Tail Spin and The Gold Coaster which 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 Shockwave and Serpent Slayer, and formerly the FlowRider.[1] It also features an internal, park-hop entrance to WhiteWater World.

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.[2][91]

Like all theme parks, Dreamworld currently has several proposed or under construction attractions in order to modernise, expand or replace the current attraction listings.

Dreamworld has several of food, beverages and shopping outlets located around the park with some shops themed around rides. The following is a list of outlets:[93][94]