Gold Coast, Australia
Guide to the Gold Coast: how to get there and where to stay, what to see and where to sunbathe. The highlights of the Gold Coast: fresh reviews and photos, places to see, branded entertainment and beaches.
Note: according to allcitypopulation, the population of Australia is 25.74 million (2021).
The Gold Coast (or Gold Coast) is an Australian resort area located near Brisbane. Conventionally, it can be divided into three resorts: exquisite Main Beach with fashionable restaurants, shops and hotels, “clockwork” Surfers Paradise, which is considered the center of the Gold Coast, and a somewhat calmer Broad Beach, offering recreation and entertainment at affordable prices. Everywhere there are excellent golden beaches and beautiful weather most of the year (although the wave can be strong and treacherous, so you should swim there with caution and not swim too far).
How to get to the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast can be reached via two airports. The first, Brisbane International Airport, is about an hour and a half drive from the Gold Coast (about 80 km). The second local airport in the city of Coolangatta is located in the southern part of the Gold Coast, about 25 minutes from the beaches of Surfers Paradise (21 km). Of course, it is more convenient to fly to the Gold Coast through the local airport, but it only accepts planes from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns.
Gold Coast Hotels
Two of the best hotels on the coast, Sheraton Mirage and Palazzo Versace, are located on Main Beach, the most popular and fashionable area of the Gold Coast. But most of the hotels and apartments are located on Surfers Paradise. It even got to the point that their tall buildings shade the beach from the afternoon, because they are located very close.
Beaches
Main Beach is an exquisite resort area with top-class hotels, expensive shops and restaurants. It is here that two of the best hotels on the coast are located: Sheraton Mirage and Palazzo Versace. The hotel development in the resort is not too dense, and it is guaranteed to appeal to connoisseurs of a luxurious secluded vacation. Nearby is the Sea World theme park.
Surfers Paradise is the center of the Gold Coast and, as the name suggests, a surfers paradise. Most of the hotels and apartments of the resort are located here, which, by the way, are so close to each other that they thoroughly shade the beach in the afternoon.
Broad Beach is a quieter stretch of coastline offering recreation and entertainment at affordable prices. There are more than enough hotels there too. Opportunities to diversify your leisure time – Jupiter’s casino and the impressive Pacific Fair shopping center.
Entertainment and attractions of the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is a unique place where you can not only lie on the beach and go windsurfing, but also visit the country’s most famous tropical fruit plantation park Big Pineapple or the indescribable beauty of Fraser Island, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nearby are the real Australian “jungles” – the tropical rainforests of the Lamington National Park, which is also under the care of UNESCO.
Nearby, Brisbane is a city where Victorian church spiers and historic buildings blend with glass and concrete skyscrapers, tropical gardens and expansive parkland.
Popular excursions
From here you can also go on an excursion to the “Water Park”, “zoo without cages” – Currumbin Reserve (~ 50 USD), amusement parks “World of Cinema”, “World of Dreams”, “World of the Sea” and “World of Tropical Fruits” (~ 82USD). Also interesting are the Ripley Museum “If you want – believe it, if you want – do not believe it” and “The Unusual Amusement Park”.
Leisure
Surfing, windsurfing, bungee jumping, paragliding, jet skiing and jet ski jumping – in general, there is more than enough entertainment on the water. And the local golf courses are among the best in the world. For not very athletic, but especially “party” citizens, there are many restaurants and bars, several large amusement parks, more than 30 nightclubs and discos, as well as the Jupiter casino.
Surfing
You can catch the longest waves in the world at Snapper Rocks near Coolangatta. Among the famous surf resorts of the northern part of the coast are Currumbin, Palm Beach, Burley Heads, Nobby Beach, Mermaid Beach. The best way to learn to surf is on the waters of the North and South Stradbroke Islands and in the town of Noosa.
