Australia's Gold Coast - a Natural Wonderland

Its funny, running a surfboard hire company, and enjoying the best Australia has to offer the surfing world , I often forget just how diverse and special Australia's Gold Coast really is. But this last weekend was one of those rare ones when I was reminded what a beuatiful life we have up here, and just how much we have to offer to the millions of holidaying visitors we are lucky to host each year.

As a bit of background to my re-awakening weekend, my partner and I are recently pregnant with our first baby. This pregnancy, a blessing though it definitally was for us, was not 100% planned and therefore our preparations for "family" were a little behind where we would ideally have liked them. That being the case, we have really dug in over the last 2 - 3 months, working our butts off to pay off credit cards and buy baby stuff, so we will be ready when our pride and joy arrives in September. As such, we have not really gotten out much recently, we've turned a bit hermitic.

This weekend was a long weekend for us Queenslanders though. We had the Monday free, an extra day without work. So on the friday night, we had some friends fly up from Sydney and take us out for a night on the town. Given our lack of society recently, it was nothing short of awesome. We started by having dinner at one of the restaurants along the classy strip that is Broadbeach, having a truly delicious meal, before heading in and enjoying the Gold Coast night life at Surfers Paradise. We'd almost forgotten just how fun the night life on the Goldy really is.

After sleeping late on the Saturday, my partner and I packed ourselves into our car and drove as little as 1 hour to have a weekend away from the beach, and explore the beautiful Gold Coast hinterland. This mountainous area really is sensationl, hosting some amazing wineries (which I enjoyed much more than my pregnant wife :-)), some superbly relaxing retreats (which she enjoyed more than me) and the perfect balance of peace and serenity to ensure we came back home fully recharged and ready to face the daily grind again. Spending a couple of days exploring the Gold Coast's hinterland is a must if you are planning to visit us. You will really start to get a feel for the diversity Queensland's Gold Coast has to offer, if you include this on your holiday agenda.

And then on the Monday, we took a circuitous trip home, stopping for a spot of lunch on the way back which also gave us the opportunity to enjoy a few hours of fishing. We were casting out into one of the Gold Coast's estuaries from the banks, near the river mouth and the ocean. And as we were enjoying this peaceful couple of hours (despite catching nothing!) I couldn't help but reflect what a fishing paradise we had on our doorstep also. I could see a string of surf fishermen less than 500m away, casting out into the ocean from the beach. At times I watched the little dingys bobbing through the estuaries, finding their little secret spots. All the while, the deep sea fishing charters where returning from their half day outings, hunting their game fish in the oceans. What more variety could a fisherman want?

On the way home I could not help but smile and be greatful for the life we have here. All of the above are just part of our normal daily lives on the Gold Coast, the natural wonders we have to offer and share with you, our welcome visitors. All of this, and that is even before we start to sell you on our "special tourist attractions" such as the Gold Coast themeparks. Its little wonder you keep coming back. :-)

So next time you visit, I really hope you get the chance to leave the luxury of the cocktail bar, or the hotel swimming pool, or even the beach and explore our home a little more. You certainly never will regret it.

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