“You’re never too old to play,” says Bandit, in the hit kids TV show Bluey. And as I chase my three-year-old daughter Georgia around a fake poinciana tree as part of a giant game of keepy uppy, I find myself giggling with sheer joy as I realise he’s absolutely right.
We’re in the Queensland capital of Brisbane at the opening of Bluey’s World and dozens of children are rampaging around the garden out the back of a full-scale imagining of the Heeler house. This “immersive experience” recreates the old Queenslander home of Bluey, her younger sister Bingo and parents Bandit and Chilli and – cheese and crackers – it’s magnificent.
Since Bluey is the most watched kids show in the UK (and America), it’s also sure to bring many more families to Australia’s third largest city. Andrew Powell MP, Queensland’s Minister for Environment and Tourism says: “Queensland is Bluey’s home for real life and we’re expecting the economic impact of Bluey’s World to be immense, with hundreds of thousands expected to attend”.
It’s hot in Brisbane, so Bluey’s World is entirely enclosed by an air-conditioned warehouse, standing alongside the Brisbane River. Visitors get two hours inside; add a very pleasant 40 minutes on the ferry from the city centre each way and it fills a half-day.
Our visit begins outside the front door, where Georgia bounces like a spring with excitement and touches just about everything (fortunately, this is encouraged). I’m sceptical myself – not usually being a fan of this sort of actor-led, interactive journey – but within moments of being greeted by a fairy and led inside the house, I find myself settling in among the pillows on Bluey’s couch and marvelling at the level of detail in the living room.
Live like Bluey
Birds fly past the windows, cartoon dogs play cricket on the TV and after some sort of fairy magic a gnome comes to life and starts talking to us. Georgia’s eyes are on stalks, her hand grabbing for mine as she sprints after the gnome in search of Bluey and Bingo, and I can’t quite believe how much it feels like we’ve stepped inside an episode of the show.
Things get even more incredible as we make our way through the house. There’s a quest to find Bluey and Bingo, with a story that revolves around Unicorse, the cheeky unicorn fans will recognise from the show, and the magic xylophone he’s frozen them with, but as the older children look for clues and shout out answers, Georgia is more taken with the house itself.
In the bedroom she leaps on the beds and scrabbles to get under the duvets, while in the playroom she clambers over the chairs and peels magnetic pictures from the walls before realising she can get into the kitchen – where she tries to pull the duck cake from the oven. And then it’s on to the garden for that game of keepy uppy, plus time to sit on a tree stump to paint her nails and to run over and dive under the bridge on “rug island”. So much is recognisable from our favourite episodes of the show and, of course, by the end we’ve found Bluey and Bingo (and taken a photo with them).
The interactive experience takes just over an hour and then there’s an hour to spend in the neighbourhood, a themed zone where we find the gift shop plus lunch options that include Chinese takeaway and ice cream.
There’s also a Bluey-themed playground; Georgia is shoeless and at the top of a slide before I can even order our spring rolls. My only complaint is that she’d love to have stayed longer, and since there’s decent coffee and a fine cake selection, this is one playground I wouldn’t have minded sitting beside all day.
Book it: Tickets from £26; blueysworld.com.au
