Lazing on the lazy river at Adventure Park Geelong
The adults had fun too at Adventure Park Geelong
Coffee, lane-way art, fashion and food. The traditional tourist draw cards to Melbourne and Victoria. Theme parks – that’s what the Gold Coast is for right? I’m happy to say there is at least one theme park in Victoria – Adventure Park Geelong that works as a great family day out.
Truth be told I have had reservations about some of the major Gold Coast theme parks when visiting with my young kids. Our visit to Adventure Park Geelong on the contrary was a resounding success. We visited with our two boys, aged 5 and 7, and our toddler. My seven year old is a thrill seeker and there were a few age appropriate thrill rides – a giant chairoplane (Wave Swinger), and in the water park, the Aqua Racers and Gold Rush Rapids. There was plenty for my toddler to enjoy including a carousel, kids train, giant jumping pillow, and a tiny tots splash zone (that big kids are excluded from). Character experiences were available, although my kids were all terrified of the roaming pirate we saw. My active five year old loved mini golf, the little buggy speedway and the “lazy river” in the watermark (not real lazy as we had to dodge the teenagers.)
Adventure Park Geelong is in the regional city of Geelong, about an hour and a half driving from Melbourne on the Bellarine Peninsula. This makes it a manageable day trip for families.
Older kids that love roller coasters may be disappointed by Adventure Park Geelong. There are some good activities for older kids including go carts, archery and a number of watersides.
Characters at Adventure Park Geelong. My kids found them scary but other kids seemed to like these guys
What we liked about Adventure Park Geelong:
-Minimal queues. We visited on a sunny Saturday in the summer school holidays but there really weren’t too many crowds.
-Adventure Park Geelong is spacious and clean.
-An abundance of covered areas for picnics. It wasn’t difficult to find a place to enjoy some shade and a meal in peace.
-There was enough to keep our whole family busy for the entire day
-Adventure Park Geelong is a great option for young kids including toddlers.
The kids train at Adventure Park Geelong
We weren’t so keen about:
-The price. It cost $150 for our family of five to visit (it would have been more if my toddler was taller). There are no family tickets available. This is a steep cost for a family day out. I would have real trouble justifying the cost once my toddler grows a few centimetres and we have to pay for her too.
-Food – as at most theme parks this was expensive and of only acceptable quality. Bring your own picnic!
-Opening is at 10am – a bit late for families with young kids that still need their naps.
Tiny Tots Splash area – no wild big kids – gold.
Adventure Park Geelong is open from November through to mid April. Check the Adventure Park Geelong website for opening hours according to the day you wish to visit. We would recommend it to other families, particularly those with similarly aged children. This family are crushing on Geelong at the moment as a great regional city to visit so spending the weekend there is a top option.
Lots of water play areas for little kids at Adventure Park Geelong
Victoria has lots of other great themeparks like Adventure Park including Luna Park (Melbourne), Sovereign Hill (Ballarat), Funfields (Whittlesea), Fairy Park (Anakie) and Kryal Castle (Ballarat).
Sovereign Hill is a Gold Rush themed park. Luna Park a sideshow/carnival park, Funfields (similar to Adventure Park but with bigger waterslides), Fairy Park a fairy tale park which is unique and steeped in history and Kryal Castle is a medieval themed park.
My kids love them all.
All great suggestions Anne and we’ve been to some of these. I’m hoping to take the kids to Fairy Park and Sovereign Hill later in the year.