Theme Parks for Kids - Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

11-01-2014

I had been told some time before when mentioning this place that it was a place best avoided due to some less than hygienic practices of some members of the public. We paid the exorbitant rates $75 admission for the three of us? We went up to the top slide which was supervised and it had a protruding seat and tunnel we sat on the seat presented and waited to go and went when allowed. Next slide we went on had NO supervision and no protruding seat. It needed you to pull yourself into the tunnel and judge when best to go. There were two such slides next to each other. I asked my son to use the slide next to me. Suddenly this lifeguard yelling rudely in my direction. "OK You, any more of that and you are out of here.You got it?” My first reaction was to say “What? What are you taking about” I was told “I wasn’t talking to you. He went down face first he could have split his chin open". I said “He is my son. He is Autistic and possibly did not know he was not allowed to go down face first. I didn’t. You want to tell him fine, I am happy to explain it and make sure he doesn’t from now on too but do not ever talk to my boy that way again.” She got her manager. He was just as rude and stated that my boy risked breaking his neck. The irony is that as my son (like many on the spectrum ) has a poor midsection strength, he no doubt (without the benefit of a protruding seat) would not be able to pull himself up to the tunnel without risking falling backwards and …..smashing his neck or head. The Manager carried on and proved the poor reviews right. I went up the slides with my kids one last time and while up there my girl said, “What is that smell? Smells like seaweed” No it was the smell of soiled nappies. While up there, I saw little kids sit in front of their adult parents, which got me thinking "an adult body behind kids at full speed is safe and will not risk breaking a child’s neck?". There are other pools in Canberra - cheaper friendlier and do not smell of nappies