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The
Gold Coast is located on
the East Coast of Australia in the State of
Queensland. It is 100 Km south of Brisbane and 850
Km north of Sydney. The region is surrounded by
high mountains with more than 100 thousand
hectares of national parks. These parks have
fabulous waterfalls and wild life, and are served
by 260 Km of walking trails. The actual population
of the Gold Coast is just under half a million
people, having one of the largest growth rates in
Australia. Millions of tourists every year come to
the Gold Coast to enjoy its pristine beaches and
sunny, perfect weather day after day.
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446
Km of canals
weave through the Gold Coast giving it a special
charm. These canals were man-made during the
1960's and are 9 times the length of the Venice
canals. The canals host a large number of marine
species and birds as well. You will find many
species of fish, sting rays, crabs, dolphins,
pelicans, seagulls, ducks and fish with BIG teeth
as well. In the mountains you will find Wallabies,
Koalas, snakes, marsupials, iguanas and many other
animals. The influences of the beach and the
canals have made the Gold Coast a fabulous place
to visit and live. The
44 Km of beaches,
and the constant warm waters from the Pacific
Ocean are always an invitation to take a dip.
Shark nets are placed outside the surf to protect
swimmers and surfers from hungry sharks. Talking
about Surfers, the Gold Coast is truly a surfers
paradise, with beaches such as Kirra, Snapper
Rocks and Currumbin Alley known as the best waves
in Australia to practice the sport. The ocean
temperature varies from 18 º during winter time
to 26º by summer. The air temperature varies from
10°- 23°c in winter and 21-30°c in summer.
Spring and Autumn have delicious temperatures with
a 25°c average. For only a very few times during
the year, you will need to wear warmer clothing
than a t-shirt. The local paper and television
every day gives a complete and accurate weather
report.
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Surfers
Paradise beach |
Surf
in Snapper Rocks |
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Surfers
Paradise is
the most central and famous neighbourhood. During
the 1950's & 60's it was just a place for
holidays and for people from Brisbane to spend
their weekends at the beach. They used to travel
up to 4 hours due to bad road conditions. Later,
with upgrading of the roads and travel time cut in
half, many investors acquired properties on the
Gold Coast, and the place started to flourish. The
place became famous and attracted many overseas
investors. To support the influx of tourists,
hotels, restaurants, and all kinds of
entertainment were built, attracting even more
national and international tourists. The place
exploded on its fame and many young people moved
over to get one of the plenty jobs available in
the hospitality industry. Creating a snow ball
effect, Surfers Paradise became one of the most
important Australian tourist destinations and
today has all kinds of adventures, luxury,
entertainment, sports, Theme Parks, thousands of
restaurants, night clubs, and any other facility a
person can ask for, including pure relaxation.
Surfers became sophisticated but without losing
its lazy atmosphere. Despite the name, Surfers
Paradise is not a paradise for surfers to get the
best waves. The Gold Coast hosts some of the best
surfing waves in the world, all located within a
half hour drive from Surfers Paradise itself.
Today, with even better roads, it only takes a
little bit more than an hour to travel from
Brisbane to the Gold Coast.
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Broadbeach
is the next suburb
after Surfers driving south. It also has an
excellent tourist infra-structure, with hundreds
of restaurants night clubs, a Casino, great shops
& shopping centers. While Surfers is very
international receiving more Asian tourists,
Broadbeach receives a slightly different tourist
crowd such as New Zealanders and Australians from
other regions. The beach is excellent and less
crowded than Surfers Paradise, with a nice public
park that offers many facilities as showers,
exercise lanes, toilets, and plenty of parking and
barbecue areas. Also, accommodation is less busy,
and as a result, cheaper than Surfers. South
of Broadbeach
and about 20 Km from Surfers Paradise is the
border of Queensland and New South Wales States.
Still in Queensland, and on the Gold Coast, the
suburb of Coolangatta, has a concentration of some
of the best Surfing waves in the world. Beaches
such as Kirra, Snapper Rocks and Duranbah are
considered the best rides in Australia and in the
world. (photo). Coolangatta is also where Gold
Coast International Airport is located. Flights to
and from any Australian city are available many
times a day. Some International Air companies from
New Zealand and Japan also operate directly from
Coolangatta Airport. Although the southern end of
the Gold Coast receives some tourist influx, they
are in very reduced numbers compared with Surfers
or Broadbeach. In Coolangatta you will meet the
real Australian beach culture and with luck, some
Australian Surf champions that helped to place
Australia as top Surfers in the world.
To
the north of Surfers Paradise
the suburbs of Southport, Labrador, Runaway Bay
and Paradise Point, are right in front of an
Island called South Stradbroke. This island, 20 Km
long, works as a natural barrier to the sea,
resulting in a protected bay called the
Broadwater. Southport is the commercial center of
the Gold Coast where Courts, Public Services and
Hospital are available. The Broad water is the
centre for most of the aquatic sports on the Gold
Coast such as water skiing, jet ski rides,
parachute rides, sailing, cruises and much more.
The Marina Mirage is a good place to visit and it
is from there that most of the tours depart. The
view from the shore to the broadwater is very
relaxing and beautiful. Lately this region has had
a huge growth of new buildings and renovations,
and is attracting many Gold Coasters to live
there.
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Tourism
is the main spring
of the Gold Coast economy. It employs many
Australians and other nationalities, in the
hospitality industry. Also other trades are also
flourishing on the Gold Coast such as the yachting
and leisure boat industry, which is providing many
jobs for the area. Universities, Courses and
schools receiving international students, are also
captivating students worldwide for the renowned
educational quality they offer. The number of
things to do on the Gold Coast is limited only by
the size of your pocket and money you can spend.
If you start today, every day, doing a different
tour offered on the Gold Coast, you would still
need more than a year to experience everything we
have to offer. That is the why the Gold Coast was
elected the number one tourist destination in
Australia.
More
about the Gold Coast...
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| Aerial
View of Broadwater & Surfers Paradise |
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