As you know, we headed off for a family trip to the Gold Coast last week, ready to hit the theme parks! Our first stop was Dreamworld and it was awesome! Lets take a look at all the awesome things we did there...
Rides
If you have a riding loving child then Dreamworld is for you! There are several zones for kids and each of them have so many options! First up, for the very little ones (ages 2-5), you have Wiggle World and Wiggle Bay. There are teacups to spin in, the Big Red Boat to ride in, a massive playroom with tables and chairs in front if you need some time out, and kids can meet Dorothy, Wags, Henry and Captain Feathersword. As you can see below- it's not just for the little ones lol! My teens loved it in there and they were happy to have an '"excuse" to play in there.
The next level up for kids in the DreamWorks area, featuring Madagascar, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. This was the whole family's favourite area I think. The Mad Jungle Jam was the biggest hit with all ages- it's a two storey structure with foam balls, air cannons, foam fountains, rope bridges and lookout towers. You gather the balls into bags and load up your air cannons- we had quite the family war (and we probably spent over an hour in there!).
There is also a Madagascar show and character meet and greet but Tully is still too scared of giant characters to get involved. I got her to hug the penguins though!
Over in Shrek's Faire Faire Away world the Ogre-go-round was so popular with Tully that she stayed on for about six goes in a row. Lucky for us it was relatively quite! The teens took to the Dronkey ride (flying Donkey/Dragon babies) and gave it a good go, squished into tiny carriages!
We saw the thill rides and it looked like everyone was having a blast- but as we are a bunch of sooks no one was willing to give them a go! The teens protested enough about me dragging them on the Thunder River Rapids (my all time favourite)- apparently even that was too scary (and wet)! They need to toughen up a little lol!
What's To Eat
There's the basic theme park food at Dreamworld- hot dogs, burgers etc but there is also Dough Bros Pizzeria, which is something a few steps up from the ordinary theme park food. Dough Bros has amazing pizzas (I kid you not- Tahrin is STILL talking about the meat pizza he had- it has a salami layer over the whole base, before more meat was added). We picked the vegetarian pizza and it was so full of veggies that I could only eat two pieces. It was really good though. Dough Bros is great because they offer family meal deals as well- with a pizza, chips and a drink. It works out much more affordable (and way nicer) than the overpriced hot dogs.
Animal Attractions
There are quite a few animal attractions at Dreamworld. Tiger Island helps fund the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation and the Tiger Show helps educate visitors about the plight of the tiger and encourages people to learn more. The tigers at Tiger Island are used in media appeals and act as the ambassadors for their tiger cousins in the wild. The show is great and you get the opportunity to see the bond the trainers have with the tigers.
Down at Corroboree there are Australian animals to get up close with. Kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles, Tasmania Devils, and even a small snake that the kids almost trod on! All the kids in our family are animal obsessed so they all loved it there.
Over all Dreamworld was fantastic- we all had an amazing time and it definitely had something for everyone. Even if you aren't a huge fan of ride there are a lot of attractions and things to interact with, without even getting on a ride. It's the perfect place to go with a family- especially if you have a big age gap like ours.
To get your tickets to Dreamworld visit www.dreamworld.com.au
We visited as guests of Dreamworld
While on the Gold Coast we stayed at the NRMA Big 4 Holiday Park- Treasure Island
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