Now that we’re moving into summer and preparing for Christmas Holidays, many families are in search of a little adventure and fun for their family holiday.
Where can they easily find that in Australia?
The Theme Park Capital of Australia on the Gold Coast. It’s where all the fun family travel memories are made.
But, how do you know which of the Gold Coast theme parks will suit your family’s interests and keep everyone happy?
Here’s a rundown of what you’ll find at each park to help you plan your Gold Coast holiday.
Movie World
Movie World is one of our favourite Gold Coast theme parks.
This park is for the movie lovers in the house, for the kidlets that adore the Looney Tunes characters like Goofy and Tweety bird (my personal favourite), and those who want a little action.
The day is filled with street parades and performances from your favourite super heroes and movie characters. The WB Fun Zone is the place for smaller children with rides and shows and characters roaming around.
The action packed Hollywood Stunt Driver will entertain all family members (although be careful with the little ones, as the loud noises may spook them).
There are plenty of thrill rides, like Green Lantern and Superman Escape, to suit the older children and adults.
Dreamworld
Your teens will love the latest Zombie Evilution – The Battle for Kevil Hill, addition as well as the Big 8 Thrill Rides such as the Giant Drop and the Tower of Terror, my personal favourite.
There are also family favourites such as the Thunder River Rapids and Log Ride. And the younger children will be rapt to visit Wiggles World and Madagascar Madness to meet all their favourite characters and enjoy some rides.
Dreamworld also has many animal encounters to enjoy.
Kalyra loved patting her first Koala and feeding kangaroos in the Australian Wildlife Experience, and there is the very popular Tiger Island, where you can see Bengal and Sumatran Tigers play.
For extra costs, you can also have more intimate experiences with the animals at Dreamworld.
There is so much to do at Dreamworld and trying to co-ordinate the shows with the different interests of each family member can be a little tricky, so be sure to plan your day.
Sea World
Sea World is for the marine animal lovers.
This park offers an educational side to the Theme Park Capital of Australia. The Dolphin Show is spectacular – you’ll walk away even more in love with these intelligent, gentle creatures.
The seal show is also one worth watching and will bring you several laughs.
The Jet Stunt Extreme show will amaze you with their amazing aerial flips, and gravity defying stunts. I enjoyed this far more than I anticipated.
There are a few rides to enjoy such as Jet Rescue, Sea Viper and Storm Coaster which opens December 2013.
Plus, there are polar bears, sting rays, penguins and close encounters with sharks. For extra costs, you can even swim with the sharks and have dolphin encounters.
For the little kids, there are Dora and SpongeBob shows that will keep them entertained.
You can even stay at the Sea World Resort
Wet‘n’Wild
As the name suggests, Wet’n’Wild is the place to get your thrills, or relax on the water. It’s one of the most popular parks in the Theme Park Capital of Australia.
There are extreme thrill waterslides and vertical drops, such as Kamikaze and The Black Hole for the older and more daring teenagers and parents.
Family members can race each other down the Super 8 slide or enjoy more gentle water slides such as the River rapids. And there are places to relax in quieter family zones, as well as wave pools, whirlpool springs and simulated, perfect waves to surf.
Wet’n’Wild is the theme park you want to visit on those piping hot Gold Coast summer days.
This park can also be a little difficult if you have a wide aged gap between your children – the older ones will want to be thrilling it up, while the younger ones will want to be swinging like pirates in the more sedate Buccaneer Bay.
WhiteWater World
WhiteWater World, is attached to Dreamworld, and is the newest addition to the Theme Park Capital of Australia.
It’s the place to get wedgied, as you plummet five stories down in a thrilling drop slide. WhiteWater World has many racing water slides, adding in that extra competitive fun for your family.
Take in a picnic lunch and relax on the grass while the kids enjoy getting wet under giant buckets at Pipeline Plunge and for the under 5’s there’s the lifeguard supervised Wiggle Bay.
They also have a wave pool, and a first in the Theme Park Capital of Australia – learn to surf schools! It’s a smaller park, which makes it easier for families to manage the supervision, the relaxation, and the adventurous fun.
For more information about each park and to plan your holiday to the Gold Coast visit themeparkcapital.com.au
Which park is your favourite in the Theme Park Capital of Australia?
