Mum shares the ultimate cheapskate way to visit the Gold Coast theme parks

“It cost less than $450 for our whole family’s accommodation AND five days of theme park passes.”

“It cost less than $450 for our whole family’s accommodation AND five days of theme park passes,” the frugal Victorian mum reveals. 

For years, Chentelle had wanted to take her family to the Gold Coast theme parks, but the cost had always made the trip impossible. 

That all changed last month, however, when the mum-of-two discovered a deal that was almost too good to be true…

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Chentelle and her 9mo baby/Her son and his friends. Image: Supplied

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The little-known deal

While travelling in their caravan through South East Queensland, Chentelle, husband Trae, their four-year-old son, Vali, and nine-week-old daughter, Pana, were invited by friends to Paradise Country, a farm-inspired theme park on the Gold Coast with accommodation and camping facilities.  

When she heard about the price and inclusions, it was an instant game changer for Chentelle, who snapped up the deal just one day before her family’s arrival in May. 

So, what’s all the fuss about? 

Paradise Country’s Farmstay, Play and Save package is priced from just $149 per night, which gives a family of four a powered campsite, buffet breakfast AND passes to four theme parks: Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild and of course, Paradise Country. 

Park passes are valid for the entire day of check-in and check-out, so a one-night stay gives all four family members two full days at the theme parks. 

“We thought it was such amazing value that we stayed for three nights for $447 and it got us five days at the theme parks,” the 28-year-old, who has been travelling in a caravan with her family for the past two years after living in Portland, Victoria, tells Kidspot. 

“If we stayed in a normal caravan park and bought tickets separately, it would have cost us so much more than that.” 

Chentelle's son and his friends/The family at a theme park. Image: Supplied

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"We'll go back next year"

For Chantelle, who had only just given birth to her daughter six weeks before the visit, the convenience of staying inside Paradise Country - which is also within walking distance to Movie World and Wet’n’Wild - made occupying her four-year-old while caring for her newborn infinitely easier than having to travel from a separate caravan park each day. 

“It’s a beautiful place that’s nice and quiet with good facilities,” she raves about her first visit to Paradise Country in her 22-foot van. 

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“It’s all open planned so it was easy to keep an eye on Vali wherever he was with the animals, and I loved being able to go back to the van to have lunch or get the kids changed and check on dinner in the slow cooker which we had ready after a long day out.” 

Her only disappointment with the experience was finding several attractions closed for maintenance. 

“We would have been really annoyed if we had paid full price for tickets and all these rides for little kids were closed, but we were able to be much more forgiving because it was all just included in the accommodation price,” Chentelle, who documents her family’s adventures on her Instagram account, SeekingTheSunOz, says honestly. 

Regardless, Chentelle says she’ll be back next year if the same deal comes around again. 

“We would go back just for the buffet breakfast, because it was a first time for us in a caravan park and such a luxury to get for free,” she laughs. 

“That alone would have cost us $66 per day. It was all such good value for money.” 

Bookings for the Farmstay, Play and Save package can be made here. The offer is open to book until June 30, 2024 and valid for stays until September 13, 2024. 

Originally published as Mum shares the ultimate cheapskate way to visit the Gold Coast theme parks