| The Coast with the Most |
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| Written by Damien Novak | |
| Tuesday, 26 May 2009 | |
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A fabulous arc of sun, sand and surf, it’s Australia’s number one holiday destination. And so it should be! There’s a ridiculous amount to see and do.
A night on the town? This city is club central. For a gay option, check out MPs (aka the Meeting Place). But limiting yourself to gay venues is a shame with so many options – clubs abound in Surfers and Broadbeach. For something different, check out a Las Vegas-style show at Jupiters Casino (if you’ve ever seen Showgirls, it’s kinda like that!). Their current production, La Salsa, features hip-shaking music, hot Latin dancing – and even hotter Latin bodies.
For something more sedate – say, a nice meal and some wine – you’re spoilt for cuisines from all over the world. George’s Paragon (Marine Village, Sanctuary Cove) is great for seafood, The Atzec (Victoria Square, Broadbeach Mall) for Mexican, La Paella (3114 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise) has sensational Spanish, and Sher E Punjab (just next door) incredible Indian!
But while the dining and clubbing is great, you can probably do that at home. The theme parks, though, are another story. The Coast is the theme park capital of the Southern Hemisphere. Dreamworld, Sea World, Movieworld and Wet’n’Wild are all worth full-day visits.
Had enough of thrills and spills? Then head to Mt Tamborine. Just a short drive west, it’s dotted with national parks and reserves. In amongst them, you’ll find antique shops, arts and crafts, Devonshire teas and the prettiest views around. A new attraction is the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk, a free-standing cantilever soaring thirty metres above the rainforest.
But my favourite thing about the Coast is the offbeat, weird and tackorama. Like Dracula’s! (1 Hooker Blvd, Broadbeach.) A world-famous cabaret restaurant with a vampirical bent, it’s more than a little camp. Think Rocky Horror down under. It even has a ghost train!
Then there’s The Wax Museum (corner of Elkhorn and Ferny Avenues, Surfers Paradise). It stars the rich and famous from all over the world (or at least their likenesses). Ever wanted to get up close to Kylie? Here’s your chance. And what a good sport she is – she didn’t even flinch when I pinched her bum!
Of course with days packed with things to see and do, you need somewhere nice and relaxing to spend your nights. Me and the boyfriend stayed at the Sunset Island Resort Apartments. The beauty of this place is that it’s tucked away in the quiet backstreets and canals of Surfers Paradise (3 Sunset Boulevard, Surfers Paradise, to be exact), yet so close to the action. And as an elegant four-star Mediterranean-style resort, with a great saltwater pool, landscaped gardens, and big, breezy balconies, it’s also perfect if you wanna chill out. (Despite popular opinion, you can actually do that on the Coast!)
Yep, it’s a cliché but true: the Gold Coast really is ‘the coast with the most’.
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All that glitters is gold, so they say. And for proof look no further than Queensland’s own Gold Coast. | < Prev | Next > |
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