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THE GOLD COAST OF QUEENSLAND

One of the most popular holiday areas in this country year round is the Gold Coast of South East Queensland. This is understandable, as it has so many attractions for all age groups. First, there are all the fabulous beaches, then there is the great weather, for most of the year it is perfect. Holiday makers are very unlucky if they experience a bad summer storm, though these do occur occasionally. The aptly named Gold Coast is but an hour's drive south of Brisbane via a very good highway and stretches for 30 or more kilometres north to south, incorporating a number of beachside townships, one after the other. In the last 30 years, this quiet backwater has grown into a vast, world class holiday resort, definitely superior to the French Riviera.

Thousands of people have purchased holiday accommodation here; some have chosen to retire to this area, while many others have bought property to let out to tourists. And the building boom continues around the manmade canals, with hundreds of private jetties at the bottom of graciously lawned gardens, with access to the ocean.

Gold Coast accommodation is available at all prices, from multi million dollar penthouses in the high rise apartments with ocean views, to the lowly tent camping sites in beachside caravan parks. There are backpacker hostels, guest houses, bed and breakfast establishments, self contained family cabins in caravan parks, plenty of reasonably priced flats and motels, as well as many slightly more expensive apartments. There are also luxury condominiums and a plethora of the very finest beachside, multi storied hotels from which to choose, (such as the tall Travelodge with its Kids Klub, or the elegant Marriott, both at Surfers Paradise, or the Hyatt Regency at Sanctuary Cove and the Royal Pines Resort at Ashmore) - so there is literally something to suit everybody.

The Gold Coast has its own airport at COOLANGATTA, not far over the New South Wales border and holidaymakers can arrive by direct flights from Sydney or Melbourne. Naturally there are a number of car hire agencies in the airport foyer. There are also many more of less well known names up and down this stretch of coast, particularly at SURFERS PARADISE. There is public transport available to reach most places on the coast and the hinterland, but it is always easier if you have your own.

As for shopping and eating out, the Gold Coast has it all - hundreds of times over. Each of these townships has its own shopping centre, some much larger than others. One of the largest and longest established is PACIFIC FAIR and many of the free tourist buses stop there regularly. One of the grandest can be found at SANCTUARY COVE MARINA, while SURFERS PARADISE has the liveliest and greatest number of single shops and is geared specifically to tourists. And on Friday nights there's a colourful market on the beach at 'Surfers' too. The eateries range from simple takeaway services of every conceivable variety and ethnicity to cafes, sports clubs, medium priced restaurants and the really grand, with world class cuisine and service (all the top hotels have one of these).

And when you have arranged your accommodation and transport, what is there to see and do? Scores of different options present themselves. It is up to you to choose which interest you most and which you can afford. Most people want to see the major theme parks and tickets can be obtained to cover entry to three of them, if desired, as it saves a few dollars. The three main ones are DREAMWORLD, MOVIE WORLD and SEA WORLD. Dreamworld is a family fun park built on Disneyesque lines, bot not as big as Disneyland USA. However, it does have enough going for it to keep the whole family busy for many hours on end. There are so many rides (hair raising and otherwise) and the exciting Tiger World, where people can see rare white tigers interacting with their keepers at certain times of the day. Visitors can also get up close and personal with many of the koalas, for Dreamworld has a very successful koala and tiger breeding program. There's a Mississippi style paddle steamer on the little lake, rows of old world buildings, people dressed in many outfits to entertain the visitors, a carousel, a steam train, water rides, car rides and plenty of native wild life to meet at close quarters. And of course there are a number of eateries and snack bars, where one can rest between explorations. Activities are happening here all day long, you never know what will be around the next corner.

Movie World is a real Warner Brothers' movie studio, where films are actually being made much of the time. Visitors can take an open train to a movie set and learn how those spectacular stunts are achieved. They can enjoy a show in the 3D theatre, meet a host of movie characters such as Batman and Robin, Bonnie and Clyde and many more. They can watch a wild west stunt show, cheer the marching band, visit the fire station, take a mine train ride, photograph views from the chairlift, enjoy the bushranger show, get caught up in a shoot out, try their skills in the shooting gallery, or opt for a helicopter flight over the parks. And that's not the half of it.

Sea World is the oldest of the theme parks, but it is still a top drawcard for Australians and overseas visitors. It has live shows almost continuously and when they are not in action, there is still much to see and do in this park. Dolphin Cove is the largest natural dolphin habitat ever created at a marine park. It includes three interlinked show and training pools. The main undercover viewing area seats 2,500 people, with room for another 500 seated on the lawns. Fourteen dolphins and whales inhabit these pools, which also hold a variety of tropical and weed eating fish to keep the pools clean and create a natural ecosystem. Then there all the sharks to watch and the playful sea lions, which take part in some of the aqua shows. There's a water ski spectacular at regular times, a grand central train tour, some really hair raising rides to take (if you are game), a toboggan ride, the white waters waterslide, the speed slide and many more. There's a walkway to Adventureland, a monorail, an erupting volcano, a replica of Captain Cook's ship - the 'Endeavour', a lighthouse, a pirate ship, the Vikings Revenge flume ride, Lasseter's Lost Mine ride and much more. Eateries there are aplenty, plus the photo and souvenir shops - even a chocolate shop for chocaholics.

Another highly popular Gold Coast attraction is CURRUMBIN SANCTUARY, which is possibly the oldest in this area. It was established in 1947 and is still going strong. This 27 hectare property was gifted to the National Trust in 1976 and today the hospital section treats around 4,000 sick animals a year. Here visitors can meet with hundreds of rainbow lorikeets, which fly, squawking loudly, down from the tall trees at feeding times. It is then that they will perch on people's hands, shoulders and even their heads to feed, while one of the wild life officers talks about them.

There is a train which constantly steams around the sanctuary and visitors may get on and off it at any of the mini stations whenever they please. They can also relax aboard for the complete route, if they want to become familiarised with the place. There are many fenced and shaded paddocks, where native animals can be seen living in their normal habitat and there is a special Creatures of the Dark Forest centre, built around a large old rainforest tree, where visitors should take their time to acclimatise their eyes, before trying to spot the little nocturnal creatures that inhabit this huge aviary. There are activities going on in the Sanctuary at various times all day long, in which everyone is welcome to take part. There is also a Kodak booth and a lovely patio cafe, where people can sit out on a shady deck and enjoy their surroundings with their refreshments.

Then there is JUPITER'S CASINO at Conrad Jupiter's hotel. Here one can gamble to one's heart's content 24 hours a day, eat in one of the excellent restaurants and see a world class show before dining. Jupiter's is a five star hotel, so rooms are also available at any time.

That famous diving duo, Ron and Valerie Taylor, run the GREAT WHITE SHARK EXPO on The Spit at Main Beach and here these dangerous creatures can be seen, up live and very close. Then, on the highway at Oxenford there's the ever popular WET'N'WILD WATER PARK, where all the pools and slides are now heated. There are flumes, a twister waterslide, a giant speed slide, a mighty wave pool, a rampage toboggan drop and Buccaneer Bay for the kiddies. Coach tours there are aplenty, either for a whole or a half day, picking up passengers at their accommodation and dropping them back there after the tour. Most of the 4WD minicoaches go into the high hinterland national parks for the rainforest and mountain spectacles, while others (usually the big main coach lines such as Grays and Australian Pacific) take off for the Sunshine Coast to the north of Brisbane, where there is another plethora of man made attractions to enjoy.

Cruising is big business on the Gold Coast and there are probably at least a dozen cruise boats one can take for anything from an hour, an evening, or all day. These may be a cruise around the canals to see the homes of the rich and famous, a two hour cruise to upmarket Sanctuary Cove, a Stradbroke Island cruise, or a dinner cruise with Polynesian floor show. Shangri La Cruises even offer aquaplaning for their passengers, as well as T-bone steaks for relaxed barbecue lunches on the beach.

STRADBROKE ISLAND is just off the Gold Coast (20 minutes by boat) and is a popular day trip, for its world class beaches and clean ocean waters. It also has fine resort accommodation, for those who do not want to get up and go, but who just want to veg out in idyllic surroundings, with everything close at hand and fine food always ready to be eaten.

The Gold Coast hinterland is a strong contrast from all the brilliant sun, golden beaches and rolling surf. An hour's drive westwards will have you up in the most beautiful rainforest on MOUNT TAMBORINE and here you are in another, cooler, shadier world, where many of our little native creatures may be encountered. There are a score or more picturesque villages, each with their own attractions, such as THUNDERBIRD PARK, where you can fossick for thunder eggs; or the POLISH PLACE where you can enjoy Polish food and see the mini Polish Museum and stay in one of their big A frame luxury cottages,. with a wall of glass (and your balcony, complete with tame parrots) between you and the superb panorama stretched out below. O'REILLY'S and BINNA BURRA LODGE are two other hinterland, rainforest properties where legendary, self contained accommodation is available. Then there's MOUNT TAMBORINE VINEYARD, the DUTCH CLOG WORKSHOP, the GERMAN CUCKOO CLOCK NEST, lots of galleries and lovely restaurants, cafes and tea rooms, a fuchsia farm, a spiritual healing centre, weekend markets, bed and breakfast properties galore and many cottages to rent on a daily or weekly basis. This is a bushwalkers' paradise, as there are four unspoilt national parks on the flanks of the mountain and all abound with waterfalls much of the year.

What better way then to sample the delights of the Gold Coast than to spend some time on the coast and some up in the mountainside forests?