Google trekker Richard Elwasfi at Dreamworld capturing the theme park with a Street View Trekker for Google Maps. Pics Adam Head

The phobic will soon be able to experience Australia’s largest theme park, and go for a trip to the top of the country’s highest skyscraper, from the safety of their sofa with Google announcing its Street View is expanding to Dreamworld and the Q1 Tower in Surfers Paradise.

Google Street View uses 360-degree images to allow users to virtually travel down roads around the world and peek into the front gardens of people everywhere.

But the technology is increasingly being used to virtually explore major landmarks with the White House and Machu Picchu already online. You can even take a train ride through the Swiss Alps.

Dreamworld and Q1’s SkyPoint observation deck are the first attractions to pop up on Street View in the Gold Coast.

“We’re joining a fairly elite list group and we’re pretty happy about that,” Craig Davidson, CEO of Dreamworld, told news.com.au.

Asked why Dreamworld was allowing Street View through its front doors, he said, it was more a case of why not.

“It’s great technology that people are using every day and you really can walk through neighbourhoods in different parts of the world and visualise it before you go.

“It’s part of the build up to going to a place and it gets up and close with our special and unique experiences,” he said.

The view from Google Street View of Peru’s Machu Picchu. Picture: Supplied.Source:Supplied

Street View visitors to Dreamworld will be able to wander around the theme park, meet the park’s characters and see the animals on Tiger Island.

To capture the images at Dreamworld, a Street View operator got himself a bit of a work out and traipsed around the park on Wednesday wearing an 18kg backpack called the Street View Trekker.

The 15 lenses on the camera at the top of the mast point in different directions and take a photo every 2.5 seconds to capture a 360-degree panoramic view of all Dreamworld’s rides and attractions.

The Brock Garage and Hot Wheels sidewinder ride at Dreamworld. Picture: David ClarkSource:News Corp Australia

Mr Davidson said the “trekker”, which with its giant green ball of cameras looks like a robot reject from a Star Wars casting session, met with some raised eyebrows — and a few people looking to be immortalised online.

“There’s always someone who wants to photobomb on Google maps, that’s become a bit of sport around the world so I’m sure someone would have tried that.”

But while the trekker went all the way to the top of the 230m-high Q1 Tower, recreating the whole experience for virtual visitors, it failed to fling itself around one of Dreamworld’s famous thrill rides such as the Tower of Terror and The Claw.

Surely a schoolboy error? No, says, Mr Davidson. “It’s a still picture format I think you would have lost the effect and we don’t quite have the technology to go on the roller-coasters,” he told news.com.au.

Although keeping hold of 18kg of camera as you hurtle through 360 degree loops nine stories in the air may also have been a factor. Just saying.

The SkyPoint observation deck at the Gold Coast’s Q1 Tower will also be on Street View. Picture: Regi VargheseSource:News Corp Australia

“We hope that this new Street View imagery encourages more tourists to travel to the Gold Coast and helps them plan their holiday,” said Google spokesman Shane Treeves.

Dreamworld and Q1 will appear of Street View later this year.