END OF THE ‘RIDE’ FOR PARK THRILLERS
They’re Gold Coast attractions embedded in our memory banks ... but all of them had a use-by date
THEME parks are part of the Gold Coast’s tourism DNA, having brought millions of people to the city over the past 60 years.
From Magic Mountain to Movie World, there have been countless amazing rides that etched a place in history and in the memories of those who rode them.
But what happens to those rides when they reach the end of their lifespan?
Some are simply demolished for scrap but others are relocated, revamped and reborn for a new generation.
Here are the fates of five popular Gold Coast theme park attractions.
SPEEDCOASTER/ TWISTER
The SpeedCoaster and Twister combo was the marquee attraction at Cades County Water Park when it opened in 1984.
Originally known as the Speed Slide, it was the tallest structure in the park and offered a rapid ride straight down to the pool below.
The Twister was a pair of two intertwining closed-tube slides built on to the same structure.
In their 1980s and 1990s heyday the slides would have long lines of parkgoers.
But by the late 2000s the pair were finally replaced with the Aqualoop as part of a park refresh.
This didn’t mark the end though – both were relocated to Canberra and installed at the Big Splash water park.
MAGIC MOUNTAIN CHAIRLIFT
Magic Mountain is best remembered for its days as a theme park in the 1970s and 1980s, though it originated as a chairlift at Miami in the early 1960s.
The chairlift remained until the park’s closure in the late 1980s before it was bought and relocated to Dreamworld, where it continued to operate for more than 20 years.
It was finally retired in the late 2000s.
GRUNDY’S SLIDES
One of the Gold Coast’s most famous attractions, the Grundy’s slides were installed on the Surfers Paradise foreshore in 1981 and soon became an iconic part of the city, particularly after featuring in the music video of the Australian Crawl song Errol.
Despite this, the slides
themselves were removed in 1987 as part of a redevelopment of the Paradise Centre.
The slides were eventually sold to a theme park operator in the US, according to Mermaid Beach businessman Alf Vockler, whose company built them.
THE CAPTAIN STURT
The non-functioning paddle wheeler was one of Dreamworld’s original attractions on opening day in 1981.
According to Dreamworld’s official history, it was the attraction closest to the heart of park founder John Longhurst.
He spent two years just developing the bush-themed zone known as Rivertown.
During the 1980s and 1990s parkgoers would board the vessel and ride around the river, with the boat moving along an underwater rail. The ride was part of a bush ranger-themed show.
The Captain Sturt was final---
ly retired in 2012 and parked on the river, though its structure was beginning to fail.
It was finally demolished in 2014, although much of the associated attractions such as the dock, the rail track and sheep sheering sheds remain.
THE GRUNDY’S/ BROADBEACH CAROUSEL
A key component of Grundy’s during its earliest days, it was installed in the heart of the
Paradise Centre in 1981.
An antique built in the earliest years of the 20th century, it was founder Reg Grundy’s favourite ride and was used by children for a decade.
It was ultimately bought by the Gold Coast City Council and relocated to Broadbeach Mall where it operated for nearly 30 years, finally being closed in 2018. It was put in storage by the council, where it remains today.