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![]() The entrance to Sea World | |
Location | Main Beach, Queensland, Australia |
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Coordinates | 27°57′21″S153°25′33″E / 27.9559°S 153.4257°E |
Opened | 30 October 1971 |
Owner | Village Roadshow Theme Parks |
Operating season | Year round |
Attractions | |
Total | 14 |
Roller coasters | 3 |
Water rides | 1 |
Website | www |
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It offers attractions such as rides and animal exhibits and promotes conservation through education and the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. [1] The park is commercially linked to Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast as part of the theme park division of Village Roadshow. The park has no affiliation with an American park chain of a similar name.
Sea World was founded by Keith Williams as the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens. [2] The main attractions were "water ski shows that combined SOS, aqua ballet and action"[ citation needed ]. In 1971, the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens moved to land on The Spit. Major dredging works were required to build the new ski lake. A year later, the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens became known as Sea World with the introduction of dolphins, marine displays, a replica of the Endeavour, a swimming pool, a licensed restaurant and a gift shop. [3] Additions over the next decade included the purchasing of the competitor marine park, Marineland, and the transfer of animals and exhibits to Sea World, as well as more shops and food outlets. [4]
SeaWorld was repeatedly rated as Australia's best tourist attraction by the Australian Tourism Awards through the 1980s. [5] In 1984, Keith Williams sold the park to property development group Pivot Leisure. In 1988, Pivot built the 402-room Sea World Nara Resort, a joint development between SeaWorld Property Trust and Nara Hotels Japan. [6] [7] In 1991, Pivot Leisure, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow jointly developed and opened Warner Bros. Movie World, a Hollywood theme action park, at Oxenford on the Gold Coast. That year, Pivot also purchased the Wet n' Wild Water park located next to the site of Warner Bros. Movie World. In 1993, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow jointly acquired Pivot Leisure's interest in Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World and the adjoining Sea World Nara Resort.
As the name suggests, Sea World Resort and Water Park is an adjoining Resort and Water Park to Sea World. The resort underwent a large-scale refurbishment in 2007. In 2008, the Sea World Water Park became part of the resort with regular park guests having to pay an additional fee to make use of the water park. [88] In 2010, part of the Water Park was demolished to make way for Castaway Bay. [30] [89]
Television series filmed at Sea World include the Australian children's programs Dolphin Cove , Camp Orange , Toasted TV (since early 2007), H2O: Just Add Water , and its spin-off Mako Mermaids .
Several accidents or incidents have occurred at or near the Sea World theme park.
On 3 March 1991 at 1:58pm, six passengers and the pilot on board a Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II were killed during a joy-flight departing from Sea World. [90] The helicopter climbed steeply with its nose facing almost vertically upwards. It then fell backwards, resulting in the tail boom being severed by the main rotor blades, causing the helicopter to crash on a South Stradbroke Island beach. The investigation found the helicopter was airworthy and there was no evidence of the pilot attempting a deliberate manoeuvre such as a torque turn. Although the pilot was unknowingly suffering from myocarditis, which could result in loss of consciousness or death, the reason for the loss of control could not be established.
On 2 January 2023 at 1:59pm, two helicopters operated by Sea World Helicopters (a separate company from Sea World [91] ) collided near the resort. The departing helicopter (containing seven occupants) fell to the ground and crashed, killing four people and critically injuring three. The arriving helicopter (containing six occupants) landed safely, with five of the occupants suffering relatively minor injuries, mostly from glass shards from the broken windshield. [92]
Dreamworld is a theme park and zoo situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is Australia's biggest theme park with over 40 rides and attractions.
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.
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.
SeaWorld Orlando is an animal theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts. In 2022, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 4.45 million guests, ranking it the 10th most visited amusement park in the United States.
SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park located in Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. It is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, public aquarium, and marine animal rehabilitation center. SeaWorld, the theme park's proprietor, is owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a 135-acre (55 ha) animal theme park located in Vallejo, California, off of Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento. The park includes a variety of roller coasters and other amusement rides. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has been part of the Six Flags chain of amusement parks since 1999.
Jet Rescue is a steel launched jet ski roller coaster made by Intamin that opened on 26 December 2008 at Sea World on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride has a very twisted and banked layout with several fast directional changes. Unlike other family launch roller coasters, Jet Rescue features two launches. The ride features a unique jet ski style of seating with lap bar restraints. The ride is based upon Sea World's Research and Rescue Foundation performing the rescue of a sea lion.
The Bermuda Triangle was a themed indoor water ride at the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. In 2013, the ride was replaced by Storm Coaster, a Mack Rides water coaster.
The Flash: Speed Force is a steel shuttle roller coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Opened on 13 May 2024, it is an Intamin Half Pipe roller coaster themed to the DC Comics superhero the Flash. The ride originally opened as Surfrider at the nearby Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast, where it operated from September 2007 until 2020, before being removed in April 2023.
Ocean Parade is a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It features 3 of the Big 7 Thrill Rides at Dreamworld, The Claw, The Gold Coaster and Tail Spin, which are within close proximity of each other. Ocean Parade has an Australian beach culture theme, and has beach-themed rides scattered around the area. It currently provides a link between Main Street, Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland, and the adjacent water park WhiteWater World.
DreamWorks Experience was a themed land at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It contained attractions themed to DreamWorks Animation films. The land was formerly themed to Nickelodeon properties.
The Gold Rush Country is a themed land at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Castaway Bay is a themed area at the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It consists of four distinct attractions: Battle Boats, Sky Climb, Sky Fortress and The Reef.
BuzzSaw was a Maurer AG SkyLoop roller coaster located within the Gold Rush Country section of the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast of Australia. The ride began operation on 17 September 2011 as part of Dreamworld's 30th birthday celebrations. The ride was permanently closed on 31 August 2021, due to Dreamworld prioritising future development plans.
The Sea World Monorail System was a 2-kilometre (6,600 ft) monorail circuit around the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It was Australia's only remaining monorail system, after the closure of the Sydney Monorail and the other system at Broadbeach, linking the Oasis Shopping Centre with The Star Gold Coast.
The history of Dreamworld dates back to the mid-1970s when John Longhurst envisioned the future theme park. After a seven-year construction period, Dreamworld officially opened to the public on 15 December 1981. Now owned by publicly listed Ardent Leisure, the park has seen many expansions, closures and replacements over its 30-year history.
Storm Coaster is a Water Coaster located at the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride is designed by Mack Rides of Germany and combines the flume and splashdown elements of a log flume, with the chain lift hill and drops of a steel roller coaster.
Leviathan is a wooden roller coaster at Sea World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is a part of the park's New Atlantis Expansion, and the first new wooden coaster built in Australia in 35 years. Leviathan opened on 2 December 2022.
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