Destination: Gold Coast, Australia
Gold Coast - last minute hotels and accommodation
Gold Coast is the most populated non-capital city in Australia, and is visited by around 10 million tourists a year, all searching for the surf, sun and fun which the city offers as a major holiday destination.
Situated in the southern-east end of Queensland, and just above the border of New South Wales, Gold Coast weather is very comfortable with a subtropical climate throughout the year. December through to March is storm season, however the storms pass quickly and sunshine is abundant very soon after some rain.
Surfers Paradise is the tourist center of the city, with a skyline of high-rise hotels and apartments. Many popularised attractions within Surfers Paradise includes the Gold Coast Meter Maids – girls in bikinis who originally went around helping people place coins in their parking meters. Now the meter maids’ main purpose seems to be to look pretty and accept gold donations for a photo taken with them. Even in the colder months of June, July and August, they will be in their gold bikinis and some furry boots and jacket.
Surfing lessons are hosted all along the coastal area, and there are many brochures and information booths advertising various surfing coaches and surf schools. A great introduction to getting used to boards and the water, however, may be Boogie Boards or Body Boards, which do not require you to stand up straight on a board when riding the waves.
Some people like more of a motor thrill with their water sports, however, and a really fun activity for them may be the Extreme Jet-Boat Thrill Ride, which allows you to do slides, turns and all kinds of tricks, as well as soak in the grandness of some of Gold Coast’s most expensive real estate and super yachts along the broadwater.
Scuba-diving, skydiving, bungee jumping and pretty much any other extreme thrill or water sporting activity you can think of, Gold Coast will have it. The city practically exists to ensure that you have the kind of holiday where you can just have fun and feel alive. Other less thrilling yet equally recreational activities available are golf, mini-golf, tennis, horse-riding, and many other leisurely activities.
For a full day of rollercoasters and the like, you can choose from theme parks: Seaworld, Movieworld, Dreamworld, White Water World, and Wet ‘n’ Wild. There are also plenty of Fun Passes or Super Passes to obtain which allow you access to the parks for 5 days or 14 days at discounted prices.
Seaworld has magnificent dolphin and water sport shows, and Movieworld allows you to join tours which explain to you the ‘behind the scenes’ of moviemaking. Dreamworld has been the host of Australian Big Brother since its first season, and has many major thrill rides, as well as the famous Tiger Island, where you can take a photo with a tiger. (It’s always most exciting when there are a litter of new cubs!) White Water World and Wet ‘n’ Wild are both water parks, which are excellent in the scorching summer heat.
For the really little ones, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is a great animal sanctuary where you will be able to get very close the kangaroos and pet them as if they were your family pet. Really fun little train ride that goes around the park and some traditional Aboriginal dance shows.
Next door to Movieworld, is the Australian Outback Spectacular, presented by R.M. Williams. It’s a dinner and show package which features some of Australia’s finest stunt riders and horsemen, and includes a free souvenir Stockmen’s hat! The show provides a great sense of the Australian bush culture, and serves traditional Australian BBQ food as part of the authentic flavoured meal. (Yes, Kangaroo meat and other interesting flavours are featured on the menu).
As well as water sports and theme parks, Gold Coast has a beautiful, lush hinterland and mountain range area, including Springbrook National Park, which has an impressive 100 metre high waterfall nestled in the heart of an hour-long bushwalk trail. The national park also has amazing 2000 year old Antartic beech trees. In the evening, the grotto hosts tours to see beautiful glow worms light up the night like moving stars.
For more hardcore bushwalking, try a Lamington National Park Full-Day Tour, which takes you on 6 kilometre trek through the World Heritage rainforests of Lamington and Mt Tamborine National Parks. As the largest area of protected subtropical rainforest in Australia, Lamington National Park is pristine with lush greenery and a gorgeous variety of native Australian wildlife.
Four-wheel drive eco tours or outback eco tours are also available, which take you through Tambourine Mountain, and some shorter bushwalks. Kangaroos, koalas and other native Australian animals may also be spotted throughout the journey. Some tours offer other novel activities such as a lesson in boomerang throwing, or a refreshing swim in a cool mountain stream.
Another four-wheel drive tour that is really worth considering is the 2 Day Moreton Island 4WD Camping Tour. Moreton Island is renowned for sand tobogganing, as it has vast beach areas of sand hills which provides hours of entertainment for the young and young at heart. There are also beautiful rainforests to discover on the island, as well as lookout points with views of the Glasshouse Mountains.
The best views of the Gold Coast, however, may be from up above, in the delightful comfort of a hot air balloon. Always scheduled at sunrise, and dependent upon on the weather, when you’ve got the o-kay to go onboard, it is magnificent and extremely worth the wait. A luxurious champagne and breakfast package awaits you upon set down as well, which is a perfect finish to a truly romantic and fun-filled activity.
With all the fun of surfing, rainforests and outback spectaculars, however, naturally one may visit Gold Coast with the intention to shop til they dropped. And there are plenty of major shopping centres on the Gold Coast for all sorts of shopping styles. There is luxury shopping at Marina Mirage, which is also next to the famous six star Versace hotel; discount shopping at Harbourtown, and many other shopping centres such as Pacific Fair, Robina Town Centre, Oasis Shopping Centre, and Australia Fair Shopping Centre.
Whatever your preferences for a fun-filled or relaxing holiday, Gold Coast, with its beautiful, warm climate throughout the year, is sure to satisfy your holidaying needs and desires.
- Nicole Chiu
- Hotels in Gold Coast, Australia
- Last Minute Hotel Deals in Gold Coast, Australia
- Australia Country Guide
- Youth Hostels in Gold Coast, Australia
- Things to Do in Gold Coast, Australia
- Car Rental in Gold Coast, Australia
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