12 of the best theme parks in Australia
From adrenaline-fuelled rollercoasters to lazy lagoons, these Australian theme parks have the thrills and spills that you’re looking for.
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Theme parks are the ultimate fun day out.
Packed with rides, carnival fare, character meet-and-greets, and entertaining shows, there’s honestly a little something for everybody. During summer you can even make a splash on water rides, boats, and waterslides. Heaven, right?
In Australia theme parks are spread all across the country.
No matter where you are or what you’re after, we’ve picked out 12 of the best to maximise your holiday fun.
Dreamworld, Gold Coast
Let’s start with the big one: Dreamworld. It’s Australia’s largest theme park and has over 40 rides and slides as well as a wildlife conservation park where you can meet tigers, bilbies, koalas and more.
There’s a distinct Australian flavour to Dreamworld. This is evident across its rides, which are themed around Play School and Bananas in Pyjamas, as well as its entertainment, which includes a Wiggles friends appearance and a crocodile talk.
Dreamworld is also attached to WhiteWater World, so on a hot summer’s day you can grab a 2-park pass to hop across for a cool down on its watery rides and giant wave pool.
WhiteWater World, Gold Coast
Decked out in a maze of whirly swirly water slides, WhiteWater World is the sister park to Dreamworld.
Being a waterpark, it’s only open seasonally between September and April in line with our warmer months, and has a good mix of thrill slides and family slides to splash down in.
For families with young children there’s also a kids’ section: Wiggle Bay. Suitable for little one-year-olds and up, it has mini slides, water cannons and sprays that are guaranteed to delight.
Luna Park, Melbourne
Marked by its iconic Mr Moon clown face, the historic Luna Park Melbourne revels in its prime positioning on St Kilda Beach and is the type of carnival you see in the movies. Think a romantic ferris wheel, gilded carousel, and creepy ghost train. Yeah, you get the picture.
Built in 1912, it’s the oldest theme park in Australia and features the world’s oldest continually operating wooden roller coaster, The Great Scenic Railway.
Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast
As it says on the tin, Warner Bros. Movie World is based on the world’s favourite Warner Bros. shows and has a distinct Hollywood atmosphere.
Watch stunt drivers, walk through real movie sets, and meet DC and Looney Tunes characters. If you’re feeling the need for speed you can even hop on a VIP Stunt Driver experience to sit shotgun in a high speed car.
Warner Bros. Movie World is also part of the Village Roadshow Family. If you're planning a big one you can buy a 3-day park pass to access it as well as Sea World and Wet'n'Wild.
Sea World, Gold Coast
A marine park and theme park in one, Sea World is famous for its animal shows and up-close-and-personal encounters with underwater creatures like dolphins, penguins, seals and whaler sharks. There are even polar bears.
When you’re not snorkelling through reefs or watching dolphins perform tricks, you can scale heights on roller coasters and swing rides, and splash around in play zones and battle boats.
Sea World is part of the Village Roadshow Family. If you're planning a big one you can buy a 3-day park pass to access it as well as Movie World and Wet'n'Wild
Wave Lagoon, Darwin
Fringed by palm trees, umbrellas and loungers, Wave Lagoon is paradise for anyone looking to relax and cool down in gentle waters.
Spanning 4000 square metres, this park has 10 wave patterns suitable for babies to boogie boarders, with each running in 20 minute cycles. The best bit? Tickets cost just $8 for adults. Bargain.
The Beachhouse, Glenelg
The Beachhouse packs a whole lot of fun under one roof. Spread out across five action-packed storeys, this sprawling entertainment destination has wet, dry and kiddie attractions. Plus being undercover, it’s a fantastic choice for rainy days when the kids need to burn some energy. Entry is free and you can either buy a package to pay for rides, or load credit onto your Funcard as you go making it perfect if you’re working on a budget.
Rides include waterslides, dodgem cars, bumper boats, arcade games, a carousel and mini golf.
Magic Mountain, Merimbula
Surrounded by bushland, this local amusement park is brimming with outdoor adventure on the Sapphire Coast. Its main ride, the Toboggan Slide, is a 900 metre stainless steel banger that zips and winds through the bush and captures postcard perfect views of Merimbula Bar Beach. There’s also a jumping castle, mini golf, splash pool, water slides and Grand Prix racing cars.
Aussie World, Sunshine Coast
A Sunshine Coast institution, Aussie World started off as the Ettamogah Pub and has since grown to become one of Australia’s best known theme parks. Spinning coasters, spooky mazes, racing cars, and drop towers make up its 20+ strong rides and attractions. Feeling brave? Make a beeline for SX360 which claims the title of Australia’s tallest and fastest 360 degree pendulum and is one wild ride.
Jamberoo Action Park, Sydney
When the weather is warm, cool your jets at Jamberoo Action Park. This New South Wales waterpark lets you ‘control the action’ (or so the jingle goes) across over a dozen exhilarating rides.
Pop in over the summer school holidays and you’ll score yourself some bonus fun to the tune of retro car and boat displays, dive-in movie nights and giveaways.
Adventure World, Perth
Established in 1982, Adventure World is Perth’s one and only theme and water park and ticks all the boxes for a great family day out. 25 rides and attractions fill the space, including the custom-built coaster Abyss which reaches speeds of 85 kilometres per hour with a g-force ranging from -1.5 to 4.5 Gs.
Wet’n’Wild, Gold Coast
Part of the series of Village Roadshow Theme Parks on the Gold Coast, Wet’n’Wild is one of the most visited waterparks in the nation - and with good reason. This hot attraction has rides for all thrill levels - aka the whole family -
and maintains a water temperature of 25 degree celsius throughout which lets it run all year round.
Visiting Movie World and Wet'n'Wild? Grab a 3-park pass to visit them all over 5 consecutive days.
What is the largest theme park in Australia?
Dreamworld is the largest of Australia’s amusement parks. It has over 40 thrilling rides and attractions and welcomes over a million visitors annually.
Is it better to buy online or at the gate?
During the busy season, buying your ticket online ensures you won’t miss out on a ticket or waste time waiting in line on the day. Some theme parks, like Movie World, offer discounts for purchasing tickets online.
Which state has the most theme parks?
Queensland is home to four of the six largest theme parks in Australia and is often called the theme park capital of Australia. It’s most popular parks include Dreamworld, Sea World, WhiteWater World, Wet’n’Wild, Warner Bros. Movie World and Aussie World.
What are theme park opening hours?
Most of the bigger theme parks like Dreamworld open from 10.30 to 4pm, however many also have night programs. Warner Bros Movie World opens from 10am to 5pm, as does Wet'n'Wild.
For more great holiday deals and savings, check out these coupons from Thrill Experiences, Wotif, Redballoon and Luxury Escapes.
See also:
-Things to do in the school holidays in Australia
-Queensland's best theme parks
-Best rides at Universal Studios Japan
Originally published as 12 of the best theme parks in Australia
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