Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Sea World Dr. (3km/1 3 ⁄4 miles north of Surfers Paradise), The Spit, Main Beach.& 07/5588 2222, or 07/5588
2205 (24-hr. info line). Fax: 07/5591 1056. www.seaworld.com.au. Admission (all-inclusive except dolphin
experiences, helicopter rides, and powered watersports) A$56 (US$36) adults, A$36 (US$23) children 4–13.
AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 10am–5pm; Anzac Day 1:30–6:30pm. Closed Christmas. Free parking.
Warner Bros. Movie World Kids Australia’s answer to Universal Studios
just about matches its U.S. counterpart for thrills and spills. The park is based
around working studios where Scooby Doo, The Phantom, 20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea, and Streetfighter were filmed. If you already know how Superman flies
across skyscrapers and you’ve heard a Foley sound studio in action before, the
train ride around the sets might not interest you, but it’s a great introduction to
cinema tricks for first-timers. The latest hair-raising, tummy-turning ride is the
A$13 million (US$8.5 million) indoor Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster roller
coaster, which joins the Lethal Weapon roller coaster and the simulated highspeed
chase of Batman—The Ride in keeping thrill-seekers happy. Don’t miss
the hilarious Police Academy Stunt Show. Young kids can take rides and see
stage shows by Yosemite Sam and Porky Pig in the Looney Tunes Village, and
there’s a Looney Tunes Parade through the streets each day. Most parades and
shows take place between 11am and 4pm. New attractions set to open in 2004
are the Australian Outback Spectacular, a 2-hour evening show featuring up to
40 horses and stuntmen and an Aussie barbecue dinner, and Paradise Country,
which will have koala and kangaroo displays, billy tea and damper around the
campfire, boomerang throwing, whip cracking, horse-drawn wagon rides, sheep
dog mustering, a stock horse round up, and cow milking. Tickets for the Outback
Spectacular show are expected to be around A$60 (US$39).
Pacific Hwy. (21km/13 miles north of Surfers Paradise), Oxenford. & 07/5573 3999, or 07/5573 8485 for
recorded information. www.movieworld.com.au.Admission (all-inclusive) A$56 (US$36) adults,A$36 (US$23)
children 4–13. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 9:30am–5:30pm; rides and attractions operate 10am–5pm. Closed Christmas
and until 1:30pm Anzac Day. Free parking.
Wet ’n’ Wild Water World Kids Hurtling down a seven-story piece of fiberglass
at 70kmph (43 mph) is just one of many water-slide options at this aquatic
fun park. The rides have names like Double Screamer, Mammoth Falls, The
Twister, Terror Canyon, and White Water Mountain. That just about says it all.
Scaredy-cats can stick to the four regular white-water flumes, float gently past
palm-studded “islands” at Calypso Beach, swim in the artificial breakers in the
Wave Pool or in the regular pool, or soak in a spa at Whirlpool Springs. There’s
also a water playground for young kids. Every night in January, and Saturday
night September through April, is Dive-In Movie night, during which film fans
can recline on a rubber tube in the pool while watching the flick on a giant
screen. Note: It is very popular and very crowded, and to get a tube or a seat you
have to get there early. A stunt show plays at 2:30pm (5pm on movie nights).
The water is heated to 79°F (26°C) April to September; there are lifeguards on
duty, you can hire towels and lockers, and use the hot showers.
Pacific Hwy. (next to Warner Bros. Movie World), Oxenford. & 07/5556 1610, or 07/5573 2255 for 24-hr.
recorded information. www.wetnwild.com.au. Admission A$35 (US$23) adults, A$22 (US$14) children 4–13.
AE, DC, MC, V. Daily Jan 10am–9pm; Feb 10am–5pm; Mar–Apr 10am–4:30pm; May–Aug 10am–4pm;
Sept–Oct 10am–4:30pm; Nov–Dec 10am–5pm. Open to 9pm on Dive-In Movie nights. Closed Christmas and
open from 1:30pm Anzac Day.
EXPLORING THE WILDLIFE & AUSTRALIAN PARKS
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Kids Currumbin began life as a bird sanctuary,
and is almost synonymous with the wild rainbow lorikeets which flock here