Major Dirtbox: the ultimate playground for big kids

Most of us will remember a time when we played with a little fleet of heavy machinery in sand boxes – scooping up dirt with loaders and filling up tonka trucks. As we grow up, as much as we’d hate to admit it, the naivety often remains and we’d always secretly wish we could hop into a real excavator to dig up some dirt or simply crush something with a bulldozer.

But unless you work in the earth-moving industry, chances are you’ll never get the chance to do all that… until now.

Situated just over 40km north of the Gold Coast, Major Dirtbox is perhaps one of Queensland’s best kept secrets. It is essentially an oversized sand box where big boys, or girls, get to fulfil their dream of driving and operating big toys. Experience not required.

You don’t even need to be over 18 to be able to drive some of the gear on offer.

The ‘theme park’ is run by the Major Training Group which offers high-risk licensing, heavy-vehicle training, apprenticeships and more in Queensland.

“The owner had friends saying they would love to have a go in heavy machinery and that’s how the idea came about,” said Major Group Training Manager, John Kooyman.

“A few years ago they decided to establish the Dirtbox so people can come in and tick off that bucket list.”

Major Dirtbox offers four machines for big kids to choose from: A 13-tonne excavator, a bulldozer, a skid-steer loader and a 40-tonne dump truck.

You can choose just one to play with or hop on all the machines for an action-packed day out.

Individual packages start from $100 for 40 minutes on one machine.

On top of being a different and exceptionally fun way to spend a weekend or school holidays, Major Dirtbox is increasingly becoming a popular venue for birthday parties or even corporate events.

“We had one kid, he started coming here when he was 12 years old and he has come back every year since for his birthday,” Kooyman said.

“He started on the skid-steer and then the excavator, then the dozer. Next year maybe his mum will get him in the dump truck.”

While Major Dirtbox welcomes both youngsters and the young at heart to experience its offerings, there is an age limit of 11 to operate most of the heavy machinery with the exception of the dump truck, for which a driver’s license is required. However, children as young as five years old are welcome to be passengers in the dump truck.

Major Dirtbox can also cater to companies looking to hold a team-building session with a difference.

“We've had people come in that want to do it as a corporate bonding session for workers,” Kooyman said.

“Then they have competitions to see who can dig a hole the fastest, for example.”

If you’ve never operated heavy machinery before, don’t stress. The staff at Major Dirtbox is there to show you the ropes and guide you through the whole process. The point of the theme park is so you come in and have fun simply throwing dirt around in heavy machinery and finally be able to tick off that bucket list item.

Staff members will even design activities for you to do such as scooping basketballs off witches’ hats and dumping them into buckets with the excavator, or set up courses for you to manoeuvre in the skid-steer, for example.

It is ultimately the customers’ prerogative to do what they wish on the machines.

“Some people choose to simply dig a big hole with the excavator and then backfill it,” Kooyman said.

Whatever it is visitors wish to do at Major Dirtbox, the staff is only more than happy to cater, Kooyman said.

“We're very flexible to help people have the most enjoyment they can from their experience here,” he said.

Major Dirtbox urges those interested in having a go in these big toys to give them a bell before popping in as bookings are essential.