Franny Gets Frocked: Sea World

So excited to finally be sharing all the gorgeous pictures from a day spent exploring SeaWorld on the Gold Coast with my younger brother Louis. Despite living a little over an hour away, this is the first time I've visited in over 25 years & while the admission price is quite steep (not to mention the cost of souvenirs, food, little extras including small group animal encounters), it was definitely an amazing day out, incredibly informative about our ocean-dwelling animal friends & a whole lot of fun besides!

I'll be honest when I saw that it's a place of two halves - a theme park one side with roller coasters, thrill rides & a kitschy Nickelodeon village for the young & young-at-heart & on the other, a serious animal sanctuary committed to helping the public truly understand human's environmental impact on the ocean world, saving sea creatures of all shapes & sizes & running world class breeding programs for endangered species. It can feel a bit odd at first when walking between the two - the latter seems predominantly housed in the older sections of the park where 1980s design meets state-of-the-art animal enclosures all in close proximity with lots of established trees & plants lining the walkways & plenty of shade while the "high octane" area is noticeably newer & more "high tech" with longer walks between sections & less opportunity to avoid the full sun - but you soon get used to the juxtaposition & just enjoy everything there is to offer.

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

Marginally taller than a King Penguin...

Injured Pelican & Waterbird Rehabilitation Area

Couldn't resist a picture with Wally the Walrus after all these years! Looking forward to finding the other two pictures of myself taken in this exact spot (when I was five years old & then again when I was twelve) for a trip down memory lane!

Walking the Labyrinth to discover its secrets...

Inside the Jellyfish exhibit run in conjunction with scientists at Griffith University & feeling a little bit like an extra in John Carpenter's "The Thing" movie...

Dress: Soul Sparrow via Myer Centre cotton, elastic

Sneakers: Adidas via Platypus Shoes leather

Bag: Urban Originals via TK Maxx vinyl

Hat: Before Sunset via EKKA Brisbane woven cotton

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, vintage 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

Showing off my outfit in the shade of Patrick's stomach! The Queensland weather certainly can change in an instant & when the clouds roll away & the sun comes out, the temperature can really start to rise! I'm posing in a gorgeous blue & white gingham cotton smock dress with elasticated waist detailing & sleeves (absolutely imperative for a day out on the Goldie) from a new-to-me label called Soul Sparrow that I picked up at one of those funny little pop up shops they sometimes have in Brisbane's Myer Centre for a day or two every week, a pair of white leather sneakers with black stripes from Adidas that I purchased from my local Platypus Shoes to keep my feet cushioned & comfortable for a day of walking, walking, walking & a black vinyl crossbody bag from Urban Originals that I picked up at TK Maxx years & years ago to carry all the essentials like a mask & hand sanitizer while keeping my hands free. When it came to jewellery, I wore some of my day-to-day favourites - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends brought back from overseas & a single vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (formerly of Coolangatta) that my brother gave me as a birthday gift a few years ago. Finally, I donned a navy, black & brown woven cotton sunhat from Before Sunset that I found at a stall at EKKA a few years ago to ward off the sun's harmful rays while keeping my head cool & somewhat avoiding the dreaded "hat hair."

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Meeting his heroes!

Traversing the perimeter of Shark Bay before heading below & back up again...

Enjoying a leisurely lunch on the verandah at the Dockside Tavern...

Louis ordered a good old Classic Beef Burger & Fries & I ordered the Flash Fried Calamari with Garden Salad, washed down with what I would consider to be one of the biggest drinks of lemonade that I have ever seen in my life, served in the commemorative "Leviathan" (their newest ride) reusable cup! For those who might be interested, you can see the Vortex ride from the verandah, as well as the Dolphin Encounter pool (where a small group of lucky individuals were swimming with them as we watched on) but if you turned your head to the left, you could have seen the Leviathan taking a bunch of screaming rollercoaster enthusiasts for quite the thrill ride in the Atlantis Precinct...

The polar bear enclosure... he was not having it & wouldn't get in the water, only wanting to be fed through the little door on the side of the enclosure...