Town of Gold Rush

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]

Gold Rush Country
The entrance to Gold Rush Country before saw added for Buzz Saw
ThemeAustralian gold rush town
Attractions
Total2
Roller coasters1
Other rides1
StatusOperating
Dreamworld
Coordinates27.862394°S 153.315572°E / -27.862394; 153.315572
Opened11 December 1986 (1986-12-11)
ReplacedRocky Hollow

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

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

The Rocky Hollow Log Ride is a log flume which takes 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 concludes 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]

Thunder River Rapids Ride
Main article: 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 can end up quite wet due to waves splashing over the side of the raft. The ride opened in 1986 in conjunction with the opening of Gold Rush Country.[14] 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 has since been decommissioned due to safety concerns. The ride continued to be the park’s most popular ride until its closure in 2016.[2]

On 25 October 2016 four patrons were killed when the ride malfunctioned.[15] On 9 November Ardent Leisure chief executive Deborah Thomas announced that the ride would be permanently closed and demolished.[16]

The Thunder River Rapids Ride

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.[17] 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. "Dreamworld History" (PDF). Dreamworld. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  3. 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. "Thunder River Rapids (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  15. "Four people killed on Thunder River Rapids ride at Gold Coast theme park". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  16. "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.
  17. Dreamworld and WhiteWater World Park Map (2009).
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