Gumbuya World – Adventure, Wildlife, and Water Park all in one
Wildlife Park, Adventure Theme Park, and Water Park all in one, your family will love a day out at the new and improved Gumbuya World, just over an hour from Melbourne.
Gumbuya World Melbourne
Gumbuya World, originally named Gumbuya Park, has had a $50 million redevelopment.
It is no longer just a wildlife park, it now has 4 different worlds. A wildlife park, 2 different ride parks, and a water park, making it the ultimate family day out in Melbourne.
There are rides and water slides for all ages to keep the whole family busy for the day.
Some do have height limits. Many at 1mtr, others 1.2m, but many allow kids to ride with adults as well.
Your entry ticket gets you a wristband allowing you unlimited rides and slides all day long. There are a few activities with additional costs such as animal encounters and surfing, but most is covered in your ticket. You can also pay extra for a fast pass that allows you to skip the lines.
Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to bring food into the park, except for fruit and water, so you will need to purchase within the park. There are plenty of places to eat though, and the prices are quite reasonable. There are also passouts available if you need to go to your car.
Below you can find information on each part of Gumbuya Park:
Wildlife Trail
Explore the wildlife trail with more than 50 species of animals. Buy some food on the way in and you can even feed them. Catch a free ranger talk to learn about them or book an animal encounter to get up close.
Outback Explorers
For the younger kids, the outback explorers is perfect. With pirate ships, a train, dodgem cars, trucks, and more, little ones have their own little adventure.
Oz Adventures
With rides for older kids and adults, you don’t have to get wet at Oz Adventures. Ride the roller coaster, the tree swings, or if you dare, the rebel.
Oasis Springs
Ride your choice of 8 awesome water slides, drift along the 300m lazy river, swim in the rock pools splash in the wave pool or have a surf at the Oasis Springs. You can easily spend your day here and lose track of time.
The water is heated in most parts, so even in the cooler weather, you can still have fun in the water.
The lazy river is one of the most popular, allowing the whole family to float around the park.
And there are pools and water play to keep busy on those warmer days.
Top Tips for visiting Gumbuya World
Plan your visit
Take a look at the website beforehand and plan out your day so that you don’t miss anything. There are 4 parts of Gumbuya World to see so break your day up as there is plenty to see and do.
Go off peak if possible
School holidays and Summer are peak times and the park can get quite packed. Going off peak means more rides and slides and less wait times.
Buy the fast pass
It is $29 extra, but is well worth it, at least for the kids. Some rides and slides can have a long wait, in Summer and peak times up to 30-40minutes. A fast pass allows you to skip to a separate line, which is much faster. We didn’t wait more than 10 minutes for a ride.
Hire a cabana or a locker
Store your valuables in a locker, or hire a cabana if you are in a group as it gives you your own private space to store your belongings.
Have lunch early (or else really late)
Since you can only bring in fruit and water, most people try to buy lunch around 12-1pm so the lines can be long. Have an early lunch and save your fruit to snack on later, so there is more time for the fun stuff.
Take a pram/stroller for little ones
There is a lot of walking around to do, so little ones may get tired. The park is pram friendly so it is fine to bring it along.
Don’t forget to be sunsmart
Slip, slop, and slap! It can get so busy that you may forget. But reapply every few hours, especially if your kids are going on the waterslides or playing in the water.
Get an annual pass if you are a local
The annual pass is well worth it if you are a local. By the time you go 3 times you have already used more than you have paid for the year.
Details
Address:
2705 Princes Hwy, Tynong VIC 3813
Open Hours:
Varied throughout the year
Website
Melbourne for Kids
Gumbuya Park is one of the best things to do in Melbourne for kids if you are looking for a day of adventure. If you are looking for other parks, check out our review of Adventure Park in Geelong, or for more activities, our post on Melbourne for Kids.
