Steel Taipan is a launched steel roller coaster at Dreamworld in Coomera, Queensland, Australia, which opened to the public on December 15, 2021. Built by German manufacturer Mack Rides at a cost of roughly A$32 million, it replaced two long-running Dreamworld attractions, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride and the Thunder River Rapids Ride, and was named after the taipan, a family of highly venomous snakes native to Australia.
The ride is a modified version of Mack’s popular Blue Fire coaster model, distinguished by its multi-stage linear synchronous motor launch system. Steel Taipan holds the title of the first triple-launched roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere, sending riders forward, backward, and forward again before looping through a compact but intense inversion sequence.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Dreamworld, Coomera, Queensland, Australia
- Manufacturer: Mack Rides
- Opened: December 15, 2021
- Height: about 128 ft (39 m)
- Top speed: about 65 mph (104.9 km/h)
- Length: about 3,900 ft (1,200 m)
- Inversions: 4
The Ride Experience
Steel Taipan’s signature feature is its triple-launch sequence, which uses LSM technology to fire the train forward out of the station, send it backward through a swing-launch element, and then blast it forward again toward the ride’s four inversions. Those inversions include a vertical loop, two twisted horseshoe rolls, and a heartline roll, all packed into a relatively compact 1,200-meter layout.
A further twist comes from Mack’s HybridTrain design, which includes a freely spinning car in the back row, giving riders in that seat an unpredictable extra layer of disorientation as the train works through the course.
Replacing a Dreamworld Icon
Steel Taipan occupies the footprint once shared by the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride and the Thunder River Rapids Ride, both removed following the fatal 2016 incident on the rapids ride. Its opening in December 2021 marked a major step in Dreamworld’s rebuild of that section of the park, pairing a modern launch coaster with the park’s ongoing safety and attraction overhaul.
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Steel Taipan FAQs
Where is Steel Taipan located?
Steel Taipan is at Dreamworld in Coomera, Queensland, Australia.
What makes Steel Taipan unique?
It is the first triple-launched roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere, using a multi-stage LSM launch system built by Mack Rides.
How fast does Steel Taipan go?
It reaches a top speed of about 65 mph (104.9 km/h) during its launch sequence.
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Photo: Tamgarat / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.