The Claw
The Claw at full swing.
Dreamworld
AreaOcean Parade
Coordinates27°51′50.73″S 153°18′58.15″E / 27.8640917°S 153.3161528°E / -27.8640917; 153.3161528
StatusOperating
CostA$6,000,000
Opening date18 September 2004 (2004-09-18)
Ride statistics
Attraction typeGyro Swing
ManufacturerIntamin
Height27.15 m (89.1 ft)
Speed75 km/h (47 mph)
Capacity400 riders per hour
Vehicles1
Riders per vehicle32
Duration1:30
Height restriction120 cm (3 ft 11 in)
Swinging Angle120° each side
SloganTearing into Dreamworld
References[1][2][3]
Ride Express available

The Claw is an Intamin Gyro Swing located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride opened in September 2004 after months of construction and advertising.[1][4]

History

In April 2004, construction began on what was rumoured to be a Teen Market Thrill Ride to open later in the year.[4] To aid in the construction, the northern end of Ocean Parade was closed off to the public forcing guests to detour through Nickelodeon Central to get to the other rides that area, including the Cyclone and the Wipeout.[5]

A few days before The Claw was officially announced on 22 July 2004, construction of the ride went vertical.[6] The announcement detailed that the ride was going to be an Intamin Gyro Swing, a duplicate of Maelstrom at Drayton Manor in the United Kingdom.[7]

On 18 September 2004, the ride officially opened to the public[1] as the first Intamin Gyro Swing in the Southern Hemisphere.[3] Queensland Tourism Minister, Margaret Keech, officially opened the ride.[8]

In late 2008, Dreamworld introduced Q4U, a virtual queuing system.[9] For an additional cost, riders can pre-book a spot on the ride without having to join the queue. A special Q4U entry gate was constructed to allow guests with a device to easily enter the ride.[10]

Marketing

The ride was heavily marketed in the theme park and in the mass media during construction. The television commercial stated:

Prepare yourself for the ultimate thrill ride – The Claw. Swing 9 stories high, spin 360 degrees, reach zero gravity. It's Australia's first, and it's tearing into Dreamworld.

— Dreamworld, The Claw Commercial[11]

The ride's slogan, Tearing into Dreamworld was advertised on the construction fences which surrounded the attraction.[6] It was also advertised on several bus stops across the Gold Coast.

The opening of the ride was televised on Rove Live, a popular Australian variety show. Competition winners won the chance to be the first public riders of The Claw, provided they were naked.[12]

The Claw was also featured prominently in the opening title sequence for Big Brother Australia from 2005 to 2008, a reality TV show filmed at Dreamworld from 2001 to 2008 and 2012 to 2014.

Ride

The Claw is a one and a half-minute ride in which riders are swung from side to side on an axis in a similar fashion to that of a pirate ship ride. However, the seating arrangement on The Claw and other Gyro Swing rides is in a circular formation.[13] The ride seats 32 guests at a time in a single ring which slowly rotates as the ride operates. Riders reach a top speed of 75 kilometres per hour (47 mph) as the ride swings over 240°.[1][2][3] The restraints are over the shoulder, hydraulic restraints plus a seatbelt.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Claw (Dreamworld)". Parkz. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Ride Trade – The Art of Thrill – Gyro Swing". Intamin. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Claw". Dreamworld. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  4. 1 2 Wilson, Richard (25 April 2004). "Teen Market Thrill Ride". Photo. Parkz. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Richard (6 May 2004). "Teen Market Thrill Ride 2004". Photo. Parkz. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. 1 2 Wilson, Richard (23 July 2004). "The Claw Construction". Photo. Parkz. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Gyro Swing Ride Coming to Australia's Gold Coast". Ultimate Rollercoaster. 27 July 2004. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Dreamworld visitors in the clutches of The Claw". World Leisure Organisation. 17 September 2004. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  9. ↑ O'Sullivan, Kay (17 January 2009). "Oneworld, one itinerary for air fares". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "Q4U – News". Dreamworld. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  11. ↑ Dreamworld (4 August 2008). "Dreamworld The Claw Commercial". Video. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2010 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ Masterson, Andrew (3 October 2004). "Why the PM should join the Rove party". The Age. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  13. ↑ TheStorm79 (3 September 2009). "Dreamworld Ride – The Claw". Video. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2010 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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