Don't Pronounce The 'C' And 'K', Adventure World

13/2/2013

My first lesson in correct Western Australian pronunciation happened when I came across a Perth southern suburb called Cockburn. I read it as is (c-o-c-k-b-u-r-n), only to be told that I mustn’t say that in public. It’s pronounced Coe-burn, no ‘c’-and ’k’. Eh, right.

The entrance for Adventure World.

Local slang lesson aside we were actually heading to Cockburn (remember, Coe-burn) for a date with water in many forms. Right by the deserted Bibra Lake was the manmade waterworld of Adventure World. Originally opened in 1982 the park has undergone a number of facelifts keeping it a popular pastime for locals to enjoy – even if the current entry fee is at a steep $50 a pop. Admittedly, I was rather apprehensive going to an attraction of this nature on a weekend.

So far, we’ve done the touristy things on week days which has been great for us as all the kids have gone back to school. I still had my Shanghai mindset where by any weekend activity would involve you sharing it with hundreds of thousands of other people. The park had barely opened half an hour and already the grass verge car park was filling up quick. Helping Lezil’s family carry our various picnic items we got to the entrance were hordes of people were filtering through the ticket turnstiles.

Once inside and already you could hear the screams of exhilaration coming from the park’s various rides. The majority of the attractions were water-based but a few more standard theme park contraptions could be found including a rocking Viking ship, a 360 degrees spinning spider ride called Powersurge and a revolving platform that tips you upside down known as The Rampage. With my track record of motion sickness, I was staying well away from those.

The whole area was well laid out with the grassy sections being used as makeshift campsites as people put up their tents close to the various palm trees providing shade from the sizzling midday sun.

The central area of the theme park - Kahuna Falls.

Getting splashed by one of the giant tumbling buckets!

Speakers every ten metres or so blasted out pop music but at regular intervals you heard these pounding bongo drums – a signal that the giant tribal bucket at the top of Kahuna Falls was about to tip over and cascade a ton of water on people below.

It was hilarious to watch. Those standing there looked like a bunch of cult worshippers eagerly gazing at this menacing-looking face, waiting to be baptised in a sudden shower of water. Needless to say, we joined in the fun and the force of the water falling down was surprisingly strong. Having had our appetite wetted (if you pardon pun), we made a beeline for the top end of the park where we tried out two water rides – Aqua Super 6 Racer and The Shotgun.

To my pleasant surprise, the cues moved quickly and we barely waited 15 minutes and we were already sitting in our respective positions, foam mats gripped with two hands, waiting for the starting lights to turn green. And we were off! You could get some good speed going down the Aqua Super 6 Racer as you rode the water current on your stomach. Lezil and I came in 5th and 4th (yes, a poor showing from the Freemans!), whilst Jesse (Lezil’s brother) topped the leader board.

Lezil and I coming in at 5th and 4th respectively on Aqua Super 6 Racer.

Dad and Mom Hendricks arriving at the end of The Shotgun.

Lizz, Lezil’s mom, had been sitting out on the action thus far, but with some convincing banter from Dad Hendricks, we coaxed her to line up for The Shotgun. This ride was for two people sharing a big inflatable double-seater ring. You climbed to the top of the ‘mountain’ and got into your position at the entrance of a water tunnel. With a little push from the ride operator and you slid into darkness, again moving rapidly. Unable to see anything, you were taken by surprise as to which way the tunnel would take you, adding to the disorientating-fun of the experience. We gave both Dad and Mom Hendricks a big cheer when they came out the other end – dripping wet!

Taking a break from thrill-seeking, we were back at camp by which time some friends of the family had arrived – all South African and Coloured.

It was as if I had never left Cape Town. And I loved it. There’s something about Cape Coloured humour and the accent that makes me feel right at home.

(Disclaimer: to all my friends who may be unfamiliar with South African culture, no, I am not being racist or un-PC when I use the term ‘Coloured’. It’s a community in its own right with its own Afrikaans dialect, music, food, identity, etc. As the saying goes, “I’m not Black, I’m Coloured”. It’s too long to go into here but maybe I’ll do a separate blog on it someday. You can check out this recent documentary on it by clicking here.)

Some of the South African group enjoying food, drinks and laughs.

Anyway, I digress. So there we were, a group of loud South Africans, joking and sharing food and drinks. And actually, walking about it was surprising (or not, depending on how you look at it), how many Safas (slang for South Africans) you came across at the theme park that day. The temperature was peaking at 38C and we had already moved spots three times to keep up with the moving shade

Cooling off in The Lagoon swimming pool.

Time to cool off again, this time in the huge central pool known as The Lagoon. Considering the amount of people in it, you had ample room to swim about. I said to Lezil, the only thing missing was a wave machine to add to the list of fun-items there. It was nearing the closing time of the park so we went for a scout about to see what else there was. At the north end was a small zoo with kangaroos, koalas, emus, alpacas, dingoes and peacocks. Then on the western side was a kid’s section where we gave the mini rollercoaster, The Dragon Express, a try. Meant for infants, but actually you were tossed about quite wildly in your seat.

There were a few other rides we didn’t get round to doing, but hey the day was more about spending time with family and friends. We were all pretty bushed by the time we exited the park. It was off home for a nice cuppa (the great thing about Perth is, you can finally get a decent cup of English tea…sorry China, Australia beats you on that one).