Dreamworld worker Jason Johns said the staff were ready to come back.

But there’s one thing you won’t see now Australia’s largest theme park is back in action. Something that has been quite literally shorn from the map.

On Saturday, at the stroke of 10am, the first customers streamed into Dreamworld, six weeks after a ride malfunctioned, killing four people. It was only a “miracle” that two children on the same ride survived, police said at the time.

Since then Dreamworld, whose slogan was once simply “happiness”, has been in a world of sadness and pain.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson made a point of thanking the park’s 1000 staff on Saturday as he breathed a sigh of relief the gates were back open.

Dreamworld fans Craig and Deborah McGill have been keen to return to the theme park.Source:Supplied

“Today the smiles of Dreamworld staff sit atop heavy hearts,” he said. “Reopening the doors today is an important milestone for our park, our staff and the Gold Coast community.”

The park said $25 from each ticket would be donated to the Red Cross.

The extended close-down has given the company time to clean up the park and wash it clean of one thing in particular — any physical mention of the fatal ride that killed Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett, his partner Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low.

A first-time visitor would never know the Thunder River Rapids — the attraction involved in the single deadliest theme park accident in Australian history — ever existed.

A map of Dreamworld published before the incident clearly shows the ride. There it is to the left of the main entrance in the “Town of Gold Rush”, just to the side of the Buzz Saw, one of the “Big 9” thrill rides.

Before.Source:Supplied

But new maps given out on reopening day make no mention of the ride, even that it is now closed. In its place is just a curious patch of green. It looks a bit like a park, yet it is clearly inaccessible from any part of the attraction.

After.Source:Supplied

Within Dreamworld no signs point to the Thunder River Rapids. Pathways that passed near to the ride have been taken out of service. While the many height charts, to show which kids can board which rides, conspicuously make no mention of the ride.

Visitors can still access the Town of Gold Rush, but the fatal ride is hidden behind a metal fence, painted rust red to blend into the wild west style of the attraction zone.

However, just visible above the wall is the turrets of the “shacks”, all part of the theming of the Thunder River Rapids.

Heavy metal chains barred entry to the Buzz Saw, the ride immediately adjacent.

The Buzz Saw Ride is locked shut adjacent to where the fatal incident happened.Source:Supplied

The Thunder River Rapids ride is blocked off by a steel wall.Source:Supplied

On Saturday, Mr Davidson could not give a date for when the previously announced demolition of the Thunder River Rapids ride would occur.

“We’ve decommissioned the ride but set no time frame for fully removing it but that process will begin and we haven’t thought beyond that. Today is about celebrating with our staff our community and our guests.”

Deborah Thomas, CEO of Dreamworld’s parent company Ardent Leisure, attended the reopening, greeting park goers and thanking them for returning. Heavily scrutinised in the tragedy’s aftermath, particularly due to the company’s failure to initially contact the victim’s families directly, she left the talking on Saturday to Mr Davidson.

All mention of the Thunder River Rapids ride have been removed from the park.Source:Supplied

Deputy Mayor of the City of Gold Coast, Donna Gates, was effusive in her praise of the “true leadership” shown by Mr Davidson who was a “wonderful man”. She failed to mention Ms Thomas once.

Ms Gates said the closure had hit the people of the region hard. “None of us will ever forget the tragedy of six weeks ago,” she said. “None of us imagined how deeply affected we would be.”

One of the first through the gates was Ethan Dack and his family from Bega in southern NSW. He brought his kids to the park to break up the long drive home.

He told news.com.au he wasn’t nervous about going to the park.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson, a park staff member and Ardent Leisure CEO Deborah Thomas at the park’s reopening.Source:Supplied

“When they open the rides, they’ll be the safest in the country. If it was my job (to safety check them), I’d be making sure I got it bloody right.”

Close your eyes on Saturday and you could have believed it was the same old Dreamworld with jolly piped music, kids laughing and shrieking and cheerful announcements on the loud speakers such as “We’re back, baby!”

But the clues were there that this was now a very different theme park. For a start, every major ride was shuttered pending further safety checks.

The message hadn’t got through to a group of Norwegian students working their way down the Australian east coast.

“We wanted to go on the Big 9. We bought tickets and only then did they tell us they were closed. Now we’re disappointed,” said Svein Bukneberg. Although, he added, safety should come above thrills.

Many of the park’s rides remain closed.Source:Supplied

The numbers visiting were also drastically down on a usual summer Saturday. The cavernous car park remained mostly empty and when the initial rush subsided whole areas of Dreamworld were more like a ghost town.

At one point, a young girl eating an ice cream was the only person to be seen anywhere near Dreamworld’s famous globe.

One Gold Coast local, who didn’t want to be named, told news.com.au he used to take his kids to Dreamworld every week. Now it was a “struggle” to persuade them to go, a combination of the tragedy and the fact most of the big attractions have yet to come back online.

“When I heard of the deaths, I was in shock for three days. It felt like a long lost relative had died.”

Mr Davidson admitted that any hope Dreamworld would immediately bounce back was probably a pipe dream.

Entry to Dreamworld Town of Gold Rush where Thunder River Rapids is located.Source:Supplied

“We know we are a safe business and a safe operation and it’s about letting people make up their own minds up. Our job is to build confidence (in Dreamworld) in a measured way. We’re not rushing this process in any way.”

Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said 1200 jobs in the Gold Coast hinged on Dreamworld working it’s way back into people’s affections.

“Dreamworld has had a tough time. Today is a day of hope and moving forward. and for staff to come back and do what they love which is putting smiles on the faces of the people who visit Dreamworld.”

One of those staff is Jason Johns who has worked at the park since he was 19 rising the ladder from a casual staff member to a customer service manager. He told news.com.au that during the closure his teams had spent their time supporting one another and, when they were ready to come back, sprucing the place up for its eventual opening.

Dreamworld worker Jason Johns said the staff were ready to come back.Source:Supplied

“Everyone here has a very positive vibe today, you can’t put words on it. Making sure people have fun and are safe is ingrained in our culture and it’s what we do day in and day out.”

Self confessed Dreamworld tragics Craig and Deb McGill queued early to see the park back in action. Clad in a Dreamworld-branded T-shirt, Mr McGill told news.com.au he and his wife had visited at least once a week since they moved to the Gold Coast two years ago.

“I love the rides. I love the tigers,” he said confessing his favourite activity was to take the tigers for a walk before gates open, one of the park’s VIP experiences. He’d said missed the place when it was closed.

“It’s sad what happened but life goes on,” Mrs McGill said. “Dreamworld handled it admirably and we’re here to support Dreamworld and the Gold Coast.”

The attraction’s bosses will be hoping Australians follow the McGill’s lead and return or it could be the whole of Dreamworld, not just Thunder River Rapids, scratched from the map.