A very Gold Coast weekend

March 20, 2009

whitewater-world2 The concept: A driving trip from Sydney to the Gold Coast with three kids, fitting in as many theme parks as humanly possible in a long weekend. Sounds like the weekend away from hell? Not if you plan your trip well and choose the right accommodation both there and on the way.

Well my planning was thorough, having researched new attractions at the Gold Coast theme parks, calculating how long it would take to drive there, where to have rest stops and the best time to drive in order to avoid traffic. I didn’t factor in the weather however…

Our plan is to drive to Coffs Harbour on Day 1 and stay the night at the beautiful Aanuka Bay Resort. I ignore news stories of storms lashing the Gold Coast, confident the weather will clear up. We’re fairly close to Port Macquarie when the heavens open. And we’re talking monsoonal rain. So heavy I can barely see with wipers at top speed. So the last leg of our trip to Coffs is the slowest.

Driver reviver

We always break our journey north at some of the driver reviver rest stops. We’re regulars at the Newcastle and Port Macquarie – run by volunteers and sponsored by Bushells, they offer tea, coffee, cordial, biscuits and a toilet for grateful drivers. Each holiday season up to 220 Bushells Driver Reviver sites open across Australia and they’re supported by volunteers from a range of regional community groups.

The Breakfree Aanuka Bay Resort makes for a great place to stop when we finally reach it. I’m starting to wish we could just stay here and forget the next driving stint. Two beautiful pools, one with a waterslide – very important feature for anyone under 12, tennis courts, day spa (mmm) and a large kid-friendly restaurant. The cabins are spacious and include kitchen and laundry facilities.

Our first day on the Gold Coast, having driven through a few more hours of driving rain, is spent at Seaworld. The sea still looks angry and brown after days of stormy weather but the sun’s out in full force when we arrive.

First stop – the dugong exhibit, a very kid-friendly and educational exhibit with interactive features teaching kids about the marine environment and threats to the dugong population. Shark Bay is also impressive with touch pools on the surface for littlies and great underwater viewing of all sorts of tropical fish, sharks and rays. Older kids can snorkel and there’s also a dive experience with the big sharks.

We then experience the Seaworld Eye for the first time, which offers fabulous views of the Spit (and air-conditioning). As my kids fall into two different age groups, when it comes to the rides, it’s time to split up. The older kids race for the Pirate Ship and the Corkscrew while seven-year-old Mary and I head for Sesame St Beach.

Very Gold Coast

Our accommodation choice in Surfers Paradise is totally Gold Coast – high-rise (22^nd floor) at the Vibe Hotel. The kids are especially excited that the neon Vibe sign is above our balcony. The view is spectacular – if a little scary to my heightened sense of vertigo. The apartment is spacious and beautifully fitted out, with kitchen and laundry facilities and an odd little raised mini-room with the apparent sole purpose being for guests to enjoy the view.

Day Two is spent at the “Worlds” – Dreamworld and Whitewater World. We arrive early and the older kids run straight for the ‘Big 6’ rides while Mary and I head for Nick Central.

Having re-grouped as a family we head for a stroll around the Australian Wildlife Experience before heading over to Wiggles World for lunch and a few tamer rides. A Wildlife highlight was the bilby burrow, with two baby bilbies in view – very cute.

The Yummy Yummy Café has sensible healthy food for kids including fruit salad and vegemite sandwiches.

Top Tip
If you’re an NRMA member you can gain entry to the park at 9am – an hour earlier than everyone else. This allows you to go on the more popular ‘Big 6’ rides without queuing for 45 minutes.

Our afternoon is spent cooling down in Whitewater World, which has a great selection of waterslides and rides – plenty of choice for kids of all ages. From Wiggles Splash and Play for toddlers, through to the Green Room. The highlight for me was Nickelodeon’s Pipeline Plunge – an engineering work of art with pipes, buckets, slides and pumps all topped by a giant bucket that fills and tips continually.

Day Three in the Gold Coast, our last day, and we head for Movieworld. The big rides are tackled first to avoid the queues – Batwing Spaceshot, Superman Escape and Lethal Weapon (all highly recommended). The Shrek 4D adventure comes next followed by a visit to Kids WB Fun Zone. It’s a scorcher of a day so we’re all very happy to get wet on the Wild West Falls before calling it quits for the day and heading again for the Coffs Coast.

Our journey home is broken again with a night at Aanuka Bay Resort – this time with sunshine.

Where to Stay

Coffs Harbour
BreakFree Aanuka Bay Resort
Firman Drive, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Ph: 1300 300 633
www.aanuka.com.au
www.breakfree.com.au

Gold Coast
Vibe Hotel
42 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217
Phone: +61 7 5539 0444
Fax: +61 7 5592 3757
Email: vhsp@vibehotels.com.au
www.vibehotels.com.au

Attractions
Seaworld
Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, QLD 4217
Ph: 07 5588 2205
www.seaworld.myfun.com.au

Movieworld
Pacific Hwy, Oxenford QLD 4210
Ph: 07 5573 8485
www.movieworld.myfun.com.au
Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World
Pacific Hwy, Oxenford QLD 4210
Ph: 07 5573 2255