Fun on the Gold Coast: Seaworld and Surfers Paradise

Last Saturday, December 3rd, we treated ourselves to a great campsite on the Gold Coast. There weren't many cheap accommodation options and since we didn't have anything planned for the day, we checked in early to make the most of what was offered (like the pool). The campsite cost $38 per night for an unpowered site, which is the highest we've had to pay so far. But we also got a lot for it: there was a huge, totally modern camp kitchen, a large pool with a slide, and a heated whirlpool. There was also a petting zoo and a big trampoline pillow, but we couldn't use it because there were so many kids on it. We spent the afternoon and evening at the pool, enjoying the warm water as it got dark. The pools were beautifully lit and there were torches, which created a great atmosphere. Unfortunately, it started storming in the evening again, and when we got out of the water to make some food, it was raining and it was really cold. Thank God we could take a warm shower, and in the shower it felt like being in a thermal bath because there was such great relaxing music. By the way, there was a large aquarium with Nemo, Dory, and Co. both at the entrance to the toilets and in the kitchen. Really cool!

On Sunday morning, when checking out, we asked which of the two water parks in the region would be better for us. I really wanted to go to a water slide paradise because that would be something different and I really felt like it. The Gold Coast south of Brisbane is THE tourist paradise and the typical holiday destination for all those who love big hotels, beaches, and nightlife. Many families also go on vacation there, so there are many theme parks and leisure activities. After the woman at the campsite told us that one of the parks is currently closed and the other costs $76 per person, we were a bit disappointed. That was too much money for us. But she still had an ace up her sleeve: unlimited entry for 7 days to Seaworld, Warner Bros. Movie World, and the Waterpark Wet'n'Wild. For just $14 more entrance fee into 3 parks instead of just one? Of course, we have time! So we let ourselves be lured by the offer and bought two tickets. Since it was Sunday and the woman said that there is always a bit more going on on weekends, we decided to spend the day at Seaworld instead of the water park. It probably wouldn't be so bad if there were a few more people in the park there.

Seaworld is located in Surfers Paradise, a well-known place on the Gold Coast, which consists of many small, merged towns. And that's where we went right away! We had to drive for about half an hour and after getting lost once, we found it. In the park, we first oriented ourselves and checked when the shows were and which ones we wanted to see at all. Then we got on the monorail and rode to the end of the park to walk back from there. From the car, we had a nice view of the terrain and the various enclosures, so we could already see some dolphins, sharks, and rays.

At the back of the park, there is an attraction where you ride a boat and shoot water out of a cannon at onlookers. However, they also have cannons and can shoot at the boats. Of course, I had to try it right away and shoot a boat vigorously. After that, I was pretty wet and glad that we didn't get in a boat because we would probably have been completely soaked. But it was pretty funny :D

Then we moved on to little penguins that live in Australia, sea lions, and rays swimming in a shallow pool that you could even pet. They felt slimy :D Next, we looked at the polar bears, who actually have an outdoor enclosure at these temperatures, which is cooled by cooling devices. What a waste of energy!

At 1:50 PM, the first show we wanted to watch started: Jetski Stunt Extreme. And it was really cool!! I didn't even know that there are special stunt jet skis that you stand on instead of sit on, but apparently there are, and it turns out you can do some pretty cool stuff with them. The show lasted about 15 minutes and the 4 guys showed off their tricks, raced each other, and went over ramps. It was really worth seeing!

After the show, we went to the penguin house, where we could watch some rockhopper penguins (fastest birds underwater!) zooming around underwater. They were really fast and turned so quickly that I couldn't keep up with my eyes! When you see them on land, you wouldn't believe how agile they are underwater. Some even jumped out of the water like dolphins and then continued swimming underwater. Or they jumped from the water onto the land, which also looked pretty funny. There were also a few king penguins standing above water, but they weren't as active. This time, there was even a real snowy landscape above water for the penguins, and the underwater landscape was beautifully designed too. We spent quite a long time with the penguins even though they are not usually the most interesting animals for us. But it was really nice!

After the penguins, we went to the Deep Creatures Discovery Centre. There you could marvel at some deep-sea creatures made of plastic and stand on a scale that would tell you how many of yourself you would need to weigh the same as a whale, a squid, or another marine creature. I x 2651 would be a blue whale for example :D

Now it was time for the next show, in which a sea lion played the main role. He and two humans were the "Fish Detectives" and had to find out what a crafty fish seller was up to. Unfortunately, the acoustics weren't good at all, and the microphone voices of the actors echoed in a way that we could hardly understand anything. Also, the show was more geared towards children and didn't appeal to us that much. But the sea lions' performances were still funny and we liked them.

After the show, we strolled through the park a bit, read more about deep-sea fish, took photos with octopuses and walruses, and then walked to the dolphin show. It was at 3:30 PM and a highlight of the visit. I was a bit skeptical because our travel guide says that Seaworld offers "questionable animal shows". That's why I originally didn't want to go to the park at all, but since it was included in the combination ticket, I went anyway. In the end, the dolphin show was pretty cool, although there were some tricks that I found a bit unnatural. During the show, the staff kept reassuring us how great dolphins are, how great Seaworld is, and how great the work is that Seaworld does to protect dolphins and the oceans. So it was a big marketing campaign. I think Seaworld is no longer as questionable as it used to be and they treat the animals well. But you can still be a bit skeptical.

After the dolphin show, we went to the Stormcoaster, a whitewater roller coaster and the only cool ride that was open. There are two others, but unfortunately, they were closed for maintenance. With this ride, you were not allowed to take bags or loose items with you (obviously). However, there were no storage areas for things directly at the entrance to the ride, as you know it from Europa-Park, for example. You had to lock your stuff in lockers if you didn't have anyone to watch it, and these lockers cost $2 per hour. I thought that was pretty cheeky again. They could just set up a table where people can put their stuff during the ride or make lockers with a deposit, couldn't they? But well, we didn't have a choice. Except to walk to the car and leave our stuff there. But that would have taken another 20 minutes, and we didn't have that much time until the park closes. So $2 in the locker and into the roller coaster. Because it was already late afternoon, we didn't have to wait long and the ride was really fun! From the top, we had a great view of the park, the sea, Surfers Paradise, and all the water sports enthusiasts. Then it went a bit up and down until we finally went inside and into the water. Thank God we didn't sit in the front row, because apparently that's where you get the wettest, but we still got quite wet. But because of the water, you somehow ride a water coaster :D

Because we wanted to make good use of our $2 locker, we rode the Stormcoaster 3 more times right away. On the fourth and last time, we sat in the front row and noticed that you actually get the wettest there. Actually, we were really completely soaked :D That was enough for us, so we got our backpack and went out again. We hadn't been to the sharks yet, and on the way there, we passed a pool where you could pet sea cucumbers and starfish. The sea cucumbers were slimy, the starfish were hard. The sharks were housed in two large tanks that you could also view underwater. One tank had a large reef with all sorts of fish species, reef sharks, and rays reproduced, and in the other tank, there were large sharks and typical Australian marine fish. The underwater view was really beautiful! We recognized many fish from our diving and snorkeling trips, but also saw some new ones and were able to examine the familiar ones in much more detail. Even the dangerous sharks in the second tank were impressive, and it was nice to just stand there and observe the scenery.

Just as we were leaving the shark tank, a park employee came towards us, who was about to throw out the people because the park was closing. So it was perfect timing, and we made our way to the exit.

In the evening, we drove to the heart of Surfers Paradise because we were nearby anyway, and there is a night market there on Sundays. We looked for a parking space in a residential area and walked to the promenade. There was a lot going on on the way there, we saw the hotel high-rises, shops, and bars. There was also a lot going on at the promenade because of the market, and there were still many people on the beach, and a few surfers were still in the water. It had a cool, typical holiday atmosphere, and we just let ourselves drift through the crowd a bit. The market was really beautiful, there were many different things made by hand, and some things I had never seen before. For example, a man cut out the symbols on coins from all over the world with a mini saw, but didn't cut the ring, so you could wear the coin as a pendant. It was so delicate and looked so cool! Elsewhere, there were great coconut bowls decorated with mosaics, and a woman braided a bracelet with your name on it in 3 minutes. Really great.

On the way back to the car, we walked through the main shopping street, where we saw some attractions like the wax museum, many restaurants, interesting people, and even a Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor. Then we walked back through the darkness to the rest area where we had stayed two days before. I don't think I mentioned it, but on Friday, when we were there, a car from a Christian organization came in the evening and distributed leftover food from a bakery for free. That was really cool because the woman was very generous, and I walked back to the car with a blueberry braid, a mock cream bun, 4 scones, some rolls, and a few instant noodle cups. I could have gotten even more, but two people can't eat that much, and we don't have a fridge either :D But we could definitely live off the stuff for the next 2 days, and the things were worth about $25. So it was really fortunate that we were there just when they were giving out the food. Even though I felt a bit like a homeless person when she gave me the food :D

The next day, we wanted to go to Wet'n'Wild, and the day after that to Movie World. I'll tell you about that in the next entry :)