Day Six of a Camper Holiday! - Warner Brothers Movie World

After travelling south and staying at the conveniently located Gold Coast Holiday Park, we spent the day at Movie World.

From the carpark of Warner Bothers Movie World, Oxenford
Visible from left to right are: The Green Lantern roller-coaster,
the Batman Batwing, and the Superman Escape roller-coaster.

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While my impression of Australia Zoo is one of a place built on passion but running on a commercial agenda, I still suffered culture shock at Warner Brothers Movie World.

I can't describe Movie World as being anything other than a massive assault on the senses. With noisy bone shuddering rides and frequent shows featuring loud music, it was just what the kids were looking for. A took the opportunity to leave the kids with me, while she rode several roller coasters limited to people taller than our kids.


The Wild West Falls log ride was an opportunity for the whole family to go on a ride together, which began serenely, and ended with E continually screaming in my ear on the ride down to the splash pool.


We all enjoyed movie world for the amusement park that it is. We will probably even go back, yet some parts of the day left a sour note.


I still feel affronted by the presence of time-share salespeople at Movie World. They targeted my family and I, giving us a few competition scratch cards in what I suspect was a faux competition. When we didn't scratch up a prize we were presented with another free entry, and guess what? We scratched up first prize of a holiday to Thailand (plus a $99 booking fee). But to claim it required that we pay a $40 booking deposit for a 90 minute seminar the next morning. The $40 fee would then be refunded when we turned up. But we didn't book and we didn't pay. To me at least the whole thing felt like the Australian equivalent of a Nigerian 419 scam. These people didn't know us, continually fed us scratch cards until we won a prize, and then wanted money from us and required us to sit through a 90 minute seminar in order to claim that prize. I feel that Village Roadshow (who run Movie World) have sullied their reputation by providing these people with a kiosk.


You will note that this posting is lacking in photographs from inside Movie World. This is for two reasons:

1. I didn't take a camera as it was at risk of getting wet, broken or stolen.
2. I refrained from using my iPhone in taking photos due to the signs plastered throughout the park advising that camera use was banned due to copyright laws. I can't think of which section of the Copyright Act 1968 could possibly apply to prevent people taking photos of curios in a shop, or taking photos of people on a ride.

One of the few areas where photographs were encouraged.
Hollywood Stunt Driver show.

Yet we were invited to take photographs during the Hollywood Stunt Driver show, but were reminded that all photos were to be personal souvenirs only. So I now share with you one of my souvenir photos taken on my mobile phone during the Hollywood Stunt Driver show.


I particularly enjoyed the show - there was a story which was played out in front of us, and the participants were demonstrating real skill: supposedly we were here to film a movie sequence depicting an Italian jewellery store robbery which result in some high speed chases. A new bumbling crew member causes all sorts of strife, but there's a happy ending of course: after all we are at 'Hollywood on the Gold Coast'

Days Five of a Camper Holiday! - Crikey! Australia Zoo

Visiting Australia Zoo was interesting. While Australia Zoo is famous for its crocodiles the zoo has an extensive collection of other animals including Asian Elephants, Tigers, Koalas, various birds of prey, and dozens of Kangaroos.

Someone gets paid to paint the toenails
of kangaroos. Seriously.

I feel that Australia Zoo has become a victim of its own success - a certain commercial glitz exists and it exudes from the 1500 seat eatery, the massive 5000 seat 'crocoseum' show area, and brand Bindi: Bindi the jungle girl, Bindi the wildlife warrior, Bindi stars in free willy, Bindi presents her new 'Boot camp' TV series, Bindi towels, Bindi drink bottles, Bindi books, just Bindi Bindi Bindi Bindi. It feels like a stage production rather than a zoo. Every possible merchandising angle is exploited - there are gift shops scattered throughout the zoo. I imagine had Steve Irwin not achieved international TV success his zoo would feel much more like Mogo Zoo near Batemans Bay: a quiet and simple layout with modest buildings and animal enclosures.


Wandering around Australia Zoo, I was amazed to see their kangaroos receiving a pedicure. The kangaroos were having their toenails painted. With nail polish. When I asked the woman who was applying the nail polish about what she was doing, she explained that painting the toenails of the kangaroos each week was better and less invasive than using an ear tag for identification. She detailed how each kangaroo had its own nail polish colour and this was required so accurate records could be kept regarding health, feeding and other observations.

Yes, it's a cutesy-wutesy joey koala -
eating from it's mother's butt.

At the koala enclosure many people were listening, enthralled by the keeper talk. Enthral turned to disgust when the keeper explained that baby koalas are first weaned off milk and on to pap: specialised poo from the mother which is easier to digest than fresh leaves, and this weaning process also helps the joey to inherit suitable stomach flora appropriate for the digestion of fresh eucalyptus leaves.


But it is just nature - this is what works for koalas.




The croc demonstration in the Crocoseum began with a showing of various snakes and included a demonstration of how to apply first aid for snake bites. After a showing of the birds at the zoo, we finally got to see one crocodile put through his paces. We were shown how far crocodiles can lunge: when they are in water, they can lunge a good body length, yet once on land they are rather slow. We were told that this ability to lunge is all thanks to crocodiles having a very powerful tail.


I respect what Australia Zoo does. They have a strong and consistent conservation message, and the passion of the now departed Steve Irwin cuts clearly through the blatant commercialism and milking of tourists wallets. I was was worried that my Australia Zoo experience might have been a visit to a shrine to Steve, I was instead very impressed at the balance which has been achieved between keeping his conservation message alive, and getting on with business.

Day Four of a Camper Holiday! - The Big Guitar, Life in Wax

Yee-Yah! Monday morning we boot-scooted back to Tamworth to check out the Big Guitar. "Oh yes, my wife has left me, my dog has died, I've crashed; now my truck's on it's side". Yodelee-hee-ee!

The obligatory tourist photo.

Uh, yes. While I don't mind country and western music, I am not a fanatic of nor can I write the lyrics of country music.

Melinda stopped me in my tracks.
I nearly said hello to her wax effigy!

Despite this, our time the big guitar was fascinating. While we got the obligatory photo of us standing in front of this golden miracle of fibreglass, we also had a look through the wax museum. Now, I've never been to a wax museum before, and the first few figures didn't grab me at all. Then the wax model of Melinda Schneider stopped me in my tracks. The creators of this wax model are brilliant. I was convinced that there was a real flesh and blood person standing right there. Maybe everyone feels this way on their first visit to a wax museum, maybe not, but I remain amazed.

Smoky's rifle guitar all-in-one.

I also picked up some Australian history. I learned that Smoky Dawson was nuts: let's face it, who fits a rifle to their guitar? 


According to the write-up in the museum, he grafted a Canadian trapper's rifle to his guitar. No detail was given on if and when it was fired. It has left me wondering whether he did this for convenience - reducing the number of things he had to carry everywhere, or if he was just doing it to show off - possibly being an early mastermind of the press and the free advertising/PR which comes with expressing such eccentricities.


As I mentioned, I don't mind country and western music, and one of the few artists I know is Lee Kernaghan. So with X on my hip, I took the chance for a photo with Lee's wax edition.

Me, X, and Lee