Dreamworld Australia is always a full day of awesome thrills, fun and family rides – so we decided to see just how many rides and attractions we could fit into just one day! We did all of the rides and attractions without any fast passes.

Before we get started, you’ll need to purchase your Dreamworld tickets…

Where can I buy discounted Dreamworld theme park tickets online?

Get up to 10% off Dreamworld tickets and other Gold Coast attractions using my Klook discount code:

LETSGOMUMKLOOK

at checkout to get 10% off for new customers or 3% off for existing customers!

Buy your discounted Dreamworld tickets online here

Klook conditions: $50 min spend, $50 max discount, 5 times use. Klook new customers can get 10% off and existing customers get 3% off. Klook exclusions list here. This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

10:00am – Park opens. We arrive, park, and enter to explore and plan our day!

10:40am – Photo opportunity with Dreamworld characters on Main Street – mascots Kenny & Belinda Koalas plus Cooee The Gumnut Fairy!

Kenny & Belinda’s Dreamland

Attraction – Wonderland Theatre

11:00am – Head to Kenny & Belinda’s Dreamland to the Wonderland Theatre for a Wiggle Show.

Tip – Wiggles characters were available for photo opportunities just prior to the Wiggles Show!

NEW – Rivertown

11:09am – Proceed to the new Rivertown precinct to explore the new Rivertown General Store, Jane’s Restaurant and ride the two new rides.

Tip – there are really friendly turtles at the riverside!

NEW – Ride – Murrissippi Motors

11:17am – Ride – Murrissippi Motors – Wait Time 0 minutes – all ages family ride (no children to be held on laps).

Murrissippi Motors is a slow-moving vintage car carriage track ride which you control the speed of via an accelerator pedal. During the ride you will enjoy passing along an exciting jungle-themed trail.

NEW – Ride – Jungle Rush

11:30am – Ride – Jungle Rush family friendly roller coaster – Wait Time 15 minutes – minimum height 95cm (accompanied)

Jungle Rush is unlike any other roller coasters we’ve ever ridden. We were delighted to be surprised by its triple-switch turntable function – it was quite unexpected and very exciting!

Not just that, but also this ride’s forward and reverse features only add to the fun of this adventure-filled roller coaster. Jungle Rush is an exciting new addition to Dreamworld amusement park, and definitely a don’t-miss!

Corroboree & Australian Wildlife

11:43am – Walk through Rivertown and continue on to Corroboree and Australian WILDLIFE, viewing Cassowaries along the way. We loved exploring the Corroboree area. There were roaming Kangaroos to pet and you could even view Koalas close-up. Corroboree also offers paid Koala meet experiences and photo opportunities.

After exploring the Bilby Burrow and several other native animal areas, we decided to catch the train back to the central Dreamworld area to do some more rides!

Ride – Dreamworld Express

12:30pm – Ride – Dreamworld Express – Departs every 20 minutes – all ages family ride – accessible.

Depart Corroboree Station aboard the Dreamworld Express, a gentle, family friendly mini train ride.

The Dreamworld Express is an open sided mini train with small, gated sections with wooden bench seats and room for prams and wheelchairs. This cute little red engine train is a great way to give your legs a rest and enjoy a lovely sight-seeing ride through peaceful wildlife areas of the park.

Main Street

12:37pm – Arrive at Central Park Station and alight the train. Walk down to the Moto Coaster ride.

Ride – Moto Coaster

12:44pm – Ride – Moto Coaster – Wait time 0 minutes – Minimum side car height 110cm – accessible

The Moto Coaster is a fairly level, breathtakingly fast curving motorcycle-style roller coaster. You sit astride the motorcycle and lean forward as a firm harness clicks down. There are some side cars which younger family members have the option to ride in. All lose items need to be left in the spinning shelves.

12:51pm – We leave the Moto Coaster for a walk up through main street past an ice cream parlour and Green Bean Coffee cafe to Fairytale Treasures.

1:00pm – We head inside our favourite Fairy Shop, Fairytale Treasures for a quick look. This is a delightful shop full of little girl’s fairy and princess dresses, unicorn plushies and lots of cute fairy-themed items.

We leave Fairytale Treasures to walk to the Steel Taipan ride.

Ride – Steel Taipan

1:11pm – Ride – Steel Taipan – Wait time 0 minutes – 130cm height minimum

Hitting speeds of 105kms and heights of up to 39 metres, the Steel Taipan roller coaster is not for the faint-hearted – but it’s a really thrilling ride!

You can even pay extra to ride the 360-degree spinning rear seats if you’re game. This coaster’s G-force is rated at 3.8.

1:16pm – We leave the Steel Taipan to walk back over to Kenny & Belinda’s Dreamland

The ride Sky Voyager was closed for maintenance.

Back to Kenny & Belinda’s Dreamland

There are several family rides in this area including Belinda’s Tree House, Bananas In Pyjamas Maze, Bananas In Pyjamas Carousel, Play School Wheel, Big Red Planes and Humpty-Go-Round. 

Ride – Kenny’s Forest Flyer

1:38pm – Ride – Kenny’s Forest Flyer – family friendly roller coaster – Waiting Time 10 minutes – minimum accompanied height 110cm

Kenny’s Forest Flyer is a fun, tree-themed suspended roller coaster, popular with families and children. It climbs up to the 14.9m top them plunges, rolls and curves its way up to speeds of 41.8kmph back down to the bottom. It rates a G-force of 2.2.

1:44pm – Walk to the next coaster, the Big Red Boat.

Ride – The Wiggles The Big Red Boat

1:51pm – Ride – The Wiggles Big Red Boat – Children’s roller coaster – minimum height 90cm (accompanied)

The Big Red Boat is a fun, low set roller coaster designed for young families.

1:56pm – Walk over to the Serpent Slayer ride.

Ocean Parade

There is also Sea Bed Splash and Deep Sea Dogems in this area.

Ride – Serpent Slayer

2:02pm – Ride – Serpent Slayer – swinging thrill ride – minimum height 120cm

The Serpent Slayer is a high-thrill swinging ride with side-to-side carriages or Wild Side carriages which flip upside down – you choose which one. The G-force rating is 3.9.

The Tail Spin ride was closed for maintenance.

Attraction – Tiger Island

2:08pm – Walk to Tiger Island, walk through the shop and view the relaxing Tigers on our way to lunch at Jane’s Restaurant. Tiger Island hosts a great Tiger show, but this trip we unfortunately missed it. It’s definitely worth factoring into your Dreamworld day if you can!

Back to Rivertown

NEW – Restaurant – Janes Restaurant

2:20pm – Janes Restaurant for lunch, Rivertown.

A gorgeous retro-styled restaurant, jungle-themed with big-band golden oldies playing. There are the most fascinating animal animatronics such as birds, monkeys, snakes and other forest animals. Tasty, quickly-served meals, snacks and drinks.

2:50pm – Head over to Ocean Parade to ride Shock Wave

Back to Ocean Parade

Ride – Shock Wave

3:00pm – Ride – Shock Wave – minimum height 120cm

A seated, rolling, rotating ride, Shock Wave is a mid-thrill ride which is always a fun to experience. With its 2.5 G-force rating it’s suitable for kids to enjoy too.

3:10pm – We head to the Gold Coaster ride

Ride – Gold Coaster

3:16pm – Ride – Gold Coaster roller coaster with twin loops – minimum age 10, minimum height 120cms

The Gold Coaster is a high thrills exciting roller coaster ride with an initial high climb, two loop-the-loops, a top speed of 75kmph and a G-force rating of 3.0. It’s a super fast coaster for the thrill seekers in the family!

3:21pm – We head back over to Main Street for our last ride for the day, The Giant Drop.

Main Street

Ride – The Giant Drop

3:38pm – Ride – The Giant Drop – free-fall ride – minimum age 10 – minimum height 120cms

The Giant Drop is a suspenseful slow climb ride up 119 metres offering spectacular views over the Gold Coast. Followed by a free fall back down 39 stories at speeds of up to 135kmph – it’s a heart-stopping ride, and very thrilling! A hit for the bravest thrill seekers in the family!

3:43pm – We decided to take a final walk back towards the Wildlife area to see dingos and emus we had passed on the train.

3:54pm – A quick visit to the lolly shop before we leave for the day!

4:00pm – A look through the Lego Shop last thing and then exit Dreamworld

I hope our 1 day Dreamworld Itinerary helps you to plan your own day at Dreamworld, so that you can have just as much fun as we did!

Don’t be afraid to mix it up to suit your family. As my girls are teenagers, we hit all the big thrill rides, but it would be just as easy to swap them out and substitute them with the smaller child attractions – and pop in some more snack and nap breaks too.

Dreamworld is such a great family theme park on the Gold Coast. We had such a great day having fun together, we can’t wait to go again! Find out more at the official Dreamworld website here.

Where can I buy cheap Dreamworld theme park tickets online?

Get up to 10% off Dreamworld tickets and other Gold Coast attractions using my Klook discount code:

LETSGOMUMKLOOK

at checkout to get 10% off for new customers or 3% off for existing customers!

Buy your discounted Dreamworld tickets online here

Klook conditions: $50 min spend, $50 max discount, 5 times use. Klook new customers can get 10% off and existing customers get 3% off. Klook exclusions list here. This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

Watch our Instagram Reel of every ride we did at Dreamworld here!

Where can you stay close to the theme parks on the Gold Coast?

We loved staying at the Big4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, and it’s located just ten minutes drive from Dreamworld. We had a lovely roomy family-sized deluxe cabin to relax in after our long theme park days, and the holiday park itself is packed full of features – such as their delicious on-site cafe next to the beautiful pool and a huge water park!

No matter if you are staying in a cabin or bringing your own motorhome or caravan, this is the perfect theme park accommodation base on the Gold Coast. You can read our Big4 Gold Coast Holiday Park review here or book your stay at the Big4 Holiday Park on the Gold Coast here.

Join our Gold Coast Holiday Planning Facebook group

Love all things Gold Coast theme parks and activities, or just have more questions? Join our special Gold Coast Holiday Planning Facebook group here!

What’s the best way to fly to the Gold Coast?

We partnered with the super-cheap Jetstar Australia to fly from Canberra to the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. See Jetstar Australia’s cheap Gold Coast flights here

Jetstar Australia offer cheap fares to the Gold Coast every day – check their website for their low Australian domestic fares and frequent sales.

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Have a question? Drop a comment below – I love answering questions! I’d also love to hear about your own Gold Coast in Queensland experiences!

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Jetstar Australia and participated in an Experience Gold Coast famil with their partners Dreamworld and Big4 Holiday Parks for this trip. As always, all opinions remain firmly my own.

This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support! Prices are correct as of March 2025 – always check with the source website for the most recent prices.

The post Dreamworld 1 day itinerary | Gold Coast theme parks discount appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Dreamworld is the Gold Coast theme park we go to for the best variety of fun rides for young kids. ABC Kids World is amazing for toddlers and very young children, and for older kids, Dreamworld ride height minimum limits are lower than some other Queensland theme parks. This suits my primary school-aged kids perfectly. That’s more rides for them to enjoy, which means great value for money for parents – plus the rides are just as fast and thrilling!

Stop! Before you go anywhere in Dreamworld, get one of these…

To kick-off our day at Dreamworld, we arrived right on 10am – opening time – and got a Ride Express electronic device. This clever electronic virtual queuing unit will save you a heap of time for an extra cost. There are three waiting-time options – bronze ($25), silver ($40) or gold ($65). Gold is the fastest option -90% less queuing time – and we found ourselves waiting no more than five minutes at most rides with our Gold Ride Express – fantastic.

School holidays tip: Of the 3 big Gold Coast theme parks, Dreamworld is the only one which still offers virtual queuing during the school holidays

Let’s go – Dreamworld family thrill ride guide

Gold Rush World

River Rapids

For our first rides of the day, we headed straight off into Gold Rush land. Here you’ll find the terrifying Buzz Saw (“Keep walking children!”) and the “get wet” rides – which are a huge hit with everyone in the family – young kids, teens and adults.

A few goes down the rollicking River Rapids rides started the day off on a hilarious note as we rocked, rolled and spun our way down the rapids. I love the way that this ride gets everyone squealing and laughing together – family, friends and even the strangers sat opposite you!

Don’t forget to watch out for the folk on the banks with the water guns – their only aim is to soak you! You’re going to get a little – or maybe even a lot – wet on this ride!

Rocky Hollow Log Ride

Next-up was the Rocky Holly Log Ride – we were already wet, and decided we couldn’t get much wetter! As usual, the Log Ride didn’t disappoint. We had to tear ourselves away after three rides on this one.

You can see what the Log Ride is like for yourself, by clicking Play on the Youtube video below!

Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster

Next we headed off to our first Big 9 Thrill Ride – the Mick Doohan’s Motocoaster.

This zoomy ride will bring tears to your eyes due to it’s speed, but it’s such a lot of fun you can’t help laughing – that is, if you can possibly draw breath!

Even younger kids (who meet a minimum height) are allowed to ride this one – they can hop in one of the side car motorcycles with mum or dad if they are not yet big enough to hop aboard a motorcycle. The Mick Doohan Moto Coaster’s last two carriages are a parent bike and sidecar. At Dreamworld, few kids are left behind!

ABC Kids World

We love ABC Kids World – it’s an absolute gem for parents of little kids and toddlers.

The Wiggles World Little Red Boat, Little Red Car and Dorothy’s Tea Cup rides, Hop and Hoot ride, the Bananas in Pajamas’s maze, Playschool Art Room and Giggle and Hoot pirate ship – there’s just so much to do!

It’s the most colourful, fun playground around which my kids still enjoy – if you have little kids, make a bee-line for ABC Kids World and let the ankle-biters run-riot!

A variety of lunch options

By this time we were all hungry and I managed to talk the kids into pausing for a moment to eat. It was lunch time, and we headed for the large covered central dining area.

Here you can choose from gourmet pizza, chips and burgers, or if you are completely junk-fooded out at this point in your holiday like we were, there is a healthy sandwich and salad bar called “The Sandwich Shop” – pesto salad for me and wraps for the kids – perfect!

Madagascar World

Madagascar theatre show

Onward to the nearby Madagascar theatre show. This popular show plays twice daily at Dreamworld, and is a real hit with families – it also gives mum and/or dad time for a breather!

Jungle Jam tree house

Then off to the Jungle Jam tree house which the kids always love. Kids will be kids, and this is a big house of fun they can go wild in!

The Jungle Jam tree house is full of kids climbing, laughing, firing foam guns and generally having a good time – great for little monkeys of all ages.

Madagascar roller coaster

When I finally managed to drag the kids out of the Jungle Jam tree house, we headed off to the Madagascar roller coaster. This ride is a must for families – smooth, short but still thrilling, this roller coaster will have you all smiling at the end. Lots of fun for everyone.

Ocean Parade World

Hot Wheels Side Winder

Lulled into a false sense of roller coaster security after the Madagascar coaster, we then headed off to take a ride on the Hot Wheels Side Winder (formerly the Cyclone roller coaster).

We excitedly climbed aboard the brightly coloured Hot Wheels car-styled carriages. This huge coaster pumps out the latest tunes whilst it cork screws, loop-the-loops and seemingly jet-propels you down the rails on a thrill-ride which leaves your heart in your mouth – but don’t worry, you can still squeeze a scream out!

Terrific fun at a gazillion kilometres per hour – no wonder the Hot Wheels Side Winder is one of the Big 9 Thrill Rides!

Tiger cubs on the loose!

Upon emerging from the Hot Wheels Side Winder, we came upon a wonderful surprise – a real-live tiger cub sitting up on the gift shop counter!

Dreamworld’s Tiger Island is currently being renovated and improved for the tigers, with the new-look Tiger Island re-opening this September. In the meantime there is a Tiger Kindy nursery playground where you can watch the adorably cute Dreamworld tiger cubs and their big brother Kai play with their toys.

Plus in the afternoons around 2 to 3pm, the young tigers are taken for leash walks around the park for people to walk alongside, and even pat when they stop!

Professional tiger handlers are with the cubs at all times and make sure they are safe and sound, yet are allowed to lead and explore. These gorgeous little-big-cats are just like oversized kittens – only with really, really big paws! They climb on walls, seats, roll around on their backs and generally have a good ol’ time!

There are opportunities for a professional photographer to take your photo with these young tiger-ambassadors too – a percentage of the price of these photos (which cost $10 each) goes to the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation (DWF) to help save their tiger-cousins in the wild, of which only 3,200 remain. DWF is the largest zoological donor to tiger conservation in the world – now that’s amazing! Donate and learn more at the Dreamworld website here.

The Wipeout

When we could finally tear ourselves away from the tigers, we headed over to the Wipeout – I like to think of this rides as – well, terrifying to be honest, but if you ask my ten year old, Brooke, she’ll tell you it’s ‘awesome fun’, and not scary at all if you close your eyes! The Wipeout twists, flips and hangs you upside down for good measure – this is yet another Dreamworld Big 9 Thrill Ride, and it’s most-definitely built to thrill!

The Tailspin

This year we decided to be brave and go on the Tailspin. This high-flying ride looks quite intimidating, but it was actually the most beautiful ride to experience. You really feel like you are flying on the Tailspin! Although it does reach some pretty lofty heights, it’s really just a peaceful glide-ride – a thrilling feeling to whoosh through what surely must be the clouds! But if you’re after even more of a thrill, don’t worry – you can use the wing control handles on your “plane” to set you spinning around and around and around…..don’t miss this one!

The Shockwave

Finally, our last ride of the day was The Shockwave. This ride is another favourite of ours. A massive wheel which rotates and zooms along a short and wavy track – it looks scarily powerful, but is just pure FUN! We had to go on this one a few times, right up until closing. Once you’ve had one ride on the Shockwave, you just can’t stop!

A dedicated Lego store is coming soon to Dreamworld!

Everything is awesome!

As if the amazing Fairytale Treasures, Hot Wheels, ABC Kids World and Madagascar shops weren’t enough to excite the kids into a frenzy, Dreamworld is about to add to their shopping fun with a LEGO® Certified Store!

Opening in November 2016, there will be giant LEGO statues, a LEGO wall, LEGO building areas and everything LEGO! We just can’t wait for the new Dreamworld Lego store to open, just in time for the summer school holidays – awesome!

There’s so much more to Dreamworld than we could ever fit into one day, but we certainly got a large number of rides and fun in!

I hope you enjoyed our round-up of Dreamworld fun for families. Now don’t just sit there – go and visit Dreamworld for yourself – you’ll all have a fantastic family day out!

Let’s Go Info…

Opening hours
Dreamworld is open 7 days a week: 10am – 5pm (excepting Christmas Day)

How to get there
You can get to Dreamworld by car (self-drive easily from your Gold Coast hotel – 20 mins).
Many companies run tour coaches to the Theme Parks – enquire at your hotel reception to book and for pricing.

Tickets
There are some great value passes to Dreamworld available – you can buy an annual pass from $109.99 which also gives you entry to the attached White Water World and the (well-worth a visit) SkyPoint Observation Deck too.
For a full listing of tickets and discount online prices, visit the Dreamworld website here.

All prices are accurate for July 2016
We reviewed this theme park as guests of Dreamworld

Has your family visited Dreamworld? Did your kids love the rides – and did they have a favourite? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Dreamworld – the Gold Coast theme park with more for kids appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Download your free printable ride height guide

Our free, printable Dreamworld ride height guide!

Theme park ride access is kept safe using a height measurement guide, to ensure that children are big enough to be secured safely on the ride. I’ve photographed Dreamworld’s ride height guide for you and created a free printable download to help you plan your day at Dreamworld – just click on the thumbnail, or click here to download and print yours!

Have you visited Dreamworld? What’s your favourite rides or shows? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Dreamworld free ride height-guide to print and take with you appeared first on Let's go Mum.