Sea World marks 50th anniversary

Gold Coast theme park Sea World has today marked 50 years of operations - during which more than 50 million guests have walked through its gates.

With its marine park having officially opening on 30th October 1971, over five decades it has been Australia’s premier marine park and brought joy and memories to generations of visitors through an array of world-class shows, rides, attractions and animal experiences.

Village Roadshow Chief Executive, Clark Kirby advised today that the anniversary is a momentous occasion, stating “Sea World is an iconic part of Australia’s tourism industry and we are excited to be able to celebrate this major milestone with a host of delegates and our long-serving team members.

“Since opening, we have seen over 50 million visitors come through the gates, employed over 30 thousand team members and conducted over 10 thousand marine rescues, which is something we pride ourselves on.

“One of our biggest accomplishments is becoming a global leader in marine conservation with our team conducting thousands of marine rescues of all different species over the years and playing an integral role in many marine research efforts all with the goal to better understand, protect and conserve the marine environment for generations to come.

“The birthday is a great opportunity for us to look back and celebrate the park’s long and wonderful history but we are also eagerly looking forward to the park’s bright future with the upcoming opening of the world-class New Atlantis precinct including the Leviathan wooden rollercoaster, which will be the world’s greatest family rollercoaster.”

Sea World, which is marking the anniversary across the entire weekend, mixing it with Halloween celebrations tomorrow, celebrated on the Sea World Ski Lake with a gigantic 50th birthday cake for staff and visitors and smaller cakes for some of its animals.

Image: Sea World team and cast members celebrate the attraction's 50th anniversary (top) and a poster from 1971 (below). Credit: Sea World.