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Gold Rush Country

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Coordinates: 27°51′45″S 153°18′56″E / 27.862394°S 153.315572°E / -27.862394; 153.315572
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Gold Rush Country
The entrance to Gold Rush Country before saw added for Buzz Saw
StatusOperating
ThemeAustralian gold rush town
Attractions
Total2
Roller coasters1
Other rides1
Dreamworld
Coordinates27°51′45″S 153°18′56″E / 27.862394°S 153.315572°E / -27.862394; 153.315572
Opened11 December 1986 (1986-12-11)
ReplacedRocky Hollow

The Gold Rush Country is a themed land at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It currently provides a link between Main Street and Rocky Hollow.[1]

History

The Gold Rush Country opened on 11 December 1986. The area featured the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride and the Thunder River Rapids Ride.[2] In 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was decommissioned due to safety concerns.[3] 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.

Attractions

Current Attractions

BuzzSaw

Main article: BuzzSaw (roller coaster)

BuzzSaw is a Maurer Söhne SkyLoop roller coaster in the Town of Gold Rush. The roller coaster begins with a vertical chain lift hill to a height of 46.2 metres (152 ft). Riders, restrained by only a lap bar, are then pulled slowly back over on themselves before the train is released into a full heartline roll. A steep drop returns riders back to the station.[4][5][6][7]

Giant Drop

Main article: Giant Drop

The Giant Drop opened in 1998 as the world's tallest and fastest free fall ride. It is one of Dreamworld's Big 7 Thrill Rides[8] and is situated on the Dreamworld Tower. The ride was manufactured by Intamin, the company responsible for the Tower of Terror which shares the same tower.[9][10]

Previous attractions

Eureka Mountain Mine Ride

Eureka Mountain Mine Ride

Main article: Eureka Mountain Mine Ride

The Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was a wild mouse roller coaster designed by HyFab. The ride has not operated since 2006 due to safety concerns.[3]

Helicopter Joy Flights

Helicopter Joy Flights allowed park visitors to take helicopter flights taking in views of Dreamworld and the Gold Coast. Visitors could choose from five different flight paths. Joy flights incurred an additional expense.[11] The helicopter tours have not resumed since June 2009 when a helicopter crashed in the carpark of Dreamworld causing only minor injuries.[12] The launch pad now forms part of BuzzSaw's area and the sales booth is now a beverage outlet named Jack's Watering Hole.

Rocky Hollow Log Ride

Main article: Rocky Hollow Log Ride
Rocky Hollow Log Ride
Dreamworld
AreaGold Rush Country
Coordinates27°51′41.21″S 153°18′57.93″E / 27.8614472°S 153.3160917°E / -27.8614472; 153.3160917
StatusClosed
Opening date15 December 1981 (1981-12-15)
Closing date8 February 2020 (2020-02-08)
General statistics
TypeLog flume
ManufacturerDreamworld
Lift system2 conveyor belt lift
Speed50 km/h (31 mph)
Duration4:20
Boats12 boats. Riders are arranged 1 across in 4 rows for a total of 4 riders per boat.
Virtual queue
Ride Express currently unavailable
The final drop on the Log Ride.

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 ride was designed and built in-house by Dreamworld with assistance from overseas engineers.[13]

History

The Rocky Hollow Log Ride opened with Dreamworld on 15 December 1981. During the construction of Dreamworld, John Longhurst wanted the park to include rides that would satisfy all age groups. Shortly, a log flume and a paddle streamer was introduced, being called the Rocky Hollow Log Ride and Captain Sturt Paddlewheeler respectively. The ride was one of the park's original attractions.[2] Since its opening, the ride has been refurbished several times which includes the reconstruction of both drops.[14] The Rocky Hollow Log Ride closed on 16 April 2016 due to an accident. It re-opened on 20 April 2016 having received the 'all clear' from independent and Worksafe Queensland inspectors.[15]

The ride was closed after the Thunder River Rapids Ride accident in 2016 and didn’t reopen until the start of 2018. During this closure, many of the tunnel sections were demolished due to safety concerns and bars were added to the logs (like a cage) to prevent guests from standing and falling out. In late 2019, the ride was closed for annual maintenance. On 8 February 2020, Dreamworld announced that the Rocky Hollow Log Ride would not return from scheduled maintain either and would be closed permanently. The news came alongside a announcement for a refurbishment of the ABC Kids World themed area and the Hot Wheels SideWinder roller coaster. The ride was the third major ride in the park to be closed since the Thunder River Rapids Ride accident. [16]

Summary
Queue

Guests queue in an undercover area which is located alongside the station and splashdown area. Guests with a Q4U virtual queuing device must enter via the ride's exit path.[17]

Station

To access the station guests must walk up a small series of stairs and cross to the centre of the station. The station is made up of four platforms in a two by two layout. The back two are for unloading guests while the front two are for loading guests. This station configuration allows a higher throughput and therefore capacity.

Ride

Once boarded the four passenger logs guests follow a short path towards a building. Concealed inside the building is a short conveyor belt lift hill. A drop quickly follows with the log's splashdown occurring outside of the building. A slow boat ride then follows weaving between buildings and going under caves before the final drop is approached. A second conveyor belt takes riders up the final drop within a tunnel. Once at the top the log goes back out into the open before dropping a steady drop to the splashdown. A 180° bend follows before the ride returns to the station.[18]

Thunder River Rapids Ride

Main article: Thunder River Rapids Ride
The Thunder River Rapids Ride

The Thunder River Rapids was a river rapid water ride which featured floating rafts holding up to six people floating down a foamy, turbulent river reaching speeds of up to 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph). Riders could end up quite wet due to waves splashing over the side of the raft. The ride opened in October 1986 in conjunction with the opening of Gold Rush Country.[19] The ride originally featured a rotating platform which allowed riders to board and dismount the 6 person boats without the need for stopping them. This functionality was decommissioned due to safety concerns. The ride continued to be the park's most popular ride until its closure in 2016[2] after the deaths of four riders.

Closure
Main article: Thunder River Rapids Ride incident

On 25 October 2016 four patrons were killed when the ride malfunctioned.[20] On 9 November Deborah Thomas the chief executive of Ardent Leisure, Dreamworlds' parent company, announced that the ride would be permanently closed and demolished.[21]

In October 2017, a police report to the Queensland Coroner recommended that no criminal charges be laid.[22] However in February 2020 the Queensland Coroner, released a report detailing "irresponsible", "dangerous" and "inadequate" safety practices at Dreamworld that contributed to the four deaths, and recommended the Queensland office of industrial relations consider a prosecution.[23][24] In July 2020 Ardent Leisure announced three charges had been laid against them over the ride deaths under the Work Health and Safety Act.[25]

Shopping & Dining

Snack food and drinks can be purchased from Jack's Watering Hole while various forms of Gold Rush themed merchandise can be purchased from the BuzzSaw Mill General Store, Old Time Photos and Thunder River Rapids Photos.[26] Currently no stores are currently operating.

References

  1. ^ "Park Map" (PDF). Dreamworld. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Dreamworld History" (PDF). Dreamworld. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Eureka Mountain Mine Ride  (Dreamworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  4. ^ Maurer Söhne (14 October 2008). "Maurer Söhne: SKYLOOP official video". YouTube. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  5. ^ "SkyLoop XT 150". Maurer Söhne. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Buzzsaw (Dreamworld)". Parkz. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  7. ^ Marden, Duane. "BuzzSaw  (Dreamworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Man Up Landing". Dreamworld. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Giant Drop (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  10. ^ Dreamworld. "Dreamworld Drops into the Record Books". Press Release. Parkz. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  11. ^ "Helicopter Flights". Dreamworld. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  12. ^ MacDonald, Andrew (12 June 2009). "Dreamworld chopper crash update". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Rocky Hollow Log Ride (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  14. ^ Wilson, Richard (May 2004). "Rocky Hollow Log Ride Construction Photos". Photos. Parkz. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  15. ^ Robbie. "mygc news article".
  16. ^ "Dreamworld shuts down another iconic attraction". 9 News. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Q4U". Dreamworld. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  18. ^ "LOG RIDE!". YouTube. 28 June 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  19. ^ "Thunder River Rapids (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  20. ^ "Four people killed on Thunder River Rapids ride at Gold Coast theme park". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Dreamworld's Thunder River Rapids Ride to be demolished after theme park deaths". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  22. ^ Stolz, Greg (21 October 2017). "Dreamworld tragedy: Police recommend Coronial hearing ahead of first anniversary of Thunder River Rapids incident". couriermail.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  23. ^ Smee, Ben (24 February 2020). "Dreamworld inquest findings: coroner details 'dangerous' safety practices after examining four deaths on ride". www.theguardian.com. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  24. ^ McKenna, Kate (24 February 2020). "Dreamworld Thunder River Rapids accident inquest findings handed down by coroner". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  25. ^ McKenna, Kate; Siganto, Talissa; and, Staff (21 July 2020). "Dreamworld parent company Ardent Leisure faces three charges over deadly ride accident". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  26. ^ Dreamworld and WhiteWater World Park Map (2009).
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