WOOOOHOOOO! Riding the rails at Warner Bros. Movie World

I don’t remember when or how, but at some point in my life I became addicted to roller coasters.

The speed, the dips, the loops, the twists – I scream and swear the entire time I’m on them, but at the end I’m buzzing with adrenaline and dying to do it all again.

When I take my best friend to the Gold Coast for her first ever Queensland trip (and first ride on a real roller coaster), there’s no question in my mind where we’re going. Warner Bros. Movie World is my favourite of all the Gold Coast theme parks and home to some of my most beloved rides. Read on for my guide to its brilliant roller coasters, each rated according to the strength of the language that escapes my mouth while riding.

(Note: the author would like to apologise to any parents whose children learnt new and exciting words on Thursday, 6 November. Rest assured that the author’s mother would have washed her mouth out if she’d heard her)

Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster. Rated PG for “Wheeeeee!!”

The second roller coaster of the day, but the first one my friend actually enjoys. She giggles hysterically the whole time, which I’m sure is mostly out of nervous relief that this ride is nothing like the first one I dragged her on.

The Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster is part roller coaster, part haunted house, part warehouse rave, and all fun. It’s 17m at its highest and reaches a top speed of 45km/h, but the state-of-the-art animatronics and high-tech sound and lighting effects are what make it memorable. The Spooky Coaster is one of my all-time favourite rides and doubly brilliant for the fact that almost the whole family can enjoy it. We do it twice.

Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster

Green Lantern Coaster. Rated M for best-friend freak-out

Our third roller coaster, and my friend’s first taste of inversion (a fancy ‘coaster nerd term for going upside down). She’s still traumatised from earlier in the day and clearly doesn’t trust me when I tell her that loops are fun, not scary. I am abused with sarcasm and profanity at the start of the first twist (“Oh, suuuure, this’ll be fine! Oh, yeeeeah, this’ll be fun!”), but after that my protégé begins to enjoy herself. Her freak-out has taught her the secret of roller coaster fun: scream, scream, SCREAM.

The Green Lantern Coaster is 33m at its highest, reaches a top speed of 66km/h, and features the steepest drop in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it’s remarkably smooth and the relaxed speed makes it more fun than scary, so it’s a great intro to the more intense rides. If only I’d known that at the start of the day…

Green Lantern Coaster

Arkham Asylum. Rated MA for my past sins

The first of its kind, and another of my all-time favourites rides. I fell in love with Arkham back in 1998, when it was still the Lethal Weapon. I was 15 and had never been on an inversion roller coaster before, yet for some reason believed that dangling chairlift-style would be less scary than sitting in a nice, enclosed carriage. Yeah, I have no idea what logic I was using there…

By any name, Arkham Asylum is an intense ride. Suspended below the track, you see EXACTLY how high you are each time you enter a drop, and the full, clear sky on every loop-the-loop. 15-year-old Cassie said some seriously bad things on her first run, but she loved it so much she went back four more times before the park closed.

Arkham Asylum is 32m at its highest and reaches a top speed of 85km/h. It’s our final roller coaster of the day, and I’m delighted that my friend enjoys it as much as I do.

Arkham Asylum, formerly Lethal Weapon

Superman Escape. Rated R for $@#%!

Superman Escape is our first ride, and it’s so insane that it almost breaks my friend. She’s a little nervous when we arrive, so I scan the park and recommend Superman as a starting point. I’ve never been on it, but because it doesn’t go upside down I assure my friend it will be an easy introduction to the world of grown-up roller coasters.

I am SO wrong. This is by far the most extreme ride of the day.

Superman Escape goes from 0 – 100km/h in less than two seconds. It’s 40m at its highest, and the first dip is so steep and fast that it actually makes me angry. I feel the ride has tricked me and abuse it with the foulest language I know, but my poor friend endures it all in shocked, white-knuckle silence. Afterwards, she struggles to process the experience and why I said it would be fun. It’s clear she no longer trusts my judgement (or sanity), especially when she sees I want to go again…

Superman Escape

Despite her terrifying induction my friend bravely fulfils her promise to go with me on every ride, and I’m proud to say she’s a happy roller coaster convert by the end of the day. If after reading this YOU still trust my judgement, I highly recommend Warner Bros. Movie World next time you’re on the Gold Coast. Just maybe work your way up to Superman Escape ;).

What’s the most extreme thing you’ve done on holidays? Tell us in the comments!

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