Thunderbolt (Dreamworld)

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Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt (Dreamworld).jpg
One of the Thunderbolt's trains passing through the second vertical loop.
Dreamworld
Location Dreamworld
Park section Country Fair
Coordinates 27°51′54.5″S153°18′59.5″E / 27.865139°S 153.316528°E / -27.865139; 153.316528
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 1982 (1982-04)
Closing date8 August 2003 (2003-08-08)
CostA$3.3 million
Replaced by FlowRider
WhiteWater World
General statistics
Type Steel
Manufacturer Sanoyas Hishino Meisho
ModelSitdown Looper
Lift/launch system Chain Lift Hill
Height31 m (102 ft)
Length1,207 m (3,960 ft)
Speed87 km/h (54 mph)
Inversions 2
Capacity960 riders per hour
Acceleration0 to 87 km/h (0 to 54 mph) in 4 seconds
Height restriction120 cm (3 ft 11 in)
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Loop Heights21 m (69 ft)
Thunderbolt at RCDB

The Thunderbolt was a steel roller coaster located at the Dreamworld theme park in Gold Coast, Australia. The roller coaster opened with the park in April 1982 and operated until 8 August 2003. It was demolished the following year.

Contents

History

On 15 December 1981, Dreamworld officially opened to the public. [1] In April 1982, the park opened its first roller coaster - the Thunderbolt. [1] It was the first roller coaster in Australia to feature vertical loops. [2] Originally painted completely white, the Thunderbolt was repainted around 1990 to feature golden loops. [2] In 1995, a new train was purchased for half a million dollars in an attempt to make the ride more comfortable. [2]

In 2002, Dreamworld conducted a feasibility study into the possibility of redeveloping the attraction. [2] The park approached Arrow Dynamics, Kumbak and Vekoma, however, it was determined that the redevelopment was unfeasible due to the ride's condition. [2]

On 8 August 2003, the ride was closed, [3] and it remained closed while attempts were made to sell it. [2] It was removed in March 2004 in a way that made it clear that it was not going to operate again. [4] Dreamworld retained a section of track and one train, both of which reside in the park's back-of-house areas. [2]

The land where Thunderbolt stood is partly occupied by Dreamworld's FlowRider installation. Future expansions of the WhiteWater World water park will use the rest of the Thunderbolt's former footprint. [5] The station building is now used for the internal entry to WhiteWater World and the FlowRider shop. [6]

Ride

Built by Japanese firm Sanoyas Hishino Meisho, the Thunderbolt measured 1,207 metres (3,960 ft) in length making it the longest roller coaster in Australia. [3] [7] Even after the ride's closure, it remained the longest Australian roller coaster until the opening of DC Rivals Hypercoaster at Movie World Gold Coast in September 2017. [8] It was capable of reaching speeds of up to 87 km/h (54 mph). [3] The ride, which stood 31 metres (102 ft) off the ground, featured two vertical loops standing at 21 metres (69 ft) each. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 "The Gold Coast finds a reply to Disneyland". The Age. 19 April 1982. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Thunderbolt (Dreamworld)". Parkz. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt  (Dreamworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. ↑ Ellem, Ryan (4 March 2004). "Flame goes out on Thunderbolt". The Gold Coast Bulletin . p. 7.
  5. ↑ "Development Application Tracking - Application: MCU2700970". Gold Coast City Council. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  6. ↑ "Dreamworld and WhiteWater World Map" (PDF). Dreamworld. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "DC RIVALS HYPERCOASTER". movieworld.com.au. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
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