The Sea World Monorail System was a

monorail A monorail (from " mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accura ...

circuit around the Sea World

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

on the

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the ...

, Australia. It was Australia's only remaining monorail system, after the closure of the

Sydney Monorail The Sydney Monorail (originally TNT Harbourlink and later Metro Monorail) was a single-loop monorail in Sydney, Australia, that connected Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. It opened in July 198 ...

and the other system at

Broadbeach Broadbeach is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Broadbeach had a population of 5,514 people. Geography Development in the area today mostly incorporates low rise structures, consisting of single bedroom hous ...

, linking the Oasis Shopping Centre with

The Star Gold Coast The Star Gold Coast (formerly Jupiters Hotel and Casino) is a casino and hotel located in the suburb of Broadbeach on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The casino, which was Queensland's first, is situated next to the Nerang River and i ...

History

The Sea World Monorail System opened on 15 August 1986 by

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

as Australia's first monorail system.Australia's First Monorail ''

Railway Digest ''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways of Australia. Overview The magazine's publisher is the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was published i ...

'' December 1986 page 387Monorail first at Seaworld ''

Network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

'' January 1987 page 58 Following the conclusion of

World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, at least one of the monorail trains was relocated to Sea World in 1989. In 2022 the ride closed with the removal of two of the three trains. It is unlikely to reopen again.

Stations

Sea World Monorail System - operator cab

Three stations are located on the long line. The first station is located near the front of the park adjacent to

Penguin Encounter Penguin Encounter is an animal exhibit at the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia, featuring king and gentoo penguins. History On 24 May 2010, Sea World closed the Sea World Aquarium and Shark Attack. These two attractions ...

. It is known as the main monorail station. After taking a scenic journey alongside the

Gold Coast Broadwater The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour and The Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary of water located in the district of South East Queensland, Australia. The estuary reaches from the locality of in ...

the monorail passes several Sea World attractions including the Dolphin Nursery, Fish Detectives arena, shopping plaza, Ray Reef and Polar Bear Shores. The monorail then arrived at its next station known as the mid monorail station, located in the rough centre of the park. This station is situated between Shark Bay and the Sea World Theatre. From the mid monorail station the track then travels between the Sea World Resort's

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other ...

(also available as an upcharge for Sea World guests) and Castaway Bay before arriving at the Sea World Resort and Water Park monorail station. The final leg of the monorail circuit was the longest. It began by travelling alongside the Imagine Dolphin Show arena and Dolphin Cove pools before passing over Jet Rescue and through the

Sea Viper The Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) is a joint programme developed by France, Italy, and the United Kingdom for an integrated anti-aircraft warfare system. The prime contractor is EUROPAAMS, a joint venture between Eurosam (66%) and ...

. The track then runs alongside the main lagoon where Pirates Unleashed is held before making a small circuit around the Sea World carpark and returning to the main monorail station. All stations are located several metres above ground level and can be accessed by ramps or staircases.

Trains

Three, nine-car trains are operated. Each of the trains can hold 96 passengers. The last car on the train has been modified to accommodate

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries (paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebra ...

s and

strollers Various methods of transporting children have been used in different cultures and times. These methods include baby carriages (prams in British English), infant car seats, portable bassinets (carrycots), strollers (pushchairs), slings, backpack ...

. A section of

transfer track A railroad switch (), turnout, or ''set ofpoints () is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off. The most common ty ...

is located above Sea World Resort's Water Park and Castaway Bay. This transfer track allows trains to be removed from the main circuit and stored in a maintenance bay located directly under the mid monorail station. It is rare for all three trains to operate on the same day. This only occurs occasionally in the peak summer season. One of the monorail trains previously operated at

in 1988 and was relocated to Sea World in 1989. In May 2022, all three trains were removed for scrapping.

References

External links

* {{Sea World 1986 establishments in Australia Amusement rides introduced in 1986 Monorails in Australia Railway lines opened in 1986 Railways of amusement parks in Australia Transport on the Gold Coast, Queensland Von Roll Holding people movers Monorails