The Gold Coast Bulletin

DARE TO DREAM

- BRIANNA MORRIS-GRANT

GOLD Coast theme park Dreamworld’s new rollercoas­ter is taking thrillseek­ers back to the future. It has launched the new 1970s-themed ‘Gold Coaster’, a refresh of its Cyclone rollercoas­ter. It takes riders through a 360degree loop at 85km/h and is 13 storeys high.

DREAMWORLD’S newest rollercoas­ter is taking visitors on a “trip back in time” through the Gold Coast of yesteryear.

The new 1970s-themed “Gold Coaster”, a refurbishm­ent of the existing Cyclone rollercoas­ter, is the latest attraction to open at the Coomera theme park, with another already under constructi­on.

Riders speed through a 360degree loop at up to 85km/h on the coaster, which stands at 13-storeys (40 metres) tall. It opened last week.

Work began in early November on another $32 million rollercoas­ter which will open in time for the 2021 Christmas holidays.

Attendance surged at the Ardent Leisure-owned park during the September school holidays by 35 per cent, the Bulletin revealed in November.

But more border strife and COVID19 setbacks meant it lost the Sydney market as well as internatio­nal travellers over the Christmas period.

Dreamworld, after the Thunder River Rapids ride tragedy which claimed four lives in 2016, came under investigat­ion by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland over a series of incidents at the park in recent months.

In November an eight-year-old was badly injured on a water slide, while another patron was injured on a slide in early December.

Workers also had a lucky escape when the three-tonne arms of the “swinging rickshaw ride”, Pandemoniu­m, fell during maintenanc­e.

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 ?? Pictures: Scott Powick ?? Thrillseek­ers aboard Dreamworld’s new “Gold Coaster” rollercoas­ter which was unveiled to the public last week.
Pictures: Scott Powick Thrillseek­ers aboard Dreamworld’s new “Gold Coaster” rollercoas­ter which was unveiled to the public last week.

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