Review: Australian Outback Spectacular New Show: Spirit Of The Horse

Australian Outback Spectacular (presented by R. M. Williams) is a permanent attraction situated around 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast (Australia). They have just finished a run of their previous show (Heroes of the Light Horse) and a brand new show has started from 6th of December called “Spirit of the Horse (with a tribute to Phar Lap)”.

If you are visiting the Gold Coast, this show should be a must see on your itinerary. Allow yourself 3-4 hours to completely soak in the atmosphere. With the gates opening at 6:15 PM for a 7:30 start, take your time wandering through the Outback adventure that the whole area is transformed into. There is a pre-show entertainment that starts at 7:00 which is a prelude to the starting of the real show.

The new show is dedicated to Phar Lap, Australia’s most famous thoroughbred, and revolves around typical life in the Outback. There are stunts, daredevil cameos and some tomfoolery. There is a three course dinner served during the show and a beautiful montage to Australia’s cultural history.

What is most impressive is the almost clockwork precision with which everything is organized. Around forty stockmen and stockwomen make sure that your meals are served in time, your pre show photos delivered to the right chair, and everyone has a gala good time. All this done in almost pitch darkness.

Our kids had a great time and want to go back to the “Horse Show”. Make sure you don’t miss it – whether you are a local resident or a visitor!

FACTS

Show location – 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise, between Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet’n’Wild Water World on the Pacific Motorway, Oxenford, Gold Coast, Qld

Show duration – 1.5 hours including 3 course Aussie BBQ dinner

Show time – Nightly from Tuesday – Sunday (subject to change, excludes Christmas). Doors open at 6:15pm. Pre-shows commences at 7:00pm.

Matinee show time – Additional 12.30pm matinee shows serving a BBQ lunch will be added to the show schedule from time to time on Sundays.

Entry Ticket – Includes show, dinner, drinks during dinner and stockman’s hat from $99.99 Adult, $69.99 Child (3-13 years), $89.99 Pensioner

Ticket Purchase/enquiries – For bookings call 13 33 86 or go to www.myfun.com.au

CraftGossip attended the show courtsey of Village Roadshow entertainment.

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I guess moss and lichen are more things that you see in the spring than in the summer, but there are some deep shady parts of our yard that stay mossy all year, and summer is a fine time to look for plants that like to live in shady, wet areas.

Raising Up Wild Things has a really pretty set of printables to use for a moss and lichen unit study.

And just in case you’re like me and don’t really know the difference, moss is a plant that grows in damp wooded areas, while lichen is a combination of fungus and algae that live together. Lichen can live in different environments but are often found in places where you would find moss, too.

The printable includes drawings of some common moss such as sphagnum moss and wood moss, as well as common lichen shapes (crusty, leafy and shrubby). There are good sized images you can print out and laminate to use to compare to specimens you find when you are exploring nature.

There’s also a forest floor coloring page and a printable journaling page where kids can write or draw their observations and there are a few questions older kids can answer.

You can use these when you go on a walk in the woods (or the back yard) to talk about what you are seeing, or combine them with other resources to talk about things that live in the forest. Check them out at Raising Up Wild Things.

This PDF from the Morton Arboretum has a bunch of pictures of different kinds of moss and where to find them, which could also be helpful in your studies. Learn more about lichen, including what they are and what they are not, in this article from the US Forest Service.

[Photo: Raising Up Wild Things]

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