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PARADISE THEME PARKS & NIGHTLIFE |
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Dreamworld is home to the greatest number of traditional
theme park rides on the Coast with all the roller coasters,
water slides, bumper cars and gravity defying, stomach
churning contraptions you could ever want. It's also
host to the Big Brother house from the popular Australian
TV series. If it's a quintessential theme park you're
after then Dreamworld is it. Buy Dreamworld tickets
online at http://www.dreamworld.com.au
Part theme park, part movie studio, part giant Warner
Bros propaganda factory, Movie World is a theme park
for those who like movies. With one of the best roller
coasters on the coast and a good handful of movie related
rides (think Bugs Bunny, think Scooby Doo, think Harry
Potter, think Batman) Movie World lacks the range of
Dreamworld, but makes up for it in 'behind the scenes'
movie stuff and stunt shows to keep the whole family
entertained for the best part of a day. Buy Movie World
tickets online at http://www.movieworld.com.au
 With
an obvious emphasis on things that live in the water,
Sea World has a fantastic range of fish, sharks, dolphins,
seals, Polar Bears and other assorted animals on display
in realistically natural environments. Throw in a bunch
of great rides, water slides, roller coasters and stunt
shows, and Sea World emerges as perhaps the best all-round
theme park on the coast. Buy Sea World tickets online
at http://www.seaworld.com.au
With nothing but amazing water slides, swimming pools
and 'dive in movies', Wet 'n' Wild is probably the greatest
water park in Australia, if not the world. In winter
everything is heated so you won't get cold, and on a
hot Gold Coast summer day, you'll have a hard time finding
a better place to be. Buy Wet 'n' Wild tickets online
at http://www.wetnwild.com.au
Crocodiles, wallabies, kangaroos, koalas and almost
all of the other famous Australian native animals have
representatives living in the Sanctuary. You can look
at them, feed and pat some of them or just experience
the fantastic 27 hectare bushland setting - an oasis
of wildlife amidst the Gold Coast bustle. Buy Currumbin
Wildlife Sanctuary tickets online at http://www.currumbin-sanctuary.org.au
Nightclubs
By day there are any number of touristy things to spend
your time on, but as the sun sets, the thriving nightclub
industry comes alive.
While there are countless bars and restaurants, the
Coast is host to almost two dozen nightclubs, most of
which are situated in the heart of Surfers Paradise.
Drinks are reasonably cheap compared to big city prices
and you shouldn't really expect to pay much more than
$A5.00 for your average beer or spirit.
 As
you'd expect with any tourist town, the Gold Coast has
a restaurant on every corner - except that unlike a
lot of other tourist towns, most Gold Coast restaurants
are really quite good. You won't find the cultural diversity
here that you will in Sydney or Melbourne, but if you're
after modern Australian cuisine or Asian food your tastebuds
are going to be indebted to you for some time.
There are plenty of fantastic, cheap sushi places (mostly
in Surfers Paradise) and the competition among Australian
restaurants is fierce, so the quality is usually excellent.
If you're after a cheap meal by the ocean pretty much
all of the surf clubs (found in pretty much every oceanside
suburb of the Coast) have a bistro where no matter what
you choose you'll find a huge pile of great food sitting
on your plate for less than $15. Menu options are generally
limited to veal parmigiana, fish and chips, spaghetti
bolognaise or the seafood platter, but you can't beat
the value or the view.
If you want to go even cheaper still, find a corner
shop (there's one on every second corner by the beach)
and you'll pick up a hamburger with the lot (including
pineapple - no one knows why) for $5 and fish and chips
for about the same price.
Surfers Paradise is a great spot for families with its
perfect swimming beach. Free beach volleyball competitions
offer fun for all ages, while the nearby cafes and shopping
areas make it easy to take a break with an ice-cream
or a cool drink. The huge Paradise Centre on the main
shopping street Cavill Avenue, has enough games and
rides to keep everyone entertained.
Every Friday night a craft market is set up along the
beach esplanade where you can find quality handicrafts
and gifts.
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