Have you ever wondered what it's like to have
too much fun?
Jamberoo Action Park is a monster theme park with everything a die-hard adrenalin junkie could wish for.
Just over an hour's drive from Sydney, Jamberoo Action Theme Park is packed with hair raising, twisting turning water slides, bob sleds, racing cars, grass ski slopes, wave pools and much more. It's a fantastic day out for the whole family – even if you're not into "mission impossible" style activities.
First though, a little history. In 1974, it was a dairy farm owned by the Eddy family in the Jamberoo Valley, and most of it very steep and hilly countryside. After the farm became non viable as an agricultural option, the family's love of snow skiing got them to thinking about turning the farm into a grass skiing venue.
This proved profitable, and in 1980, they decided to grow the venue and turn it into a recreation park and include a chairlift. By 1981 they'd added waterslides, and became just the third waterslide park in Australia. By 1983, the most popular attraction, the Blue Track Mountain Slide was built...plunging 800 metres down the mountain.
By 1986 the park had racing cars and speed boats. Then, for 12 years, the park did not have any further development because of the impact of public liability insurance. From 2001 a whole new generation of attractions were added to make the theme park the largest and most popular in New South Wales today.
If you're ready to put your courage to the test, the biggest water thrill ride is the
Taipan, the most recent addition in 2007. It's a 5-person raft down one of two giant waterslides – all in pitch black darkness. This means you won't see the drops, twists and turns – so it's heart-stopping stuff.
A little more subdued is
Outback Bay, a 2.5 megalitre wave pool, where you can practice body surfing or floating on waves up to 1.5 metres high.
The
Bobsled is a fun ride where two tracks snake down the mountain. You can really reach high speeds while you enjoy the scenic views.
Rapid River looks pretty harmless as you bob along on rubber rafts – that is until you hit the rapids and the waterfalls.
As long as you don't suffer from vertigo, you have to experience the
Chair Lift. It takes you 500 metres up the mountain where you'll experience the breathtaking panorama of the countryside and coastline. A fantastic photographic opportunity.
Those are just a few of the great attractions at Jamberoo, and you'll want to take family and friends there once you've experienced the fun. The park caters for large or small groups, as well as birthday parties and school excursions.
There are picnic areas all around the park, and huts and shelters for hire if you have a large group. And you can even hire a gas barbecue for the day. If you prefer to eat in, there are various food venues to suit everyone, including a cafe style seated restaurant to relax in.
If you had nothing planned for Easter this year, Jamberoo has special Easter activities for the kids with free Easter eggs and show bags.
If you're too exhausted after all that heart stopping fun, and want to stay overnight in the region, there are several hotels twenty minutes from Jamberoo in Wollongong.
The admission price covers all rides, all day.
Children 13 to Adults $37. Children 4 – 12 $29. Children 3 and under are free. Adults over 60 - $29.
Jamberoo Action Park is open every day from 10am to 5pm during the season that commences each year from September and concludes at the end of April
GETTING THERE:
Follow the F6 to Wollongong
Head south past Wollongong for 20 minutes, following the signs to Nowra
Turn right onto the Illawarra Highway at the roundabout before Albion Park airport
Follow the signs to Jamberoo for approx. 8 kms
