Dream City re-opens

By Jack Hayes Dream City at DFO South Wharf will re-open its doors for the first time since mid-March after further relaxing of public health restrictions by the state government. The “edutainment theme park”, founded in late 2019, enables children aged from three to 16 years access to career-based educational activities ranging from operating flight simulators, fighting virtual fires, performing surgery and producing podcasts. Dream City founder, Kajal Pala, admitted although the past eight months had been increasingly trying for her and her team, there had been a number of silver linings to come from the forced closure. “It was very challenging after having such a great response and feedback from schools and parents. We took this break as an opportunity for us to work with that feedback and refine what we do at Dream City to make it the best experience it can be,” Ms Pala said. “We used the time to create a brand-new sports and science zone, which will have an indoor dream court and other educational sports activity. Due to restrictions, we have had to build the new zone off-site, to be installed during January.” “We have also decided to include an option for parents of older children to drop off their kids and go shopping while their children are enjoying the activities.” Spearheading the re-opening alongside Ms Pala is CEO Dean Sholl, creative director Scott Bull, head of education Michelle Hortle, head of technology Wade Dinnie and a range of expert educators. Ms Pala said her team would also be upgrading and refurbishing existing technology at Dream City to ensure the best possible experience for children and educators alike. Testing of the new and upgraded technology will be completed during the days leading into the new year, with Ms Pala expecting Dream City to officially open during the second week of January • For more information, visit dreamcity.com.au