Accessible Dreamworld Fun!
Updated: Jan 2
I love going to Dreamworld at the Gold Coast because it is so much fun and there are lots of rides to go on. I recently just visited there again in December, 2022 and I am updating my blog to included some of the new things I did there.
We always get an annual pass so we can visit lots of times. Dreamworld accept the companion card so it is free of charge for someone to go along with each person who has a disability to help them if they need it. You just have to show your companion card when you enter. You can go to the Park Health Facility office near the Sky Voyager to talk to someone about which rides might be suitable for me to go on. They printed me a card with the rides I could go on and gave me an Attractions Queue Proxy card so that if any rides had really long queues I could get a time to go back and get on quickly, without having to wait.
The card was dated and signed off by a staff member and they told me to see the staff at the rides for help to use it. Seeing as I was there with my family they said all of us could use the card to get on at the same time. It wasn't very busy the days I visited so I didn't have to use the card but it is a good thing to have if there are long queues.
There is accessability information on their website that you can look up and they can talk to you about what rides are good for you at the Park Health Facility office.
At each ride the staff were very friendly and helpful and talked to us a lot. I especially like the Vintage Cars and the girl there who explained how to drive the car was very nice. It was easy to drive and to stop and you have to watch the traffic lights and stop when they are red. I had a few turns in a row and it is great fun driving the cars around the track.
One of my favourite rides at Dreamworld is the Gingy's Gliders because you get to lay down and it feels like you are floating and flying around in the air. It is very gentle and calming and I sometimes close my eyes on it. My mum likes that ride a lot too.
I also like the Puss in boots sword swing and Shrek's Ogre go-round because you get to go around a lot. It is nice to feel the breeze on your face and it is very smooth.
The Dronkey Flyers are good too and you can push the button to go up in the air if you want to.
I also like the Escape from Madagascar ride. It goes fast and is a bit scary but I like it.
There are a lot of other thrill rides that my brother and sister like to go on but they are too fast for me. Their favourite is the newest ride, The Steel Taipan but I didn’t do that one because it looks very scary.
I like the Mad Jungle Jam area. It is like a playground that has a net around it and there are soft foam balls that you can put in a machine and shoot out and it is a lot of fun. There are two levels.
The Sky Voyager is a show that you can see where you feel like you are flying. I was a little bit scared at first because after we sat in our chairs it was very dark and I couldn't see anything and then the chairs started moving. Once the show started though it was better and it is very nice to feel like you are flying gently over the land. They also have special effects like wind, and lights and there are nice smells for the lavender that you fly over.
It is also great to see the tigers at Tiger Island. They have a show that tells you about the tigers and the tigers do some great things, like climbing up a very big pole and jumping from one wooden stand to another. They even jump into the pool and have a swim and you get to see them stand up very tall and drink milk.
There is a glass area where the tigers are walking around and they even stand on a rock where you can take a selfie with them. I really like doing that.
It is also very nice to walk through the native animal area. There are koalas, wombats, kangaroos, dingoes, emus, crocodiles and bilbies there. I love patting the kangaroos because they are soft and cute.
On my recent visit my mum and I also did the Dingo experience. It was a great thing to do and I really loved it. There was another boy doing it with his mum. There were two very nice ladies who took us into the dingo area and told us about the dingoes. They showed us where they sleep and where they play and told us what they eat and then we got to sit on a seat and have photos taken with them.
We spent about 20 minutes with them and got to pat them and take our own photos as well. It was really good and the ladies were very nice and helpful and the dingoes were awesome.
There are some great places to eat at Dreamworld and you can get burgers, hot dogs, chicken, chips, salad, sandwiches, ice-cream, coffees and drinks too. They have a big undercover area with a lot of tables to eat at. When we went for lunch one day it rained a lot so it was good to eat under there so we didn't get wet.
I
really like the bathrooms and toilets at Dreamworld and there are a lot of them. They are all very light and clean. My favourite ones are near the Vintage Cars and the animal area. They are very nicely decorated and have a lot of room and nice lights. The bathrooms at Tiger Island are very nice too.
Another great thing to do at Dreamworld is to get a photo with your favourite character. There is Shrek and Princess Fiona and the animals from Madagascar but my best character is Po from the Kung Fu Panda movies. I got an awesome photo with him and I was very happy.
The Dreamworld Express is a great train that goes around the park. You can catch it at the Central Park station or the Wildlife station.
I went on it lots of times and on different days.
It goes all around the park and it is a lot of fun to go on. It opened again in the middle of 2022 and all the carriages are brand new and are very nice and comfortable. I really like the shiny red paint and the nice wooden roof and seats.
There is a big carriage at the back for prams and each carriage is accessible for wheelchairs.
The carriages can be locked so it is safe for everyone. I caught the train lots of times on my visits and it was a great way to get to the Vintage Cars and the wildlife area without having to walk too far. There was information to listen to about the park as you went around. It took about 15 minutes to do the full trip around the park and you can see the Steel Taipan, The Giant Drop, the Motocoaster, the Kakadu pond, lots of birds, the Murrisippi River and Tiger Island on your trip.
There are a few places around the park where the train goes across the pathways and people have to watch the lights and you can walk if the person is green or stop at the lights when the train is coming along if the person is red and the bells ring.
This year I met a lovely lady named Casey who works at Dreamworld and it was so nice to chat to her about the park and all the things I love there. She really loves working there are was very kind to me. She even gave me some special things from the Dreamworld giftshop.
I think Dreamworld is a great place to visit and there are heaps of things to do for everyone. It is good for thrill rides and for family rides and little kids too because they have a lot of small, slow rides as well. It is also great because there are lots of animals to see and touch.
I always like seeing Kenny and Belinda, the koalas and this year they were dressed in their Christmas clothes when I saw them.
Tips from my travelling companion -
Dreamworld is one of our favourite places to visit on the Gold Coast. There is so much to do and see there and it is a great day out for the whole family. It is fantastic that they allow people with a disability to bring a companion for free by accepting the Companion card and that they now have the system in place to allow people to avoid having to queue for long periods of time. Dreamworld really cater for all abilities and ages too with such a large range of rides, from Thrill rides such as the new Steel Taipan to the Wiggles Big Red Boat ride and everything in between. There are heaps of rides to do for all and another great bonus of going to Dreamworld are all the animals to see and interact with.
On our recent visit Flynn did the Dingo encounter, which he really enjoyed. The dingoes, Kimbah and Kiah, were very calm and friendly and the two staff were very patient and great with Flynn. The other positive was that the experience was a small group which meant it was not overwhelming for Flynn and he felt at ease with the situation. It is also very reasonably priced and includes a lovely printed photo as a souvenir. There are other animal encounters available too, with information on their website.
In our experience there are rarely huge crowds at Dreamworld so it makes for a more enjoyable day out. We generally go around 1pm and spend 3 - 4 hours there on our visits as there is a lot of walking involved and it can be quite tiring to go for a full day.
The Dreamworld Express train is a great way to get around the park rather than having to walk long distances. It departs regularly and we were very happy to see it back in action on our recent visit. The updated carriages were very comfortable and we enjoyed the commentary.
The staff at Dreamworld are very friendly and helpful too and they have always showed great patience and care when helping Flynn during his visits.
Another great activity to do at Dreamworld is to check out the Lego store at the park's exit. There are some great Lego displays of various buildings and characters all made from Lego and there are stations where you can explore and create what you'd like. There are also a great range of Lego products for sale. There are plenty of restaurant/cafe’s to buy food from as well as the ice-cream and Lolly shops and plenty of places undercover to sit and eat or rest.
This trip we didn't go next door to Whitewater World but we have done so before and it is also a fantastic and fun day out, especially when the weather is warm and you need a cool off after exploring and having fun at Dreamworld.
Overall Dreamworld is a fantastic place to visit and well worth the money, especially if you buy a pass that allows you to visit more than once.
by Flynn’s Mum, Jenni