Visit The Gold Coast Theme Parks 

By Jennifer Schellington | July 6, 2009

99% of visitors to the Gold Coast end up in one of the fabulous theme parks. It’s probably one of the key reasons that the Gold Coast is in fact one of the top holiday destinations in Australia.

Whether you have kids or are just an adrenalin junky, the Gold Coast theme parks have something for everyone.

To get the most out of the theme parks, you need to plan your trip. This article is here to help you do just that.

Which theme park is right for you?

There are 4 main Theme parks and it depends what you are into as to which one you choose to go to.

The first is Sea World. Perfect for smaller children and anyone who likes Polar Bears, Whales and dolphins

Movie World. Whilst there are a few rides here, the focus is on action heroes, car stunts and well known cartoon characters.

DreamWorld This is for the adrenalin junkies and is where all the thrill seekers rides are.

Wet n Wild The original water park with great flumes and slides

Two more theme parks exist

White Water World. The new kid on the block. This is another water park designed to take on Wet n Wild.

Outback Spectacular. This one opens after dark and gives visitors a glimpse of the Outback through a cracking show and Aussie Barbie.

Dream World and White Water World are best if you have teenage kids or are an adult looking for fun.

Sea World, Movie World and Wet n Wild are better if your kids are a bit younger or you really are into your movies or marine life.

Getting the Right Ticket

To work out which parks to visit, you should know that the parks have two owners.

This means you can do White Water World and DreamWorld together or

You can choose a package that takes in Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild.

Work out how much time you want to spend at the park. Don’t be fooled. It’s hard to get round more than one park in a day. With the shows and queues, it’s too much of a rush trying to do two in one day. This is particularly true if you have kids who want to do different things.

My first piece of advice is to Book On Line It means you can get directly into the parks without having to queue. Just pass through the e-ticket express lanes.

Below is a list of the types of tickets available:

Sea World, Wet n Wild, Movie World

Super pass. This gives you access to all 3 parks for 14 days and its valid for a year. A good option if you intend to come twice a year ($189 for adults; $129 for kids) (Kids are classed as being between 4-13 years old)

Fun Pass. Entry to 3 parks for 5 days but you only get one day at each park. Still good though especially if you want to take a break and have a day off from the parks. ($149 for adults; $95.95 for kids)

Escape Pass. Access to 2 parks over 5 days (one day per park) ($119 for adults; $75.95 for kids)

White Water World and Dreamworld

Two Day World Pass $102 for adults and $68 for kids

Two day Family and Friends World Pass (2 adults and 2 kids) $306

One Day World Pass $79 and $57 for kids

The parks are not all together so trying to go between parks in one day is not advisable. That said, you could try to do it between White Water World and DreamWorld as these are right next to each other. If you want to do 2 parks, take two days. If you want to do 3 parks, do a 2 or 3 day pass.

If you intend to go to Dream World, I’d strongly recommend getting the following ad ons to your ticket

Early Entry. To get into the park an hour earlier than the crowds, you will need to pay an additional $10. They usually have at least 2 of the big rides available but sometimes they have all 5. Well worth it to avoid those queues. As you would expect, tickets are strictly limited so book ahead.

Q4U. This system costs $10 plus $5 per person (a family of 4 would cost $30). It’s a bit like a beeper you get in a restaurant. You still have to queue as long as everyone else but you get to leave the queue and wander round the park. Much better than actually standing in line getting hot and bored. You can use if for up to 8 rides and again, numbers are limited so book ahead on line.

To book your tickets go to www.myfun.com.au. This is the site for Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild. Your booking gives you one year to use the tickets.Go to www.dreamworld.com.au for the other two theme parks.

Getting to and from the parks

There are buses available that will take you to the parks so you don’t need to hire a car. Surfside Shuttle Buses offer the best service and they have brochures in most key places such as tourist offices, the airport and of course, on their buses.

Main Attractions at the Parks

Planning your trip is the key to getting the most out of the Theme Parks. Whilst it’s nice to amble round and discover as you go, I guarantee that you will run out of time. Study the Park Map before you go and work out which of the attractions and shows you really want to do.

Sea World

Whilst this park is more about the fish than the rides, there is both here. The key ticket items are

The Water Ski Wipe Out Show, The Polar Bear Exhibition, and the Imagine Show at Dolphin Cove

If you want to swim with a dolphin or scuba dive with a shark then book one of their Animal Adventures. You’ll need to book in advance though.

There are a few rides here too with the Jet Rescue (their newest ride) and Corkscrew rollercoaster probably being the best ones. Both have height restrictions.

Movie World

Hit the streets and look out for your favourite movie characters. You are bound to bump into your favourite cartoon characters, Bat Man, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman and maybe even Shrek.

The main attractions are:-

For the younger ones you can’t beat the Looney Tunes Musical which happens once a day at 11.30am. You’ll be bopping in the aisle to some classic rock n roll tunes. The Hollywood Stunt driver show is a bit more fast and furious. This 20 minute show takes in lots of cool car stunts. The Shrek Cinema Adventure is a 3D Movie. You get to wear silly glasses and your chair moves.

The newest ride is the Batwing Space Shot. A rapid 4.5g vertical launch followed by a 60 meter drop. I hope you are brave enough. The Superman Escape is a more classic roller coaster of a ride and a good adrenalin rush.

Wet n Wild

This park isn’t too big but still has all the flumes and slides that you would expect. It’s good to be able to relax and enjoy the sunshine whilst the kids go off and play. You can still keep an eye on them.

Kamikaze – With speeds up to 50km/h this is a fast ride for 2 people.

Tornado – ride on a dingy like tube down a huge flume

Black Hole – added excitement by sliding down in the dark

Mach 5 – open air flumes with many twists and turns

Dreamworld

The most popular adrenalin junky rides are

Claw is like a big ferris wheel that takes you upside down;

Cyclone is more of a classic roller coaster;

Wipe Out is the giant boat that tips you up and over and side to side;

Cyclone is another classic roller coaster;

And Wipe Out is a giant boat that rocks from side to side and more.

Use your Q4U buzzer for these rides. If you have the early entry ticket, then head for these rides first. If not, expect to queue for over an hour.

There are other things to see here though. The more family friendly rides such as the Log Flume and Rapids are very popular. For the animal lover, there is Tiger Island where you get to see white and gold Bengal Sumatran Tigers.

The Nickelodean area is also popular and in particular the Slime Time Live is amusing.

Don’t forget to bring your swimmers and have a go at the Flowrider. A machine that helps you surf. You’ll get a real feel for what it’s like to surf your own wave.

White Water World

This park offers something for all ages, with lots of slides and flumes.

The Green Room is probably the biggest attraction, which towers 20m above the ground

The Hydro Coaster is for up to three. You sit behind each other on a special Rocket raft before being blasted from the 18 meter tower

Cave of Waves is more like a swimming pool with a wave machine. So there’s no need to worry about rips or sand banks. Why not do a learn to surf lesson here. The lessons last 2 hours and are between 8 and 10am. Book ahead though as they only run 3 times a week and cost $115.

More Tips for getting the most from the Theme Parks

You can take a packed lunch to some of the theme parks to save a bit of cash. Dream World and White Water World won’t allow it though.

There are lockers available usually throughout the parks. Choose one that is fairly central if you intend to go back there a couple of times in the day.

If you plan to split up and meet back somewhere, take mobile phones – queueing for different rides will take different lengths of time leaving half the party frustratingly waiting at a meeting point.

There’s so much more to the Gold Coast than the Theme Parks. Make sure your holiday to the Gold Coast takes in some of the other attractions including the Hinterland (The Green behind the Gold.)

Jennifer Schellington has nearly half a decade of experience in travelling Australia. Her website, www.realaustraliatravel.com offers useful information from a local on planning your trip to Australia as well as what to do and where to go. Click here for more information on exploring the The Gold Coast

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