So you probably have read the play by play before and are thinking, what else could I leave out? Well I left a little bit out, so here are a few other observations made on the trip along with a few other things that I need to mention again.

• Queensland roads are freakin’ weird and I’d never want to drive on them again. How the hell can you have a two-lane motorway from Brisbane to the Gold Coast? That’s crazy man, and as we experienced on Saturday morning, one small accident or breakdown slows everything down massively. Add in all the crazy merges on hills and/or bends plus the lack of indicators when turning and I know that I love driving in Melbourne, even if everyone on the road is rude as hell.
• Speaking of roads, make those toll booths fully electronic now. The free for all that results when everyone pays and leaves the eight lane toll booth into one huge lane then attempts to merge into the right is just straight nutty.
• Clubs don’t seem to exist on the Gold Coast as much as they do in Melbourne, at least as far as I could tell from the street press and walking around on Friday. DJ’s were spinning tracks in bars where people were more focused on getting down another XXXX then dancing to the tunes. I tried finding some live music to go to as well - nothing.
• Valentinos in Broadbeach has the best Italian food on the Gold Coast, despite the seventies style presentation where Gordon Ramsay would have a heart attack (parsley around the plate, fresh cracked pepper at your table etc).
• I’d laugh if Jupiters eventually added some real NL Hold’Em but I can’t see that happening since they are owned by TABCorp. Then again, Star City has started adding tournaments recently so maybe one day in the future it will happen? Perhaps when they stop dealing out of blackjack shoe’s.
• Saw two funny things when coming home on Friday. First was a bunch of kids running from a single cop near a car park in Surfers, who knows what was going on there? Second was a Japanese woman in a rental car trying to do U-Turn which became a seven point turn, before almost running over two people crossing the street. She was trying to enter a petrol station but this couple were crossing. Once they got to half way or so (and it would of been barely half way), she turned onto the wrong side of the road almost hitting them before turning into the petrol station.
• Runaway Bay seems to be fully of gated communities and people renting apartments who shouldn’t be.
• I rubbed my eyes to make sure I saw what I saw - petrol below $1.00/litre. Also, what’s the deal with only having a petrol station on one side of the road near the airport!? You’d think they’d have one on the opposite side for those returning cars, nope. Seems even odder given the amount of land on that side too.
• Rude staff at theme parks - something I don’t get. Surely the theme parks would have their pick of the best employees given how many people are on the coast, let alone those folks who really want to work at the parks. So surely in the interview process they’d work out which people have no customer service skills what-so-ever!? Now I’ve worked in customer service in the past and I’ve had a few crabby days, but the people manning Superman on Sunday were straight up robots, and there were a few more like them around Movie World (none of these people seemed to be at Sea World for some reason). With that said, there were some really great staff like Michael who I mentioned earlier. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I doubt it somehow. Then again there was that staff member with the odd British accent..
• Hot Tomato - I coiuldn’t work out what the fuss is all about. The imaging screams Nova (smart alec style with the no more then two ad) but then the music is hot adult-contempory (a better Mix FM clone?). I prefered Nova 106.9 (which should be called Nova 107 imo), not as many dance tracks as Nova 100.
• Sea World - you are allowed to have costume characters out and about occasionally. I saw only one - one of the Buttercup Girls on Thursday, have a few more scattered around.
• Movie World - Knock down some of those fake building and install a bunch of adult flat rides. So much wasted space at that park and a few more basic rides would really add a kick to the park.

I think that will do it. Trip is over and I’m back at work, planning my next crazy one I guess. Til then, night.

Sunday - the final day. I suppose that is the downside of going on short trips, they over of before they start. But I can excuse this - Superman is open today!

The morning started early as we packed up our gear into the car and checked out. I haven’t really mentioned our outstanding apartments (or in particular the customer service) where reception is between 10am and 4pm Monday to Saturday. Of course my mum only found this out when checking in, so when she went to check out and made the phone call to reception, she was told to stick the key in the owner’s mailbox. Like I said, outstanding.

We made a brief stop for breakfast at Harbour Town. After looking at all the cafes lined in a row, we finally chose one where everyone but my sister had the basic breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, hash browns and toast). The meal was standard breakfast fair - good but nothing outstanding. On the other hand my sister had the fluffiest french toast that I’ve ever seen (and the little bites I had tasted pretty good too). Afterwards we checked out a lolly store to get a mixed bag for the plane and I picked up a pack of white chocolate Recees peanut butter cups (even better then the milk chocolate ones).

A short trip later and we arrived at Movie World, with a slightly empty car park. I really wanted to ride Superman Escape, but walking into the park we didn’t see the car launch once. I was just about to walk into a store when I saw it launch and decided it was time. Now there were signs outside the park saying that Superman won’t run in the rain, but it was coming in lightly and a few cars were going in it, so what me worry? My Dad and get near the entrance where people are being turned away for having stuff in their pockets. Mine are completely empty (I still have my pedometer on, but hide it under my t-shirt) while my dad had his wallet in his back pocket. Despite the fact that he will be sitting on his wallet during the ride, this isn’t enough to please the trolls girls guarding the bridge line and he needs to get rid of it. A quick walk to my Mum and sis who are not riding to get rid of it, and back to the queue. Now the rain was coming down as we were just about to get in line and had just stopped as we got back, but those charming girls were not letting anyone ride? Why? Because of the rain, the very rain that had just stopped while the ride was running. Great start to the day so far.

We decided to check out a few shops, but I felt like giving Batwing a ride so I headed to the front of the park with my Dad. The ride-op decides to staple me to my seat and while I feel uncomfortable waiting for the launch, I don’t notice once I’m in the air. While walking we noticed that Superman was back running, so it was straight to that line. Another quick check of the pockets (yes I have nothing) and we were in the line. The queue was about forty people long, so it wouldn’t be long before we got a ride. An asian teen in front of me asks me how fast the ride launches. I tell him, then he asks if he can have stuff in his pockets, before pulling out a mobile phone, keys and loose change. Good ride staff. I explain that he better get rid of it or he can’t ride. He does and comes back a short time later, then realising he has a packet of cigarettes in his back pocket.

With about twenty people in front of us before riding, we noticed that the ride didn’t come back into the station. Staff members were on the phone, overlooking the ride in the window above the station. After about five minutes the ride operator told us that the ride is having difficulties and would not be running for an hour and twenty minutes. Arg! We were told that we can wait in line if we wanted to, or we can leave now. I chose to leave, angry that I am going without a ride. So much for the Asian guy and his locker full of gear.

We meet up with the females in our group and I explain what happened, before deciding to head down to Scooby Doo to get a ride on that. We had been in the park for over thirty minutes and still haven’t ridden anything. We all head around the corner to Scooby Doo to find people being turned away. Sure enough, the ride is broken and the female staff member doesn’t know when it will be open, shrugging her shoulders when being asked how long it will be down for. Outstanding morning so far, can we ride anything?

“Screw it, let’s ride Wild West Falls”. My dad, sister and I head down to the line, which has the longest wait I’ve faced so far at about fifteen minutes. That’s what happens when two of your major rides are shut down I guess. On the plus side, we all skipped that annoying video. Ride was good as usual and I’m convinced that the back row gets wetter then the front. My dad and I decide to see what is going on with Superman. Still not running. My dad has a word with the staff out the front. “We don’t know when it will be running, we were at lunch and it wasn’t working when we came onto the ride” (at 11am?). My dad explains that he saw it running this morning, and the other operator says “It was running for a function this morning then was turned off.” Huh? Is it broken or not? If you’re going to lie, at least stick to your story.

From there we decide to see if Scooby Doo is ready. Thankfully it is now up, but a forty-five minute wait accompanies it. Where did these people come from, and how come they weren’t here for the last three days!? The wait is pretty unbearable, due to a mixture of being spoilt in the last few days due to the lack of crowds, pushing and jumping in the line, and the annoying looping video that is only tolerable once. My sis and I get a ride in the first car, front seats and the ride seems to have a bit of zip that it didn’t have the last few days, hurting my gut as it zoomed into its drops. Good ride none the less.

My parents and my sister decide to go check out the Shrek 4D show. I can’t be bothered with it, and decide to grab a quick ride on Batwing. The guy next to me is with his son and appears to be a bit of a ride junkie, asking me if I’ve rode Superman yet. I explain that I haven’t and he tells me that the airtime on it is even better then Batwing. Arg. The ride is probably my favourite in the park, quick line without any crap, straight onto the ride and your done. I notice a few guys around the back of Superman standing near a control panel pressing buttons. Pretty soon a car launches out the front. I head over to the Superman Escape area but those two girls from earlier are not letting anyone line up. I decide to take a seat on the bench and watch the cars launch.

After four or five launches, a senior staff member walks over to the line staff and tells them to let the line open. From there it’s a free-for-all, with everyone rushing to get in the line. When four or five people ahead of me get told off for having stuff in their pockets, I worry that I’ll join them. Come on, what damage can a pedometer do? I’m let through after a brief pat-down and I’m riding in the third car after two circuits.

Well Superman.. is it any good? First of all, the seats look damn odd and they are uncomfortable as hell to boot. Then again, you don’t want to go flying off right? The car launches as it leaves the station into a series of s-bends and turns through the subway before Superman stops the train and launches you into the first hill. The floating airtime lifts you out of your seat and feels wonderful before pulling you straight down into an eighty-five degree drop, before turning and twisting you through the course (which features a wonderful head chopper near the end). You return to the exit where I was greeted by another rude staff member who pretty told me to get the hell out now. I know they want to push people through the ride because it’s new and all, but you could be a little bit civil about it.

I decide to go for an instant re-ride, but it’s going to be a little bit longer this time due to the wait. Fortunately the ride-op asks for single riders and I’m suddenly in a middle car again. The rider next to me is telling her friends in front that they just have to close their eyes if they are afraid of the ride before introducing herself. She later tells them that you have to do scary things because they are good. I decide to pipe up, declaring “Lessons to live life by” to which see agrees. The ride is just as good the second time when you know what is coming ahead - those pops of airtime are even better the second time.

I decide again a third ride and walk around looking for my family who should have got out of Shrek by now. I run into my sister, who tells me my dad is looking for me since Superman is running. I find him and we ride Superman again, now with an even longer line. They give my Dad grief about what is in his pocket - a hankie. We end up getting seats in the back car, and the ride is surprisingly worse in the back then in the middle. Six to eight of the riders are yelled at for getting out on the wrong side of the station when we get back.

My Dad and I catch up with the women in the group and we all watch the Stars parade. My mum is a little bit disappointed as the place she wanted to eat at is closed. The parade isn’t bad at all, despite my sister pointing out the obviously lumps sticking out of Marvin the Martins costume and having an ugly Princess Fiona. My dad and I grab another quick ride on Batwing before it’s time for a late lunch. I grab a Steak Burger from Wild West Burgers - it’s a fair bit smaller then I previously remember but is still tasty. My mum and sis have nachos which are awesome as usual.

From there we head on for one last ride on Wild West Falls. Sarah-Ann, the cute ride-op was working on the ride without the poxy British accent today; I guess it was a fake. I get drenched to the bone and it’s decided that we will grab a few last rides before heading out. Scooby Doo is running with a much tolerable ten minute ride and is still running fast. We head back to the store to see the photos but the screens are black - turns out that the server crashed and all the machines are down. Funny.

From there we decide to grab one last ride, without having enough time to catch Superman we make it Batwing which is great as usual. With that, time is up and it’s time to head back to Brisbane to catch our flight. The drive is fairly uneventful unlike yesterday, and we get to the airport with enough time to spare. I play Virtua Tennis and bust out in the third game despite a comeback in the second set. I walk around the price and laugh at the overpriced Red Rooster and Eagle Boys Pizza menu, before buying a magazine and overpriced packet of Mentos at the newsagents.

The flight is pretty standard except for the girl in front who decided to tilt her seat back as soon as possible. Now I’m sitting the row behind the emergency rows, so what’s the deal here? You already get extra leg room, so how much more do you want!? We arrive at Avalon at about 10ish, walking straight into cold rain. It takes a little while to grab our bags but eventually we are gone, holiday over.

Many people would say that four days isn’t enough when going up for a short trip but I enjoyed the break. The parks were quiet; I had some tasty meals and did a bit of gambling to boot. With Sea World rumoured to get a new ride sometime this year, it will only be a matter of time before I am up there doing it again.