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Local radio station did their morning show from DW. I CUT & PASTE this from the GCB JOHN Longhurst stood amid a 85ha cattle property in Coomera in 1974 and told an incredulous media pack that he wanted to build a theme park. The businessman had invested his savings and would use a borrowed bulldozer and the cheap labour of his family to make the dream a reality. Seven years later, on a wet Tuesday morning, Dreamworld opened its gates. About 500 people an hour flooded the park. John Longhurst in 1981 when Dreamworld was being built. Wednesday marks the 40-year anniversary of the Coomera theme park and the start of an evolution that helped turn the Gold Coast into Australia’s fun capital. Mr Longhurst is today age 88 and still lives on the Gold Coast. However, he is too ill to talk. However, his son, Tony – the project’s construction manager at just age 17 – this week told the Bulletin: “There was a real sense of achievement in it and now, looking back, it really hits home, seeing how it evolved. “The opening day was so exciting after all the years of work. People thought we were going to go bankrupt, people didn’t think it was going to happen, but it did happen.” John Longhurst in 1981 Picture: Bob Barnes. The genesis of Dreamworld came from a trip John Longhurst took to the US in 1969, during which he stayed with relatives in Anaheim, California and visited Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. He later admitted the idea came to him in a dream while on a flight between Hawaii and Japan. The team of more than 100 men who worked on Dreamworld in 1981 to complete it ahead of its opening. Pictured in the centre is construction manager Tony Longhurst, then aged-24. Picture: Gold Coast Bulletin archives. The idea percolated for five years until John Longhurst bought the Coomera land and submitted a development application to the Albert Shire Council. “The approval process was amazing,” Tony Longhurst said. ”Instead of the bureaucrats you have to deal with today, the entire application was just one-and-a-quarter pages long. “Instead of having to waste tens of millions of dollars on consultants, it was approved in just 60 days. Dreamworld through the years VIEW GALLERY Cooee the Gumnut Fairy drives Kenny and Belinda Koala in the old Model T cars at Dreamworld. was the theme park celebrates its 40th anniversary Picture Glenn Hampson “It could never happen today. If you wanted to do it, there would just be too much red and green tape.” Rather than assemble a giant team of builders, Mr Longhurst and his son were among a team of seven people which toiled away for three years between 1974 and 1977. After being taught how to operate his bulldozer, Mr Longhurst worked 12 hours a day gouging out an 800m waterway that was 30m wide and 3m deep. It took two years to complete. Kenny & Belinda Koala in the 1980s. Once filled with water, it was named “the mighty Murrasippi”. “There were just seven of us who worked for those three years when my dad began digging the lakes and doing the earthworks,” Tony Longhurst said this week. VIEW GALLERY “We did the railroad station, laid the tracks and built the paddleboat (the Captain Sturt) which were all done onsite. “It was a real family affair. All our savings went into building the park and I remember working seven days a week on it, even Christmas Day.” The Thunderbolt was a popular ride for more than 20 years. An unnamed worker putting the finishing touches on the log ride at Dreamworld in 1981. Picture: Gold Coast Bulletin archives. Parts and attractions for the park were obtained from Australia. The original steam train that ran through the park was bought in Goulburn, NSW, taken to Sydney and rebuilt for the park. The Model-T Ford replicas, which today are Dreamworld’s last operating original attraction, were built in-house by John Longhurst’s brothers. The designs were based on plans of the real vintage vehicles. In the final year of construction, a team of more than 150 people, led by the younger Mr Longhurst put the finishing touches on the park before its December 1981 opening. Dreamworld in the mid-1990s. The original attractions included the Log Ride, the Captain Sturt, a shooting galleryand the famous Thunderbolt double-loop rollercoaster.” The younger Mr Longhurst said he had fond memories of the log ride and steam train and lamented their eventual closures. “It was absolutely unique back then and if you were a purist, you would probably say it was great through until the 1990s when it got carved up to become more about the thrill rides,” he said. “There was nothing else like it.”

How is plonking the old train with a plaque that basically says “we had this thing that was good, and now we have nothing. Oh and we tried it for a minute in 2016 but then couldn’t be assed” a good thing? VERY strangely executed project this. But you know, gotta keep the steam train nufties fawning somehow I guess.

Too much Pfizer for Gazza.

-Queue and Theming. Typical modern Australian architecture, with hints to the taipan, from the obvious skeleton themed queue, to patterns of scales. The paths around the ride allow for plenty of great places to view the ride. Landscaping looks nice around the walkways, it will be good to see it in about 3 years time when it is really lush. The station is well setup, with a very generous sorting area, with dots on the ground for three groups of riders to be batched. The station gates know which train is in the station and won't open row 10 if the spinning equipped train is parked. I think it needs some dramatic music in the station like the original Blue Fire, to give more buildup: -Launch. As others have said it's not a ballistic launch like Supemrna, just gradual acceleration, but most of the speed seems to be added on the 2nd launch, with the 3rd adding the last bit. on The backwards launch you spend a lot of time coasting along the launch track and then suddenly get caught by the LSMs, which makes for a good suprise. In the back seats the first roll back feels kind of weird because you feel the train decelerating before you even properly on to the curve. -Reverse spiral. Really good! A worthwhile addition, because it curves up quite tightly (enough to move your harness down a little bit) and then the Gs are sustained a bit due to the curve, before tapering off into floater. Again good postives on the way down. -Main layout. I've always thought the first horseshoe is a bit slow on the original version. A quick moment of darkness as it goes through the tunnel. The loop is strong and maintains the Gs right through the top. The turnaround to the MCBR has a bit of kick. If you sit in the back there is ejector coming off the MCBR. the corkscrews are better than I remember on Blue Fire, they actually feel like little zero g rolls, with a good float and twist at the top. The rock arch is quite cool and there is a definite woosh as you go through. Good pop of ejector on the hill through the loop. But of course it's the final roll which is the highlight, attempting to dunk you out of the train at the midpoint. -Tailwhip OK this is wild and probably a 'one and done' for many people, since it would probably make you feel unwell if you marathoned (But backwards on DCR does too!) . Try to get an unbalanced ride with someone with a different weight to you. It can spin moderately but it's not as fast as some of the family spinning coasters I've been on. Highlights included going up the spike facing forwards towards the sky, coing around the loop sideways, so you would see the horizon rotate in front of you. On the final roll the car managed to do a full spin, so it was like being an astronaut tumbling in space. It is worth the $25 upcharge at least once. -Conclusion Best ride at DW and neck and neck with DCR. It's fast, it's smooth, its got heaps of variety, it's well paced and seems to have appeal for re-riders. One of the best multi loopers in the world in fact.

Official opening video. 20211215_095439_1.mp4

I am in park today and The Claw has reopened.

I don't have Facebook and I can view the link.

Hey I’m just taking the method used by the two biggest and most successful theme park operators in the world 🤷‍♂️ Problem Aussie parks want to throw around buzz words from the big boy counterparts without any clue what they involve.

Anyone notice how DW changed their logo on their website to the OG opening day one?

Bluey is criminally under represented at DW. Some sort of indoor ride would be very welcomed. That's coming from someone with no kids who hates ABC Kids Land. Aside from that, they do need to keep the ball rolling and get another big ride in. Obvious pick would be a shoot the chutes this year, followed by a flat ride or a small coaster the year after. A big 1, 2, 3 punch would do wonders. What I think they'll do is spend the next couple years continuing to tinker around the edges and see if Steel Taipain alone does the trick and put all the focus into the hotel.

Disagree. In my opinion, If passholders went to the soft open expecting zero issues or stoppages they need to reassess their expectations. In my opinion, If they didn't offer this opportunity to passholders, a lot of folk wouldn't be in the park when they needed those test audiences - then you end up having your stress test in front of all the cameras instead of a few days prior.

I'm sure the DreamWorld marketing team will put a survey out to pass holders asking for their feedback on what they want to see next, a great way to see what the guests want / asking for 🙂

Another angle

If@Jdude95didn't get himself banned he would've known people have been riding it for days./s 🤣 Good to see you're still at it.

This is a quality joke and needs more likes.

"Gunzels", and it's working based on what I've seen on Facebook.

Cosmetic restoration only. Probably all it will get. I don't know any goss, but I suspect it's in need of a new boiler or major cylinder works. With these things, once you start down the rabbit hole of fixing one issue, many others raise their head. In more positive news, the Perry held pressure during its cold boiler test over the weekend, so the various little leaks are sorted. Slow progress but still progress.

it's not on track and it doesn't work. It's no more 'returned' than it was 3 months ago. I guess this confirms that it was getting a paintjob when we saw pics of the cowlings and cab on a truck a while back.

I think she really did try

Last time I checked they do this deal where you give them $199 and they give you one.