On some level, we all knew anyone could have been sitting in that raft.

The shocking, tragic and random loss of four lives this week has shaken us to the core because we’ve been there.

If not on that ride, or at that particular theme park, we’ve all bought a ticket and put our lives in someone else’s hands without giving it a second’s thought.

Safety was beyond question, or so we thought. That changed at just after 2pm on Tuesday, a typically beautiful Queensland spring day.

Kate Goodchild, 32, and her excited daughter Ebony, 12, took their seats on the six-seater Thunder River Rapids raft.

Ms Goodchild’s brother Luke Dorsett, 35, and his partner Roozbeh Araghi, 38, joined them on board.

Meanwhile, Ms Goodchild’s partner David Turner waited near the exit with their eight-month-old daughter Evie.

If not for the minimum age requirement of the ride — two-years-old — Mr Turner and Evie would have been on the raft too.

They were all holidaying on the Gold Coast from Canberra. They were meant to go back home days earlier, but they were having too much fun and extended their stay.

A day earlier they’d been at the beach and Evie had her first swim in the ocean.

Cindy Low, 42, and her 10-year-old son Kieran took the last two vacant seats, enjoying a day out when other families were stuck at work and school.

They didn’t know each other but for the next few minutes they were bound together for what was meant to be a fun adventure — maximum speed, 45km/h.

Ms Low’s husband Matthew was elsewhere in the park with their daughter Isla, 6.

The Lows were on holiday from Gosford. They were originally from Kawerau on New Zealand’s North Island and had been on the NSW coast for about 10 years.

For 30 years the Thunder River Rapids has been a family favourite, a trip down a gently churning stream where the biggest danger was a soaking. It was one of the most placid rides in the park.

The raft carrying Ms Goodchild, Ebony and the others drifted and spun on the bobbing river, its occupants loosely strapped in.

After a few minutes it was all over and the pod shuddered onto a conveyor belt to be taken to the exit decks.

Hundreds of times a day, thousands of times a month, this has gone off without a hitch.

But on this occasion an empty raft in front got jammed.

The doomed pod carrying Ms Goodchild and the five others butted into the stationary raft in front and flipped.

In seconds, the tourists were hurled into the conveyor belt machinery and under water.

Injuries were instant and catastrophic. None of the adults would survive.

By some miracle, the two children made it out. CCTV footage is believed to show them emerging from beneath the capsized raft.

Ebony Goodchild ran to her father, who was waiting on a platform near the exit with his youngest daughter and pram.

“Where’s mummy?” Ebony screamed. “Where’s mummy?’

David Turner leapt over a barrier to make it to the upturned raft. He was able to free his partner from the wreckage.

They were childhood sweethearts. Ms Goodchild died in his arms.

Guests and staff tried to help as real screams of terror and loss echoed through a park usually filled with joyous shrieks.

Friends Claire Wooley and Lia Capes were at the front of the ride and tried to soothe frantic Ebony.

“We tried to comfort her, but she was so emotional … we were in tears ourselves and she was just hysterical,” Claire said.

Mr Turner emerged covered in dirt, shaken and screaming. He left the park with his head in his hands.

His mother Gillian Turner was left grasping for answers.

“My son managed to reach his partner, who died in his arms while his 12-year-old daughter looked on, screaming in the background,” she said this week.

“I would like to believe my 12-year-old granddaughter was saved so she could tell her little sister what a wonderful mum Kate was.”

When the raft was hauled away, the full horror was revealed.

One seat was crushed by the conveyor belt machinery. Others appeared to have been sheared in half.

Police Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd told media it was “maybe through the providence of God” that the two children on the raft lived.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s almost a miracle that anybody came out of that,” he said.

Away from the cameras, he said he’d watched the CCTV footage. The look on his face told how bad it had been.

How could this happen?

In homes around Queensland, people stared in horror at their screens.

One refrain echoed from house to house: “I’m never going there again.”

How Dreamworld and the rest of the state’s theme parks — by proximity and association — will rebuild trust is not yet clear.

A pact has been broken with patrons, who fork out a small fortune in exchange for a guaranteed thrill in absolute safety.

This December, Dreamworld will mark 35 years in operation.

It was the vision of John Longhurst, a man who had worked as a builder and boat maker but had an idea to make something altogether grander.

He bought 85 hectares of land at Coomera, taught himself how to drive a bulldozer, and spent two years clearing the way for the theme park.

It was opened by former premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen with an IMAX, log rides and vintage cars.

Attractions have been added ever since, from a tiger enclosure to the king of thrillseeking rides, the Tower of Terror.

Generations have travelled from all over the country to pass through its gates.

Premiers, celebrities, titans of business and heroes of sporting fields have been photographed on its roller-coasters and in its animal enclosures.

Queensland may be a long way from California, but who needs Disneyland when we’ve got Dreamworld?

It has become a cornerstone of our tourism industry and economy, and part of the fabric of our lives.

The rapids ride opened in 1986 and has maintained its popularity despite the arrival of more elaborate and sophisticated rides.

Mostly that’s because it is one of the few rides young families can experience together.

News of this week’s tragedy trickled out slowly. At first there were reports of a single fatality, but the numbers continued to grow.

It started becoming clear this was something much bigger.

Finally it was confirmed there were four dead, a figure so shocking it was almost too difficult to believe.

It was the first fatal accident at an Australian theme park since seven people, including six children, died in a fire on a ghost train ride at Sydney’s Luna Park in 1979.

Emergency services personnel struggled to contain their emotions.

In front of a phalanx of cameras, a paramedic described the injuries as “incompatible with life”.

We knew what he meant.

The first flowers appeared at the closed gates on Tuesday night as people began stopping by on their way home from work to express their sorrow.

By the following night, an impromptu candlelight vigil was underway. Parents took children to leave messages of love and support to two families just like theirs, affected by unimaginable grief.

How do you explain to young children an event like this at a place of their dreams? That’s been every parent’s challenge this week.

Those who stopped to talk at Dreamworld’s gates had a common message — they wanted the interstate families of victims to know Queensland mourned with them.

Teary Dreamworld staff paid their respects. An 18-year-old woman was on her first day of training on the ride when it happened. An experienced ride operator was on duty with her.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk laid a floral tribute at the gates and prayed for the victims.

“Words cannot describe the feelings that Queenslanders are showing towards the families of those who lost their lives,” she said.

“I know there are a lot of families throughout Queensland that have come here and are feeling really sad about what’s happened.

“So on behalf of all Queensland families who can be here at Dreamworld, I have today placed a bunch of flowers for everyone.”

The sea of flowers outside the gates is growing as fast as the call for answers. Above all was the question: “How could this happen?”

”This could have been my family”

They acted too soon.

Just a day after four lives were lost, Dreamworld announced it would reopen on Friday for a “memorial day”.

“We hope this will be considered the start of the healing process for all concerned,” a park statement said.

“The park will open at 11am and entry proceeds from the day will go to the Australian Red Cross to support their continued community focused activities.

“From the Memorial Day, activities will be limited to smaller rides, animal attractions, and the water park.”

The announcement took Queensland authorities by surprise.

Ms Palaszczuk and police privately expressed concerns about the speed of the planned reopening, particularly with officers still at the site.

“We’re working as fast as we can,” said Assistant Commissioner Codd.

“But we are not going to compromise the need for thoroughness in order for us to be able to vacate that area, acquire the evidence, or the facts that we need.”

The following day, Dreamworld’s parent company Ardent Leisure followed up with a day of corporate incompetence.

It began with chairman Neil Balnaves declaring it was time to get back to business.

“It’s a very fine park, at some point the park will open,” he said.

“It’s driven by the utmost respect for the families and the deaths, and it will open again on Saturday to basically repair the damage with a lot of our people as well.

“We can’t return the four lives.”

Those last words may be true but it was not the compassionate and considered response required.

It was compounded by unfortunate timing. ASX-listed Ardent Leisure had its annual general meeting for Thursday, and executives were awarded annual bonuses.

The company was legally bound to go ahead with the meeting and the bonuses were based on company results last financial year, but it could not have come at a worse time.

Chief Executive Deborah Thomas’s attempts at damage control imploded when she said at a media conference the company had reached out to affected families.

Relatives of victim Kate Goodchild were watching and said they were “furious” at the suggestion they’d been offered “every assistance”.

The media conference was still being broadcast live when a journalist informed Ms Thomas of the family’s reaction.

Ms Thomas immediately clarified the company had been liaising with police and said she would personally offer assistance afterwards.

“I am a mother. I have a family. I take my family to Dreamworld ... This could have been my family,” she said.

By Thursday afternoon, in the face of a media firestorm, Dreamworld had called off its memorial day and said its doors would be closed until further notice.

Ms Thomas, a former Women’s Weekly editor, announced she would give her full $167,500 bonus to the Red Cross, to be spent on victims’ families.

Yesterday, she met with Dreamworld staff in an emotional private ceremony on the Gold Coast.

Police are investigating possible criminal negligence charges.

They have a crime scene warrant for the site until Tuesday and can seek an extension if required.

A report will be prepared for the state coroner, who personally inspected the site this week.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “From the outset, can I thank the police for all of the work that they are doing.

“We have specialist police working around the clock to find out exactly what went so horribly wrong.”

Workplace Health and Safety inspectors are carrying out a parallel investigation.

International theme parks are monitoring developments closely — one, the Busch Gardens theme park at Tampa Bay in Florida, closed a similar ride pending an investigation.

Meanwhile, claims of prior safety concerns and injuries at Dreamworld are starting to mount and pose a major challenge to its recovery.

Already a report has emerged from a Queensland safety inspector, Shaun Langdon, who raised concerns about maintenance there four years ago.

His damning report said at the time 13 rides — including the ill-fated Thunder River Rapids ride — were “not fit for service” after he’d inspected air compressors.

Ardent Leisure had fought for months to stop documents related to maintenance and injuries being released to a union through a Right to Information request.

Australian Workers’ Union Queensland secretary Ben Swan claimed a staff “perception about a culture of fear and intimidation” could have affected safety.

Staffing levels and training will be examined as part of investigations.

Dreamworld is taking on critics, defending its safety record and saying the rapids ride had completed its annual mechanical and structural inspection only last month.

“Park safety is our priority,” Ardent Leisure said in a statement.

Details will become clearer in the weeks and months ahead, but the Dreamworld disaster may be down to a malfunction with one crucial part.

Experts said a fault with a “limit switch” that keeps rafts separated could have caused the initial collision.

Rafts were not designed to be tipped on an angle, and once unbalanced a flip was inevitable.

Water flow was also being investigated as a possible cause of the accident.

Kim Dorsett lost two of her three children — daughter Kate Goodchild and son Luke Dorsett. Back in Canberra and surrounded by friends, she gave an indication of the legal ramifications that will flow.

“We are now going through legal proceedings but we will have to wait and see what comes of the coronial inquest before things go any further,” she said.

Yesterday, Ms Goodchild’s father Shayne Goodchild stood next to her drained husband, Mr Turner, and thanked Australians for their support.

“Only 24 hours earlier my family were on the beach taking Evie into the waves for the very first time,” he said.

“It is truly devastating Evie will never get to know just what an amazing mum she was.

“To say this is just not fair doesn’t begin to express our despair.

“We want to know why our loved ones were taken away from us in such horrific circumstances.

“Like everyone else in Australia we want to know what went wrong.”