When it comes to cooling down this summer, we know just the place. A world full of water parks await on the Gold Coast, so all you’ll have to do is slip into your swimmers, slop on that 50+ sunscreen and park yourselves poolside for a fix.
Slide this way for your definitive guide to Gold Coast water parks this summer.
WET ‘N’ WILD GOLD COAST
Put Australia’s biggest water park on your summer wish list. Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast* has a signature blend of liquid love which includes the fastest jets, biggest drops, most extreme rides and epic adventures, but also some gentler zones for the little ones.
You’ll find 20 attractions across 4 precincts. The shallow, shaded water playground at Junior Wet’n’Wild and Calypso Beach are the perfect spots for water babies and their parents to chill while splashing around or floating down the Lazy River Ride. But when it’s time to take the pace up a notch, hang on tight and try not to be bowled over in The Giant Wave Pool where waves wash in every 10 minutes on repeat.
Seeking some thrills? They’ve got that covered too. Kamikaze, Black Hole, Constrictor and Tornado are adrenaline-pumping rides of the water-based kind. Want to take on a 30-metre wave while hovering on a surfboard, plummet through a trap door into swirling waters below or journey through the belly of a python, said to have some of the most daring turns in the world?
With 6 thrill rides, your water-loving tribe will be stoked. Serious riders can also consider spending a bit extra on a fast pass to get you to the front of the queue on selected rides too.
Insider tip: Go cashless by trading your cash for Splash Cash, a waterproof wristband that you swipe to buy anything in the park with your determined pre-loaded limit. Unused credit will be returned on your departure.
WHITEWATER WORLD
One of the Gold’s Coast’s favourite theme parks, Dreamworld fuses traditional fun with the option to pop on your swimmers and head right next door to cool down at its sister park – Whitewater World*. With something to suit all ages and thrill levels, littlies can indulge in fun-filled water play at the splash-friendly Wiggle Bay, or head to the Cave of Waves with mum and dad to take on the wave pool. Bigger kids will love Fully Six, with its mix of six slides fusing kaleidoscopic lighting effects and choice of open-aired or enclosed tubes. If they’re brave they can take a spin in the Green Room for a real-life 20-metre high funnel ride they can share with their equally brave mates.
But if you want to take the thrills to a new level, try The Triple Vortex, said to be the hottest tubing experience in the world with dark and open tunnels, winding serpentine curves and oscillating spins dropping you into the next exciting funnel. Spike the adrenaline even further on the SuperTubes Hydrocoaster riding downstream before getting propelled upstream as well.
And what’s a water park without a wedgie? You might be pulling your heart out of you mouth at the same time you are dislodging your ehm – togs, but this power slide is not for the faint-hearted, dropping you down a trap door feet first into Australia’s only half coil for humans before splashing into the pool below. Pop it on your Gold Coast water parks summer wish list!
Insider tip: board shorts are better than budgie smugglers, and a one-piece is more secure than a bikini. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…
GC AQUA PARK AND GC WAKE PARK
Looking for something a little different? Hit the Gold Coast’s only inflatable water park filled with all sorts of obstacles over a 600-metre course you can climb, slip, bounce and launch yourself from. Sessions run hourly from 10am to 5pm every day and run over seven slip and sliding days of the week. The course is located right on the water at Broadwater Parklands opposite Australia Fair with a second equally epic GC Aqua Park located on the lake at Oxenford, right next door to GC Wake Park.
Speaking of GC Wake Park…when you want to step up your personal aqua game and maybe add a few aerial manoeuvres too, GC Wake Park will have you flying across the water in no time. Choose from skiing, wakeboarding or kneeboarding and bring the whole family, as anyone over the age of six is welcome to join in the fun. Kids under the age of 16 will need to be accompanied to the park with an adult and be able to ride independently.
Insider tip: Don’t forget to slap on that sunscreen, the Gold Coast sun likes to shine most days!
CURRUMBIN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY WILD ISLAND ADVENTURE SPLASH ZONE
Things just got a little bit wilder at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary* with The Wild Island Adventure Splash Zone welcoming cool kids under the age of 12 to chill out over the warmer summer months. The new interactive, water-themed immersion zone is fitted out with refreshing water jets, trickling streams and waterfalls that will keep the little ones cool. There are also lots of shady spots for mum and dad to sit down and relax while kids play nearby, serving as a fitting finale to a great day-out following all that exploration of your favourite exhibits, animals and shows on offer at the Sanctuary.
You’ll find it located right next to Pelican Point not far from the entrance. It’s also inclusive of an adventure playground so kids can crawl, climb, balance and hide, as well as a fully-equipped parents room with private baby feeding room, active toddler play area, change tables and a kitchenette so families can recharge and refresh thoroughly before heading home. Entry is included in ticket prices.
Insider tip: Feed the family at Wild Burgers nearby for an extra special treat. The criss-cross fries and hot dogs are legendary.
PARADISE RESORT
Chances are you’ve already heard about Paradise Resort*, it’s consistently voted as Australia’s leading family resort after-all. And if you ask the kids, it’s considered THE kingdom of fun on the Gold Coast. Their star attraction is the Z4K Water Park with its epic three-storey high waterslides, a giant bucket that dumps a monstrous 600 litres of water on the splash fans below, plus water cannons and all sorts of slippery things and squirting bits galore.
Located close to the pool area for regular dips between bouts of splash-tacular fun, there’s a little kids zone also, with beach entry paddling pool and a mini water park conveniently heated year-round. Guests of the resort receive use of the waterpark as part of their stay along with access to a host of other amenities.
Insider tip: Book in with friends for a vacation or staycation and let the kids have the time of their lives.
BIG4 GOLD COAST HOLIDAY PARK & MOTEL
The newest kid on the Gold’s Coast’s best water parks block, BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park & Motel* is located at Helensvale, close to all the action on offer at nearby theme parks. Opening early 2020 and already claiming the title as the holiday park with the tallest water slides in the Southern Hemisphere, this is one spot your kids will beg to stay when they spy the water play on offer here.
Over 300 metres of dedicated water park play space includes a body slide with multiple lanes, 4 aqua tubes and a smaller slide for those just starting out. A giant tipping bucket drenches the play area on repeat and a smaller zone for the little guys ensures they too can have an aquatic adventure at their own pace. You will need to be a guest to play here, but why not check-in – it might just be the best summer holiday on the Gold Coast you have ever had, even if you live local.
LOOK HERE, MORE SPLASH-WORTHY FUN
Also knowing a thing about fun in the sun with jets, buckets, tubes and slides are more of our amazing water parks. On the northern end, book into NRMA Treasure Island* in Biggera Waters to conquer the Shipwreck Shores water park while across the Broadwater in Main Beach, Sea World Resort & Water Park is the place to spend hours of sun-filled fun. Further south, there are water parks for guests at RACV Royal Pines in Benowa, Turtle Beach Resort in Mermaid Beach and Nobby Beach Holiday Village in Nobby Beach.
*Denotes all venues that are accessible, and have wheelchair-friendly experiences.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Destination Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.