COUNTDOWN TO DISASTER

1986: The Thunder River Rapids Ride is built.

Late ’80s-early ’90s: In a date unable to be specified, the ride undergoes maintenance to remove some wooden slats near the conveyor belt, creating a gap.

1999: A safety audit recommends an emergency stop button to stop all mechanisms of the ride be installed on the main control panel. It is never done.

January 18, 2001: A raft flips on the ride during a dry run before the ride opens for the day. The raft flips after hitting other rafts stopped on a protrusion on the conveyor belt. In an internal email, a safety manager writes they “shudder to think” what would have happened if the rafts had guests on them. The Southport Coroner’s Court was told yesterday it was one of a “number” of incidents for the ride.

October 7, 2004: A passenger ends up in the water after two rafts collide. No one is injured.

2006: Safety audits are conducted of the ride. It recommends all buttons be clearly labelled. The upgrades are never made.

November 2014: Ride operator Stephen Buss is sacked after two rafts collide on the conveyor.

Early 2016: A safety audit across the entire park gives Dreamworld a rating of 41.7 per cent. A pass is 75 per cent.

October 18, 2016: A memo is sent to all staff that the emergency stop button should only be used when the main control panel cannot be reached.

October 19, 2016: The south pump fails. Engineers describe it as a “earth fault” and reset the pump. Engineers and “drive managers” are booked to do further maintenance on October 27, 2016.

11.50am, October 25, 2016: The south pump has an “earth fault” again and engineers reset the pump and the ride continues. Operators had noticed water levels lower and stopped the ride.

1.09pm: The south pump fails again. The ride is stopped and the pump is once again reset so the ride can continue.

2.03pm: The south pump fails a third time.

2.04pm: A raft is stuck on the conveyor.

2.05pm: The raft carrying Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi and Cindy Low and two children hits the first raft. Their raft flips, killing the four adults almost instantly.

2.45pm: Coomera CIB acting officer-in-charge Detective Sergeant Nicola Brown arrives at the scene after requests from police on the ground.

She becomes the principal investigating officer for the tragedy.