AS resident south-east Queenslander’s, we’ve done a few theme parks in our day – Sea World, Movie World, Wet’n’Wild, Dream World, WhiteWater World, Underwater World – over and over again.

There’s no doubt that my family thrills to the sounds of blood-curdling screams, G-forces, cuddling oversized cartoon characters and shaking the flippers of salty sea lions. In recent years we’ve also tried to broaden our theme-park horizons a little to include Legoland in England, Santa Park in Finland and Disneyland – both in Paris (disappointing because the rides kept breaking down) and Anaheim in the US (the original and the best).

So when we recently stopped over in Hong Kong on our way back from Europe, like bloodhounds, we instinctively began sniffing out the next  themed attraction to add to our collection of heart-stopping/warming experiences.

Hong Kong’s own Disneyland obviously held great appeal to Misses Seven and Nine, but having ‘been there and done that’ (and with mixed reviews) we chose to follow the advice of new friends and venture to the much-lauded Ocean Park, 2012 recipient of the prestigious biannual Liseberg  Applause Award.

We were vastly rewarded with our choice as we soon discovered Ocean Park rolls all our Gold Coast favourites into one – only on a much grander scale.

Originally opened in 1977 and significantly upgraded in 2005, the park offers more than 80 attractions and is situated on a headland overlooking pretty Aberdeen on the curvaceous south side of Hong Kong Island.

Easily accessible by bus or car and dedicated primarily to marine life conservation, on presentation alone Ocean Park is a stand-out. The park is beautifully maintained with some of the cleanest public toilet facilities I’ve ever seen (always a parental concern where large crowds gather). Even special guide dog latrines are provided.

And while the marine exhibits also proved first class, the park’s location adds significantly to its tourist appeal.

As you’d expect the park is split into themed zones. Aqua City at The Waterfront on the park’s lower level where you first enter, features an attractive lagoon with dancing fountain which becomes the setting for the popular 360° water screen night time show Symbio, a visual tale of two fighting dragons accompanied by special sound effects, lighting, fireworks and music. The Waterfront is also where you’ll find a shopping plaza and the world’s largest aquarium dome.

The octopus-inspired Grand Aquarium is where we join our first-fast moving queue. As we descend over three levels, the attraction reveals a multi-sensory experience that meanders between touch tanks representing tidal bays and exposed coral reefs, to large scale exhibits revealing alien-like creatures of the sea floor, a world-first swirl tank and a 13-metre viewing gallery showcasing 400 species of fish.

From Aqua City we wander to the Amazing Asian Animals zone to check out the five-star digs of Giant Pandas Ying Ying and Le Le, who don’t seem at all bothered by the posse of paparazzi watching them munch noisily on bamboo. Nearby Whiskers Harbour features a sea lion theatre and tame toddler rides, but after checking out the red pandas and rare goldfish exhibits, we head up a mountain via cable car (access lies beyond the carousel and nostalgic streetscape depicting Old Hong Kong in the 1950s, 60s and 70s). On the 1.5 kilometre route to the Summit, we’re treated to a spectacular glimpse of the island’s more tranquil, greener side. Although it’s winter, the sunny conditions and sparkling coastline of Deep Water Bay and its outlying islands soon have us regretting our short two-day stay.

While a funicular-style express train also connects the Waterfront and Summit in less than three minutes, visitors don’t enjoy the same stunning views. The cable car ride also presents us with an opportunity to get our bearings and appreciate the immense scale of the park which covers over 915,000 square metres of prime Hong Kong real estate.

From the Summit we have access to Thrill Mountain – home to the Hair Raiser roller coaster and the Whirly Bird (a perennial family favourite). This is also where we take a chilly Polar Adventure to the north and south poles.

Beyond the Rainforest, where we get soaked on The Rapids (a better option in the summer months) we follow directions to Marine World where we shuffle through the darkened corridors of the glowing Sea Jelly Spectacular (which aptly lives up to its name). In this zone, you’ll also find an open-air Ocean Theatre where dolphins and sea lions display feats of strength, speed and agility and meet fans who’ve paid extra for the privilege of a close encounter.

VIP experiences at the park also include the chance to become an honorary Pandas Keeper, dive with sharks, snorkel with the fishes and make a date with a penguin (although bookings need to be made at least two days in advance). Groups of six or more can even book a VIP guided tour of the whole park – a sneaky way to beat the queues on busy days. Next door to Marine World, we make our final foray into Adventureland, where there are more stomach churning rides and outstanding sea views to sample.

To really see all of Ocean Park you need more than a day, but, if you can’t spare that, we certainly proved you can pack plenty of fun into one.

Getting there: Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong’s international carrier; it flies daily from Australia to Hong Kong. Phone 131 747; see cathaypacific.com. Qantas also operates regular flights between Australia and Hong Kong. Phone 13 13 13; see qantas.com.au.

Park admission: A single entry costs around AUD$60 per adult and AUD$30 per child. Children under 3 free.

Food – There is a range of international formal and informal dining and cafe-style options as well as snack foods available.

Opening soon – Aussie visitors will recognise some familiar faces with this year’s opening of the Park’s new Adventures in Australia attraction. An all-weather water park, with 13 waterslides, is scheduled to open in 2017.

For more details see http://www.oceanpark.com.hk