This year's family trip was to Gold Coast, Australia. Everything was booked back in December 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak. We flew MAS out of KLIA on the night of the 4th of March. It was the first time I actually saw the airport being that empty and it was scary.
8 hours later, we were in sunny Brisbane! The weather was amazing, as though it was welcoming our arrival. We picked up our cars at the airport and drove to Gold Coast, which took about an hour. We checked-in into our rooms at the Sea World Resort and since everyone was starving, we went into town to grab some late lunch.
The fun began the following day:
The kids loved it so much, we actually went there twice! The park wasn't crowded and so, the queues were short. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the WB Fun Zone and going on the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster. They took pictures with Superman, Wonderwoman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Robin and Joker, and danced with the Looney Tunes characters.
Foods there weren't great, but the churros were awesome!
The wife and I are coaster junkies. The crazier they are, the better. Although it usually makes us want to pee ourselves before stepping onto the platform (I'm talking about those really crazy ones lah), we would come out of the other end grinning from ear to ear, satisfied. And I think our little boy is turning into one, too.
The two big rides there were DC Rivals HyperCoaster and Superman Escape. The former was awesome; It was super-fast, has lots of loops and drops and was almost 3 minutes long. The latter was a little disappointing, although we did get to sit in the front. So, that was cool. Daanish really wanted to go on it, but he was too small. The other two big rides, Arkham Asylum and Green Lantern Coaster were closed, which was a big let-down.
My little girls greeted the kangaroos and koalas for the very first time. Ayra used to be scared of a lot of animals (other than cats), but she's bigger now and can feed the kangaroos with her hands. Aleesa, on the other hand, wouldn't let me go, being a koala herself. It was disappointing, however, not being able to touch the koalas and wombats, like the time we did in Perth.
We also witnessed sheep shearing, which was quite fun.
We wanted to have lunch at the Farmhouse Restaurant because we discovered that they serve Halal meat. But as soon as we got there, around 2 PM, the place was deserted as everything was closed. Very strange.
A trip to Australia wouldn't be complete without a visit to the beach. Just any beach would do because they are all equally crazy, nothing like the ones we're used to back home. The one we went to is called the Spit Dog Beach, which stretches along the Seaworld Drive.
It was almost rainy season and so, it was raining a lot. On one of the mornings, we got out of bed and went straight to the beach. The water was a bit cold, but bearable. The waves were massive, but still technically safe to swim in. We were there for almost 4 hours when the kids decided that it was time to hit the pools. So, we did.
We left the pool when it started to rain. And the rain did not stop even after we were ready to go out again. So, we decided to go shopping instead at Harbour Town Premium Outlets.
On the morning of Day 5, before the park opened, we were at Seaworld for about an hour and managed to catch a private dolphin show. It was one of the privileges staying at the resort. It was raining cats and dogs, so, we figured it wouldn't be a good idea to spend the day at the park as a lot of the rides and shows would be closed.
The following day, the weather improved. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves on stage with the PAW Patrol pups. The wife and kids were soaked when they were on the Donatello's Ninja Flyers and it started to pour.
The animal exhibitions were not that impressive and dull. Having had the experience to visit the one in San Diego, I was expecting more out of it. The kids, however, enjoyed it, which was the whole point of this trip.
The rest left the park early, but Daanish and I decided to stay a bit longer until it closed. The two of us were pinballing between two of our favourite rides, Jet Rescue Coaster and Storm Coaster. We went on them for more than 10 times, I think!
Gold Coast isn't just about the beaches and theme parks. A short drive from the beach brought us to this magnificent place called Natural Bridge. Its name is taken from a natural rock arch in Springbrook National Park.
Movie World
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Paradise Country
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The Beach
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Sea World Marine Park
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Natural Bridge
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We were lucky it didn't rain that day.
The drive up to Natural Bridge was lovely. As we neared, the scenery gradually changed. We saw horses in the prairie by the roadside and beautiful ranch-style houses.
Natural Bridge is well worth a visit; sealed road access all the way with a well-made 2km circuit track from the car park down to the rock formation and back. The hike was mesmerising and the 2-km was a breeze, even for the kids.
When we got to the bottom, we saw the bat colony. Not much action there because it was in the middle of the day, but it was still quite awesome nonetheless.
Overall Experience
According to the kids, this was by far the best vacation they've ever been on. They're bigger now and there are a lot more things they know how to appreciate; The thrill, the journey, the scenery, the smell, the taste and a whole lot more. And kinda agree with them!
In shaa Allah, we will be back here before you know it, kids.