Sunshine Castle
Sunshine Castle
3.5

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles278 reviews
Excellent
100
Very good
78
Average
47
Poor
18
Terrible
35

Lynn M
Brisbane, Australia63 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021
Most of the castle is now closed due to structural problems.
You pay $8pp to walk around a small court yard and then go through a dolls museum. The dolls museum was quite frankly past its best - once upon a time someone put a lot of time into making clothes for those dolls, but that was a long time ago. We were wandering around in the dark because we didn't know there were light switches - which lit some of the displays but not all.

If it wasn't for the fact that the castle obviously needs the money I would have asked for a refund. Very very disappointing and usually if something is not good I don't spend my time rating it, but I feel the castle need to read this. They need to understand that $8 is too much money for what they are currently offering.

Perhaps focus on weddings and children's parties etc. (if the area they hold these is open)

The only thing that kept us in there for more than 10 mins was the treasure hunt for kids, which produced a fun size milky way upon completion. Expensive milky way.

If you consider Australia Zoo is $60pp and you can stay all day, and see and do so many things, $8 to look at some dolls for 10 mins makes the castle a very expensive form of entertainment.

Not at all suitable for anyone who can't easily climb up and down steps.
Written February 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HlPPYatHEART
Buderim, Australia106 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
I wish I had read the reviews before wasting our time and money. We found the place very dirty and it was all over in 10 minutes. The place needs a good clean and some maintenance. Most of the the dolls on display are very cheap and nasty. My 7 year old granddaughter and I were very disappointed.
Written September 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Samantha S
Sunshine Coast, Australia1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Solo
Not much to do there and definitely not worth the $10 they charge to look at some scary looking dolls. So sad that this castle could be something so beautiful but it's just looking run down and sad. Hard to get around if in a wheelchair or have a pram not much accessibility.
Written February 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Darren B
Sydney, Australia41 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
Do not waste your time or money at this place.
Most of the castle is closed due to structural damage.
It took us less than 5 minutes from start to finish.
There was nothing to do, nothing to see
Its old, its dirty, its just an absolute disgrace of a place
Nothing like it once was
The worst part is, that even though three quarters of it is closed, they still have the nerve to charge you full price to enter.
Keep away from the place.
Written April 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trisha W
Bundaberg, Australia24 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021 • Family
I wished I had of read the reviews before visiting.
As most of the castle is closed, due to structural problems, you’re left with very little to do. The venue is in desperate need of attention.
The courtyard water feature (or moat) was more pond scum than water.
The doll museum was nothing short of creepy. Hard to call it a “fairytale walk”. Some of the dolls are in such bad condition, I’m sure my children will have nightmares (check out Alice in Wonderland).
My 5yr old enjoyed the treasure hunt, only to fish a fun size chocolate out of the treasure chest, which also contained some “leftover” Easter eggs 🤦🏻‍♀️
We stayed for an hour, about 40mins too long.
Certainly wouldn’t recommend wasting the drive, or the money to visit.
Written April 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael
1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Couples
Not sure why the reviews are so negative, though they do help to set the expectations accordingly.

For $8, I thought this was quite enjoyable.

Yes, it's disappointing how little off the castle can be explored - I snuck up some of of bounds stairs to have a look, and while not being able to actually go much further, i could see many interesting rooms, and a really nice (and large) castle balcony with a great view. They also had a very tall speak 6 staircase leading up one of the castles... tall extrusions (can't remember what they are called). It would be fantastic if some of these areas open up in the future, because there is a lot more to see.

That being said, you do have a very limited area to explore.

The courtyard is somewhat small. The walls are covered in weapons and equipment, with some detailed information about them.
Plenty of photo taking opportunities, and they have some costumes for you to wear.

You can also put on some armour, including a large chest piece, chainmail, coats, and gauntlets. Very heavy and cumbersome, which is great.

The majority of the currently open castle is full of dolls. The lower floor has a little people of world exhibit, showing old styling of most of the bigger nation. Parts of the exhibit move and light up, but you have to press a button (most people didn't notice this. Could have been clearer)

The upstairs section has multiple displays setup. Mostly showing popular fairy tales. Each has a button to light up. A large model train set can also be found.

Lastly you can see many more collectable looking dolls, made from ceramics and China.

Again, for $16 for my girlfriend and myself, i thought it was fine. I find it interesting and had a good time despite expecting it to be bad.

The dolls aren't not as scary as people are claiming. I'll attach pictures of the "scariest", and a couple others i took for giggles
Written April 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tee
Gold Coast, Australia5 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
Very disappointed. Majority of the tour is dolls? The only part of the castle you get to see is one tiny area. Very run down, plastic pots falling apart & very dirty. This place would be amazing if it was maintained & you could access more of the castle.
Written October 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kathy
Queensland, Australia194 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
I remember going here when i was a kid. It's still great fun to explore the castle . Definitely not for the mobility impaired but amazing views if you can get up the towers. Information plaques around the place if you are interested in learning about medieval time. Obviously it could be amazing if someone had millions to pour into it but its still a unique and unusal place as it is . Would like to see a Halloween event here in the future, as that would be very special.
Written October 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tarique_aa
Brisbane, Australia19 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
Complete waste of time and money ($10pp) here. I have no idea why they named it as "Castle". The name should be "Dolls in Castle". More than half of it was inaccessible. You have access to creepy, old, rundown doll house which is completely boring. Watching it from outside is better than paid watching from inside. Never recommend.
Written February 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Remembering B
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
In the courtyard there’s a cockatoo and next to it is a statue of a dead man with blood and my 6 yr old was completely traumatised. We went straight out after that. I wouldn’t recommend the tour for small children. We didn’t even look in the shop.
Written July 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Sunshine Castle - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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