Gold Coast and Surfer’s Paradise
“In the end, everything is a gag.”
— Charlie Chaplin
After leaving the hustle and bustle of Brisbane, I headed south to the Gold Coast. As I got closer, theme parks seemed to appear everywhere — Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World and others. I’d heard the Gold Coast described as the Miami Beach of Oz, and I could see why. I checked into the hostel shown in the gallery. Ha Ha… got ya. Nope, I did not stay at the Palazzo Versace. However, it was next door.
One of the big dangers along the Gold Coast beaches is rip currents. A warning in my hostel room reminded everyone to swim between the red and yellow flags, where the beach is patrolled by lifeguards. I received my own reminder the next morning while boogie boarding. “Keep within the flags, mate!” a lifeguard yelled at me. Point taken. The hula hula girls sure looked nice!
The local newspaper was full of stories that reinforced just how seriously the ocean needed to be taken. In fact, throughout my trip down the Queensland coast, I kept noticing reports about backpackers, tourists, hikers and campers who had simply gone “missing.” Not eaten by crocs or sharks, not bitten by spiders or snakes — just missing. Hmmmmmmm. A good part of the beach was closed during my first day there, which didn’t exactly make me feel any more confident about venturing into the water.
As I type this journal back home safely in Canada, I’m watching BBC News reporting on a huge shark feeding frenzy just off the Gold Coast. Perfect timing. Australia apparently wanted to give me one final reminder that I was lucky to make it home.
Surfers Paradise was the heart of the action. Walking through the market area, I came across a place where you could shoot real machine guns. WOW! There were also the famous Meter Maids in their gold bikinis, who originally fed expired parking meters to help motorists avoid tickets. Double WOW! In the middle of Surfers Paradise I watched Aboriginal performers dancing to some very cool music. After all the excitement of the Gold Coast, it was time to venture inland toward the hinterland and Springbrook. I was only sad that I was going to miss the AC/DC cover band at the Hard Rock Cafe.
