Big Splash | |
---|---|
Slogan | Splashtacular fun for all ages |
Location | Macquarie, Canberra, Australia |
Coordinates | 35°15′04″S149°04′12″E / 35.251°S 149.07°E |
Owner | Beryl Watkins Ron Watkins [1] |
Opened | 1969 |
Previous names | Macquarie Swimming Pool |
Operating season | November to March |
Pools | 5 pools |
Water slides | 9 water slides |
Website | bigsplashwaterpark |
Big Splash is a waterpark in Canberra, Australia. It is located in the suburb of Macquarie and is the only waterpark in Canberra. It opened in 1969 as a public swimming pool, and has since become a private waterpark. [2]
The establishment was originally government-owned and known as "Macquarie Swimming pool", also often referred to as "Jammo Pool". The slides were introduced in the early 1980s. During the 1990s the pool was sold to the Watkins family.
The current name for the facility is "Big Splash Waterpark". Upon opening, it contained only a 50-metre (160 ft) pool and a kids pool. It now has a total of eleven water slides, which includes the Family Slide and the Kamikaze slide that extend downwards from the top of Splash Tower, The Hurricane Twins that begin at the Splash Viewing Platform. Big Splash includes a children's area called Splash Island which includes 3 slides and playing area. There was the Yellow Bubble pool for toddlers, which had two small water slides landing into shallow water. However this was removed in the 2014/2015 season and a new playground was installed for smaller children. There is also a "Learn to Swim Pool" and a 50-metre (160 ft) Pool. Big Splash also has a dry Inflatable Obstacle Course for Children, and wet Inflatable Obstacle Courses for Adults and Children.
Following the 2010 closures of the Speedcoaster and Twister slides at Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast on the Gold Coast, [3] [4] Watkins personally purchased both rides for $1.5 million. [5] [6] The rides were installed in 2012, but red tape delayed their opening until 2013. [5] [7] [8] The slides were actually purchased for a reduced price by Wet 'n Wild.
For the 2014/2015 season the longstanding historic "yellow bubble" was removed and a new toddlers playground installed. Big Splash used to run dive in movies, however frequent crowd cancellations led to its closure. The facility is closed over winter and is open from November to March. [8]
A water slide is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides require riders to sit directly on the slide, or on a raft or tube designed to be used with the slide.
Raging Waters is a chain of two water theme parks in San Dimas, California, and Sydney, Australia. The parks are operated by Palace Entertainment and owned by its parent company Parques Reunidos, but they each contain different attractions. The parks are generally closed during the winter months.
Noah's Ark Family Park Inc. is the largest outdoor water park in the United States. It features 51 water slides and dozens of various attractions. The park is located in the village of Lake Delton, Wisconsin.
Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast is a water park situated in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. In 2019, the park received 1,120,000 visitors making it the most visited water park in Australia and the 19th most visited water park in the world. Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast is located adjacent to Warner Bros. Movie World, a movie-related park also owned by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. The park remains open all year with some seasonal ride closures and maintenance periods in winter. It is one of several water parks operating under the Wet'n'Wild brand globally.
Water Country USA is a water park in York County, Virginia, United States, near Williamsburg, Virginia. It is the Mid-Atlantic's largest water park, and it offers live entertainment, shops and restaurants, water rides, and other family attractions, all of which have a 1950s or 1960s surf theme. It is owned by United Parks & Resorts. The park is just a few miles away from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, with which it shares clientele. Multi-park passes are available, and a parking pass at Water Country USA is valid for same-day entry to Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks is a division of Village Roadshow Limited which operates theme parks and attractions in Australia and the United States of America. The Sydney Attractions Group Pty Ltd was formerly part of Village Roadshow Theme Parks; however, it was sold in 2011 to Merlin Entertainments.
Wet'n'Wild Toronto is a water park in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, a city in the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1986, the 100-acre (0.40 km2) complex hosts a variety of attractions, including numerous water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a four lane zip-line and two kid's splash areas. Since becoming Wet'n'Wild Toronto, the park has established a stronger family-focus and has eliminated a number of bars and food vendors within the park confines.
Splish Splash is a 96-acre (390,000 m2) water park located in Calverton, New York. It has 30 rides and is open for visitors from May to September. Travel Channel ranked Splish Splash as the third-best water park in the United States in the year 2009.
WhiteWater World is a seasonal water park situated in the suburb of Coomera on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Coast Entertainment and is the sister park to Dreamworld.
ProSlide Technology, Inc. is a Canadian designer and manufacturer of water rides and water park resorts. They design and manufacture both traditional slides and innovative rides such as water coasters, funnel-shaped Tornado slides, and Bowl slides. ProSlide has received attention for being the first water slide manufacturer to build a water slide using linear induction motors and for designing the Mammoth watercoaster which was named the world's longest watercoaster by Guinness World Records in 2016. Since 1986, ProSlide has developed and designed water rides for water parks in over 40 countries around the world.
Wet 'n Wild Orlando was the flagship water park of Wet 'n Wild owned by NBC Universal, located on International Drive in Orlando, Florida. It was founded in 1977 by SeaWorld creator George Millay. It closed on January 1, 2017.
SplashDown Waterpark, a waterpark located within Ben Lomond Regional Park in Sudley, Virginia, is operated by the Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation. The park was built at the location of the Ben Lomond swimming pool, opening in May 1996. Among slides and wading pools, the facility also houses a 25-meter competition pool.
Raging Waters Sydney, formerly Wet'n'Wild Sydney, is a water park in the greater western Sydney suburb of Prospect, New South Wales, Australia, that opened on 12 December 2013. The park was announced on 11 September 2010 and was the third Wet'n'Wild water park operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, after locations on the Gold Coast and Las Vegas. On 2 July 2018, it was announced that the park had been acquired by Parques Reunidos who renamed the park Raging Waters Sydney for the 2019 season. It is the only attraction outside the United States owned by Palace Entertainment.
An AquaLoop is a type of body water slide where single riders are dropped down a near vertical slide and into an inclined loop. They are usually located in water parks.
Wet'n'Wild is a brand used for many water parks across the world owned by Village Roadshow Theme Parks and EPR Properties. It is distinct from the Wet 'n Wild brand originally owned by SeaWorld creator George Millay or Wet N' Wild Waterworld, a stand-alone water park in Anthony, Texas, US.
Cowabunga Canyon Waterpark is a water park in Spring Valley, Nevada. The park was part of Village Roadshow Theme Parks' Wet'n'Wild chain of water parks located across the world, until it was purchased by Pyek Group in March 2022. Pyek Group also owns Cowabunga Bay and together these 2 water parks makeup the Cowabunga Vegas brand. The park is located at 7055 S. Fort Apache Road, southwest of the I-215 and Sunset Road interchange.
Big Splash was a former waterpark located at East Coast Park in Singapore that operated between 1977 and 2006. It was later redeveloped into a dining and recreation area named Playground @ Big Splash, which opened in 2008. The site was demolished in 2017.
Wilderness at the Smokies is a resort located on Wilderness Territories property in Sevierville, Tennessee. It opened in 2008 as part of the new Bridgemont development, which, along with the resort itself, now includes shopping, dining, and conference facilities.
Blue Lagoon was a themed water park at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The area consisted of a large mountain which contained three water slides and two swimming pools.