ABOUT THE GOLD COAST

If you like sun, surf and sand, unpolluted air and a relaxed lifestyle, with great accommodation and heaps of tourist attractions thrown in, then you'll love the Gold Coast of Australia.

The Gold Coast is Australia's leading tourist destination. Millions of visitors come here each year from around the world. We have great, championship golf courses, sandy beaches and lovely Hinterland for bush walking and sightseeing.

MAP of Gold Coast, no details, but shows where all the main suburbs are. This is a great map to help you find your bearings.

There are also many fine restaurants catering for all tastes, great shopping, sporting and entertainment facilities.

The Gold Coast has an average of 245 days of fine weather each year and daytime temperatures above 22 degrees for 279 days a year. The Gold Coast is located on the Eastern seaboard of Australia just 90km south of the City of Brisbane. The Gold Coast is the sixth largest city in Australia, with a population of about 500,000.

James Cavill was instrumental in the growth of the region when he built the Surfers Paradise Hotel in the early 1920's. A bridge replaced the old horse ferry crossing of the Nerang River in 1925 and in an effort to attract the more mobile and lucrative holiday market, the town of Elston (previously known as Meyers Ferry) was renamed "Surfers Paradise" in 1933 after the hotel Cavill had built 10 years earlier.

Property prices began rising sharply after WWII as there was an involuntary moratorium on development and would be developers could see an opportunity to cash in on a Post War boom. The greater region was given the name Gold Coast in the early 1950's when a journalist discussing the rising property values metaphorically referred to the area as the "Gold Coast". The ensuing development boom of the 1950's saw a rush to build large beachfront holiday apartments to support the now rapidly growing tourist market.

Gold Coast Beaches

A holiday guide is not complete without highlighting the incredible Gold Coast beaches. 57 km of clear waters, fine golden sands, ocean swells for surfers, secluded bays estuaries for the less adventurous and with surf life savers patrolling all the major bathing locations. The Gold Coast City Council patrols more beaches than any other local authority in Australia, utilising helicopters, boats, jet skis and watercraft in its rescue operations, making it an ideal destination for families.

Surfing is a major activity on the Gold Coast with Burleigh Point, Duranbah, Kirra and South Stradbroke being just four of the many great spots providing top surfing conditions. The Gold Coast has hosted international championships such as the Billabong Pro and hosts the national surf lifesaving titles every year with more than 5000 competitors competing on Kurrawa beach at Broadbeach.

Whether its for stroll at sunset, beach fishing at dusk, a leisurely swim, an adventure packed scuba dive or even if it's to take on the swell with your board, the Gold Coast's numerous beaches are famous for their clean, warm (23 degrees C in Summer) blue waters, golden sand and never ending sunshine. The most popular of the 21 patrolled beaches on the Gold Coast include Burleigh, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Miami & Nobby Beach.

Main Beach gets its name from the fact that it was the main surf beach for the town of Southport which was the earliest surveyed town in the immediate area. Its located on the eastern side of the Nerang River estuary (The Broadwater) is bounded to the north by The Spit and by a narrow isthmus (Narrowneck) extending to Surfers Paradise in the south.

Surfers Paradise Beach
Once known as Elston, Surfers Paradise had a name change in the 1920's. Surfers Paradise, is the centre of the Gold Coast for tourists, particularly international visitors. There are lots of eating, drinking, dancing places, and shops for souvenirs. Even though Surfers Paradise is a busy beach, the hum of activity doesn't take any of its amazing natural beauty away. This famous stretch of the ocean is a perfect swimming beach. If you walk South along the beach, you can go for kilometres.

Nearby, cafes and shopping areas are just a short walk away and every Friday night the beachfront markets operate.

Broadbeach
Broadbeach was named in 1934 when a new subdivision was surveyed for the area. There are some beautiful parks along the forshore of this long stretch of beach. The parks are well equipped with sheltered picnic areas, ample BBQ's and great playgrounds for the kids.

The surfing is consistent at Broadbeach, albeit small at times. If there's little surf around on the coast, you can generally pick up clean left and right handers along this stretch of ocean, or take a walk along the ocean paths and enjoy the beach markets in Kurrawa Park.

Mermaid Beach
Situated south of the town centre is Mermaid Beach, being somewhat quieter than Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach makes this beach's tranquil surroundings seem endless. With the small swell, sheltered picnic areas ,bike tracks and children's playground you could say this is the perfect family beach!

Nobby beach is a quiet beach for the family to relax. Take a stroll and view the magnificent sunrise. Miami has a peaceful and relaxing beachfront as well as good BBQ and picnic areas. If you're looking for some action, you can take a leisurely stroll up to the cliff top and take in the breathtaking views up and down the coast.

Burleigh Heads is located midway between Southport to the north and Coolangatta in the south. It is within easy reach of the lively nightlife to the north and the more relaxed family atmosphere of the southern beaches.

The unspoilt headland offers amazing views of the surrounding coastline and consists of a small National Park. The beaches in Burleigh are lined with beautiful parkland, with picnic and BBQ areas. Burleigh Heads is renowned for its good surfing beach and it regularly hosts surfing and iron-man competitions.

Within the National Park there are a number of walking trails along the adjacent coastline. The popular Fleays Wildlife Park and Fauna Centre are located just west of Burleigh.

Palm Beach - Currumbin - Tallebudgera
This area is best known for the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the feeding of the rainbow lorikeets which come swooping out of the surrounding bush at feeding times. This centre has grown from a simple bird sanctuary to a major wildlife reserve with various tourist attractions.

Currumbin Creek and Tallebudgera Creek
offer excellent calm water estuary conditions ideal for toddlers, yet just around the corner are some of the Gold Coast's best surfing beaches. Try the local Surf Lifesaving Club for a bite to eat or a night out at the Currumbin RSL Club. There are some excellent views of the Gold Coast panorama from this region.

Currumbin Beach / Bilinga Beach / Tugun Beach
Currumbin, Tugun and Bilinga Beaches are situated at the southern end of the Gold Coast. The area is popular with families who are looking for somewhere away from the all the action of some of their northern neighbours.

There are surf clubs at Currumbin, Tugun & Bilinga and all three beaches are patrolled. Currumbin Beach has some special rock pools and the surf is small enough for leisurely swimming.

Kirra Beach
Kirra Point is the Gold Coast's most famous board riding beach. Experienced surfers will find challenging waves and beginners will enjoy the smaller waves that break in closer to the shore. Kirra is a very popular surf break and it works best in solid east and northeast swells during the cyclone season, although you can get good waves throughout the year.

Coolangatta & Greenmount Beach
Greenmount Beach and Rainbow Bay are the Gold Coast's only North facing beaches providing sheltered conditions for swimming. A walk around the point to Snapper Rocks improves your chances of seeing the whales on their annual migration throughout the cooler parts of the year.

GOLD COAST HINTERLAND http://www.gold-coast.net/goldcoasthinterland/index.html

Being one of the most biologically diverse regions in Australia, the hinterland's densely forested McPherson Range is home to a host of beautiful wildlife and tropical plant species. From Tamborine Mountain in the north to Lamington and Springbrook National Parks in the south, the area offers spectacular views and natural wonders. There are rainforests, extinct volcanoes, mountains, valleys, waterfalls, and creeks. The region's National Parks are a paradise for walkers with well-maintained tracks and plenty of interpretive information throughout the parks.

Canungra.
This area is so densely timbered and steep, that it was chosen for Australia's jungle warfare training grounds.

There are a number of places to stay in the Hinterland from basic camp grounds with some facilities through to luxurious lodges and guesthouses. There are also a surprising number of restaurants and cafes as well as a number of unique art and craft galleries displaying the handy work of locals. A self drive scenic day tour through the hinterland offers stunning views of the beautiful rainforest clad valleys, gorges and escarpments of

There are plenty of organised tours operating in the Gold Coast Hinterland, so if don't feel like doing the driving then why not make the most of the knowledge and experience that the local professional day tour operators can offer.

Getting To The Gold Coast By Bus/Coach
There are a number of coach services that pass through the Gold Coast. There are regular services from Brisbane, Byron Bay, Sydney and other major centres. There are bus transit centres in Coolangatta, Surfers Paradise and Southport. Travel time from Brisbane is around 1 hour and from Sydney an express coach service takes around 14 hours.

Getting To The Gold Coast By Train
The Gold Coast is connected by rail to Brisbane's Roma Street and Central stations. The closets railway stations servicing the Gold Coast include Nerang, Helensvale and Robina - there are connecting shuttle bus services available from the station to Surfers Paradise and other Gold Coast centres. Airtrain also operate regular rail services from Brisbane Airport to the Gold Coast which take approximately 90 minutes.

Due to a difference in the gauge of the railway between New South Wales and Queensland there are no Interstate direct rail links to the Gold Coast. Trains depart daily from Sydney and terminate at Murwillumbah (around 30 mins south of Coolangatta). From here you can catch the bus.

Getting To The Gold Coast By Air
The Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta is serviced by domestic and international flights. Most services are one-class, but many also offer business class travel. There are regular daily domestic flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide & there are connecting flights to all other Australian cities. The trip from Sydney takes around 1 hour 25 minutes, around 2 hours 15 minutes from Melbourne & around 2 hours and 10 minutes from Adelaide.

International flights arrive from Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin, Palmerston North & Christchurch in New Zealand. There are also flights arriving on the Gold Coast via Cairns from Japan (Osaka, Nagoya &Fukuoka), Taipei, Hong Kong & Singapore. Brisbane's International Airport also provides links with the USA and Europe.

Self Drive
The major route from Sydney to the Gold Coast is via the Pacific Highway which is currently undergoing major upgrades and conditions vary. Use the following table to plan your trip and ensure that you "stop, revive, survive" every 2 hours.

Gold Coast to Distance in Kms
Sydney 1000
Canberra 1251
Melbourne 1900
Brisbane 90

MAPS LINKS
http://www.gold-coast.net/maps/index.html

A very brief history of the Gold Coast
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?pid=4169

Gold Coast Hotels
http://www.hoteltravel.com/australia/gold_coast/hotels.htm

GOLD COAST BEACHES
http://www.gold-coast-holiday.com.au/gold_coast_beaches.htm

WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast,_Queensland

Leisure & Lifestyle
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?PID=3

GOLD COAST HINTERLAND
http://www.gold-coast.net/goldcoasthinterland/index.html

A-Z Heritage Tours of the Gold Coast
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?pid=4458