PARKLIFE
Parklife
while the following year the Blue Lagoon waterpark opened. 1984 saw the park move to seven days a week opening and in 1986 Gold Rush Country opened, featuring the Mine Ride, log ride and rapid river ride, which continues to be one of the park’s most popular attractions. Koala Country opened in 1987. A change of ownership of Dreamland took place in
1989 when Bruce Jenkins’ Dreamco purchased the park from its original owner. However, with financial problems arising in 1990, Ernst & Young, receivers and managers, were appointed by the mortgagee to take control and with a newly restructured management team managed to increase visitors by 51 per cent, with the annual figure currently standing at approximately 1.4 million. Continued investment ensured further success and in 1994 Dreamworld successfully came out of liquidation. The following year the park was again sold, this time
to Singapore based Kua Phek Long, while in 1999 it was acquired by Macquarie Leisure Trust, managed by Macquarie Leisure Operations Ltd., a subsidiary of Macquarie bank. In 2009 the name of the company was changed to Ardent Leisure. Throughout this period and since the last change of
ownership, investments have continued to be made and Dreamland today boasts an impressive array of rides and attractions akin to any major theme park. Tiger Island, one
of only two interactive tiger exhibits in the world, opened in 1995, while the Tower of Terror Intamin reverse freefall coaster, which takes riders up to 118m, followed two years later. In January 2001, a new, four hectare wildlife sanctuary,
the Australian Wildlife Experiencee, opened following a AUD$5m redevelopment of the former Koala Country, and in December of the same year the 40m high, 800m long Arrow Dynamics-built Cyclone was added. In 2002, Nick Central, based on the number one kids
TV channel, opened, instantly becoming the biggest kids cartoon attraction zone in an Australian theme park, with 16 different rides, attractions and activities. The first ever Wiggles World made its debut in 2005, while in the park’s 25th. anniversary year of 2006 the AUD$60m waterpark WhiteWater World was opened, bringing a new form of entertainment to the offering, with the first Hydrocoaster in the country, the world’s first eight-lane Octo-Racers, the B.R.O., Nickelodeon’s Pipeline Plunge and Wiggle Bay, among a host of other attractions. In 2007, Australia’s first motorbike coaster was
introduced with the opening of Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster, from Intamin, while bringing things right up to date, in 2009 Dreamworld opened AVPX, a next generation laser combat experience themed to reflect the cult sci-fi movie Alien Vs Predator.
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