Feeling restless cooped up at home after a hefty 2016? Finally recharged those batteries after finally accepting that Trump’s actually going to be a president this year? Hiding on the couch bingeing on Mad men only works for so long, i’m afraid. Now’s the time to get up, shower, eat an adult meal, jump in the car and drive to one of our many fine theme parks. Because nothing says Australian summer like waiting hours for a few minutes of.. actually, scrap that analogy. Let’s move forward, shall we?
Sea World – Carnivale
Were you a fan of Movie World’s Carnivale last year? Did you ponder the thought of what it would be like if it was somewhere else? Well, wonderous minds wonder no more, because Sea World is loading up on entertainers, food and special musical acts and doing an after hours shindig that looks to encapsulate the spirit of Movie World’s variant of the popular gig. Don’t tell anyone, but beers in particular are suspiciously cheap at our theme parks, so if you’re looking for a great place to have a drink and some amazing food look no further. Tickets are $20 and Carnivale is running every Friday & Saturday of the month until 10pm. Get on it.
Dreamworld – Fire Machine & Longer Hours
Fan of flames, lasers & stuff? Even if you’re not you should get your daireaire down to Dreamworld and show some support for the freshly re-opened Australian icon. While over half of the major thrill rides are still being looked over, there’s never been a better time to spend a few hours at WhiteWater World, especially now that’s included in the entry price. Plus there’s a brand new Tiger Island experience, where you can enjoy a pint of Draft Kirin. Epic win. There’s also an overload of of shows and entertainment and there’s extended trading hours until later this month. Neat. All of this is included in the entry price, and the Fire Machine show is nightly at 8:30pm until the 15th. Also, did you know you can support OurWorlds and buy Dreamworld tickets via our affiliate link? True story.
Wet ‘n’ Wild Gold Coast – Buggies, Longer Hours & refurbished slides
If you’ve ever flipped over your driver Queensland drivers license, you’ll note on the back its a requirement to go to a waterpark at least once a year to maintain your registration. With this in mind, they still dont get bigger ‘n’ better than Wet ‘n’ Wild. They’ve extended their trading hours until 6:30pm until January 11 (strange date to end extended trade, but anyway), added in a cool Dune Buggie Adventure attraction thing out the back that’s worth checking out and the Aqua 8 racer slide has been completely renewed with new competition timers. Because let’s face it, nothing says Queenslander like gloating to your out of town Welshman mates how much better we are in every way shape and form.
Warner Bros. Movie World – VR & Star Tours
Haven’t been out to Movie World in a few months? If you’re a thrillseeking geek like me (and if you’re reading this site, you probably are) now’s the time to get on the Star Tour experience and finally climb a roller-coaster. Included with the experience are Fast Tracks to skip the queue for the whole day, which means you’ll get more done in your day and get to experience Arkham Asylum’s new VR experience, which totally kicks serious ass. Take it from me, laser-guided synchronisation means less motion-sickness and more jaw-dropping out of this world new experiences. Arkham Asylum is so good i’d dare say it’s one of the world’s best Virtual Reality roller-coaster experiences to date, it’s that good. As for the park’s new ride, Doomsday Destroyer, well, it’s experiencing extra, extra long downtime. But don’t let that stop you from an otherwise great day out at a great park.
So, anything else noteworthy happening around town?
Well i’m glad you asked, actually. Here’s a few more that either aren’t parks or aren’t on the golden coast to end all coasts.
Australian Outback Spectacular – Salute to the Light Horse
If you haven’t been you really need to put a night aside and get out to what is easily one of Australia’s best indoor meal & show deals. It’s a Gold Coast right of passage, and one you shouldn’t miss this summer. Tickets are here.
Wet ‘n’ Wild Sydney – Dinosaur Lagoon, Cinema in the Sand, Showtime FMX
Did you know there’s a Wet ‘n’ Wild Sydney? Right! I’m staggered by how many people still don’t know there’s a great waterpark that exists on the outskirts of Sydney. Do yourself a favour and if you’re a Sydney resident grab your tap ‘n’ play band and make a trip, you’d be pleasently surprised by the cinema in the sand (aka Dive ‘n’ Movies for the Queenslanders), Showtime FMX performances, live music performances and of course, amazing waterslides, some of which you won’t see up in Queensland (including a pretty cool lazy river with Dinosaurs.) Tickets are here.
Adventure World Perth – Cirque Extreme
Perth residents, did you know you have a legitimately great theme park / water park hybrid a short drive from the CBD? Well now you do. No need to thank me, instead you should grab some tickets and head out there yourself and check out why us on the East Coast are so jealous of your cool little backyard park. Aside from Abyss & Kraken, two incredible attractions that should be on the Gold Coast and not in Perth, they’re also running a cool show called Cirque Extreme until the end of the month that’s getting solid reviews. If you haven’t been in years now’s the time to get reacquainted with the crazy good underdog of Australian theme parks.
Got your own hot tips that haven’t been mentioned? Tweet us or comment or do as the romans do and write to us (no don’t, a tweet is fine, seriously.)
