Ardent Leisure has shuttered its Australian theme parks Dreamworld and White Water World, following last week's closure of its US Main Event Entertainment centres in response to tighter restrictions on gatherings that aim to slow spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Gold Coast-based theme parks would nominally close until May 31, but it was not possible to say when they would reopen, the company said on Monday. Its 43 Main Event big-box family entertainment centres are shuttered until the end of this month.