Dreamworld: Gold Coast theme park’s top-10 old rides from the past
From the Wipeout to the Blue Lagoon, we count down the top-10 Dreamworld rides from the past. SEE IF YOUR FAVOURITE MADE THE LIST
Entertainment
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Families and theme park fans have made plenty of memories at Dreamworld since it opened in late 1981.
Across the decades, the Coomera landmark has produced many different rides and attractions that are still remembered fondly many decades on.
This week saw the announcement of plans for a new ride, the King Claw, which will be built and opened in 2025.
It will replace the existing Claw ride which will close in January after a little more than 20 years.
The Claw joins a long list of decommissioned rides which fans will continue to talk about for years to come.
Among those we still remember are:
1: THUNDERBOLT
Perhaps Dreamworld’s best-loved and well-known ride, the attraction opened in early 1982, not long after the park itself opened.
It was famous for its giant double-loop which could be seen from the Pacific Highway. Prominently used in advertising for the Gold Coast, it stood for two decades before being retired in 2003.
2: THE CAPTAIN STURT
A non-functioning paddle wheeler was one of Dreamworld’s original attractions on opening day in 1981.
According to Dreamworld’s official history, it was the attraction closet to the heart of park founder John Longhurst.
The Captain Sturt was retired in 2012 and finally demolished in 2014.
3: TOWER OF TERROR
A mid-1990s innovation of the park, the tower itself still stands and is the highest point in the park. It would fire a cart that would run along a track up the side of the tower before going backwards.
The ride was revamped in 2010 to become Tower of Terror 2, now featuring a backwards cart, before closing in 2019.
4: THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE
Construction began on the Big Brother house at Dreamworld in February 2001, soon after the announcement that the popular Dutch reality series was getting an Australian adaptation.
On completion of season one the house became a tourist attraction open to the public.
Big Brother was cancelled by Channel 10 in mid-2008 and the house was reopened to the public and occasionally used as a function space. It was eventually destroyed by fire in 2019.
5: ROCKY HOLLOW LOG RIDE
Another innovation from the park’s early years, the log ride opened in 1981 and immediately became one of Dreamworld’s best-loved rides. It was finally closed in early 2020 and demolished.
6: AVALANCHE
A favourite of audiences in the 1980s and 1990s, this mountain-themed flying bob ride took riders for a spin around its Matterhorn.
It closed in 2012.
7: BLUE LAGOON
The first water park to be built at a major theme park, the Blue Lagoon opened in 1983, a year before Wet’n’Wild.
It featured three slides – The Toboggan, The Aqualoop Flume and Krakatoa’s Revenge, which were built out of a fake mountain. It closed in mid-2006.
8: SKYLINK CHAIRLIFT
Originally the chairlift from Magic Mountain, it was installed at Dreamworld after that park closed and remained until 2005.
9: FLOWRIDER
A surfing attraction, it launched in the mid-2000s and allowed users to ride never-ending waves. It closed in 2020
10: WIPEOUT
Opening in December 1993, the surfing-themed Wipeout was a popular ride in the 1990s and into the 2010s despite its frequent breakdowns. It closed in 2019.
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