![]() The entrance to Gold Rush Country before saw added for Buzz Saw | |
Status | Operating |
---|---|
Theme | Australian gold rush town |
Attractions | |
Total | 3 |
Roller coasters | 1 |
Other rides | 2 |
Dreamworld | |
Coordinates | 27°51′45″S153°18′56″E / 27.862394°S 153.315572°E |
Opened | 11 December 1986 |
The Gold Rush Country (a.k.a. Town of Gold Rush or simply Gold Rush) is a themed land at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The Gold Rush Country opened on 11 December 1986. The area featured the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride and the Thunder River Rapids Ride. [1] In 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was decommissioned due to safety concerns. [2] In the middle of 2011, Gold Rush Country was refurbished with shops being relocated around the area in preparation for its conversion into the Town of Gold Rush. On 17 September 2011, Gold Rush Country officially reopened as the Town of Gold Rush to match BuzzSaw's backstory. The Thunder River Rapids Ride was closed in October 2016 after 4 riders were killed on the ride. This saw the removal of almost every Gold Rush themed buildings, sideshow attractions and theming. [3] BuzzSaw was permanently closed in August 2021. Steel Taipan opened in the area of the park on 15 December 2021 to positive reviews.
Gold Rush Country is currently home to the "Old Time Photos" store where you can purchase gold rush themed photographs. It was also formerly home to several of shopping and food and beverage outlets. Most outlets were closed in October 2016 after most of the area was closed and demolished as a result of the Thunder River Rapids incident. [20] Prior to October 2016, Gold Rush Country featured:
Various forms of Gold Rush themed merchandise could be purchased from the:
Additionally the Rocky Hollow sub-area featured a photo store (previously a cafe) for the Rocky Hollow Log Ride. The store was demolished in 2021 after remaining inactive for years. [21]
Dreamworld is a theme park and zoo situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is Australia's biggest theme park with over 40 rides and attractions.
The Giant Drop is a drop tower ride located at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride was added in December 1998 to the existing Dreamworld Tower which housed the Tower of Terror. For fourteen years, The Giant Drop held the record for the tallest drop tower in the world.
Adventure World is a theme park in Bibra Lake, Western Australia. It is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Perth central business district. The park opened on 11 November 1982 as "Adventureworld at Bibra Lakes" and undergoes a winter closure each year.
The Tower of Terror II was a steel shuttle roller coaster located at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. When the Tower of Terror opened on 23 January 1997, it was the first roller coaster in the world to reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), making it the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world of its time. The ride was situated on the Dreamworld Tower, which also houses The Giant Drop free fall ride. The ride was originally known as the Tower of Terror until it was modified and relaunched in September 2010 as Tower of Terror II.
The Gold Coaster is a steel roller coaster operating at Dreamworld. The roller coaster is one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, after originally being the tallest when it was first built. Designed by Arrow Dynamics, built in Melbourne by Able Leisure Pty. Ltd the ride was originally installed at Luna Park Sydney in 1995 as the Big Dipper before being sold and relocated to Dreamworld on the Gold Coast in 2001. When it was brought to Dreamworld, the ride was the first roller coaster to be opened on the Gold Coast since 1997. The roller coaster was named Cyclone from 2001 until 2015 when it was refurbished and named Hot Wheels SideWinder as part of the new Motorsport Experience themed land from 2015 to 2020.
Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was a Wild Mouse steel roller coaster located at Dreamworld in Gold Coast, Australia. After closing for maintenance in 2006, the ride remained inactive for 11 years. Following a third party assessment in December 2017, the decision was made by management for the ride not to reopen again due to the deteriorated state of the track. The remainder of the structure and ride was subsequently demolished within the same month.
Jet Rescue is a steel launched jet ski roller coaster made by Intamin that opened on 26 December 2008 at Sea World on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride has a very twisted and banked layout with several fast directional changes. Unlike other family launch roller coasters, Jet Rescue features two launches. The ride features a unique jet ski style of seating with lap bar restraints. The ride is based upon Sea World's Research and Rescue Foundation performing the rescue of a sea lion.
Ocean Parade is a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It features 3 of the Big 7 Thrill Rides at Dreamworld. The Claw, The Gold Coaster and Tail Spin. Are within close proximity of each other. Ocean Parade has an Australian beach culture theme, and has beach-themed rides scattered around the area. It currently provides a link between Main Street, Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland, and the adjacent water park WhiteWater World.
Rivertown is a upcoming themed at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It will replace the existing ABC Kids World and provide a link between Main Street and the Dreamworld Corroboree. The area previously existed from the park's opening in 1981 until being merged into Main Street in the 2010s.
The Thunder River Rapids Ride was a river rapid type water ride located in the Town of Gold Rush section of the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The Rocky Hollow Log Ride was a log flume which took groups of 4 riders on a gentle four and a half-minute cruise through channels, in and out of buildings, before ascending the lift hill. The ride concluded with a 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) drop causing all riders to become soaked.
The Dreamworld Express is a 2 ft narrow gauge railway located at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia.
BuzzSaw was a Maurer AG SkyLoop roller coaster located within the Gold Rush Country section of the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast of Australia. The ride began operation on 17 September 2011 as part of Dreamworld's 30th birthday celebrations. The ride was permanently closed on 31 August 2021, due to Dreamworld prioritising future development plans.
The history of Dreamworld dates back to the mid-1970s when John Longhurst envisioned the future theme park. After a seven-year construction period, Dreamworld officially opened to the public on 15 December 1981. Now owned by publicly listed Ardent Leisure, the park has seen many expansions, closures and replacements over its 30-year history.
X-Coaster is a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop XT-150 roller coaster at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
SkyLoop is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Maurer Söhne. There are currently 10 SkyLoops operating worldwide, nine of which are identical XT 150 models, and one of which is an extended XT 450 model. The first SkyLoop to open was Sky Wheel in 2004 while the sole XT 450, Abismo, opened in 2006. There are also three other models—XT 900, Custom, and Launch—which have no installations as of 2021.
Sky Voyager is a flying theatre simulator ride located at Dreamworld in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Southern Hemisphere's first and only flying theatre simulator ride that opened in August 2019. It replaced the Dreamworld Cinemas.
Steel Taipan is a steel launched roller coaster at Dreamworld in Coomera, Queensland, Australia. Steel Taipan serves as a direct replacement to the former Thunder River Rapids Ride. The roller coaster is the first triple-launched coaster in the Southern Hemisphere, and is named after the deadly Taipan family of snakes native to Australia.
Blue Lagoon was a themed water park at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The area consisted of a large mountain which contained three water slides and two swimming pools.