A Fishy Experience at Seaworld!

Last Saturday I went to Seaworld in the Gold Coast with a group of friends. It was the first time that I got to see most of the famous sea animals up close.

We used Translink Seeq cards to get there, which is a great travel card option for visitors to Brisbane. Once at Seaworld, there was so much to see and do and we were determined to experience everything that the park  had to offer!

Seaworld is a cross between a theme park and a 'sea' zoo. There are rides, shows, souvenir shops and so much more all centred around the theme of sea animals.

If you do go to Seaworld, don't miss the dolphin show. It was enthralling and I learned a lot about these amazing mammals! The sea lion show was impressive too, with the sea lions giving volunteers kisses and saluting to the audience. I hadn't realized how intelligent these animals were. How they could remember the routine for a 20 minute show was beyond me! 

The gondola ride took us from one end of the park to the other. The view from up there was spectacular!

















The Castaway bay area had a lot of exciting things to do, like this dangerous climb. Don't worry, it's very safe. Make sure you book early for this climb when you get there though, because by the time we went to Castaway bay, all the bookings were full :(

These were some crazy rides. I can't believe I let my friends convince me to ride on the Sea Viper! The queue for the Vikings Revenge Log ride was too long so I didn't stick around for it, which was a shame because it looked like great fun.














Bikini Bottom! I was pleasantly surprised to see the pineapple under the sea! I didn't see Spongebob, and this was disappointing.

I got to see Patrick though. He looked very.... patricky.

I found it amazing how there were lots of little fish with the sharks. I couldn't help wondering why the sharks didn't keep going for them! Maybe they're not as aggressive as they seem. Still, I was glad for the glass between me and them!

The polar bears were bigger than I imagined and their enclosure was massive! They looked a bit sad and lonely though.

This giant stingray kept showing off  his moves!

"They are extraordinarily like children, these little people of the Antarctic world" said English explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrard.

All in all, it was a great day. I definitely recommend a visit to Seaworld if you can spare the time and the cash. It was relaxing and I finally got to get up close and personal with all these famous sea creatures!

  

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The APT7 - A Unique Art Exhibition

Living Together in Paradise by Nguyen Manh Hung.

Like many people, I often don't 'get' art, especially if it is abstract and confusing. After once standing perplexed in front of an enormous black canvas sporting only a red dot in the middle, I decided that modern art was not for me. I have to admit, though, that I really enjoyed the 7^th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, an exhibition that comes to life every 3 years since its establishment in 1993. In fact, I liked it so much that I went back a second time! 

Japanese mirror image art work

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the APT. As the QAGOMA website states,  'It is the only major exhibition series in the world to focus exclusively on the contemporary art of Asia, the Pacific and Australia'. Occupying the entire Gallery of Modern Art, known as the GOMA in Brisbane, the art works were unique and thought provoking, demonstrating themes relevant to the 27 countries of the 75 artists who participated. 



I liked the various materials used for the art works, often waste items such as shoe soles, rusted iron, cardboard boxes and plastic bags. I thought this highlighted the themes of struggle, development, change and diversity that many countries in the Asia Pacific face and which the artists tried to convey in their works. 

Massive sculpture made from painted cardboard boxes

Some were highly creative and inspiring, like the building in the clouds by the Vietnamese artist Nguyen Manh Hung. Others were more obscure and made good talking points, like the 'benchpress' below.

I have posted only some of my favourite works that I got to see in this blog. There were many more that I saw and loved! 

A benchpress? Fireballs? Hmm....

An entire room painted in Persian