Posts Tagged ‘Australia’

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Tin Can Bay – QLD Australia

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Tin Can Bay is on the coast of Australia’s mainland, just below the most Southern tip of the famous Fraser Island, a World Heritage listed site.  One of the real attractions of Tin Can Bay is its relaxed country feel and of course the water and beaches.  Being in a bay, the water is more protected and provides excellent conditions for boating and fishing.

Accommodation is readily available but there are a few times each year when things get a little busy.  The Seafood festival in September is one of those times.  We stayed at the Tin Can Bay Tourist Park.  It was comfortable and very reasonably priced.


For the explorers among you there are plenty of places to visit within short driving distance.  We managed to take day trips to Rainbow Beach and Maryborough and there are plenty of houseboat and charter companies operating from the marina.

There is a thriving fishing industry operating out of Tin Can Bay.  Prawns, fish and spanner crabs seem to be the most sought after prizes in this area and there are also a number of fishing charter operators.  I have had the fortunate opportunity to take a three day charter from Tin Can Bay on the FV Nightbeat.

Possibly the most memorable activity of the weekend, certainly for the children, was hand feeding a dolphin.  If you go to Tin Can Bay with children you just have to head down to Barnacles Bait and Cafe between 7.00 and 8.00am any day of the week.  The dolphins (only one turned up when we were there) normally come in at around 8.00am, but being wild animals it’s impossible to know exactly when.  You can buy fish to feed them with at Barnacles for $5.00 but I would get there closer to 7.00am to buy your fish.  It’s getting more and more popular and the lines can be a killer for those of us with little patience.

Tin Can Bay is a great place for a relaxing weekend that won’t cost the Earth.  The locals are friendly, there are all the shopping options you will need (I think it was a Super IGA) along with some nice cafes and restaurants.  Most importantly there are plenty of beaches and parks and an abundance of water.

Google Map

Local Tourism Website

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White Water World – Gold Coast Australia

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Ask anybody in Australia what they know about the Gold Coast and chances are they will mention theme parks somewhere in their response.  While the Gold Coast does have a lot more to offer, I think you would be hard pressed telling that to anyone under 16.

All of the Gold Coast theme parks offer something unique and I’m pretty sure you can guess what White Water World has to offer – water and lots of it.  As much as White Water World is aimed at the kids, I must confess that I loved the rides just as much.  The only real difference was my lack of tolerance for queues and my lack of stair climbing fitness.

There is a full range of rides that cater for all ages, including two distinct zones designed specifically for smaller children.  There is a knee deep pool with water slides tame enough for the toddlers and an area that is essentially a very large play gym with water everywhere, including a very large bucket that fills every few minutes and dumps a huge wave of water on those below.


Those between toddler and ten are also well looked after.  The Little Rippers, The Bro and The Temple of Huey are areas with a number of rides that will keep them occupied for hours, though inevitably they will be moaning about not having access to the rides we ALL want to explore.

There are a few real thrill rides in White Water World and, despite the wait, I really enjoyed them.  The Green Room, The Hydrocoaster and The Wedgie (yes, that is what they called it!) are all teen sized fun.  Unfortunately you will only get a few rides of each on a hot day because it really does get that busy.

In between the queues and the rides there is no better place to hang out than in the wave pool.  While nowhere near as exciting as the thrill rides, it is a great way to relax and the little children especially love the waves.

If I could offer one piece of advice to those families visiting the Gold Coast, it applies even more to the theme parks.  Travel to the Gold Coast outside the school holiday periods.  I know there is nothing as beautiful as the Gold Coast in summer, and the same applies for White Water World but the accommodation is half the price, the theme parks have crazy price offers and there are very limited queues.  One other distinct advantage with White Water World is that Dreamworld is right next door – literally.  In off peak periods you can get some great deals that give you access to both parks for less than the normal admission for one.  If you must travel here in the school holidays I recommend you get to the park early and have a BIG breakfast.  Food is not cheap and you cannot take commercially prepared food into White Water World.  Indeed most Gold Coast theme parks do not allow you to take any type of food into their premises.

All in all this is a great day out for all involved.  I warn all of you unfit parents that this place will test you.  Walking up the stairs for my second ride is when I realised my legs were not what they used to be and it only got worse from there.  It wasn’t really a problem for me during the day, but I was asleep about an hour after getting home.

Check out the White Water World Website Here

Click here for a Google Map

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Australia Zoo

Monday, April 12th, 2010

South East Queensland has alot of big name attractions that advertise with alot of hype.  Perhaps the most advertised of all is Australia Zoo.  We visited Australia Zoo with very high expectations and, as a whole, it delivered.

One thing you need to realise before going to Australia Zoo is that it’s aimed squarely at children.  While there is no doubt that the parents and older children enjoy the day, it is the smaller kids that enjoy the shows the most.  From the moment we enterred the gate until the time we left, my pre-teen children were buzzing with excitement.  As it turns out I took more photos of my excited children than I did of the park.  Having said all of that, I have to confess to several belly laughs in the Crocoseum show.


While certainly not cheap, Australia Zoo is not bad value for money.  Getting a family of eight (including grandparents) into the park cost us just under three hundred dollars.  While that certainly doesn’t make it the cheapest zoo in the country, the thing that sets Australia Zoo apart from the rest is the interactivity.  The kids (even us big kids) got to touch alot of animals, including very tame kangaroos and baby crocs.  There are displays and talks at most of the animal enclosures and the Crocoseum shows are fantastic.  One pleasantly unique feature among Queensland attractions is that you are welcome to bring a packed lunch.  Alot of the Gold Coast based theme parks now prohibit the consumption of food not purchased at the facility, and that can almost double the cost of the entire day.

You cannot go to Australia Zoo and watch the Irwin family go through their paces without thinking about Steve.  Terri, Bindi, Robert and the staff at Australia Zoo have done a magnificent job to keep the place thriving in his absense and to go on too much about Steve would be unfair to them.  I can only hope they have been able to slowly recover from the loss of their Husband, Father and friend as well as the Zoo has.

All in all it was an almost perfect way to spend the day as a family.  The kids had a great time and learned alot too.  The only downside was that I was sore after all the walking!

For more information visit their website here.

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