Boasting not one, but five Theme Parks, it’s little wonder that the Gold Coast is considered Australia’s theme park capital. Regardless of your age, each park offers something for everyone, with shows and attractions that the whole family can enjoy, to the exhilarating rides fit for the toughest of adrenalin junkies.

If you love heart-pounding, gut-wrenching rides, then a visit to the Gold Coast and it’s sensational Theme Parks may be just the ticket.  (For those of you travelling with small children we also have a guide to the rides and attractions suitable for preschoolers.)

Here’s our guide to the rides on the Gold Coast that thrill-seekers simply must try.

Arkham Asylum Roller Coaster 

Pull 4.2 G’s, as you rocket through Arkham Asylum’s five stomach-turning inversions at speeds up to 85kph. You’d be insane to miss this high-voltage thrill ride!

The Green Lantern 

Have you got what it takes to take on the steepest inverted drop in the Southern Hemisphere? The Green Lantern reaches speeds of us to 66 kph and 3.5 G’s.

Superman Escape

Go from 0 – 100kph in only 2 seconds on the Superman Escape rollercoaster.

Batwing Spaceshot

The Batwing Spaceshot launches riders 60 metres into the sky with 4.5G’s of extreme power, followed a few seconds later by a breathtaking drop that’s sure to get the adrenaline flowing and the heart pumping!

Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster 

The Scooby-Doo themed roller-coaster combines state of the art animatronics, laser lighting and sound effects with unexpected twists and turns to create this spooky ride.

Home to the BIG 8 Thrill rides, Dreamworld has just the rides to test your mettle.

The Claw 

Hailed as the most powerful pendulum on the planet The Claw swings at up to 75kph, at 9 storey’s high, whilst spinning 360 degrees! The Claw is the only one of it’s kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cyclone 

The Cyclone is one of the tallest, high-speed gravity roller-coasters in the Southern Hemisphere. Travel 13 storeys, and somersault into a 360 degree loop.

Wipeout 

Experience the turbulent tidal wave of spins, twists and tumbles aboard the 40 seat gondola style ride – Wipeout.

Buzzsaw 

This 15 storey inversion ride will see you dangling upside down before free falling through a 360 degree roll at speeds of up to 105kph. The Buzzsaw is terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time!

Tower of Terror II 

The Iconic Tower of Terror has been relaunched in reverse. Riders aboard the Tower of Terror II are catapulted at speeds of up to 161kph 38 storey’s into the air (that’s a whopping 100m!) where they dangle for a few seconds before plummeting back to earth – face first! This one is a scream-machine to be reckoned with!

The Giant Drop 

According to the Guiness World of Records, The Giant Drop is the tallest free-falling ride in the world. Passengers are slowly winched 39 storeys (120m) into the air with their legs hanging freely, before plummeting back down to earth at the extreme speed of 135 kph. Ride it if you dare!

Pandamonium 

This Kung-Fu Panda themed ride caters to the thrill-seekers and the mini quest seekers, allowing passengers to choose their ride option via two separate queues. Thrill-seekers should choose the ‘seriously crazy’ line on the Pandamonium, to enjoy 150 seconds of being thrown from side-to-side, up and down, and round and round at up to 3.8 G-forces.

NEW Zombie Evilution 

Are you a Zombie or a Soldier? Zombie Evilution-The Battle for Kevil Hill has begun and YOU need to choose a side.

Storm Coaster 

Experience a ride the whole family will love as you’re taken on a thrilling journey featuring amazing water and fire effects. Opening late 2013, Storm Coaster is the only ride of its kind in Australia and a must do this summer!

Jet Rescue 

Zoom around the roller coaster track on your very own jet ski, passed rock pools at 70 kph and pulling 2.5 G’s.

Sea Viper 

Australia’s famous corkscrew ride the Sea Viper treats thrill-seekers to a triple loop the loop track for an exhilarating ride experience.

The Wedgie 

Experience the thrill of Australia’s first drop and loop water slide, and as the name suggests, prepare to be Wedgied when you hit the splash pool at the bottom!

The Green Room 

Designed to mimic the experience of being inside the barrel of the wave, the Green Room accelerates riders from a 75m tunnel to a 15m funnel.

The BRO – Blue Ringed Octopus 

Riders hurtle down one of eight 120m tentacles, head-first on specifically designed sled mats, reaching speeds of up to 50 kph as they race to the end.

The Little Rippers 

The Little Rippers features the first duelling cannon water bowl in the world to turn in opposite directions (one clockwise and the other anti-clockwise), allowing riders to ride simultaneously with friends to see who gets flushed out first.

Super Tubes Hydrocoaster 

As the name suggests, the Super Tubes Hydrocoaster is a roller coaster on water, complete with terrifying turns and exhilarating speeds. Are you game to ride this water-based rocket?

Constrictor 

The newly launched Constrictor ride has riders slip and slide their way through some of the meanest and tightest water slide turns in the world, into the belly of the snake at up to 30 kph!

Surf-Rider 

This extreme ride sees riders plummet 30 metres, whilst spinning and riding a giant surfboard!

Aqualoop 

The Aqualoop features a trapdoor that releases to send riders on an adrenaline-fuelled vertical drop culminating in a 360 degree turn at up to 60 kph!

Blackhole 

Are you game to ride the fearsome, fully enclosed swirling tangle of tubes in pitch blackness?

Kamikaze 

Hold onto your tube! The giant u-shaped Kamikazee slide is the first of it’s kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and features a near vertical 11m drop, and reaches speeds of up to 50 kph as riders fly in both forward and reverse motions. Eeeek!

Mach 5 

Divided up into 5 different slides; 2 Sidewinders and 3 Jetstreams the Mach 5 promises riders unmissable high-energy, fast-paced water action.

Tornado 

What watermark would be complete without some super-fast, stormy tornado action? The Tornado allows adrenalin enthusiasts to blast down a swirling 40m funnel on a four-person clover leaf-tube, to the eventual calm waters beneath the eye of the storm.

Skypoint Climb 

And if you still have any legs left to stand on after the thrill rides at the Gold Coast’s Theme Parks, you can undertake the Skypoint Climb to the summit of Q1, the Gold Coast’s most iconic residential tower, an impressive and adrenalin-inducing 270 metres above sea level! But just think of the incredible 360 degree view of the pristine coastline and beautiful hinterlands once you reach your destination! For those of us not quite so brave, you can enjoy these amazing views from the comfort of the Skypoint observation deck.

For more information on any of the Gold Coasts theme parks visit themeparkcapital.com.au

Are you a mad-for-it thrill seeker? Tell us, which of the Gold’s Coast’s thrill-rides ticks all of the adrenalin-inducing boxes for you.