Thrill-Seeking Teens? School Holiday Activities, Sorted.

If one day is going to make or break the whole trip for your teenagers, start here. The Gold Coast's two biggest parks are still the gold standard for big-thrill days out – tall, fast, and built to put a size-11 grin on even the hardest-to-impress 15-year-old.

Dreamworld has reinvented itself as the thrill capital of the Gold Coast, and the line-up backs it up:

• Steel Taipan – a launch coaster that doesn't ease you in
• King Claw – a massive 42-metre-high swinging and spinning gyro swing that reaches speeds up to 98 km/h
• The Giant Drop – a 119-metre-tall drop tower, one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere!

Warner Bros. Movie World trades theming for straight-up speed and story:

• DC Rivals HyperCoaster – Australia's tallest and fastest coaster, full stop
• Superman Escape – 0 to 100km/h in under two seconds
• Green Lantern Coaster – a standing, flying coaster that's exactly as wild as it sounds

Grab a multi-park pass if the budget allows: Dreamworld's covers WhiteWater World too, when it's open for the season, and Movie World's multi-park pass stretches across Wet'n'Wild and Sea World.

Not every teenager wants to queue for rides – some just want to go fast on water, and fair enough. The Jet Ski Safari on the Gold Coast puts teens 16 and over behind their own handlebars for a guided ride along the Broadwater, weaving past sandbars and, if you're lucky, a dolphin or two – younger riders jump on the back with an adult instead.

For the ones who'd rather someone else do the driving (at speed), jet boating turns a harbour cruise into something closer to a theme park ride. On Sydney Harbour, expect 360-degree spins with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as the backdrop. On the Gold Coast, it's tighter, faster turns through the canals – both come with a genuine chance of getting soaked, which, let's be honest, is half the fun.

Some teens want proof they did something properly scary these holidays. This is that list.

Bungy jumping is about as proof-of-concept as it gets. In Cairns, Skypark by AJ Hackett sends you off a tower above the rainforest (minimum age 10, minimum weight 45kg to jump solo, so check the fine print before you promise anyone a go). For families heading further afield, Queenstown in New Zealand is where bungy jumping was invented: AJ Hackett's original Kawarau Bridge jump takes jumpers from age 10, while the significantly bigger Nevis Bungy steps the minimum age up to 13 – either way, a genuine bucket-list tick.

Not keen on heights, or does the actual thought of stepping off a platform (or out of a plane) make your stomach lurch? iFLY Indoor Skydiving gives you the same freefall feeling without the actual leap – you're lowered gently into a vertical wind tunnel and the air does the rest. It's in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and on the Gold Coast, so there's a good chance there's one closer than the nearest bungy jump.

And if freefalling still isn't your thing but altitude gets the pulse up regardless, the Brisbane Story Bridge Adventure Climb and the Adelaide Oval Roof Climb trade the drop for the view – less go-go-go, more heart-racing lookout, clipped in the whole way up.

For the days that call for dirt, a track or a steering wheel, there's no shortage of options.

Port Stephens Quad Biking lets the whole family tear through coastal sand dunes on a quad bike (with teens 16 and over able to man their own) – it's loud, dusty, and a serious step up from a regular beach walk.

If the weather turns (or you just want the air-conditioning), Melbourne's indoor go karting tracks deliver proper wheel-to-wheel racing, rain, hail or shine – bragging rights included, free of charge.

And if a go-kart doesn't quite cut it anymore, an F1 Style Race Car Driving Experience will. Strap into a genuine open-wheel race car for real laps on a real track, instructor alongside until you're let loose – about as close as a teenager (or, let's be honest, a parent) will get to an actual Grand Prix.

If you want the ropes-and-ziplines day to really push your teenagers, start with the Treetop Challenge on the Sunshine Coast – it's one of the more challenging courses in the country, with high ropes, swinging logs and zip lines through the forest canopy that don't let up.

It's far from the only option, though. Treetop ropes and zipline courses run at spots all over Australia, including Treetops Adventure in Sydney and Canberra, with courses graded from junior-friendly through to genuinely challenging. That range is the real win for family holidays: a nervous eight-year-old, a hard-to-impress teenager and the adults can all tackle the ropes at their own level, on the same afternoon, with nobody sitting on a bench watching.

The trick with teenagers isn't finding something to do – it's finding something they'll actually want to do. Every experience on this list passes that test.

Parents, you don't need to plan a whole itinerary around it either – pick one big day, book it in ten minutes, and let the rest of the holidays sort themselves out. And if you genuinely can't choose, grab a gift voucher and let the teens pick their own adventure – and hope that it’s one they’ll want to do with you!

Find your next big-thrill day out at Experience Oz