Monday 8th September. We caught a taxi out to Universal Studios for a VIP tour that Lyn at Helloworld in Charters Towers had recommended. Wow, what an amazing day. It started with a fabulous breakfast before we were taken on an exclusive tour of this 400 acre complex that had originally been established in the 1930’s. It is a city in it’s own right with it’s own Fire Dept, Police Station, Post Office etc. We visited movie sets such as Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives), Jaws, Jurassic Park and the costume and props departments (they have over 5,000,000 costumes). We also experienced some of the special effects scenes such as earthquakes, rain, flood and a Peter Jackson inspired 3D ride through a Jurassic Park tunnel. We fought off King Kong, T-Rex and numerous raptors. Then it was time to get really serious about some themed rides. So I screamed my way through The Mummy, The Transformers and yet another Jurassic Park experience. We heard the inside scope – they are about to start filming Jurassic Park 4. We took a break and enjoyed lunch at Moulin Rouge. Then we were pressed into more adventure with the Shrek show, The Simpsons ride, being turned into minions for a Despicable Me experience before finishing off with the Water World stunt show. By 6pm we were worn out.
