Eerie aerial shots show a once-bustling Dreamworld turned into a ghost town – and nothing but a pile of rubble where the killer Thunder River Rapids once stood
- Eerie aerial footage taken on Sunday showed usually bustling Dreamworld turned into a deserted ghost town
- Park has been shut since March 23 as businesses across Australia are shuttered to slow spread of COVID-19
- Walkways were empty and rides sat idle as country’s biggest theme park takes financial hit of closing doors
- Overhead drone footage also showed just bare land where the killer Thunder River Rapids ride once stood
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Advertisement
Eerie aerial photos have shown the once-bustling Dreamworld turned into a ghost town – while the Thunder River Rapids which killed four people has been reduced to a pile of rubble.
Drone footage taken above the Gold Coast tourist attraction on Sunday showed Australia’s largest theme park – which usually welcomes one million visitors each year – completely deserted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The park has been closed since March 23 as businesses across the country shut their doors to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Eerie drone footage has shown the Gold Coast’s Dreamworld theme park on Sunday completely deserted as a result of its closure during the COVID-19 pandemic
A patch of grass is all that’s left where the Thunder River Rapids ride – which malfunctioned in 2016 leading to the death of four people – once stood
Parent company Ardent Leisure has said social distancing measures as well as government restrictions on non-essential indoor and mass gatherings were the reasons for the temporary closure.
The company has also closed the neighbouring WhiteWater World – keeping only staff behind to maintain equipment.
The overhead footage showed where the Thunder River Rapids ride once stood – with the site’s foundations barely visible under a large patch of grass.
The attraction was decommissioned and dismantled after four people died after being flung into a mechanised conveyor when their raft collided with another and partially flipped in October 2016.
In February, it emerged Dreamworld’s owners could be fined $3 million if prosecuted over the accident.
Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi died in the tragedy.
The popular park located in the north-west Gold Coast suburb of Coomera usually welcomes one million visitors each year and is Australia’s largest theme park
Dreamworld’s iconic Tower of Terror ride is pictured looming above the amusement park during the coronavirus crisis
Ms Goodchild’s 12-year-old daughter and Ms Low’s 10-year-old son survived the incident.
Ms Dorsett said in February – responding to a coronial report which found the theme park had failed in all aspects of safety leading to the four deaths – she was yet to receive an apology over the tragedy.
‘They have said they’re sorry for the circumstances that we find ourselves in. I have never actually had an apology: “Sorry you are now missing three important people out of your lives.”‘
Four people were killed on the Thunder River Rapids ride (pictured) three years ago after being flung into a mechanised conveyor when their raft collided with another and partially flipped
Cindy Low (top right), Kate Goodchild (bottom left), her brother Luke Dorsett (bottom right) and his partner Roozi Araghi (top left) tragically lost their lives in the incident
‘I have never actually had ‘I’m sorry we did this’.’
Even before the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Ardent Leisure was struggling financially – with the US company reporting an increased net loss of three per cent for the last six months of 2019.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dreamworld for comment.