Dreamworld (Australia)

Australia's most popular theme parks, Dreamworld & Whitewater World, are located in South East Queensland at the northern end of the Gold Coast, on the Pacific Hwy (M1) at Coomera, 17kms (20mins) north of Surfers Paradise and 48kms (40mins) south of Brisbane. . It is currently Australia's largest theme park with over 27 rides including 4 roller coasters. In December 2006, Dreamworld expanded its offerings by opening WhiteWater World next door.

The park is made up of several themed lands: Ocean Parade, DreamWorks Experience, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow, Tiger Island and the Australian Wildlife Experience. These lands feature a collection of rides, animal exhibits, shows, food outlets and merchandise shops.

Main Street serves as the entrance and midway for the park. It features the central station for the Dreamworld Railway as well as the Dreamworld Cinema. The area is mainly made up of food, beverage and retail outlets.

Town of Gold Rush is located to the left of Main Street. It opened on 11 December 1986 with the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride and the Thunder River Rapids Ride. In 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was decommissioned due to safety concerns yet it remains standing to this day. The area remains to be the home of the Thunder River Rapids Ride along with more recent additions including a Shooting Gallery, Old Time Photos and BuzzSaw.

Rocky Hollow opened with Dreamworld in 1981 featuring the Rocky Hollow Log Ride. In 1998, the world's tallest free fall ride, opened in the area. Standing at 119 metres , The Giant Drop accelerates riders at speeds of up to 135 kilometres per hour in a matter of seconds.

Australian Wildlife Experience is a collection of wildlife attractions divided into several subsections which allow guests to view the animals in their natural habitats. It is a registered zoo with 800 native and barnyard animals located within the Dreamworld grounds. The area is also home to a set of Ford Model T vintage cars which can be driven around a small circuit.

Wiggles World is based upon the popular Australian children entertainers, The Wiggles. It is aimed at toddlers and young children and features gentle rides and attractions including the Big Red Car Ride and Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cup Ride. It was the first of many Wiggles Worlds to be installed at various theme parks around the world.

Rivertown was another themed area that opened with the park in 1981. The area originally was home to the Vintage Cars which have since been relocated to the Australian Wildlife Experience. The area currently features two of the Big 7 Thrill Rides: the Tower of Terror II and Mick Doohan's Motocoaster.

Tiger Island opened in 1995 as one of only two interactive tiger exhibits in the world. The exhibit featured various locations for the tigers to live, swim and play. In 2010, the exhibit is home to 6 Bengal tigers, 6 Sumatran tigers and 2 cougars.

DreamWorks Experience is a section of the park designed specifically for children and tweens. All of the attractions in DreamWorks Experience have been refurbished from their operation as rides in Kid's World and Nickelodeon Central. When it opens in April 2012, the area will be split up into two areas (Madagascar Madness and Faire Faire Away) with a third area themed to Kung Fu Panda due to open later in the year. The area's flagship attraction is the Escape from Madagascar suspended family roller coaster.

Ocean Parade is the largest themed area at Dreamworld in terms of attractions. It features 3 of the Big 7 Thrill Rides - The Claw, Wipeout and Cyclone are within close proximity of each other. Ocean Parade has an Australian beach culture theme with some beach-themed rides scattered around the area including the Reef Diver and Stingray. It also features an internal, park-hop entrance to WhiteWater World.

There are many transport options to Dreamworld, including bus, coach, rail and car. The official website of Dreamworld: http://www.dreamworld.com.au