Gold Coast Plenty In One Destination

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday May 6, 2008

Chris Watson

A world-famous holiday destination, the Gold Coast has many

of the things great about Australia, all in one destination.

There's surf beaches,World Heritage rainforests, an exciting

city centre, theme parks, shopping, restaurants and year-round

events.

Less than 30 minutes from Gold Coast beaches is Australia?s

largest expanse of sub-tropical rainforest, bordered by rural

farmland and bush where visitors can encounter native wildlife.

Stretching from south of Brisbane to the Queensland/NSW

border, the region is blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine

each year, 70 km of great coastline, the hinterland?s 100,000

hectares of national parks and reserves, the aquatic playground

of the Broadwater and a beautiful sand island, South Stradbroke,

lying just off the coast.

HOWTO GET THERE

? Location: The Gold Coast is one hour's drive south of Brisbane.

? Airport: Fly into Gold Coast Airport or Brisbane International

Airport.The Gold Coast is a 75-minute flight from Sydney.

? Train:QR City Train runs regular services to the Gold Coast.

Airtrain links the Gold Coast with Brisbane airports.

WHERETO STAY

There's a range of accommodation from luxurious beachfront

apartments, mountain retreats and health spas through to selfcontained

family apartments and resorts, backpackers, hotels and

motels, B&Bs, rural retreats and farm stays.

DINING OUT

Dining can be a special experience on the Gold Coast. Local

produce ranges from soft-shell crabs to goat cheese, Wagyu beef

and award-winning boutique wines.Dining options include fresh

seafood overlooking the ocean, restaurants in mountain hinterland

villages and contemporary venues overlooking the Broadwater.

MUST DO!

? Learn to surf on one of the many beaches.

? Sip a cocktail at sunset and enjoy the view from the world?s

tallest residential building on Q1?s Observation Deck.

? Visit one of the Gold Coast?s famous theme parks.

? Enjoy a world-class spa experience by the beach or in the

rainforest.

? Tee off at one of the world-class resort golf courses.

? Take a stroll along the Oceanway, a network of pathways along

the Gold Coast beachfront.

EVENTS

? Mondial AustralianWomen?s Hardcourt Tennis (January)

? Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions Racing Carnival (January)

? ANZ Ladies Masters Golf Tournament (February)

? Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships (March)

? Gold Coast Triathlon (March)

? Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (May)

? Wintersun Festival (June)

? Gold Coast Airport Marathon (July)

? Tastes of Gold Coast Festival (August)

? Gold Coast Indy 300 (October)

IDEAS AND INSPIRATIONS

Beautiful beaches: The Gold Coast?s famous long stretches

of sand and rolling surf are ideal for swimming, beach walks and

learning to surf.Play beach volleyball, soak up the sun or join

the locals for a meal at one of the beachfront surf clubs.Surfers

from around the world head to the point breaks at Burleigh, Kirra,

Snapper Rocks and Duranbah, while families prefer the calmer

waters of Tallebudgerra and Rainbow Beach.

? Action and adventure: Soar above the hinterland in a hot air

balloon, landing for a champagne breakfast among the vines at

a boutique winery, cruise above the coast in a historic bi-plane

or take your pick from bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding,

parasailing, hang gliding and abseiling.Hit the racetrack in a gokart,

take an ocean jet boat ride or head off-road on a 4WD tour.

Charter a private sea plane to an island or take a heli-tour to a local

winery, golf course or rainforest.

? Shopping: Spend the morning among the piazzas and cafes

of the resort-style shopping centres.Take a shopping tour or shop

for international designer labels like Cartier, Prada, Gucci, Louis

Vuitton, Fendi, Bally, Hermes and Salvatore Ferragamo.Add

factory outlet precincts such as Harbour Town and retail precincts

like Main Beach and Broadbeach.

? Theme parks: Swimming with dolphins, patting Bengal tigers,

watching outback stunt riders and stockmen in action and cuddling

a koala are just some of the experiences at the Gold Coast?s

theme parks.Home to more attractions than any other destination

in the southern hemisphere, the parks promise movie magic, close

encounters with wildlife, thrilling rides, aquatic adventures and

more.

? Golf: Recognized as the golfing capital of the southern

hemisphere, the Gold Coast is home to more than 20

championship courses, with some of the most popular being

Hope Island, Palm Meadows, Paradise Springs, RobinaWoods,

Royal Pines Resort, The Palms and The Pines at Sanctuary Cove,

Emerald Lakes, Arundel Hills, The Glades, Coolangatta and Tweed

Heads, Gainsborough Greens, Lakelands, Parkwood International

and Boomerang Farm.

? Gold Coast hinterland: Just 30 minutes from the beach,

featuringWorld Heritage national parks, subtropical rainforest and

a diversity of animals. It?s a popular day trip or short break with

restaurants, boutique wineries, galleries and accommodation.

? GCBazaar: An annual celebration of fashion, food and fun with

a month-long calendar of events including Blues on Broadbeach

Music Festival in June, Queensland cracker night,Wintersun Retro

Nostalgia Festival, Opera in the Cane Fields, and the GCBazaar

Race Day and Cup.

? Wonderful walks: As well as the new Gold Coast Hinterland

Great Walk, a new option is the Oceanway linking the beachfront

walking paths.The walk around Burleigh National Park links

Burleigh Heads with Tallebudgerra.

? Food and wine trail: For a taste of local produce and wine,

follow the Gold Coast Food andWine Trail through the hinterland.

The trail leads to Mount Tamborine, famed for its Gallery Walk

featuring arts, crafts, and cafes.There are farmers markets at

Banora Point, Beaudesert, Beechmont, Beenleigh, Bundall,

CurrumbinWildlife Sanctuary, Marina Mirage, Miami, Mudgeeraba,

Nerang, Oxenford and Tamborine.

? Nature and wildlife: While the hinterland is home to spectacular

flora and fauna, the region?s theme parks are also great places

to get close to wildlife.You can meet koalas, kangaroos and

crocodiles for photo opportunities, or swim with dolphins and

sharks, pat a tiger, feed colourful wild lorikeets or watch polar

bears.Don?t miss the Gold Coast?s most famous natural icon,

Natural Bridge, a grotto where a waterfall plunges through the roof

of a cave into a rainforest pool.

FAST FACTS

? Surfers Paradise is the only seven-day, late-night shopping

district in Queensland.

? World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park is home to

magnificent Antarctic Beech Trees, some estimated to be 5000

years old.

ADRENALIN HIGHS

? Gold Coast Oz Jet Boat: A 400 horsepower 7.5 metre Gemini

Waverider that reaches speeds of up to 50 knots.Take in the sights

of the Gold Coast at a relatively sedate pace, then incredible speed

as the boat roars away from the mainland making turns at G forces

of 2.3.

? Profesional Helicopter Services: Experience flying a

helicopter with a training introductory flight from Coolangatta.

? Porsche Experience Driving Centre: The allure of these

powerful vehicles is hard to deny.At Mt Cotton, take the wheel of

the Porsche of your choice of the latest models.

? Off Road Rush: Strap yourself into a buggy at Alberton in

off-road machines purpose built for the conditions.The track and

tuition are designed to bring out the best in you and test your skills.

? LethalWeapon: At Warner Brothers MovieWorld, hang

suspended from a harness and contemplate the ride ahead on the

roller coaster LethalWeapon, clocking up to 85 km/h with four Gs

of gravity.

? The Claw: Standing nine-storeys high, The Claw at Dreamworld

is the most powerful pendulum on the planet and the first of its kind

in the southern hemisphere.You will swing at up to 75 km per hour

around 360 degrees.There?s also the Giant Drop or Tower of Terror.

? Corkscrew Rollercoaster: Australia?s first triple-loop

rollercoaster at Seaworld, with cork-screw twists and turns.

? Speedcoaster: A waterslide where you finish at zero-gravity,

the Speedcoaster atWet nWild shoots you downhill at incredible

speed.

BACKPACKERS

? SurfnSun Beach Side Backpackers: The only backpackers

beachside at Surfers Paradise, five minutes walk to the town

centre.Gives guests the choice of beach or pool, which acts as the

focal point for parties, sports or relaxation.

? Trekkers Backpackers: A beautifully renovated timber

Queenslander-style home with 12 rooms, sweeping verandahs, a

tropical pool, games room and activities.

? Binna Burra Mountain Lodge: The lodge has backpacker/

adventure accommodation, plenty of activity options, and you can

walk the rainforests of the hinterland.

? The Shack Nightclub: In the middle of Surfers Paradise with a

heap of drink specials and themed nights.

WORLD HERITAGE

On the Queensland-NSW border in the mountains behind the Gold

Coast, theWorld-Heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia cover

the most expansive areas of subtropical rainforests in the world.

Rainforest once covered most of the super-continent Gondwana

and it remains the most ancient type of vegetation in Australia.

Today, Australia's rainforests cover only .3 per cent of the country,

but they contain about half of all Australian plant families and about

a third of Australia's mammal and bird species.

The rainforests feature primitive plant families directly linked to

flowering plants that existed more than 100 million years ago.

Very few places on earth have as many plants and wildlife that are

almost identical to their ancient ancestors.The area provides habitat

for more than 200 rare or threatened plant and animal species.

GREAT WALKS

Antarctic beech forests, waterfalls and amazing geological

formations are a few of the highlights of the Gold Coast Hinterland

GreatWalk, opened just last year.The 54 km track links the Green

Mountains section of Lamington National Park with Springbrook

National Park.

A mix of short and long walking tracks exist in Springbrook and

Lamington, offering views over erosion-carved cliffs and valleys,

leading through rainforest, along creeks and past waterfalls.There?s

prolific birdlife of the area.Both Springbrook and Lamington offer

camping (For information and bookings for campsites visit www.

epa.qld.gov.au).

Two mountain lodges, Binna Burra Mountain Lodge and O?Reillys

Rainforest Retreat, are located in the surroundings of Lamington.

The parks can be accessed via the Nerang turn-off on the Pacific

Highway.

WHAT'S NEW

Get a bird?s eye view of Surfers Paradise?s high rises and hinterland

mountains and rainforests with a sunrise hot air balloon tour.Hot

Air recently started flights on the Gold Coast, floating over the

hinterland daily before a champagne breakfast on the verandah of a

historic Queenslander overlooking the vineyards.

For more information go to Gold CoastTourism,www.verygc.com

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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