page_title: History of Dreamworld
section_title: Opening
hierarchical_section_title: History of Dreamworld / Opening
caption_attribution_description: The entrance of the IMAX Theatre at Dreamworld.
context_page_description: The history of Dreamworld dates back to the mid-1970s when John Longhurst envisioned the future theme park. After a seven-year construction period, Dreamworld officially opened to the public on 15 December 1981. Now owned by publicly listed Ardent Leisure, the park has seen many expansions, closures and replacements over its 30-year history.
  Dreamworld's most iconic attraction is the Dreamworld Tower which stands 119 metres high. The tower houses the Tower of Terror II and The Giant Drop. Other thrill rides at the park include BuzzSaw, The Claw, Cyclone, Mick Doohan's Motocoaster, and Wipeout. The park also features two children's areas based upon DreamWorks Animation and The Wiggles, respectively. A wide collection of flat rides rounds out the attraction lineup.
  Throughout 2011, Dreamworld celebrated its 30th birthday by investing money in a variety of attractions over the course of the year.
context_section_description: Dreamworld was officially opened on 15 December 1981 by the Premier of Queensland of the time, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen along with park mascot Kenny Koala. At the time, the park employed a total of 220 employees and operated from 10am – 5pm, Tuesday to Thursday. Dreamworld was described as "Australia's answer to Disneyland" by the media – a title supported by the park due to its focus on quality. It was notable at the time for being one of the very few attractions on the Gold Coast where a single admission fee covered unlimited turns on all of the rides and attractions. This admission fee was $11.50 for an adult and $7.50 for a child. The park welcomed 450 guests on its first day of operation. Within the first four months of operation, Dreamworld attracted 250,000 guests and was predicted to be the biggest tourist attraction in the Southern Hemisphere by the mid-1980s.
caption: The IMAX Theatre in 2010
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA", "Image Make": "OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.", "Image Model": "SP600UZ", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Version 1.1", "Image DateTime": "2010:10:27 11:33:24", "Image ExifOffset": "282", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/320", "EXIF FNumber": "7/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:10:27 11:33:24", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:10:27 11:33:24", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "361/100", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1024", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "768", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "28", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal"}