Me and Belinda Riding the Waves at Dreamworld

Belinda and I have been chatting on Twitter and on this blog ever since the Best Job in the World campaign began in January. I’ve been wanting to meet her since then and was hoping we’d meet when I made the trip down South but she has a very sweet and protective fiance who wasn’t too keen on the idea. But really, I’m a 5ft 4″ Asian girl that weighs less than 120 lbs. How much of a threat could I really be? Eventually he gave in and Belinda and I spent a day at Dreamworld where she used to work.

Unfortunately, due to the time of year (school holidays) we weren’t able to go on very many rides and the line-ups were pretty insane. But, the ones we did go on were really good! The Tower of Terror is Belinda’s favourite and it’s up there on my list as well along with Wipeout and The Claw.

The line-up for The Tower of Terror was especially brutal because it only seats 12 people at a time and there were a lot of glitches and delays that day. We waited for over an hour in front of a group of very drunken girls who were lacking basic motor skills (they kept elbowing and falling on us). When we finally got to the ride, there was a glitch and we were stuck in the seats for a while, and then it started raining so the ride was closed down for another 45 minutes. We did end up going back and getting a ride in. It may only be 20 seconds, but it’s quite the thrill.

Tips for Travellers

1. Dreamworld can be very expensive compared to your Playland or other themepark back home. It’s $69 AU for a daypass so unless you really really REALLY want to go, you could probably get a better bang for your buck elsewhere.
2. If you are travelling to Dreamworld by train, look on the back of your ticket. It may have a coupon for an adult pass at children’s price.
3. Buy your pass before you go. You can get your ticket at the Coomera (pronounced “koom-ra”) train station while you’re waiting for the shuttle to the park. If you get your ticket at the entrance, you could be waiting in line for well over a half hour.
4. Check the weather before leaving because if it’s a rainy day, you won’t be able to go on some of the rides like the Tower of Terror (which is definitely worth a go).
5. However, if it’s only slightly cloudy, it might be an ideal day to go because the weather scares most people off and according to staff members, the morning clouds usually go away by the afternoon.
6. Do NOT go to Dreamworld when students are on holiday. Seriously. This could be the worst decision ever and you could be waiting all day just to ride two rides. I’m not joking.
7. Start with the Giant Drop. For those of you who know Playland, it’s like the Hellevator but nearly twice as high. Then you can see the whole park and scout where you want to go next while getting a bit of a thrill. It’s scarier than the Hellevator.
8. Must dos: The Giant Drop, The Claw, Wipeout (which takes 40 people at a time so wait times are short), Tower of Terror,  Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster, Wildlife Exhibit, Log Ride (if you don’t mind getting incredibly soaked).
9. If you want to get an extra splash on the Log Ride or Thunder River Rapids Ride, go after 10:30am because that’s when the water gets pumped for the day. If you go before then, you won’t get as wet.
10. Bring a packed lunch. Everyone else does. Like all themeparks, the food is both overpriced and not so good.
11. If you are over 5ft 10″, you may have trouble getting on a lot of the rides (ex. Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster and The Claw). Lineups can be very long and it sucks if you get all the way to the ride only to find out you can’t go on it. There are tester seats for most of the rides just outside the line-up areas. If you’re unsure about whether you can ride, try the tester seats first.

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Highlights of Dreamworld

1. Getting to know Belinda in person!
2. The MASSIVE crocodiles! I wish we had been able to catch the crocodile show because they feed them then, but we were still in line at The Tower of Terror.
3. Seeing kangaroos having what looked like a three-way.
4. Seeing the “fugly kangaroo”. I feel so bad for the guy. He’s really unattractive…
5. That first thrill of being on a new ride and not knowing what to expect.