Boxing Day chaos as Aussie theme parks are forced to close sending holiday plans into turmoil

Thousands of Australian families have had their Boxing Day plans ruined after theme parks in one of the country's top tourist hotspots closed following a night of wild, stormy weather.

Most of the Gold Coast's major theme parks were closed on Tuesday after a storm front hit the beachside metropolis and tourism mecca.

Warner Bros Movie World, Wet'n'Wild, Dreamworld and WhiteWater World all announced temporary closures for cleaning and maintenance work following a night of weather that downed power lines and damaged properties along the coastal strip.

“Due to severe storm damage, Wet'n'Wild will unfortunately not be open today,” the park's operators announced on social media on Tuesday morning.

'We hope to reopen as normal tomorrow and will provide an update on our website and social media.'

People generally responded positively to the news on social media, congratulating operators for prioritizing safety and staff welfare.

“I'm glad the parks are considering the safety and well-being of guests rather than profit,” Daniel Adin wrote after announcing Dreamworld's closure.

'All journeys will need to be checked and tested after any disruption following business interruptions due to severe weather.'

“I drove past the park last night,” Tallis Boland wrote.

'The whole road from Tweed Heads to just before Brissy (Brisbane) looked like a war zone.

“I hope everyone is safe and the damage is manageable.”

In addition to attractions, Dreamworld also offers visitors views of exotic animals, including tigers.

Karla, a park representative, said the animals were “safe and sound” after the storm.

“We look forward to welcoming you back soon,” she said.

Village Roadshow's SeaWorld remains open.

Energy company Energex warned on Boxing Day morning that damage from the wild weather was “catastrophic and widespread” and that some customers were likely to be without power for days.

Winds of up to 66mph whipped through the seaside tourist hotspot until late on Christmas Day, felling trees and sending debris flying across the street.

More than 120,000 homes and businesses were without power at 11:30 PM on Monday after 300 power lines were knocked out by the storm.

The storm caused severe damage to transmission infrastructure in South East Queensland

Dreamworld tigers like Adira are a star attraction for the theme park

“This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the electricity company said on Boxing Day morning.

'If you have to be outside, keep an eye out for fallen power lines – report anything you see to triple-0 or 13 19 62 as soon as possible, stay well away and warn others.

“Never assume that a downed power line is anything other than energized and dangerous.”

Wild winds, heavy rain and huge hail lashed southeast Queensland on Christmas Eve. This video was taken on the Gold Coast.

Photos posted by the company on social media show power lines down and trees falling over others.

“Our network has been demolished in some areas, with more than 500 sections of power line exposed, and hundreds of poles severely damaged or broken, and at least one concrete power pole broken,” the company said.

'There's no easy way to say this, but some customers will be without power for days – we're looking at catastrophic and widespread damage on the scale of a cyclone.'

The Gold Coast will take a financial hit as a result of the Boxing Day closure, with the theme parks collectively bringing in millions in annual revenue.