Review: AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK SPECTACULAR, Gold Coast, NSW

I visited the Gold Coast a few times when I was living in Noosa, and one thing that people always told me to do when I was in that neck of the woods was to visit the Australian Outback Spectacular. I didn’t really have any clue what it was, but hey, if someone tells me something is worth seeing, you bet I’m on board.

I decided to head over to the venue, right next to Movieworld, an hour or so early as my ticket said General Admission, and to me this meant first there, first seated. As it turns out, everyone does have an assigned seat, so there was no need to show up early, but it turned out I wasn’t the only one who had thought so, as there was already a line forming when I arrived.

Once doors opened at 6, we scanned our tickets and then were given a cowboy style straw hat to don for a few photos in front of a green screen. With that done, it was then free time until the show started. The waiting area was a huge room decked out like a country bar. I loved it. The decoration was spectacular, and in spite of its size, it felt really authentic. A singer serenaded us with country hits from atop a horse cart, and guests had the opportunity to buy a few drinks or take photos with some of the animal stars of the show.

About 15 minutes before we were let into the arena, one of the cast came to make announcements about the show, along with a few very corny jokes and what seemed to be an innumerable number of birthday wishes. Apparently this is the place to come when celebrating your special day.

At 7:15, we wandered into the arena – essentially a large area of sand in the middle with a huge screen at the back and seats all around the side. Even having booked a few days prior, I somehow managed to have a seat in the front row – the perks of coming solo I guess! The starter was already laid out, a goats cheese tart which I tucked into pretty soon after I sat down as it was already a bit lukewarm from sitting there, but decent nonetheless.

As everyone headed towards their seats, waiters came and offered us beer, wine, lemonade or water, and then the show began. The humungous screen at the front of the room displayed pictures of rural Australia – farming communities, Aboriginal people, intricate carvings, animals galore. The visuals were amazing, and I only wish cinemas had that good quality!

This was followed by people on horseback rushing out into the sandy area and performing a variety of acrobatics, which I imagine couldn’t have been very easy atop a horse. This was like a pre-show, as the show itself did have some semblance of a story which was half love story and half family-trying-to-save-their-farm story. Had it been a movie, it wouldn’t have been the most thrilling, but for a live action show they made use of what they could – bringing out sheep and cattle, dogs, tractors and cars, as well as a pretty-much to scale house.

As we watched, the waiters came to refill our glasses as much as we wished, and serve us food whilst the show went on. For the main course, we had an option of steak, chicken, or vegetarian. I’d say steak was far and away the most popular option. Quite frankly, the vegetarian option wasn’t up to much – a bean stew with some vegetables on the side, although the mashed potato was to die for.

It was nice how little this interrupted the show, and was done so smoothly, waitstaff flowing out silently from corridors to place your food down and float off again. All very smooth. We also had some staff members come around to sell the photos we’d had taken earlier, as this is, after all, a profitable business.

And so we came to the climax of the show - *spoiler alert* a wedding on horseback which ended with some of the cast members flying off to the heavens. It was so cringey you couldn’t help but love it. To top it off, it was also accompanied by dessert, a delicious chocolate and caramel tart. I certainly wouldn’t be going home hungry or thirsty.

I have to say I enjoyed my Outback Spectacular experience. For around $100 (plus accommodation and travel for me), it’s not the cheapest, but when you think about what you get out of it, it’s actually not bad. A pretty decent show that highlights some pretty impressive skills and does give you a bit of an insight into life in the Australian outback, a 3 course meal and unlimited drinks, and a snazzy hat to boot. I’d recommend.

I hope you enjoyed today's review! Hopefully I'll be doing lots of Aussie cultural activities whilst I'm here, so make sure to stay tuned to the blog and my Twitter @CiarasCountry for updates. Thanks for reading!