Dreamworld has reopened to modest crowds on the Gold Coast, six weeks after four people died on the Thunder River Rapids ride.
The beleaguered theme park, which was swept up in a public relations crisis in the wake of the October tragedy, had flagged a low-key opening. The ticket proceeds will go to families of the victims – Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Ruzbeh Aragi.
Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson was flanked by state and federal politicians as he told a media conference on Saturday morning of “the poignancy of today’s reopening”.
“Today the smiles of Dreamworld staff sit atop heavy hearts,” he said.
“We’re pleased to be reopening our doors but our hearts and thoughts remain firmly with the families who lost loved ones in the tragic accident on the 25 October.”
Siblings Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett, his partner Roozi Araghi, and Cindy Low were killed in a disastrous mishap on the Thunder River Rapids ride, the worst theme park accident in Australia since Sydney’s Luna Park fire in the 1970s.
The ride has been shut off for demolition. Other “thrill rides” at the venue remain closed while safety audits overseen by the state government continue. A coronial inquest into the deadly accident is expected next year.
The reopening comes after an earlier faltering attempt to open Dreamworld last month – dashed when police advised the site remained a crime scene.
The theme park owner Ardent Leisure, and its chief executive, Deborah Thomas, were criticised for their early response to the tragedy. Thomas, who came under fire for accepting a $185,000 executive bonus that she belatedly donated to the fund for victim’s families, was at the opening on Saturday, mingling with patrons.
Davidson said safety had “always been Dreamworld’s number one priority” and safety inspections and testing by the company, the state regulator and two external consultants to clear the reopening of each ride were “ongoing and will not be rushed”.
The business expected to announce the total funds raised for victims’ families this weekend – through the donation of $25, or about a third of each ticket sold – on Monday, Davidson said.
It comes as Dreamworld and its parent company face the possibility of legal action from families over the deaths. Davidson declined to comment on whether financial settlements with relatives of the victims were in negotiation or finalised.
Asked about ongoing support offered to the families, Davidson said: “We maintain a dialogue through their representatives and we’re there for them for anything they need.”
Davidson said it was “fantastic to the support there” in patrons queuing up to enter the attraction on Saturday, adding that “it felt like just a normal Saturday morning at Dreamworld”.
Queensland tourism minister Kate Jones said the reopening was “a significant step forward” for a popular attraction that had been through “a tough time”.
“Today is a day of hope and moving forward,” she said. “We know that Dreamworld supports more than 1,200 local jobs in the Gold Coast economy.”
Jones said the company had done “a fantastic job supporting staff during the last six weeks and today is the day staff will come back and do what they love, putting smile son faces of the millions of people who visit Dreamworld every single year”.
Jones was in a group of politicians that included local federal MP Stuart Robert and Labor senator Murray Watt, who visited the park’s “Madagascar” attraction in a gesture of support before television cameras and press photographers.
