Gold Rush Country

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]

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]

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 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
Dreamworld
Area	Gold Rush Country
Coordinates	27°51′41.21″S 153°18′57.93″E
Status	Closed
Opening date	15 December 1981 (1981-12-15)
Closing date	8 February 2020 (2020-02-08)
General statistics
Type	Log flume
Manufacturer	Dreamworld
Lift system	2 conveyor belt lift
Speed	50 km/h (31 mph)
Duration	4:20
Boats	12 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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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.

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]