Main Street (Dreamworld)

This article is about themed area at Dreamworld. For other uses, see Main Street (disambiguation).

Main Street
Location	Dreamworld
Coordinates	27°51′48″S 153°18′58″E / 27.863228°S 153.315979°E / -27.863228; 153.315979Coordinates: 27°51′48″S 153°18′58″E / 27.863228°S 153.315979°E / -27.863228; 153.315979
Opened	15 December 1981 (1981-12-15)
Attractions	3 total 2 shows

Main Street is a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The area acts as the main hub for the park catering as a gateway to many other lands including Gold Rush Country, Rivertown, Nickelodeon Central and Ocean Parade.^[1]

History

In 1974, John Longhurst purchased 85 hectares (210 acres) of land at Coomera in order to construct the Dreamworld theme park. Although a lot of the initial work was done by himself, Longhurst spared no expense when he employed designers from Disneyland (in Anaheim, California) and Walt Disney World (in Florida) to design Main Street. Many of the buildings in Dreamworld can be compared to those in the Disney parks. The main entrance at Dreamworld is modelled after the Main Street train station at the Magic Kingdom. Inside Dreamworld, the IMAX Theatre's building is modelled after the Emporium at Disney parks.^[2]

• 

  The train station for Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

• 

  The main entrance at Dreamworld.

The area now known as Main Street, opened with the park in 1981 as Central Plaza.^[3] Since it's opening very little has changed about the area. As with the rest of the park, general maintenance has been performed from time to time.^[1]

Attractions

Dreamworld Railway

Dreamworld Cinema

Main article: Dreamworld Cinema

Dreamworld Railway

Main article: Dreamworld Railway

The Dreamworld Railway is one of Dreamworld's original, opening day attractions. At opening the ride was known as the Cannon Ball Express and only featured one stop.^[2] The train takes guests on a scenic route around Dreamworld with four stops along the way: Central Station, Billabong Station, Australian Wildlife Experience Station and Log Ride Station.^[1] The railway has two trains. The first is a Perry with the second being a Baldwin. Due to high levels of maintenance it is very rare that both trains operate on the same day.^[4][5]

Illuminate Light & Laser Spectacular

Main article: Illuminate Light & Laser Spectacular

As the name suggests, Illuminate Light & Laser Spectacular is a light and laser show which is run seasonally during school holidays resulting in the park remaining open an extra two hours. It began in April 2010 with SpongeBob SquarePants and "Celebrate" shows. This was followed by Illuminate Winter Wonderland for the June and July school holidays featuring 4 lane, 40-metre (130 ft) long inflatable tube slide and a snow play area featuring 12,000 kilograms (26,000 lb) of snow.^[6][7]

Shopping & Dining

Main Street is the main shopping & dining precinct in the park. The lack of attractions in this area is made up for by the amount of merchandise and dining outlets. Working around Main Street in a clockwise fashion from the entrance guests will discover: Fairy Tale Treasures, Kodak Express, Q4U, Candy Nut Shop, Ice Cream Parlour, Central Café, Main Street Emporium, Hot Dog Cart, Market Place and the Hat Cart.^[8]

Character Appearances

Kenny and Belinda in 2007.

At various times throughout the day guests Dreamworld's mascots appear on Main Street. Dreamworld's original mascot, Kenny Koala, appears alongside 1983 addition Belinda Brown for meet and greets. Guests can also have their photo taken with The Wiz or Goldie the Clown.^[9]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Park Map". Dreamworld. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Resources/Documents/DW-Info-Park-Map.pdf. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Dreamworld History". Dreamworld. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Schools/pdf/DW-Schools-History.pdf. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
3. ^ Dreamworld (1987). "1987 Map". Scottware. http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/dream/logos_maps_etc/map3.JPG. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
4. ^ "Dreamworld Railway (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. http://www.parkz.com.au/parks/AU/Gold_Coast/Dreamworld/rides/96-Dreamworld-Railway.html. Retrieved 16 July 2010. 
5. ^ "Dreamworld Railway". Dreamworld. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Rides/Family-Rides/Family---Lightboxes/Dreamworld-Railway.aspx?innerHeight=272&pos=6&tileid=633941442524016554&lightbox=y. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
6. ^ "Illuminate Winter Wonderland". Dreamworld. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Illuminate. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
7. ^ "Illuminate Program". Dreamworld. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Attractions/Illuminate/Images/DW-Att-Illuminate-Itinerary.jpg. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
8. ^ Dreamworld and WhiteWater World Park Map (2009).
9. ^ "Entertainment". Dreamworld. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Attractions/Entertainment.aspx. Retrieved 21 October 2010.