True to its reputation (and our expectation), the Gold Coast proved to be a massive hit with the kids.
It took some time to navigate the myriad of theme park deals but we eventually chose the Dreamworld/White Water World/ Skydeck option. At almost $100 per person per ticket, it was an important decision for our budget!
We ended up spending 3 action packed, full days at Dreamworld and White Water World. Although I was content with the more sedate rides (aimed at pre-schoolers!), Michael and the kids enthusiastically headed for the gut churning, gravity defying, nerve jangling ones…repeatedly! Tashi proved to be the biggest adrenalin junkie with Jesse falling a close second. I think they rode the Hot Wheels roller coaster at least 15 times! They also braved the Giant Drop, the tallest free-falling ride in the world. It drops its victims from 119m (39 storeys) at a speed of 135km/hr, meaning it takes mere seconds before the platform almost slams into the earth. It definitely scared the pants off them but it didn’t stop the kids wanting to go again the next day!! Other favourites were the Mick Doohan motorbike roller coaster, Pandemonium and the thunder river rapids.
The parks had plenty to keep the kids amused day after day. There were a few things closed for maintenance / upgrades but it didn’t have a huge impact on the overall experience. The new tiger enclosure at Dreamworld was only days off being ‘revealed’, however, to keep visitors enthralled with the cute, furry beasts, they had a glassed enclosure where the tiger cubs played with their keepers all day (nice job if you can get it!). They were very entertaining and very cute…the tigers not the keepers!! We were fortunate to be there before the official school holidays so were able to access the attractions pretty quickly. We swanned past signs in the ride queuing areas that indicated wait times as long as 1-2 hours! I can’t imagine being there during peak periods when the weather is hot and tempers are fraying, waiting two hours for a 30 second ride. We needed to only wait 5-10 minutes for most rides and even that made the kids fidget annoyingly!
We had the pleasure of meeting up with a few Melbourne friends while we were on the Gold Coast. Tashi’s best friend Ruby popped up with her family for a short break and joined us for a day of excitement and mayhem at DreamWorld & White Water World. A dinner in the heart of the glitzy town centre topped off a lovely reunion. Another great friend, Sally, brought her toddlers, Zack and Isabel, to feast on the delights of Queensland’s kitsch family fun parks. Turns out Isabel was more impressed with the muddy puddle at the end of the jumping pillow in our caravan park than with the choreographed razzle dazzle of Sea World and Movie World! Aahhhh, you have to love the brutal honesty and simplicity of kids!
It was without doubt the most expensive destination of our trip but well worth it to give the kids a week of unbridled fun and laughter after the strain and impact of Tasha’s health battles. It is easy to see why families flock to the Gold Coast every year. The magnetism of the sun, the beaches and the fun parks is undeniably attractive for those seeking adventure. But to be frank, it is a truly awful place. It’s soulless, commercialised and full of the same kind of Aussie boguns that behave badly in Bali. It’s where footy teams have their end of season piss up trips and where thousands of ‘schoolies’ descend every year to get ‘smashed’ and do things they’ll later regret. I’m sure it wasn’t always so dreadful but it has become a victim of its own success, creating more crass and tacky artifacts that compound its tasteless and boorish culture. I have no doubt we’ll be nagged to return to the adrenalin packed parks but we’ll heartily resist, hopefully long enough that their next visit will be as adults and we won't need to accompany them! Michael and I will happily drop them at the Gold Coast before making a dash west to the majestic Kimberley region or the spectacular Pilbara.
photos left to right
DREAMWORLD
our cheesy family DreamWorld photo
the kids on the Hot Wheels rollercoaster
the BIG DROP tower
Michael, Jesse & Tasha on their way down the BIG DROP - lunatics!
Michael kissing Po
Gemma getting a cuddle from Po
Tasha & Jesse with Po
Jesse on the log ride
getting drenched on the log ride
the kids on the Tail Spin ride
enjoying the relative comfort of the river rapid ride
Pandemonium!
these cheeky animals at the food court spray you with water when you walk past!
Gemma being 'kissed' by a tiger
the tiger cubs playing in the glass enclosure
Michael and a tiger cub having a heart to heart
tiger cubs playing
Tashi busting out of the old jail
entrance to the Saw Mill ride
Gemma stuck in the stocks!
trying it our for size!
Tashi in the replica ice-cream truck
WHITE WATER WORLD
Ruby and Tashi in fron too the giant thong
Ruby, Tasha, Jake, Gemma & Jesse
the giant bucket spilling over
The Green Room water slide - scary but fun!
GOLD COAST CITY
the QI building - the location of the SkyPoint Observation Deck
view from SkyPoint over the Gold Coast
view from SkyPoint over the Gold Coast
high rise after high rise - this is what you see along the beach on the Gold Coast...insane!
AT THE BIG 4 PARK
Sally and me - the outback traveller meets the sophisticated city holiday maker!
the caravan park pool with its own water slide