FlowRider is a sheet wave FlowRider attraction at the Dreamworld

Dreamworld

Dreamworld is a large theme park situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is currently Australia's largest theme park with over 27 rides including 4 roller coasters. The park is made up of several themed lands: Ocean Parade, Kid's World, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow, Tiger...

 amusement park

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

 on the Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

History

In early 2006 construction began for the FlowRider. It was constructed on part of the site of the former Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt (Dreamworld)

The Thunderbolt was Dreamworld's original roller coaster which opened in 1982 and was closed on 8 August 2003. It was demolished in 2004. It cost 4,000,000 to build and was capable of reaching speeds of up to . It was the first roller coaster in Australia to feature vertical loops. The land where...

 roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 which was removed in 2004. On 23 June 2006, the attraction had its soft opening which was attended by the attraction's designer Tom Lochtefeld as well as several surfers, snowboard

Snowboard

Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...

ers, wakeboarders and skateboard

Skateboard

A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...

ers. The next day, on 24 June 2006, the attraction officially opened to the public. The original Thunderbolt station

Station (roller coaster)

A roller coaster's station is where the passengers board and alight from the trains. The station houses the coaster's control panel, and has devices for moving the trains in and out of the station and holding them in position, as well as devices for locking and unlocking the restraints and devices...

 was converted into a merchandise shop, changing rooms and toilets. It was later redeveloped to provide an internal gate through to WhiteWater World

WhiteWater World

WhiteWater World is a water park situated in the suburb of Coomera, on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ardent Leisure....

. At the time of opening, it was Australia's first and only FlowRider.

The FlowRider later formed part of the marketing initiative "Adrenalin Alley" which was launched in 2009. It incorporates the after-hours use of the FlowRider, AVPX

AVPX

AVPX is a themed indoor laser skirmish attraction at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The attraction is based on the Alien vs. Predator films...

 and V8 Supercars RedLine.

Operations

Throughout most of the day at Dreamworld, the FlowRider operates in bodyboard mode. Groups of 15 riders share a 30 minute session on the FlowRider (with the wave split in two to allow for 2 riders at a time). A single stand-up session operates daily. This session runs for an hour and is designed for those who want to utilise the full FlowRider on a stand-up flowboard. On selected Friday nights after the park closes, Dreamworld also operates the NightRider. Similar to the stand-up sessions during the day, these sessions run for an hour each and are designed for those who want to utilise the full FlowRider on a stand-up flowboard.

Competitions

The FlowRider at Dreamworld has also played host to a variety of local, national and international competitions including:

• Zero 2 Hero
• FlowRider Fiesta
• Go with the Flow
• Flow Show
• 2011 Asian Flow Series