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Sea World

by Debra Lidster (subscribe)

Debra, a stay-at-home mum of three, loves experiencing and sharing all that Brisbane has to offer; especially southside secrets.

Published November 30th 2011

Before we moved from Newcastle, we promised the kids that we would take them to the theme parks once we got settled in Brisbane. Well, four months and plenty of nagging later, we kept our promise with a trip to Sea World.

I have to admit, I did have some trepidation about going to a theme park. Standing in the hot sun with over-heated, over excited littlies for an hour or more, waiting to get on a two minute ride, doesn't sound like much fun. Happily, I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course, it probably helped that we went on a Friday during school term. We virtually had the park to ourselves.

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Arriving just after the park opened, we scanned the park map and studied our options. First up, the Fish Detectives Sea Lion Show, a corny comedy routine starring Buddy and Clawde. Next, it was the Imagine Dolphin Show. These majestic creatures are extraordinary. I know that dolphins are incredibly intelligent but to see them in action is awe-inspiring.

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We spent the next few hours at Castaway Bay; a highlight for me. We had a ball on the Battle Boats getting soaked and soaking others. We didn't have any towels as we hadn't planned on getting wet, but luckily we were able to dry off for $5 in the People Dryer.

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Our freshly laundered offspring then scaled the Sky Fortress, a five storey adventure playground designed for 4 to 12 year olds, featuring rope bridges, tunnels, and more.

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After refueling with some burgers and chips, it was time for the Viking's Revenge Flume, another water ride. I lost count of how many times we went on this.

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The next few hours were spent wandering around the exhibits: Ray Reef, Polar Bear Shores, and Shark Bay. Walking around the lagoon above water the sharks didn't seem very intimidating but once we were in the underwater viewing area, they were daunting. Jaws quickly came to mind. It didn't help that a couple of Sea World divers cleaning the floor of the lagoon were wearing chainmail over their wetsuits. As well as sharks, the lagoon houses stingrays and tropical fish. I wanted to know why the sharks didn't eat the other fish (or staff); a Sea World staff member explained that the sharks are very well fed. That's very good to know.

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We ended our day at Sesame Street Beach with rides aimed at the younger kids. Our two year-old loved the carousel and big trucks while our older kids enjoyed Big Dive, similar to Drop of Doom but without the doom.

We arrived just after opening and departed just after closing. Although we did see and do a great deal in those seven hours, I think another trip is needed to see all the things we missed; like the emperor penguins and jetski stunt show. Fortunately, we purchased the Locals Summer Season Pass with unlimited entry to Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild, and Movie World until the end of February. Click here for more information on season passes.