G'day! I need directions if you have any

[Canadian Harmony]

Hi all! I'm planning a trip to the Gold Coast/Brissie and maybe Whitsundays for next summer to see my Mum. I want to take the kids to the Movie World/Sea World/Wet N Wild parks and the Dreamworld park too.

Is there an online forum similar to Disboards I can look at or am I at the mercy of Google?

 

[aussie shaz]

Google would be your best bet. You can probably also look at the Gold Coast forums on TripAdvisor for the parks. And the Brisbane forum for info there.

 

[Agent 86]

Is there any particular information that you're after.

The Gold Coast theme parks are nothing like Disney theme parks. I don't think they require any real planning, ride strategies, etc. The food is pretty much universally terrible. And there isn't much in the way of entertainment either.

I used to think they were okay before I experienced Universal Studios and Disney theme parks. Now it's hard to be motivated to visit, even though we usually buy the cheap, "local" annual passes.

 

[orion2185]

We live on the Gold Coast

Don't want to spoil your trip

This is only our viewpoint..

The theme parks are no way remotely even close to comparable.

Dreamworld is an absolute rip off
And love that their bottles of water you buy are very difficult to refill
They have a funny top that makes refilling yourself a very difficult and slow process. And they are expensive.
Surprised Disney does not use them

Movie world is boring
Same with sea world. Not much on offer

Never been to the water parks
So can't comment on those

If you go into them comparing to Disney or universal you will be very disappointed

Don't get us wrong.
They are great for Australia but wish we had something like Disney (they were going to build a Disney park on the GC) but built Hong Kong DL instead


Don't know of any online forums for the GC parks
Googles might be your only choice

But non of the parks require any form of planning.
As they all have very limited attractions

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Thanks everyone. I know the level of awesomeness with the parks are nowhere near DLR.

I wanted something cool for the kids while we're on the GC visiting. Maybe we'll just do one day at WnW and see the Outback show (or is it not worth it?) before heading up to see the Reef. We need to spend at least 3 days with my Mum and I wanted something fun for the kids at least one of those days.

I'm planning on hitting Lone Pine while we're in Brissie and taking a river cruise as well.

I appreciate your candor. We've already done DLR so we're not looking to run around a park and hit every single ride or see every single character - we want something more laid back anyway. But if the parks aren't worth it, we can at least hit some water and then carry on.

 

[aussie shaz]

How old are the kids? And what month will you be there? Our summer or yours?

 

[LivingforDisney]

You could do Dreamworld , as they have a water park as well.
Also Australia Zoo (steve Irwin) further up the coast

 

[Zosha]

We were on the GC last week and found Wet and Wild very disappointing. Lots of the slides were closed, the food was terrible (even by theme park standards!), and you couldn't purchase their version of Fast passes for some reason. It was the most disappointing out of all of the parks. Dream World has a water park attached which we actually thought was better. Everything was open and working. We headed in there at about 2pm after spending the morning doing the rides and had a lovely afternoon. Easy to get a chair in the shade and they had Campos coffee! Heaven!

Another tip, if you can, I would do Australia Zoo on the southern end of the Sunshine Coast over Lone Pine. It's a great place to visit.

 

[Zosha]

Also there is currently a Cudo deal out for 5 nights at Sea World Resort including unlimited Sea World, Movie World and Wet and Wild entrance for $949. It won't be on sale for long though!

 

[Agent 86]

If you only visit one park, and you're interested in water slides, then I would do Dreamworld over any of the others. But, you and your children will be disappointed if you're used to Disney and Universal Studios.

I had some friends who went to the Outback show and enjoyed it. But, they had the assistance of a lot of wine. I'm not sure how exciting it would be when sober or for children.

Australia Zoo would offer more to see then Lone Pine. The beaches and bush walks/mountain hikes are really the best attractions that the Gold Coast has to offer. It may be a top tourist destination, but it really doesn't cater to those tourists very well.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

I've been to Oz 3 times so in that I'm not at a complete loss as to what's where and all, but I was single then and had no kids to entertain. *mmmm... meat pies.... and REAL Tim Tams!*

How old are the kids? And what month will you be there? Our summer or yours?

Kids are 11 and 9. We're going in OUR early summer - late June. My husband and I can only get 2 weeks off work and still have time left for Christmas and Spring Break holidasy, otherwise we'd be there for a month.

You could do Dreamworld , as they have a water park as well. Also Australia Zoo (steve Irwin) further up the coast

I asked my Mum about Australia Zoo and she said it's not the same since Steve died. I wasn't there before, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I REALLY want to go there. Is it more than a day's drive from Brisbane?

We were on the GC last week and found Wet and Wild very disappointing. Lots of the slides were closed, the food was terrible (even by theme park standards!), and you couldn't purchase their version of Fast passes for some reason. It was the most disappointing out of all of the parks. Dream World has a water park attached which we actually thought was better. Everything was open and working. We headed in there at about 2pm after spending the morning doing the rides and had a lovely afternoon. Easy to get a chair in the shade and they had Campos coffee! Heaven!

Another tip, if you can, I would do Australia Zoo on the southern end of the Sunshine Coast over Lone Pine. It's a great place to visit.

I liked Lone Pine and Currumbin. My Mum said Currumbin has gone down since I was there last, which is a shame. Maybe she's just being a crotchety POM though. Maybe we'll focus on Dream World and their water park. I noticed the times of the parks were early closures - 5pm for a water park? Weird.

Also there is currently a Cudo deal out for 5 nights at Sea World Resort including unlimited Sea World, Movie World and Wet and Wild entrance for $949. It won't be on sale for long though!

That's a smokin' deal! I priced out 6 nights at the Resort for two queen beds at $2300!! What I did like about the resort stay was you get free dolphin discovery and character meets in the lobby every morning. I like their 'priviledge card' that gives percentages off at restaurants, merch and a BOGO for the buffet breakfast.

If you only visit one park, and you're interested in water slides, then I would do Dreamworld over any of the others. But, you and your children will be disappointed if you're used to Disney and Universal Studios.

I had some friends who went to the Outback show and enjoyed it. But, they had the assistance of a lot of wine. I'm not sure how exciting it would be when sober or for children.

Australia Zoo would offer more to see then Lone Pine. The beaches and bush walks/mountain hikes are really the best attractions that the Gold Coast has to offer. It may be a top tourist destination, but it really doesn't cater to those tourists very well.

I hear ya. My husband wants to hold a Koala and we can do that at Lone Pine for sure I know (I have my photo somewhere). We're not 'used' to Disney, we've only been once, but I think they'd appreciate a water park more than strictly a ride park. I know they'd be interested in meeting some of the characters though. Good to know about the Outback show. It looks interesting, but maybe I'll check out any youtubes about it first to see if it's worth the money. The four of us going, getting an extra drink, programs and a photo package comes to $455 at the lowest level! Even including 3 course meals, it's rather dear.

My husband thinks we should campervan it and go up to Airlie Beach to do a Reef Cruise. It's a little pricey at $600 for the family, but it includes morning tea and lunch, as well as the whole day on the reef with diving and snorkeling.

 

[mimishat]

hmmm if you are coming in June not sure how many attractions at the water parks will be open as that's going into our 'winter'. When we go we like to stay at Seaworld resort (DS6 and DS2) so we have easy access to SeaWorld whenever we like and get the 3 park pass for Movieworld and Wet n Wild (they can add in Australia Outback if you want to go). Cudo deals come up all the time - they can be very restrictive when you can/can't go - be sure to read all the fine print. If you decide to campervan it up to Airlie Beach (it is supper long way from the Gold Coast!) make sure to stop off at Hervey Bay and take a whale watching trip and maybe visit Fraser island (I live here and love promoting the region lol). Otherwise i'd fly straight into Hamilton Island and you can island hop from there. You can get cheap $99 fares from Brisbane regularly. We recently came back from a road trip up to Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island (took us 10.5 hours to drive from near Hervey Bay). So add another 4 hours to the Gold Coast

My kids are young so still love Australia Zoo. They aren't to know it's degraded over the years - it's still a nice day out.

SeaWorld has some character meetings (SpongeBob and his friends) at the resort and at the park throughout the day. They do a few shows near the entrance to seaworld too.

Haven't been to Dreamworld in years as it's sooo expensive! Last time we were down there was going to cost us near $300 just for entrance tickets for the day.

If you stay at the Gold Coast - Mt Tamborine is a nice day visit - the kids can go fossicking for thunder eggs on the mountain and you can go horseriding etc. They have "glamping" facilities if you like camping and the outdoors.

 

[BrizMarc]

Hi all! I'm planning a trip to the Gold Coast/Brissie and maybe Whitsundays for next summer to see my Mum. I want to take the kids to the Movie World/Sea World/Wet N Wild parks and the Dreamworld park too.

Is there an online forum similar to Disboards I can look at or am I at the mercy of Google?

Hi There, to start with I can point you towards a forum that chats about Gold Coast theme parks http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/ Everyone there will be happy to answer your questions.

Dont let everyone get you down about the theme parks on the Gold Coast. They really arent as bad as everyone makes out they just arent up to Disney/Universal level but no parks anywhere in the world are. The best way to treat the Gold Coast is like one big park in my opinion. Your best bet is to stay in Surfers Paradise as a base. Brisbane isnt very exciting for tourists and can be seen in a day. Visit Lone Pine Koala sanctuary while there.

Staying in Surfers will give you a good base to get around the Gold Coast. If your going to rent a car it would be a much faster way to get around that public transport. All the theme parks besides Seaworld are about 20 min drive from Surfers. You can get a 3 park pass for Seaworld MovieWorld and Wet N Wild for $100 that will get you into all of them. Movie world and seaworld are both half days parks and wet n wild can take up most the day if you want to. You also have dreamworld and white water world which are attached to each other an you can probably do both in a day if you want.

Surfers Paradise its self has alot to do with some great attractions like Infinity and Putt Putt and well as the beach. Just look up things to do you wont run out of things.

Anymore questions feel free to ask. I live in Surfers and am pretty good with whats going on around town.

 

[aussie shaz]

My kids love Dreamworld the best. Last time we went my kids were 9 and 11. I wouldn't bother with the waterparks in June. It will be way too cold for that. They also loved Movie World. Both because of the fast rides.
We did Australia Zoo. It's a few hours from the Gold Coast and I don't think it's that great. We also did Currumbin, and it was also a let down. Maybe I'm crotchety too!!
Just asked my 14 year old what his favourite things were on the Gold Coast. He said Movie World. The 12 year old said Dreamworld. Also going into Surfers Paradise. We stayed out a bit and drove. I like Surfers for a few hours at night, but it can get a bit much I think. Way too touristy, and not in a good way.

 

[LivingforDisney]

Yeh June might be a bit cold for waterparks.
We were lucky went to Australia Zoo about a month before Steve Irwin was killed, so we actually got to see him do his show.
I haven't been to GC for years, so not sure how the parks rate now, but we did enjoy Dreamworld and Movieworld,even after DL.
Hervey Bay sounds good.

 

[ehsmum]

I agree with BrizMarc, don't be put off about the parks. We are Disney and Universal freaks but we still enjoy the GC parks. I like MovieWorld the best, my husband prefers Sea World. The kids love all 3! We did the Outback Spectacular a few years ago and we all really enjoyed it. I'd say keep looking for deals, you'll be there in off season/out of school holidays so you should be able to find something. If you can swing staying at the Sea World Resort, I would recommend it.

 

[jacs1234]

Australia zoo is about 1 1/2 hours drive from Brisbane. I also haven't been there since Steve died but when I did I really enjoyed it but we got to chat to Steve so that was good. I had only just started liking him at that stage, he used to annoy me lol I would consider lego land on a lower level than the disney parks and I would consider our theme parks to be on a lower level that lego land lol We still enjoy going to them sometimes though.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Hi There, to start with I can point you towards a forum that chats about Gold Coast theme parks http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/ Everyone there will be happy to answer your questions.

Dont let everyone get you down about the theme parks on the Gold Coast. They really arent as bad as everyone makes out they just arent up to Disney/Universal level but no parks anywhere in the world are. The best way to treat the Gold Coast is like one big park in my opinion. Your best bet is to stay in Surfers Paradise as a base. Brisbane isnt very exciting for tourists and can be seen in a day. Visit Lone Pine Koala sanctuary while there.

Staying in Surfers will give you a good base to get around the Gold Coast. If your going to rent a car it would be a much faster way to get around that public transport. All the theme parks besides Seaworld are about 20 min drive from Surfers. You can get a 3 park pass for Seaworld MovieWorld and Wet N Wild for $100 that will get you into all of them. Movie world and seaworld are both half days parks and wet n wild can take up most the day if you want to. You also have dreamworld and white water world which are attached to each other an you can probably do both in a day if you want.

Surfers Paradise its self has alot to do with some great attractions like Infinity and Putt Putt and well as the beach. Just look up things to do you wont run out of things.

Anymore questions feel free to ask. I live in Surfers and am pretty good with whats going on around town.

Thanks for the link,I'll for sure check it out. I know the level of parks won't match Disney- to me even Universal in LA doesn't - but I know the girls would love a place to go and have some fun. My Mum is 85, so isn't really into those kind of parks. She used to be, but she's slowed down a lot after her stroke. It's good to know about how long the parks take - I figured they were 1/2 day except for the water parks. We'll probably rent a campervan and camp instead of hotel it unless we can afford the Resort.

My kids love Dreamworld the best. Last time we went my kids were 9 and 11. I wouldn't bother with the waterparks in June. It will be way too cold for that. They also loved Movie World. Both because of the fast rides.
We did Australia Zoo. It's a few hours from the Gold Coast and I don't think it's that great. We also did Currumbin, and it was also a let down. Maybe I'm crotchety too!!
Just asked my 14 year old what his favourite things were on the Gold Coast. He said Movie World. The 12 year old said Dreamworld. Also going into Surfers Paradise. We stayed out a bit and drove. I like Surfers for a few hours at night, but it can get a bit much I think. Way too touristy, and not in a good way.

I loved Curumbin and so I'm sad it's gone downhill since I was last there. What was not great about the Zoo in your opinion? I've never been so I have nothing to colour my experience if we go this time. I agree - I have spent some time at Surfers and was surprised at the amount of tourists there (and I was one of them!). Good to know Movie World and Dream World are good though.

Yeh June might be a bit cold for waterparks.
We were lucky went to Australia Zoo about a month before Steve Irwin was killed, so we actually got to see him do his show.
I haven't been to GC for years, so not sure how the parks rate now, but we did enjoy Dreamworld and Movieworld,even after DL.
Hervey Bay sounds good.

I hope it's no too cold in June (which sounds weird for me to say because we're opposite you so I'm used to 25+ heat here then). Was the Zoo worth it you think?

I agree with BrizMarc, don't be put off about the parks. We are Disney and Universal freaks but we still enjoy the GC parks. I like MovieWorld the best, my husband prefers Sea World. The kids love all 3! We did the Outback Spectacular a few years ago and we all really enjoyed it. I'd say keep looking for deals, you'll be there in off season/out of school holidays so you should be able to find something. If you can swing staying at the Sea World Resort, I would recommend it.

I'll keep looking for deals. I keep going to the websites and they're the 'rack rate' right now, no deals have jumped out at me. I might check out the link a few posts up with the resort deal. I'm trying to figure out how to squish 3 weeks of fun into 2 weeks.

Australia zoo is about 1 1/2 hours drive from Brisbane. I also haven't been there since Steve died but when I did I really enjoyed it but we got to chat to Steve so that was good. I had only just started liking him at that stage, he used to annoy me lol I would consider lego land on a lower level than the disney parks and I would consider our theme parks to be on a lower level that lego land lol We still enjoy going to them sometimes though.

Good to know. We're planning on going up to Airlie Bay anyway, so maybe the Zoo is on the way.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I second Australia Zoo - due to go again soon to update my opinion but others I know who have been more recently haven't said that they think its worse since Steve died - it gets a lot of bad press every now and then eg about the way they treat employees but it could all be media hype typically sticking the boot in. It has got a lot lot busier with huge crowds compared to the old days which seems to be the biggest ***** - and food costs - but they have a good cross section of animals. Lone Pine is still a nice park near Brisbane city for the core Aus animals. I second Seaworld but again its been a while since I have been - we like the combo of animals, shows and rides and they have a small water park play area but the water park is closing in January for some "new" redevelopment (not yet announced what). We have also stayed with deals at Seaworld Resort and they have been great value if one comes up.

June should be nice - warmish days (low 20's C unless we get a cold snap) and cold (to us) crisp nights (ave 7-10C). I'm throwing into the mix the possibilities of a visit to North Stradbroke Isd (take your hire car over) or Moreton Island (eg Tangalooma Resort) as an alternative - eg Tangalooma tobogganing down sand dunes, snorkeling if the water isn't too cold for you, dolphin feeding, whale watching trips (June is start of season) and you may see them from the beach on either island. Google the islands for more info. You can get access to either from Brisbane or for North Stradbroke from a suburb south of Brisbane, Cleveland. South Stradbroke Island you may see reference to also in your research is accessible from just north of the Gold Coast but only has a rather rundown resort, Couran Cove, on it - great if you get one of their half price deals but don't pay full price-it is pretty but you need push bikes to get around really and the hire cost per day for a family adds up.

Frazer Isd is also really good though for a day trip out of Hervey Bay or to stay on the island eg at Kingfisher Bay Resort plus a day tour and you can also whale watch from Hervey Bay too. Whale watching is better out of Brisbane, Gold Coast or Hervey Bay than the Whitsundays. Staying on the coast we prefer Broadbeach just south of Surfers or the other end Coolangatta which is no use to you - you need to be near Surfers/Broadbeach for access to the parks etc. I agree Tamborine Mtn is also a really good day trip the kids would enjoy with nice rainforest walks too or even further up to Lamington National Park with its treetop walk (but very windy road if anyone gets carsick).

Brisbane you can sightsee and get a feel for the city in one day with a focus on the river and Southbank including free rides on CityHopper ferries or a longer ride (pay for) up or down river on a CityCat ferry. Streets Beach pool and water play areas are open all year round (google also) and there are lots of great playgrounds, cafes, Brisbane Wheel etc all at Southbank. Just along the esplanade there is the free Museum and art galleries (GOMA often has more interesting stuff for children happening than the more formal Art Gallery).

If you look up SkierPete on Disboards he posted his review of a trip to Aus a couple of years ago which included Australian Zoo. I think he posted it on Aus board but maybe not? he got a lot of info from the Aus Board prior to the trip which included Cairns and Eungella National Park. He stayed at the Glasshouse Mountains convenient for the zoo and that could be a plan for you as you head north - 2 nights with the zoo during the day. The hinterland of the Sunshine Coast is also a great place to visit with views, cafes, waterfalls and rainforest trails.

Anyway as another Brisbanite on these boards, happy to answer any other questions. Happy planning.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

That's awesome info, thanks! We get scads of whale sightings here, so it's not something we'd go out of way for. The kids and DH all want to hit the south tip of the BGReef while we're there, so that's definitely on the plan to visit the Whitsundays.

The plan so far, if you'd all be so kind to critique is this:

Arrive Wednesday 22 June (we're losing a day by flying out on a Monday, but saving $400+ round trip using Mondays as our departure days). Grab our rental campervan and head down to Coombabah (Mum's). Set up camp at Treasure Island. Hang out at TI and visit the parks during the day and have time with Grandma evenings. I'm estimating 2 1/2 -3 days for SeaWorld, DreamWorld, MovieWorld, WetnWild. We're not huge riders of rides, but we'll get a few in I'm sure.

Then on Saturday we'll head up north and overnight in Bundaberg at a campsite, then hit Airlie Bay and camp there at Airlie Beach Resort. On Tuesday we'll do a ReefWorld Cruise for the day (includes morning tea and lunch), then head back to campsite. Wednesday we'll drive south again and overnight at a Rockhampton campsite. Thursday we'll hit Brisbane where we'll camp at Brisbane Holiday Park until Saturday. While in Brissie we can take a cruise, hit Lone Pine, and the Wheel. I'd love to take the girls to the museum and the GOMA for sure. Saturday we return the campervan and get a hotel until we leave early Monday morning. DH wants a 'down' day where we don't do anything, but to me that's wasting good tourist time. Maybe our 'nothing' day can be just wondering around Southbank or something.

While in Brissie, we can always pop back down to Coombabah and see Grandma and maybe hit a park if we're looking for more excitement, or Grandma can swing up to see us in town.

I see the Aus Zoo is on the way up to Bundaberg so we can stop on the way up or down from Rockhampton depending on how long our drive is, and there's even air-con busses that go from Brissie hotels up and back, so that's another option we could take while hanging out for 4 days in Brisbane!

I'm going to get our APOD memberships as it's given to Canadian Military now too. That'll save us some money on heaps of things - campervan rentals, campsites, entry into SeaWorld and such too! It'll cost me $20AUD, but it'll save us a lot more.

Thanks again for all the great ideas!