Hotels in Australia

Australia's warm climate makes outdoor waterparks the norm, and our listings cover the two places where families most often plan a slide holiday: Queensland's Gold Coast and western Sydney. The Gold Coast has two of the three parks. Wet'n'Wild at Oxenford anchors the theme park corridor next to Warner Bros. Movie World, with a wave pool, a lazy river and thrill slides, while WhiteWater World sits beside Dreamworld at Coomera, a compact park built for a full day in the water. Families usually stay in the hotels and holiday apartments of Helensvale, Coomera and Oxenford for short drives, or on the beach at Surfers Paradise and Main Beach, about half an hour away, and split the week between parks and the sand. In Sydney, Raging Waters sits at Prospect in the western suburbs, and hotels spread along the M4 and M7 corridor through Blacktown, Parramatta, Liverpool and Cabramatta, which keeps rates lower than in the city centre. Many Australian stays are apartments with kitchens and laundry, a real help for families, and free parking is common outside central Sydney. Check park opening days, since some close or reduce hours in winter.