In
my travels I�ve visited the Gold Coast of Australia on two
different occasions and Surfers Paradise is one of my favourite
places in Australia for three reasons:
Surfers Paradise is a young crowd kind of place because of its night life, copious amounts of shopping, amusement parks and all around active lifestyle it has an average age of 38, and� a population of 18,000 people. Home to 56+ bars and pubs when night falls this town is bumping and everything stays open late. Pizza shops, mini golf, theme park rides, bowling alleys along with all the bars.
In
parts of Australia, like New South Wales it is actually illegal
to hold or touch a Koala, however it isn't in Queensland.
20 minutes down the road from the center of Surfers Paradise
is the Curumbin Wildlife
Sanctuary and aside from Kangaroos and wallabies that
you can feed, dingoes and gynormous crocodiles that you can
watch from afar they also have tons of Koalas and you can
hold them here. There are strict rules for the Koalas, each
one is only allowed to work a small amount of time a week.
Definitely a great experience.
Well technically it is all one long beach and at different points along it it has been assigned a different name depending how far you walk down the beach there is Surfers, Mermaid beach, Palm beach and more. People literally surf here from sunrise to sunset. You will see beginners, every day hobbyists to seasoned pros there are also a few places where you can take lessons and of course rent a board.
These beaches have powerful, powerful waves but are also
safe for swimming as long as you stay between the flags.
This is extremely important as they are the only areas with
lifeguards and these areas are chosen specifically for being
the safest areas with smaller waves, no surfers around and
less chances of being caught in a rip tide. But they are
also great for just laying out and getting a nice tan, but
be sure to wear your sun tan lotion, the Australian sun is
nothing to play around with. Surfers Paradise Beach was voted
as one of the top beaches in Australia and judge as one of
the cleanest.
Surfers is definitely a place to visit for at least a night or two if not longer. Aside from my reasons listed above there is also tons of shopping, there is a big Casino near by, a theme park, you can go kayaking, sky diving, Paragliding, fishing you name it they have it and it is definitely worth a stop. Perhaps fly into their airport and drive your way further north for the coming Eclipse?
Travel safe! ~Cailin
Zürich - Aboard a Street Parade Love Mobile 2010 - Love Mobile at the Street Parade 2010 in Zürich
Rapperswil - Manfred Mann plays keyboards at the 2010 Rapperswil Blues n Jazz Festival - Manfred Mann playing keyboards with the Manfred Mann Earth Band in Fischmarktplatz at the 2010 Rapperswil Blues n Jazz Festival
Europe FAQ - Europe Frequently Asked Questions
European tourism and rail organisations - a quick reference (E) - A reference guide to European tourism and rail organisations (E)
Lucerne - 7 things not to miss - What not to miss in Lucerne
Lucerne - a short history of The Lion Monument - A brief history of the Lion Monument in Lucerne, Switzerland
Zürich - a brief history of Grossmünster - A brief history of the distinctive twin-spired Grossmünster in Zürich
Europe - Travel information from around Europe
Why chase solar eclipses? - Why I chase total solar eclipse all over the world
Rapperswil - What a visitor to Rapperswil needs to know
Cailin is first a traveler, then a filmmaker. She has traveled mostly solo for the past 3 years to 23 countries, blogging and filming along the way. In 2009 she fulfilled her biggest dream by producing/directing/editing/hosting and funding the filming of the first episode of her travel TV show Travel Yourself. Currently in post production, Cailin now balances editing the show with freelance work in film and TV in her home town of Halifax, Nova Scotia while fitting in more travels every chance she gets.