The Parkz Update: Tiger Island refurbishment, Dreamworld, March 2016

Fresh off news that Dreamworld are giving Tiger Island a $7 million refurbishment, we head along to check out its interim replacement: Tiger Cub Kindy.

Image: Parkz. Tiger cubs roaming Dreamworld.

Update By Richard Wilson
9 March 2016

Wipeout is down for annual maintenance.

The work is fairly standard maintenance; right now it is focused on the gondola and restraints.

One of the giant surfboards is having its logo redone, barely a year after the ride came out of a major refresh.

Tiger Island is now off limits as work commences on a massive $7 million refurbishment of the 21 year old attraction.

Tiger Island will be upgraded to include a 500 seat stadium and vastly reimagined viewing and experience areas.

The area is set to feature a vastly changed theme and atmosphere, with celebrity landscaper Jamie Durie's Durie Design steering the project's landscape and design work.

With the area well and truly off-limits, meaningful progress updates will be few and far between.

In place of Tiger Island and to make the most of its five tiger cubs, a makeshift Tiger Cub Kindy exhibit has appeared in Ocean Parade. Here a demountable building houses the newest additions from Japan: so fresh that they're still in quarantine.

We're not sure who has the better life... the tigers that lay around all day, or the handlers who get to join them.

The area is very impressive for a temporary attraction.

And every effort has been made to ensure that the exhibit is as complete as it can be.

Though obviously cost-effective in its design and construction, there's no reason that a casual guest would ever know or think it's temporary.

New shade sails even blend in nicely with existing ones.

With five cubs on hand, it's a great time to happen upon a cub or two taking a stroll with the handlers through the grounds of Dreamworld.

The river is once again looking picturesque.

If this keeps up then we'll have to find things to take photos of other than bodies of water.

No kangaroos to see here...

... or here.

Rumour has it the kangaroos are currently being refurbished by Mack Rides.

And what update wouldn't be complete without a photo of Eureka Mountain Mine Ride? Here it looks roughly as it did a decade ago when it closed to the public.