Feature Article: "War of the Worlds - Seaworld V Dreamworld"
For 7 years after the demise of Marine World, Seaworld enjoyed a period with no major competitor. The other attractions on the Gold Coast, were in no way a threat, but instead attracted people to the Gold Coast, and to Seaworld.
It wasn't until 1981 that Seaworld met it's biggest rival, Dreamworld. The park was very impressive (by Gold Coast standards at the time) when it opened. It boasted a Log Flume, Imax Cinema, Vintage Cars, Vintage Steam Train, and the Captain Sturt Paddle Wheeler.
The new park was able to draw 1 million visitors in its first year, a feat not achieved by Seaworld until several years later. It was this fierce competition that brought about the biggest boom in the Gold Coast's theme parks.
The same year Dreamworld opened, Seaworld opened the 'Wild Wave Roller Coaster', and the Pirate Ship. This Temporarily made Seaworld the Gold Coast's thrill park (as the most thrilling ride at Dreamworld when it opened was the Rocky Hollow Log ride).
But in Dreamworld's second year, the battle lines were re-drawn with the opening of the up-charge attraction; the 'Thunderbolt'. That�s right, the ride cost somewhere around $2 to ride when it first opened. The ride had been under construction when Dreamworld opened, but it didn't open for months after Dreamworld had opened. Seaworld saw the Thunderbolt being built in 1981, and in 1982 was already combating it.
Seaworld were building what was, at the time, the most popular roller coaster in the world: Arrow's Corkscrew. Indicating that the Thunderbolt has always been rough, Seaworld marketed the Corkscrew as having 'Unparalleled rider comfort', what�s more, the Corkscrew was included in the park admission fee. Dreamworld instantly dropped the extra charge on the Thunderbolt.
Instantly following the construction of the Thunderbolt and the Corkscrew, the two parks began what can only really be called a 'Dog fight'. Seaworld told everyone how they were the first park on the Gold Coast to introduce annual passes, Dreamworld advertised the fact that they introduced staying open to 5PM everyday.
My favourite part of the story is the spying that took place. Dreamworld said that Seaworld wasn't very subtle in how they were spying. This was because Seaworld had taken to flying helicopters over Dreamworld to see what they were doing. Seaworld's response to this was "If you call parking a car out the front with 'Dreamworld' written all over it, then Seaworld was being subtle".
The new attractions came thick and fast from both parks, with Dreamworld bringing out Koloa Country, Seaworld answered with Adventure Island. Dreamworld then opened Gold Rush Country and Blue Lagoon, so Seaworld built 2 new waterslides.
When Seaworld was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, the Seaworld monorail was built, along with the Lassiter's Lost Mine Ride, The Seaworld family water park, Cap'N' Kids Castle, the Skyway, Plaza area, Oceanarium (Otherwise known as Shark Encounter, now Reef Discovery), new animal facilities, as well as general upgrades to the park, and an increase in the size of the car park by 730 places.
It was after this, that both Seaworld and Dreamworld entered into a kind of 'stale mate'. Both parks had spent millions upgrading, and now wanted to sit back and let the money flow in, occasionally adding a new ride, or changing things around. Things stayed quiet until 1997, when Dreamworld opened the 'Tower of Terror' and Seaworld opened 'Dolphin Cove'.
Since that time, both parks have continued on the same path, with Dreamworld building more and more Thrill Rides such as the Giant Drop, and now the 'Cyclone', and Seaworld building more animal related attractions, including Polar Bear Shores. Polar Bear Shores was a major victory for Seaworld, giving great publicity, and hurting Dreamworld's attendance. This year, as well as building the 'Cyclone' Roller Coaster, Dreamworld will also take their first shot back at Polar Bear Shores, by introducing 2 new tiger cubs to their Tiger Island area. That looks to be over shadowed by Seaworld introducing 2 new Polar Bear cubs, which have made 4 TV appearances on Local news in 2 weeks, and they�re only in Quarantine.
Seaworld�s future looks to be in new animal enclosures, with both a shark tank and new Sea Lion facility rumoured to open at the end of 2002. Dreamworld is now focused on the Thrill Ride market, building some of the best thrill rides in the world. Only time will tell how long both parks keep up the pace. |
