fh_trips | Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Friday Afternoon/Evening

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island summer jaunt 2008

Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Friday Afternoon/Evening

While Dreamworld, the biggest and best amusement park on the Gold Coast, was normally only open during the day, every now and then they held 'Screamworld' at night. Tonight was one such night. The rides were powered up, the merchandise and food outlets were open, the flood lights were on and there was a live DJ near the Claw setting the scene with plenty of loud music.

Don't forget to pick up a park map or you can ask directions from a friendly staff member. Really, really friendly. They have to be friendly or they get fired.

Welcome to Dreamworld. So many worlds in one!

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If thrill rides are your thing, Ocean Parade is the place to be. The DJ was set up near The Claw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4bse-9xRfo&feature=related), which spun and swung (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=Claw) you high up in the air. Or you could try the Wipeout (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=Wipeout) (videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBxiunSJ8Jk) describe it better than words) or the Cyclone (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=Cyclone) rollercoaster that gave you a pretty good view of neighbouring WhiteWater World as it leads through the twisting paths of some of the water slides.

Feel like trying some surfing or bodyboarding without the sharks? Check out the Flowrider (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpn5cd81P-Q&feature=related).

If you want to take a crazy spin (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=FamilyRides), try the Reef Diver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHY9Szy6W-E&feature=related), Vortex (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSP9SnMpZV0) and Stingray (http://i37.tinypic.com/zjf53n.jpg).

Or if you really felt like it, you could try Australia's one and only Mick Doohan Motocoaster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJNK_5y1Hd4&feature=related) where you sit in full-sized motorcycle replicas (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=Motocoaster) and zoom along on a crazy, twisting track with only the handlebar and back restraints to hold you in.

Edited 2008-08-01 13:22 (UTC)

A good ol' corner of the park set in the gold rush days of the 1800s. Get wet in the dark on the Thunder River Rapids Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghR6EJTuJRw) (don't fall in), splash down on the Rocky Hollow Log Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O9Al0WpM-s&feature=related) or rise 39 storeys above the ground and plummet all the way back down while feeling you were going to die of ground splatter on the Giant (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=GiantDrop) Drop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVi27IMq_M8). You can see all the way to the state border from up there.

Edited 2008-08-01 13:34 (UTC)

Nickelodeon Central was mostly for kids and wasn't open tonight. You could probably sneak in and have a look around, but security was tight and the rides wouldn't operate without the power being activated and having the right keys. Just wasn't going to happen. You could walk down one side from Ocean Parade to get to Tiger Island though!

Gather around and watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3V6tuagzw) the tigers (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=Tigers) in their public habitat, listen to the handlers give their presentation (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=TigerPresentations) or get up close for a pat and photo with the new Sumatran tiger cubs (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=CubExperiencesMain), Indah and Rahni.

Nestled between Tiger Island and Wiggles World was a giant skull with glowing red eyes. This was the entrance to the Tower of Terror (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCoXCFKT00Y). Walk up the stairs, wait your turn, then listen to the staff as they let you into the carriage and strap you in. This isn't for the weak-hearted. The countdown will come and then you'll be shot off down the straight track to the opposite end of the park, then up the same tower used by the Giant Drop. Just when you think you're heading somewhere up the top, you're going to free fall back where you came from. Let's hope the electromagnets at the other end will stop you like they're supposed to.

For some reason, Wiggles World (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/wiggles.asp?name=Sneakpeak_at_WigglesWorld) was open. There were only two rides there, Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cup Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyYjJixZuf8) and the Big Red Car Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_vbbWVZJc), both intended for under 5s. The tea cups would definitely make you sick if you spun the cups fast enough, but overall the only reason this part of the park seems open is to torment people with the music.

Deadly or not, Australian animals (http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=AWE) are weird and awesome and the Australian Wildlife Experience has them all. Cuddle a koala, feed a wallaby, check out the dingo, wombat, Tasmanian devil, bird and reptile habitats. Don't get too close to the crocs.

No Screamworld event is complete without fireworks over the park at the end of the night.

Wiggles World is the devil. The Reef Diver gets more calls for a clean-up than any other ride. The Tea Cups are second. Sneaking cameras and phones onto rides when you're told not to is dumb, especially when you're told it interferes with the electromagnets that stop you from dying a fiery death.

Lee hadn't ever been to a place like this before so, as soon as he could, he was off and exploring. He wasn't sure what the rides were meant to represent but he damn sure was going on every single one.

[Totally open if anyone else is here and around.]

After getting wet in the dark, Toby went to pat himself dry in the restroom. Lucky for him, there was a very competent young towel boy willing to assist. God, he loved that accent when they moaned.

Wandering around with a giant themed slushy, Toby was wet and sated when he spotted Lee. "Hi!"

Kevin was pretty fascinated by all the strange animals. His goal was to find the Tasmanian devils, interested in seeing how they managed to keep them contained once they got up to speed and were all spinning about and stuff.

"Hey!" Lee greeted, waving. "That is a...big slushy."

"It is!" Toby agreed, sucking on the huge straw. "I could almost love this park."

"Almost?" Lee asked. "Everything okay?"

Lee automatically looked around for Kevin. Not that he knew Kevin but he was still looking.

"Kevin's here," Toby whispered. "I totally saw him by the animals. It's okay though, I met this really hot guy by the Wild West ride thing."

"Oh?" Lee's eyebrows went up a little. "You two have fun?"

"Oh totally," Toby promised him. "Seriously, the accents on these people."

"So, you just talked?" Lee asked. That didn't sound like the Toby he knew.

"Oh, no," Toby sucked on his slushy. "I just heard it when he was screaming all hot and heavy before. Kevin was so closed off compared with this dude. I should've gotten his number."

Toby tried really hard not to stare once he spotted Kevin. He felt a near pang of guilt.

"Did you get his name?" Lee asked. "We could just wander around, asking for him."

"Yeah, no." Toby said. "Names weren't really on the agenda."

"Then, we don't have to do that," Lee said. "Wanna hang with me for awhile?"

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Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Friday Afternoon/Evening

Ocean Parade

Gold Rush Country

Nick Central

Tiger Island

Tower of Terror

Wiggles World

Australian Wildlife Experience

Fireworks

OOC

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Re: Australian Wildlife Experience

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