After discovering that there were a lot of fun things to do in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, after making two trips to the Gold Coast - one during Christmas last year and another this year on Easter, I have decided to do another blog of fun things to do, this time in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Australia. There is so many things to do, with different activities for everyone!
Brisbane
âBrisbane is a city in southern Queensland, Australia, and is located between the regions of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. It is a beautiful city, with quite a lot of great things to do, and features a river, surrounded with upmarket restaurants in the city. It is one of the largest cities in Australia also, making it a great place to visit due to the city being vibrant and lively. The city also has a lot of wildlife, giving Milford Sound in New Zealand a run for their money. â
ââThings to do in Brisbane
Gold Coast
Gold Coast is a beautiful coastal region in Queensland, and with the region being well known for it's beautiful beaches, adrenaline fueled activities, good shopping precincts and plenty of good hospitality precincts, you can never go wrong in the Gold Coast. One of the most notable areas in the region is Surfers Paradise, Burleigh and Broadbeach. With Queensland being known as Australia's adventure capital, and the Gold Coast being known for a party area (Surfers Paradise in particular), and lots of family friendly and even free things to do, you can never go wrong in this area. It is also a perfect place for fashion lovers as well, having a huge shopping center as well, and if you're rich enough, a Versace hotel to stay at!
Things to do in Gold Coast
Theme Parks: Wet n Wild Wet N' Wild is a water based theme park, with lots of water slides. This theme park is really fun, with the queues being relatively short in direct comparison to the other theme parks mentioned. And, they have some adrenaline inducing slides, which is also a bonus! Unfortunately though, just as with other theme parks, there is a downside - single riders aren't allowed on some slides, for safety reasons. I did manage to go on some, but was forced to go with multiple groups of people, as my aunt chose not to do any slide. The other downside was that there was a swing that was higher than the Rotorua one at velocity valley, but I wasn't able to go on that also as it had been out of operation for quite a while, sadly (I really was looking forward to the giant swing). Dreamworld Dreamworld is a really fun theme park with several rides, and also entertainment just as with the other theme parks. This theme park has a number of thrill rides, most notably a drop tower, and a roller coaster. The drop tower (dreamworld tower) is much higher than the one at Rainbows End, at a stunning 119 metres high - at least just over twice that of the fearfall, and just under three times that of the Auckland Bungy, and higher than all the giant swings (and the slingshot at Surfers also) that I've been all so far - and every bungy jump in New Zealand and also the one in Australia - except the Nevis, which is 134 metres. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to go to this theme park, but will do so in the future. I have been to this theme park once, but I was very young. A memorable ride that I went on at Dreamworld in my younger days was the Wipeout ride, but unfortunately, that has since been removed. Fortunately, a similar ride is available at SeaWorld, which I went on in December 2022. This theme park also features a zoo, which you can see animals and wildlife. SeaWorld SeaWorld is a marine wildlife based theme park which is also in the Gold Coast, and out of all the theme parks in the Gold Coast, this one is the closest to Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach (it is located at Main Beach, not too far off from Surfers Paradise). The highlights of this park is the dolphin and other animal shows, and the rides. Like the other parks, they also do serve alcohol, which is a good thing (something Rainbows End really needs to do). Unfortunately for adrenaline junkies (like myself included), the rides here are actually pretty tame, on par with Rainbows End. Another downside is that the queues are extremely long, just like Movieworld, and I ended up waiting about one and a half hours to ride the Leviathan roller coaster ride! It was a pity that it was quite gloomy and wet that day I went to SeaWorld, but it was worth it still! Movieworld MovieWorld is a theme park which is located very close to Wet N Wild. This theme park is based on films and their characters. The rides are very fast, thrilling and intense, and the most intense ride - the hypercoaster - is higher than all but two of the bungy jumps in New Zealand (the pipeline and the Nevis bungy), and also most of the swings as well, except for the Shotover canyon swing and the Nevis swing. Due to the height and speed of the rides, and the intense gravity force, this theme park is a great place for adrenaline junkies! The huge downside to this theme park is that, for the very reason that it is thrilling and fun, that it attracts a huge crowd and you would spend 1 to 2 hours waiting just to get on some rides, and I had the misfortune to line up for the hypercoaster close to two hours in intense heat (fortunately they did have cooling systems in place to keep people nice and cool). Other adrenaline activities: The slingshot ride is located close to Cavil Avenue in Surfers Paradise, and when you pay to get on the ride, you get lowered slightly before being propelled 90 meters above ground level with 6g's of force at 160km per hour. â Jet Boating in Surfers Paradise is also a must do, not only is it really fun, but the duration of it is long and you get drenched in water, which is part of the fun! Also the views as well are just another great excuse to go jet boating in Surfers Paradise. The upside of Jet boating in the Gold Coast, like many other places with a warm or a hot climate, is that you can do it at any season of the year, without having to wear a jacket, unlike Queenstown and Taupo in New Zealand, both places can get extremely cold (although very hot, and close to that of the Gold Coast or even further north in the summer, sometimes both Taupo and Queenstown can even be hotter at the best of times in the summer, if you're lucky). âSkypoint climb (for my experience, see my blog here) is a really fun group activity for those who want to see Surfers Paradise from above, and the greater Gold Coast region. The climb is much higher than Auckland's Skywalk, and and you get a great view of the coast line and the wider Gold Coast region. Other adrenaline inducing water activities: These include parasailing, wakeboarding, kayaking, jet skiing, surfing, body boarding at the beach and as mentioned earlier, jumping in the waves. Other general adrenaline activities include:
Beaches: Burleigh beach in the Gold Coast is a beautiful beach, being a good place to swim and catch some waves. It is also a really good area for dining, with lots of restaurants on offer. Broadbeach beach is a really popular beach with beautiful white sand, clean water and large waves. Getting dunked in the waves is really fun - and is a free way of getting an adrenaline rush also! Surfers Paradise beach is a beach in Surfers Paradise, with this beach being extremely popular due to the fact it is located in the Surfers Paradise area, and also Shopping: The Pacific Fair shopping mall in Broadbeach makes an excellent place for shopping, they have a great range of designer stores and also some fabulous eating and drinking places as well! If you are not an Australian citizen or resident, you can claim tax if you make purchases over $AUD 300, and get a portion of your money back. Robina shopping centre is also another shopping centre in the Gold Coast, however, it is not as big or notable as the Pacific Fair shopping mall. But it still has some good shopping options, and the things there are also slightly cheaper depending on what you choose to buy, as the major brands are at the Pacific Fair mall. Other fun activities: Infinity attraction is a fun and a sensory maze in which you have to make your way through darkness, and also through mazes which involve flashing lights and mirrors, and you will also encounter some colorful rooms which you make your way through as well. Due to the intensive flashing light effects, and the darkness of the maze, and the nature of the attraction, this activity is not recommended for those with photosensitive epilepsy, or those with vision issues. Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum is a fascinating sensory museum that allows you to interact with objects, while you get to learn some interesting facts about notable people, and things that actually are true and that happened in real life. There is a tunnel which you can walk through, with lights spinning around you (CAUTION: If you have photosensitive epilepsy, or are prone to dizziness or falling or feeling ill as a result of flashing or moving lights, do not walk through this tunnel). Allow for 45 minutes to an hour to complete this museum. At the end of the museum tour, you get to spend some time playing a fun game, involves shooting characters on a 3D screen. This game is not for those with photosensitivity epilepsy as well, due to the flashing effects.
Tips:
Remember that in Brisbane, and also in the Gold Coast, there is something for everyone. The advantages of travelling to Brisbane is that you can travel to either the Gold Coast, or the Sunshine Coast. From adrenaline fueled activities, to pamper time, to luxury and high end shopping, and to beautiful white sand beaches and wildlife, Brisbane and both the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast has something for everyone to do, depending on what you want to do.
Photo on blog cover by AGE Rappell on Unsplash â
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AuthorI am Natalie Dunn. I am a feminist who believes in gender equality and rights for everyone. I have many passions in life such as fashion, beauty, adventures and travelling. Archives
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