Wet‘n’Wild Sydney For Older Kids

By: Emily O'Brien, ellaslist 

We've done Wet'n'Wild Sydney with toddlers, we've even done a youngsters Wet'n'Wild birthday party. But what about the older kids? Wondering what rides are ideal for adventurous riders ages 8 & up? See what this ellaslist explorer thought...

We spent the day at Wet'n'Wild Sydney and boy, was it the perfect way to get out to play! It’s only about a 45-minute drive from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and parking is free. Since we’re a family of three and many of the rides are for two or four people, our daughter brought a friend along (both girls are 8.) Having an even number was super helpful as there are a few slides where you need to have a second person. 

Planning Ahead

You can’t bring your sunnies, hats or thongs on the rides; we brought ours in but stashed them in a large locker ($12 hire fee) for most of the morning. The girls wore their rashies all day and I think that helped tremendously with sun protection. We made sure to reapply every 2 hours. They have a complimentary sunscreen station too.

Rides

Choices, choices, choices. The four of us went on the most daring ride first: T5. Holy cow. The 15-metres drop through a trap door made me question our sanity but it was an absolute blast. I had read all the teasers ahead of time and this one seemed like the wildest. In hindsight, I don’t know if it would have been better to go on them without knowing all the things to expect? My daughter liked it but felt relieved when I told her afterward that nothing would probably be as adventurous as that one. That made her feel much better. Nevertheless, her friend was practically bouncing with glee to hop on the rest. (I think the peer pressure probably helped some!)

In addition to T5, Tantrum, Double BOWLseye, Riptide and The Curler allowed the four of us to go on together. For Tropical Cyclone, Aquatube and The Breakers, we all walked up together, but split up at the top to ride down. The kids were able to go together while my husband and I rode down first, or once we went next to them. That was fun for all of us.

 

Slides

There are loads of slide choices. The girls gravitated toward some of the little kid’s slides where they could build their confidence up and really enjoy themselves without pushing it to the extreme. 

Weather

It was around 26 degrees when we arrived; the afternoon hit 30 at some point. A woman next to me in the queue said when it gets hotter, it’s always good to cool down at The Beach (the wave pool) or float on by in Dinosaur Lagoon.

Favourites

We all had conflicting favourites. My husband and I loved The Breakers—even though the drops were insane—my daughter liked Typhoon and her friend favoured Tantrum.

Food

We brought in some water and bought lunch there. The girls ate hot dogs. I had a falafel salad and we all split some chips. Most options were what you’d expect at a park (burgers, chicken fingers, etc.) but it was nice to have a salad option. They also had some dessert sections and frozen drink places.

Best Time To Get There

We strategically hit all the big rides first thing in the morning and then after lunch went to the Beach, which is their massive wave pool and Dinosaur Lagoon, when we figured lines would be longer due to more people at the park. Plus, we needed to rest after all the action. The plan worked like a charm. I highly recommend it! Most of our wait times were around 10-15 minutes, which was no big deal at all! I had expected up to an hour (and tried to prep the kids) but it was really no problem. There was one ride, Typhoon, which only sat 2-3 people, so I opted to hang back. (I needed a little break at that point.) but the kids told me I missed out, it was definitely an awesome slide! They all assured me it was worth the wait.

 

Things To Know

A hot tip I discovered is is to wear your thongs in between the slides, you can leave them with a non-rider in your group or at the bottom of the tower if you wish. Make sure you reapply sunscreen from the complimentary dispenser near the entrance to the park. You’ll also get a great work out going up the stairs to the towers, but it’s totally worth it once you get to the top and see the awesome view over Western Sydney and then get to go down some of the best slides you’ve ever experienced.

 

It’s also nice that the water isn’t deep at the end of the rides and there’s someone to help at every one. So if you need a hand popping out of the raft and to can take your eyes off the kids for a split second, it’s OK. Lifeguards are everywhere and all the staff we chatted with were friendly and helpful. All in all, it was a really fantastic day. It felt like we were on vacation and I loved that. It was the perfect way to connect, push us to try new things (and celebrate being brave!) and have some fun in the sun. It’s also worth noting that screaming down a waterslide is wildly therapeutic. A good day for the soul all around.

 

 

The Details

Where:  421 Reservoir Rd, Prospect
When:   Now until April 29, 2018
Cost:     $104 for a Premium Season Pass – please check website for most up to date pricing. Adult- $69 One Day Admission; Junior- $59 One Day Admission.
Website: Click here