Sea World, Marine theme park in Gold Coast City, Australia
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium and theme park on The Spit at the Gold Coast in Queensland. Its entrance is a white gable-fronted structure bearing a dark blue leaping-dolphin logo above the words "SEA WORLD" and "GOLD COAST AUSTRALIA"; behind it rises a white tower topped by a red-tiled cupola with arched windows. Inside are dolphin and seal shows, polar bears, the Shark Bay lagoons of 2004, penguin exhibits and coasters such as the Sea Viper and Jet Rescue.
Keith Williams founded the park in 1958 as the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens, whose shows combined water skiing, aqua ballet and action. In 1971 the gardens moved to The Spit, where dredging created a new ski lake, and in 1972 the site was renamed Sea World with dolphins, marine displays and a replica of the Endeavour. The park later absorbed the rival Marineland animals; in 1984 Williams sold it to Pivot Leisure, and in 1993 Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow took it over jointly.
The park took the name Sea World in 1972, when dolphins, marine displays and a replica of the Endeavour joined the former ski gardens. Its water-ski shows, staged since the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens years, continued as a signature entertainment; the last, Waterski Wipeout, ran until 20 July 2009. The gable entrance carries a leaping dolphin above the words "Sea World" and "Gold Coast Australia".
Paths throughout the park are accessible for wheelchairs and connect all main areas. Dining options are distributed across the grounds, so long distances between attractions are not necessary.
The park's monorail, opened on 15 August 1986, was Australia's first; it used Von Roll Mk-2 trains on a two-kilometre loop with three stations. After the Broadbeach line closed in 2017 it was the country's last monorail, shut on 26 October 2019 to clear space for New Atlantis.
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