He Sells Sea Worlds By The Sea Shore

This is a combined Sunday Drive and Monday Matchbook telling the story of Sea World, a Gold Coast international attraction that combines typical theme park sights with serious marine biology.

It is also the story of the Gold Coast combining entrepreneurship as well as some cut-throat business dealings.

The story goes back to 1958 when a young brash businessman Keith Williams turned his water skiing talent into a business on a reach of the Nerang River at the suburb of Cararra. The Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens (in reality located about 10km out of Surfers) became a popular attraction and a television favourite.

In ten years the show had outgrown its location and Williams cast his eye eastwards to the Southport Spit which had just become home to a dolphin show attraction called Marineland.

In 1971 the ski show moved to a purpose built lake and stadium built on the Spit and the two neighbouring attractions became head-to-head rivals one year later as Williams added dolphins and sea lions in direct competition to Marineland.

Marineland didn't survive and Williams transferred Marineland's remaining animals to his Sea World in 1976. Marineland was eventually demolished and the 5-star Sheraton Mirage built in its place.

Funnily enough Sea World has long outgrown the ski show as its main draw card, instead, it is just one of a day's worth of things to see with your entry ticket.

For two generations Sea World has always been there and locals and tourists alike take The Spit for granted forgetting that this peninsula was once a mere flimsy sandy barrier between the Pacific Ocean and Southport.

As a comparison take a look at these last two pictures. The above left is Seaworld in 1976 (Picture from the Gold Coast Local Studies Library) and at right is a contemporary aerial shot.