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which park for littlies?


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hi -- i'm visiting the gold coast in december for 10 days, with my three girls (aged 6, 7, & 8). which theme parks would you recommend for littlies that age? looking through the various websites, it's hard to get a sense of which rides children can go on (is it age or height or weight based?), and which parks are better for smaller children. my girls love swimming, so i've been looking at wet n wild and white water world. how do they compare for 6-8 year olds? are dreamworld and sea world definite 'musts'? thanks for your help!!

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All of the parks have both family rides and rides for kids. Dreamworld and WhiteWater World would probably have the best offering for kids though with both the Wiggles and Nickelodeon areas. I also tend to think WhiteWater World is the most kid friendly water park. With this in mind you might be best off purchasing World Passes which allow entry to both Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. Ideally though if you're on the coast for 10 days - can you do all the parks?

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it's hard to get a sense of which rides children can go on (is it age or height or weight based?)
As far as I know all of the rides are height based. On the MyFun website each attraction page has its requirements down the bottom in bullet point form. As for Dreamworld I think they only list the requirements for their Big 6 Thrill rides. Similarly WhiteWater World appears to have their restrictions in the bar on the right hand side.
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All theme parks have something for everyone. My suggestion is take a look at the rides your kids can be able to go on first and decide if that ride is for them. Don't bite off more than you can chew. It's much safer for kids to start with the tame rides first, then when they're a bit older and feel that they're well adjusted to amusement rides, they might be able to take on the more mature (thrill) rides. Sea World has more shows than rides, so if your kids are into entertainment, then that's the park to go. If they like fun and excitement, then Dreamworld, Wet n Wild, and Whitewater World will do, and as GoGoBoy suggested, if you're staying at the Gold Coast for over a week, try all the parks. Not all at once, mind you. Find the best days to go to each park. There are no definite musts, all of them are worth checking out. Hope that helps. T-Rex the Dino-Dragon

Edited by T-Rex
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As for Dreamworld I think they only list the requirements for their Big 6 Thrill rides.
The info is available for other rides too, for each ride go to where it says "Click Here" and it brings up an info box. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Rides/Kids-Rides/ Easiest way to find out the restrictions for the rides in one sweep is to check out the PDFs of the park maps. http://movieworld.myfun.com.au/upload/docu.../movieworld.pdf http://wetnwild.myfun.com.au/upload/document/wetnwild.pdf http://seaworld.myfun.com.au/upload/document/seaworld.pdf For Dreamworld and Whitewater, each ride has a letter beside it, and the key for what height that corresponds to is in the bottom right. http://www.dreamworld.com.au/Resources/Doc...fo-Park-Map.pdf As for the Parks....If your girls are into specific characters you've got: Movie World: Looney Tunes Sea World: Sesame St Dreamworld & Whitewater World: Wiggles & Nickelodeon In terms of parks to visit, I think definitley give Sea World a visit, it's probably the most kid friendly, not just because of Sesame St beach, but because the water rides, monrail, skyride are pretty accessible too (Castaway bay will be open by your visit, and that is going to feature a massive soft play structure, ropes course, and Battle Sails (A ride similar to this) Sea Viper is also great as a first "big" roller coaster since it is over fairly quickly and isn't too intense, same goes for Jet Rescue (That one doesn't go upside down). As for the water parks. Both have dedicated kids areas without height limits. At Wet n Wild it's Buccanneer Bay, and at Whitewater World it's Pipeline Plunge/Wiggle Bay. Beyond that.... At Wet n Wild, 110cm is the magic number for when a broad range of attractions become available (With a handful set at 100cm, eg Mammoth Falls, River Rapids), with the more extreme stuff set at 120cm. At Whitewater World everything is set at 120cm (Barring the 3 "temple of huey" slides which can be ridden at 100cm if you pair up)
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My Son's only 2, but he definitely got the most out of Seaworld. They seem to have the most rides for youngsters to ride, especially those that aren't used to rides. Movieworld also has a few rides for young kids, but their restrictions seemed to be a bit tighter than Seaworld's, meaning there were things He wanted to go on but couldn't, but with your youngest being 6 (congratz on the hat trick by the way), that shouldn't be a problem. By the time you attend, Seaworld will also have their new Castaway Bay which is a kid friendly area, so it should be a must visit with kids at the age yours are. Once you factor in all the wonderful animal exhibits, it is definitely a great full day for kids. I haven't yet taken my Son to Dream World or White Water World, so I cannot comment on those. Dreamworld's Wiggles World might be a bit 'babyish' for your kids, but Nickleodeon, should be good for them. Wet 'n Wild's kids area is great, and I believe White Water World have two, so you shouldn't go too far wrong at either. I appreciate that's probably not that helpful, but I hope you and your family have a great time at whichever parks you choose.

Edited by strop
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On the water parks, the Wiggles area at White Water World is probably best for quite small children, whereas the Nickelodeon section is for the older kids. Just looking at the kids play areas, the one at Wet 'n' Wild looks pretty similar to the Nickelodeon one at White Water World. White Water World is also smaller, which is good with children who get tired of walking quite quickly. If you were only visiting one water park, I'd suggest White Water World in this case. Sea World seems quite spread out, but if you eat at the restaurant above the games parlor (forget what it's called), it's really only the first trek down the back, and then one back to the front. The only things up front are the Pirates show on the water, plus the food and souvenir shops. If everyone is completely exhausted, jump on the monorail. Dreamworld's kid-suitable rides are all kept together in the one area, which isn't all that far from the entrance. It's also got two shows daily in the same area, and is right next to Tiger Island, with Wiggles World just around the corner. Food stores are located between the entrance and Nick Central - also handy. Hope that helps!

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