Dreamworld Q&A - Shoot!

[Skyra]

So since I've left Dreamworld and am no longer too concerned about the repercussions of 'inside info', is there anything anyone would like to know about the internal operations of Dreamworld, be it the park, rides, attractions or anything else?

If anyone missed my hello post, I worked at Dreamworld for 20 years - 10 of them as a ticket taker, attraction operator and backup ride assistant, and the following 10 as a ride operator.

I still have an awesome range of contacts within the park and I'd be happy to share the inside info or try to get it for you all!

Cheers, Mark

[Reanimated35]

Actually, one thing I forgot to ask in the other thread.

> What's currently inside the Eureka mountain? I know it's storage, but 1 - what is in storage, 2 - you said they never really had a clear reason for the closure, but have they ever given any mention of the removal? or was is just one of those things they never spoke of again?

> From what you heard, are we likely to see anything new any time soon (apart from the obvious) or are they finally more focused on the rejuvenation of the park?

> Regarding RHLR, do you know what they're planning for the revamp? Is it just the same basic stuff they do every other year (re-do the final drop), or are they going for a re-theme theme?

> Are you the older dude that operated the train?

[bladex]

whats the new ride their building near the wipeout?

[Skyra]

Actually, one thing I forgot to ask in the other thread.

> What's currently inside the Eureka mountain? I know it's storage, but 1 - what is in storage, 2 - you said they never really had a clear reason for the closure, but have they ever given any mention of the removal? or was is just one of those things they never spoke of again?

> From what you heard, are we likely to see anything new any time soon (apart from the obvious) or are they finally more focused on the rejuvenation of the park?

> Regarding RHLR, do you know what they're planning for the revamp? Is it just the same basic stuff they do every other year (re-do the final drop), or are they going for a re-theme theme?

> Are you the older dude that operated the train?

Hey!

What's inside the mountain is a lot of junk to be honest. Bits of the old mine ride, bits of other dismantled rides and attractions, chairs, tables, poles, cables - just a lot of trash really. I really think it needs to be renamed the 'rubbish tip' rather than storage. And in terms of the removal, we all watched it happen, we all talked about it, and they never told us what was going on. It was really annoying when Dreamworld did anything like that - there were so many instances in which things would just 'happen' without explanation and you just didn't ask.

In reference to the second point - it really looks as if they are focusing on the rejuvenation of the park. So many rides are on the list for a retheme or refurb, it's awesome to see and I don't see any major announcements being made anytime in the near future - but rumour around the park insists there is a big announcement coming in the future.

For Rocky Hollow, I've been told it's going to be a pretty intensive redo, and it's well deserved too.

And sorry, no, I never operated the train

whats the new ride their building near the wipeout?

I knew someone would ask that and of course I can't say.

[Reanimated35]

Pretty sure we all know the new ride to replace Reef Diver is a wooden B&M flying coaster.

Cheers for the info.

I hope the log ride does get really well done.

[bladex]

^yeah sure it is no way is there enough room for that

Edited July 26, 2014 by bladex

[Tim Dasco]

Pretty sure we all know the new ride to replace Reef Diver is a wooden B&M flying coaster.

Cheers for the info.

I hope the log ride does get really well done.

Time for you to wake up. Its Dreamworld! A world of dreams not reality. Also maybe the mushrooms are magical dream mushrooms.

[T-bone]

Mark, a few questions for you.

1 - what is happening with the steam locomotives? Can you find out a definite answer, or the current rumors?

2 - Is there much old relics in storage? Are things like the old horse carriage and tower of terror 1 pod hidden away somewhere?

3 - Why was the water fall on the river turned off all those years ago?

4 - Do they still have the old fibreglass whale in the park? It apparently used to sit in one of the tour offices?

[Skyra]

Mark, a few questions for you.

1 - what is happening with the steam locomotives? Can you find out a definite answer, or the current rumors?

2 - Is there much old relics in storage? Are things like the old horse carriage and tower of terror 1 pod hidden away somewhere?

3 - Why was the water fall on the river turned off all those years ago?

4 - Do they still have the old fibreglass whale in the park? It apparently used to sit in one of the tour offices?

Hey T-bone

1. Always been a grey area of rumour and hear say, however with all the different little tidbits I heard over the time, I BELIEVE they are going on show, one in Main Street and one in Gold Rush. They have sat rusting away for so long though that I don't know whether I trust my own belief on this one.

2. There is god knows what tucked away in storage. I know the original TOT car was sent away, where to I can't be certain but it wasn't kept in the park long. The old horse carriage is in the mine ride, along with various parts of the original thunderbolt theming and probably 2 or 3 log ride pods. It could all be sold for a fortune to Dreamworld fanatics.

3. This is a funny story - depending on how you see it. There was some type of plumbing issue and it was never rectified. It was on the maintenance checklist for about 6 months before it was wiped of actioning and they just never repaired it. It is silly, really, but then the water restrictions came into place and I think Dreamworld figured it had an excuse.

4. The whale I haven't seen for years. It's whereabouts I can't tell you unfortunately. I know it was in the tour office for a brief period, then moved to the storage area under TOT, and from there I've no clue.

[Gary86]

1. Why did they move the vintage cars and forget to theme them?

2. Why did a thrill ride get placed in the kids area?

3. Why was the paddle boat destroyed?

4. Did Dreamworld ever consider buying The Demon or any other Wonderland rides after the park closed?

5. Why do they leave things like the chairlift to rot and not replace / redevelop them?

6. Will the Mine Ride ever get replaced with a similar ride?

7. Why did they replace the steam train with that slow ugly train?

8. Is there any thing left of the Thunderbolt?

9. Will Dreamworld ever build some decent roller coasters to compete with Movie World?

10. Will the cinema be upgraded to 4D?

Edited July 26, 2014 by Gary86

[T-bone]

Just on the the whale, it used to sit in the tour office, which was above river town fast foods? Or was it somewhere else?

[Skyra]

1. Why did they move the vintage cars and forget to theme them?

2. Why did a thrill ride get placed in the kids area?

3. Why was the paddle boat destroyed?

4. Did Dreamworld ever consider buying The Demon or any other Wonderland rides after the park closed?

5. Why do they leave things like the chairlift to rot and not replace / redevelop them?

6. Will the Mine Ride ever get replaced with a similar ride?

7. Why did they replace the steam train with that slow ugly train?

8. Is there any thing left of the Thunderbolt?

9. Will Dreamworld ever build some decent roller coasters to compete with Movie World?

10. Will the cinema be upgraded to 4D?

Hey Gary wow, an impressive list of questions!

1. I do not for one second believe that it was something they forgot to do, I sincerely think it was pure laziness and cost cutting. If one thing at Dreamworld always failed to make it to the top of the agenda every time, it was theming. The proof is in the pudding I'm afraid to say.

2. That baffles me as much as it does you. If you are referring to Pandamonium (which is the only 'thrill' classified ride in that area of the park), then it stumps me. I don't know whether it was just the right size place to put the ride, or whether they felt somehow the theme of the ride fit loosely into the theme of the area. (Red and gold is all I can think of). It was honestly the worst ride placement I've seen in a long time and now we have another thrill ride about to go up where the Reef Diver was - it is really as if Ocean Parade and the Dreamworks attraction are merging, and I don't know if I'm a fan of it or not.

3. I do not know. We got informed that it was closing and it wasn't reopening, but the reasoning behind it is something for management to know and us never to truly know.

4. No. I think for the most part it was seen as a bit of a cop out and the management knew it would backlash as a 'cheap and nasty' fix instead of buying and developing our own rides.

5. Cost cutting. Initially it was announced it was as a 'tribute' to the ride but we all knew it was really that no one wanted to go to the effort of organising a dismantling. I must say though, that with a little bit of effort they could have possibly pulled off the tribute thing, it wouldn't have been hard just every now and then to touch the chairs up and keep them looking nice.

6. I don't believe so. Dreamworld don't have any short term or long term development plans for the mountain. I can guarantee if it wasn't for the fact that it backed onto shops and other attractions, it would've been pulled down. (This also gave them a chance to realise just how good it was as a storage space). Funny, really.

7. The train was replaced to be more child-friendly, I'm not even kidding. They felt that the new train was more colourful and vibrant and would attract more riders. Was this the case? Not at all. But it was worth a shot.

8. There are bits and pieces of the Thunderbolt in the Eureka mountain, and also in the main storage area under the Tower of Terror. They aren't by any means nice bits, or even still-together bits, but there are bits.

9. As a long term strategy I know that Dreamworld wants to divulge into the roller coaster arena as much as possible - it is the one area that with some improvement could see a massive rise in attendance and ride choice for guests. Now, when I say it's a long term strategy, that's purely down to interpretation as to whether that means it's going to happen soon or if it's going to happen at all. The land near where the Big Brother house is was once supposedly having designs and blueprints for coasters being developed, but because they chose to bring the show back, it got put in the out tray.

10. I don't like the chances. If there's one part of Dreamworld that needs some work and quickly, it's that damn cinema. I would just like to see it maintained and become more of an attraction before I worry about whether it will go 4D - I also don't think they want to enter that competitive space with Movieworld knowing full well that MW has a much tighter grasp on these types of attractions.

[bladex]

As a long term strategy I know that Dreamworld wants to divulge into the roller coaster arena as much as possible - it is the one area that with some improvement could see a massive rise in attendance and ride choice for guests. Now, when I say it's a long term strategy, that's purely down to interpretation as to whether that means it's going to happen soon or if it's going to happen at all. The land near where the Big Brother house is was once supposedly having designs and blueprints for coasters being developed, but because they chose to bring the show back, it got put in the out tray.

i hate that show even more now.

[Reanimated35]

I've been told by someone else on here that the mushrooms had been removed from RH.

Where are they now and are they ok?

[Brad2912]

Whilst not technically Dreamworld, are you aware if the long delayed/rumoured second stage of White Water World may ever get the go ahead?

[zacsta_1997]

I haven't been to dreamworld for ages. But last time I went I rode TOT, before they reversed the car. Wow it was fun!! But I have noticed in a few POV videos and personal experiences, the launch has noticeably decreased in speed since the opening of TOT2.

Is there a reason behind this?

can TOT go back to its normal speed?

[Skyra]

As far as the mushrooms, I've not a clue sorry.

WWW has always been a fascinating one for me and I believe if I'm being told the right info that it is going ahead, there are just some approval processes to finalize first.

And lastly, the Tower of Terror's speed has decreased and they seem to be doing this more regularly and the generic answer by the park will always be that the speed is 'optimal' for a wider range of guests. Of course the ride CAN go back to its potential speed; its whether or not Dreamworld decide to do it or not.

[Reanimated35]

Whilst not a question specifically for you, I'd heard a rumour that each launch of the ToT effectively doubles the park's energy use at the time of launch. Surely this is a stupid rumour right? It can't be true?

[Skyra]

Whilst not a question specifically for you, I'd heard a rumour that each launch of the ToT effectively doubles the park's energy use at the time of launch. Surely this is a stupid rumour right? It can't be true?

Wow, that's an interesting one. Certainly not true. But interesting..

[Cooper Olsen]

was their any proposed rides that never made it to the public if so can you tell us them thanks

[jdool16]

1. What sort of potential does the current management team have to improve the park?

2. What's the average daily attendance for the park?

3. Was there any plans for new events? Excluding Screamworld.

4. After 20 years, so you have any cool stories from working there? Eg. Celebrities

[rappa]

"Optimal" for guests, HA that's great. It's your world class thrill ride.

More likely it's optimal in that it's enough to keep guests happy whilst greatly reducing maintenance and electricity costs.

The doubling power figure is true but misleading. It's only for a tiny second and it's just the load demand, doesn't make that huge of a difference.

One question I have if anyone knows... Why does TOT have that thril rail in the centre, and what makes it so friken loud?

[Jay Jay The Jet Plane]

Skyra I got another question to ask

Do you know why Vortex was replaced with a crappy laser tag arena? Was Sudden or Deltra Strike throwing money at Dreamworld to have a laser tag installed?

[Brad2912]

The 'crappy' laser skirmish arena caters for a much bigger audience, and offers a genuine immersive experience.

I'm fairly sure Laserforce is the supplier of the equipment (they supply the M9 guns at AMF & Kingpin - both Ardent owned so existing contract/relationship in place), but they wouldn't have paid DW, other way around

[liz.wis]

I know it can be unpopular here, but I seriously enjoyed multiple games of laser skirmish when I went last time.