Let's Burn Rubber!

 

 Filming stunts at Movieworld on the Gold Coast through the haze of some serious burn-outs.

Aqualoop at Wet'n'Wild

The idea is you climb up to the top of the steps (which is a lot higher when you're up there) and step into a clear, upright tube. You cross your ankles, cross your arms over your chest and then... well then the floor disappears and you freefall with such velocity (up to 60km per hour) that it powers you around a loop and you get spat out the bottom. I wasn't planning on getting stuck but I came to an abrupt halt somewhere towards the end of the uphill section thanks to the pair of shorts I was wearing that were a bit too flappy I was told later. It took a second or two for me to realise what had just happened as most of my vital organs were still trying to catch up with the rest of me. Then the panic set in as I had visions of rescuers in cherry-pickers... or the next person down the tube flying feet-first into my head at full speed. I had to spend a minute or two hoisting myself uphill inside a smooth slippery tube which is hard, let me tell you. Eventually I regained momentum and plopped out the bottom where I was deafened with howls of laughter.

Again, again!

Dolphins at Seaworld

OK so it's not strictly Brisbane.. we're about 60km south of it's southern-most suburbs in the northern part of the Gold Coast. To my knowledge there's not a Gold Coast Daily Photo so hopefully I'm not treading on any toes here! Seaworld is one of the many theme parks that are on this section of the coast. Earlier this year, it was in the news for taking in Nari, a dolphin who had been bitten by a shark in Moreton Bay. Vets at Seaworld sorted him out, releasing him back into the wild in the glare of the media. The dolphins I saw at Seaworld looked very much at home there. This group who did the show were amazing, leaping high into the air, swimming on their backs, waving their fins at the audience. The crowd loved it.