We ventured down to Adventure Park at the beginning of last week. The kids had already begun pestering us to go there thanks to the television ad campaign going on at the moment, so you can imagine their delight when – just this once – I was able to say, “We ARE going!” Their excitement levels boiled over so much that we were bombarded with the ‘Are we there yet?’ questions from the Western Ring Road. The day was cool and breezy, not that it bothered anyone else really, except me, who likes swimming water the way I like my bath water: calm and warm.
Once we were shown into the park we were escorted over to our private cabanas for the day. Here’s Keira getting into the appropriate mood:
The cabanas (8 in total) are $59.95 to hire for the day. In our case they were good – my mother accompanied us on the day and as she wasn’t feeling well it was nice to think she could relax in relative privacy (and shade). The cabanas only hold 6 people in total, so big groups take note. If we were going by ourselves, we’d probably just arrive early to make sure we could nab some picnic tables or recliner lounges, but it’s nice to know there’s options.
We sat by Bonito’s Bay, a waterplay area for children, right next to the aqua racer slide, which Adam and Riley promptly ran to, just after this was taken:
Keira particularly enjoyed the lazy river, as you can see. Once the sun came out in the afternoon I even went on it. Note our body language: she relaxed, me perched on the side of the ring as to get the least wet!
There’s plenty of ‘dry’ activities to do too. Like mini golf, where Riley successfully managed to land his ball in the lake, or canoeing…
… or a jump on a jumping pillow (adults and children are both allowed)
There are 21 rides in all: here’s where you can see them. I did go on one ‘big’ ride in the end, the fast tube slides. Here’s a shot of me coming out. The water inside the tube was lovely and warm (no breeze to cut through you) but once you got outside again… brrr!
All up, the day was marvellous and the kids now are pestering us to go back. The park itself was very clean and there were always plenty of lifeguards around watching the water. I would like to commend the customer service of one particular girl, a teenager, who took my order for lunch and was so genuinely chatty and friendly it was lovely. Ticket prices are on the high side, but that could be balanced out by bringing as much food and drink inside as possible. Still, for larger families, it would be a factor in determining whether to go or not. Being forewarned about budgeting helps – more information about prices is here.
But what also helps is if you can get tickets for free – and I’m happy to be able to give you that chance! I have on offer two x summer fun passes valued at $74.99 and are valid all the way up to April 29th 2012. Further terms and conditions regarding the summer pass can be found here.
All you need to do to enter is leave a comment saying why you’d like to win the pass and what sorts of rides you’d look forward to riding on. You need to enter a valid, regularly checked email address and be an Australian resident. Out of the comments, the two judged best for creativity/skill will win a pass each. The competition ends at 5pm Friday January 13th.
Good luck! If you have any questions, just ask.
Our day was made possible by the invitation of Porter Novelli and Adventure Park and I’d like to thank them both. Opinions – as ever – are my own.
Edit: Competition has now closed. Thank you for participating! Winners will be contacted shortly.
