AusLeisure

Closed since 2006, Dreamworld’s Eureka Mountain Mine Ride rollercoaster could be reopened to the public during 2015.

According to a report by Richard Wilson on the parkz.com.au website, work is underway on resurrecting the classic roller coaster, located at the heart of the Gold Coast theme park’s Town of Gold Rush zone.

Wilson suggests that “2014 saw the Ocean Parade section of the park and its flagship attraction Wipeout returned to their former glory.

“In 2015 the park rejuvenation looks to be continuing with the first signs of work on Eureka Mountain spotted in recent weeks.”

He adds “with the projects and improvements that were undertaken last year it appears that Dreamworld finally has an upper management team that understands the importance of a visually pleasing park, and the negative impact that the clearly visible closure of much-loved attraction can have.

“With its exterior succumbing to weather and age, the task of resurrecting Eureka Mountain will surely not be a particularly easy or cheap one, but indications are at this stage that the ride system is in tact and has been successfully cycled to demonstrate that the structure is sound and the ride is functional.

“Reports have even suggested that members of the upper management team at Dreamworld have recently experienced the ride for themselves and given the thumbs up for the project to continue.”

Recommissioning the ride will ensure that it meets contemporary safety standards, including rider hand clearance and emergency evacuation.

Wilson suggests that “improvements to the safety standards may well necessitate significant changes to the ride’s surrounding structure and theme.”

Opened in 1986, the locally built Eureka Mountain is one of only a few examples of a steel roller coaster engineered in Australia. Following a fairly typical Wild Mouse style layout with hairpin turns and a series of small drops in a suitably disorienting and claustrophobic mine setting, Eureka Mountain was widely known for its “out-of-control feeling”.

Wilson adds “despite its hectic layout, the ride’s four-seat cars always tracked incredibly smoothly, gliding through sharp bends and steep drops with no shakes or sudden jerks.

"Fixed position lap bars and seat belts meant that riders were safely thrown from side to side in the large padded mine cars in the ultimate game of corners.

“Keeping the cars safely open and not opting for over-zealous individual lapbars or other restraints will surely be key to keeping the ride comfortable and thrilling.”

At present the ride’s exterior mountain facade requires considerable cosmetic refurbishment.

One of the most original areas of Dreamworld, the Town of Gold Rush (formerly known as Gold Rush Country) was given an upgrade in 2011 with the opening of the BuzzSaw thrill ride, taking the park's 'Big 6' thrill rides to a 'Big 7'.

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