After visiting Dreamworld with my husband and our 6yr old and 8 yr old nephews, I wished that I had read the itinery before arriving. We chose a day when it was extremely hot and humid, knew nothing much about what we would find there or how to attack it. Here are some tips on making your day run smoother than ours did. Seven Control Procedures to put in place to make cranky kids happy again.



No 1. Make sure that you tell the small child that the Wiggles group will not be there at Dreamworld, unless you know for sure that they will be. Our 6 yr old nephew spent all of his time looking for them and not really enjoying the entertainment, except his ride in the Wiggles Big Red Car. Even then, he was sure that the Wiggles would pop out of a door at any moment.

No 2. Make sure that you and your kids have big hats, sunglasses, face cloths, sunscreen, a large carry bag, camera and buy a bottle of water on your entry.

If you have a partner, consider taking two mobile phones. If you have children who are old enough to wander off, place your phone number and name in your kids' pockets, so they can give it to a Dreamworld staff member.

Maybe you should place your phone number on your sun glasses,too. After a visit to the ladies room, I left mine behind, so after a hot and frustrating walk to the front entrance to enquire at the information centre, I was thankful to have had them handed in. Lucky for me, as they were on loan from my sister.

No 3. If there are two adults and different aged children, the adventurous adult should take the older children straight to the fast rides. Unless you have a willing teenager, you will have to get on the rides with the kids.

The other adult can take the small child or children to The Wiggles World. This area is fantastic. Don't forget to take your camera to collect great memories for your family.

No 4. Introduce your small children gently to the Wiggles friends - Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog and Captain Feathersword, as littlies can find them a bit scary in real life. My nephew would only approach Wags the Dog, but not the others. I still haven't worked out why. He is enraptured with them at home and sings all the Wiggles songs and watches their movies. He was terrified that Captain Feathersword would approach our table, but I was laughing most of the time at the Captain's antics.

No 5. Give each other about 2 hours or more with each child or children and meet back at Wiggle World in front of the 'Yummy Yummy'shop, or an agreed venue, where you can buy lunch, icecream and drinks. If you want to avoid the long, long queues, perhaps have lunch a bit sooner. As you know, toddlers and older kids will not like this wait. Or one partner could take the children on the train while the other lines up in the queue for food. All of the food venues are close to the railway station. It takes about 15 - 30 minutes to complete a train ride. It depends how busy Dreamworld is at the time.

No 6. It could be a good idea to give the kids icecream or cold drinks before departing on the train, as it can be a little boring for the older kids. It is a great train ride, but continually stops at stations, letting Dreamworld visitors jump off at other entertainment areas or the restaurant, which you might choose to do, too.

No 7. When you and your partner have had enough of the walking, riding, waiting in queues, or tired complaining children, jump on Captain Sturt's paddle wheel boat for a wonderfully refreshing 30 minute cruise. Sit back and listen to the happy Australian songs and rest your aching feet. Your kids will probably sing along as my nephew and I did. This can be a calming end to your day or just a rest before hitting all the other entertainment areas, such as Nickelodeon Central, Tiger Island, The Australian Wildlife Experience, Big Brother and The FlowRider and lots more.

So, you may have to schedule another visit to Dreamworld. It's a great incentive to get better behaviour from the kids, isn't it.