Sea World (Australia) facts for kids
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| Location | Main Beach, Queensland, Australia |
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| Coordinates | 27°57′21″S 153°25′33″E / 27.9559°S 153.4257°E |
| Opened | 30 October 1971 |
| Owner | Village Roadshow Theme Parks |
| Operating season | Year round |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 10 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 1 |
Sea World is an exciting theme park located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. It's a special place where you can see amazing marine animals, enjoy thrilling rides, and watch fantastic shows. Sea World also helps protect ocean animals. They do this by teaching people about conservation and by rescuing and caring for sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. This park is connected to other popular parks like Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast.
Contents
Park's History and Fun Attractions
How Sea World Began
Sea World was first started by a person named Keith Williams. It opened in 1971 and was called the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens. The main attractions back then were awesome water ski shows! These shows had cool stunts, water ballet, and lots of action.
In 1972, the park changed its name to Sea World. This happened when they added dolphins, marine animal displays, and other fun things. Over the next few years, more shops and food places were added. They even brought animals and exhibits from another marine park called Marineland to Sea World.
In 1984, Keith Williams sold the park. Later, in 1993, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow became the joint owners of Sea World. They also owned Warner Bros. Movie World and the Sea World Nara Resort.
Exciting Rides and Exhibits Over the Years
Sea World has added many cool rides and animal exhibits over its history:
- In 1975, the Sea World train opened. It was a smaller version of a famous Queensland train.
- The first big ride, the Viking's Revenge Flume Ride, opened in 1978. It was a water ride built just for the park.
- In 1981, the park's first roller coaster, the Wild Wave Rollercoaster, opened. It later became the Thrillseeker.
- The Corkscrew rollercoaster, with its three loops, opened in 1982.
- Australia's first monorail started running in 1986. It takes guests to different parts of the park.
- In 1987, a Water Park and the Lassiter's Lost Mine water ride were added.
- The Sky High Skyway opened in 1989, giving amazing views of the park from above.
- In 1994, the Bermuda Triangle ride opened. It used the same system as Lassiter's Lost Mine but had a new theme.
- In 1999, Cartoon Network Cartoon Beach opened. It had five rides and a fun water fountain for kids.
- Shark Bay opened in 2004. This amazing area lets you see sharks from above and even underwater!
- In 2008, Jet Rescue opened. This is a super-fast motorbike roller coaster that feels like a jet ski. It's themed around rescuing sea lions. Also, 'Ray Reef' opened, where you can see over 100 rays gliding through the water.
- In 2009, the Corkscrew rollercoaster was updated and renamed the Sea Viper.
- In 2010, Castaway Bay opened. This is a fun children's area with a climbing structure, high ropes, and a water battle. Also, Penguin Encounter opened, which is an amazing exhibit for Antarctic penguins.
- In 2011, Sea World partnered with Nickelodeon. This brought characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer to the park for shows.
- In 2013, Seal Harbour opened. This exhibit is home to seals and sea lions. Also, the Storm Coaster opened, which is a thrilling water coaster.
- In 2015, Nickelodeon Land replaced Beach Break Bay, bringing even more Nickelodeon fun to the park.
- In 2019, Sea World announced a new area called The New Atlantis. This area will have three exciting new rides: Vortex, Leviathan (a wooden roller coaster), and Trident (a tall swing ride). These rides are set to open in 2020 and 2021.
Exploring the Park
Rides and Attractions for Everyone
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- Storm Coaster is a thrilling water coaster. It combines the excitement of a roller coaster with big splashes!
- Nickelodeon Land is a bright and colorful area especially for kids. It has several fun rides and is themed around your favorite Nickelodeon characters.
- Castaway Bay is a fantastic children's area. It has a huge climbing structure called Sky Fortress, a high ropes course called Sky Climb, and a fun water battle called Battle Boats.
- The Reef is a splash zone that's part of Castaway Bay. It has over 80 water cannons and cool marine animal sculptures.
- Jet Rescue is Sea World's only dry roller coaster. You ride in jet ski-themed cars and race at high speeds on a twisted track. It's like being on a mission to save marine life!
- Sea World Monorail System was the first monorail in Australia. It's a great way to travel around the park and see everything from above.
- Vortex is a thrilling ride that flips riders around. It's part of the new The New Atlantis area.
Amazing Shows to Watch
- Paw Patrol on Holiday is a live stage show featuring Chase and Marshall from Paw Patrol.
- Affinity is Sea World's incredible dolphin show. It features amazing tricks and is set in Dolphin Beach, a huge lagoon built just for the dolphins.
- Jet Stunt Extreme is a live show with awesome jet-ski stunts. It takes place on the Sea World lake and is full of action!
- SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D is a fun 3D movie playing in the Sea World Theatre.
- Seal Guardians is a cool show featuring sea lions. You can learn about these clever animals and their amazing abilities.
- Turtle Power is a live show with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters.
- Our World of the Dolphin is an educational show where you can learn about Sea World's dolphins and how the park helps with conservation.
Wonderful Marine Animal Exhibits
- Dolphin Nursery Pool is where you can see young dolphins growing up with their mothers. It's part of Sea World's successful dolphin breeding program.
- Penguin Encounter is an Antarctic penguin exhibit. You can watch these adorable penguins swim and waddle both above and underwater.
- Penguin Point is another exhibit featuring cute little penguins. It's a large, open area with different types of ground and a big pool for them to enjoy.
- Polar Bear Shores is the only polar bear exhibit in Australia! You can see these magnificent animals from different viewpoints, including underwater.
- Ray Reef lets you get up close with over 100 rays. You can even feed them and learn about these often misunderstood ocean creatures.
- Rescue Point Lighthouse shows off the amazing work of Sea World's Research and Rescue Foundation.
- Seabird Rehabilitation Aviary is a special place for birds that are being cared for and rehabilitated. Some birds that can't return to the wild live here permanently.
- Seal Harbour is a large exhibit for seals and sea lions. You can see different types of seals and sea lions here.
- Shark Bay is the world's largest man-made lagoon system for sharks. You can view sharks from above the water or through huge underwater windows.
Extra Fun Activities (Upcharges)
- Animal Adventures: For an extra fee, you can have special experiences like swimming with some of Sea World's marine animals!
- Sea World Cruises and Sea World Whale Watch: You can take a boat ride around the Gold Coast canals. In winter, you can even go on whale watching tours to see whales migrating!
- Sea World Helicopters offers different tours of the Gold Coast from the sky. You can choose from various flight lengths.
Sea World Resort and Water Park
Right next to Sea World is the Sea World Resort and Water Park. This resort has its own water park. In 2008, the water park became part of the resort, meaning regular park guests needed to pay extra to use it. Part of the water park was later used to build the fun Castaway Bay area.
Sea World on TV
Many Australian children's TV shows have been filmed at Sea World! These include Toasted TV, Camp Orange, Dolphin Cove, and Mako: Island of Secrets.
