How tall was the Tower of Terror at Dreamworld, really? The answer depends on whether you’re measuring the coaster or the structure it rode up. Tower of Terror II, the Intamin-built shuttle coaster that once rocketed riders skyward on Queensland’s Gold Coast, stood 115 metres (377 feet) tall at its track’s highest point — making it one of the tallest roller coasters ever built, even though the shared tower it launched up was built a little taller still.
Below is the full breakdown of exactly how tall Tower of Terror II was, how that height stacked up against other record-breaking coasters worldwide, and why you’ll sometimes see a different number (119 m / 390 ft) attached to the same ride. We also cover the launch, the closure, and what’s left of the structure today.
Quick Answer
Tower of Terror II’s track reached 115 metres (377 feet) above the ground — roughly the height of a 38-storey building — which made it the fourth-tallest steel roller coaster in the world at the time of its 2019 closure. The separate Dreamworld Tower structure that the coaster shared with The Giant Drop freefall ride is slightly taller, at 119 metres (390 feet); that extra 4 metres is the part of the tower above the coaster’s maximum track height.
How Tall Was Tower of Terror II, Exactly?
Tower of Terror II’s rated height was 115 m (377 ft), measured from the ground to the highest point its train reached on the tower. That figure held steady from the ride’s 1997 debut through its 2010 relaunch as Tower of Terror II and all the way to its final day of operation in November 2019 — the coaster’s layout and height never changed, only the train’s seating direction and the addition of a launch tunnel did.
People often see two different height figures for this attraction because two structures are involved. The coaster itself topped out at 115 m / 377 ft. The physical Dreamworld Tower it was bolted to — the same steel structure that still carries The Giant Drop today — is 119 m (390 ft) tall overall, since the tower extends a short distance above the coaster’s highest reachable point. So if you’ve seen “119 metres” or “390 feet” attached to Tower of Terror, that’s the tower’s full height, not the coaster’s official stat.
For scale, 115 metres is taller than a 35–38 storey office building and significantly taller than most shuttle and launch coasters built since. At the time Dreamworld permanently closed the ride in 2019, Tower of Terror II still ranked as roughly the fourth-tallest steel roller coaster on Earth, behind only a handful of giants like Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster (Top Thrill 2) in the United States.
Stats at a Glance
Park: Dreamworld, Coomera, Queensland, Australia. Manufacturer: Intamin. Opened: January 23, 1997 (relaunched as Tower of Terror II in September 2010). Closed: November 3, 2019. Coaster height: 115 m (377 ft). Shared tower height: 119 m (390 ft). Top speed: 161 km/h (100 mph), reached in about 7 seconds via LSM launch. Track length: 376 m (1,235 ft). Ride duration: roughly 28 seconds per cycle. Maximum G-force: about 4.5 G. Inversions: 0.
The Ride Experience
Riders boarded a single 14-seat train and were blasted out of the station by a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch, hitting 100 mph in roughly seven seconds — enough acceleration to pull about 4.5 Gs — before rocketing straight up the 115-metre tower. At the top, the train went briefly weightless for several seconds before gravity took over and the cycle reversed, sending the train back down the tower, through the launch tunnel, and into the station. A full cycle lasted around 28 seconds.
When it opened in 1997, that combination of height and acceleration made Tower of Terror the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster for a period, and it held the “fastest coaster” title for roughly five years, until Dodonpa in Japan surpassed it in 2001, and the “tallest drop” title for about six years, until Top Thrill Dragster opened at Cedar Point in 2003. The September 2010 relaunch as Tower of Terror II kept the same 115-metre layout but turned the train to face backward through the launch, giving returning riders a new sensation on a familiar structure.
Closure and Legacy
Dreamworld permanently closed Tower of Terror II on November 3, 2019, as part of a broader shift in the park’s ride lineup. Only the coaster’s track and train were removed from the shared tower — dismantling began in 2020 and was substantially complete by mid-2021 — while the 119-metre Dreamworld Tower structure itself remained standing and kept operating The Giant Drop, the freefall ride it has always shared. The Giant Drop itself was later closed for its own refurbishment in April 2022, which included new lighting, a repaint, and continued removal of the former coaster’s track, before reopening in June 2023.
At closure, Tower of Terror II still ranked among the tallest and fastest steel coasters ever built, a reminder of how far ahead of its time the Intamin design was when it opened in 1997 as the first roller coaster in the world to reach 100 mph.
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tower of terror ii height FAQs
How tall is (or was) the Tower of Terror at Dreamworld?
Tower of Terror II’s track reached 115 metres (377 feet) above the ground, making it one of the tallest roller coasters ever built — roughly the height of a 38-storey building.
Why do some sources say Tower of Terror’s tower is 119 metres tall?
119 m (390 ft) is the height of the full Dreamworld Tower structure that the coaster shared with The Giant Drop freefall ride. The coaster’s own official track height was 115 m (377 ft); the extra 4 metres sits above the coaster’s highest reachable point.
Was Tower of Terror II the tallest roller coaster in the world?
It was briefly the world’s tallest and fastest coaster when it opened in 1997. By the time it closed in 2019, newer giants like Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster had surpassed it, leaving Tower of Terror II roughly the fourth-tallest steel coaster in the world.
Is Tower of Terror II still operating at Dreamworld?
No. Dreamworld permanently closed Tower of Terror II on November 3, 2019, and dismantled its track and train from the shared Dreamworld Tower, with removal substantially complete by mid-2021.
Was the Dreamworld Tower itself demolished?
No. Only the Tower of Terror II coaster track was removed. The 119-metre Dreamworld Tower structure still stands and reopened The Giant Drop freefall ride in June 2023 after a refurbishment.
How fast was Tower of Terror II?
It launched riders to 161 km/h (100 mph) in about seven seconds using a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system, generating roughly 4.5 Gs of acceleration.
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