Adventure Park Geelong {water park}
Adventure Park Geelong is a fun day out for all ages – especially water-loving kids! Drift, race, spin, splash and slide: this is a perfect way to spend a day during the warmer months.
When: 27 October 2018 – 22 April 2019, various times, click here for full details.
Where: 1249 Bellarine Hwy, Wallington GEELONG
Cost: day tickets range from FREE to $44.50, book ahead here.
Our last visit to Adventure Park Geelong was six years ago – when the mini reviewers were, quite simply, much much more mini! So we were all very excited to be invited to return, and the mini reviewers (despite being aged 4 and 7 last time) remembered their visit six years ago with much enthusiasm. Our return visit not only lived up to expectations, it surpassed them. And if the Adventure Park Geelong is fun with a 4 and 7 year old… I can vouch that with tween/teens it’s a blast.
So what to expect. If you’re already a fan of the Geelong Adventure Park then you will be pleased to hear that not too much has changed…
We noticed that there were more cabana’s (the private huts you can hire if you want your own reserved space) and they now came in many different levels. For our visit, we experienced the most basic level for a family, which afforded us two lounges, two chairs and a small table. We could leave our non-precious belongings here (think food, towels, clothes, sunscreen) unattended for the day. For peace of mind, we also hired a locker ($12 for the day, big enough to easily fit 2 handbags) and locked up my cameras as well as mobile phones and wallets. Pre-book your cabana here.
The other change we can report back on is the addition of a new slide – the Tornado! This slide requires a minimum of two riders – but can accommodate up to four at one time. The three kids (aged 10, 13 and 15) had the first turn, and then us two mums braved the ride with two of the kids… I had the “scariest” experience as I went down backward the entire slide… meaning I couldn’t see the drop coming (I knew it existed as we could view it from the queue!). Despite that (and my usual fear of fast rides) the Tornado is a slide I would definitely do again.
Top tips for an awesome day out.
- To take advantage of the whole park (and make the most of your ticket) I recommend getting to the park as close to opening as possible. The entry process could use a little streamlining, so don’t be surprised if you wait to get in the gates for up to 20 minutes, depending on the crowd (the day we visited it was a stunning 36C day which meant the crowd was big!)
- Pack your lunch and drinks and snacks – the Adventure Park Geelong allows guests to BYO picnics, so take advantage of this and enjoy your own feast (and one less reason to carry cash on your person).
- This is a day out that is enjoyed tenfold when shared with friends – I had a friend and the kids had a friend = we all had a blast.
- Stake out your turf as soon as you arrive! If you haven’t booked a cabana then don’t sweat it too much – there is plenty of shaded picnic spots to set up for the day.
- If your kids are little they will need to be supervised around water – which means you need to come prepared to swim too. Also for the three main waterslides, rafts need to be carried up to the top of the slide – and this could be challenging for kids aged under eight to manage on their own. Check height limits for the rides and slides here.
- The drive home (we were returning to Melbourne) is where we came unstuck re food – our three ran out of food and were all starving which resulted in an emergency fast food stop off for dinner… you may want to pre-empt this with pre-packed car snacks or an ice-cream as you’re leaving!
- I did not encounter any drinking fountains during our visit (that’s not to say they don’t exist, but they must be hiding). I would recommend packing extra water.
- Finally, last summer I invested in my own rashie and our visit to Adventure Park Geelong was where I fully appreciated that purchase. The kids and I wore ours all day and it saved us so much sunscreen effort! If you own rashies, this is the time to wear them.