Gold Coast Advice

Since 1979 the Gold Coasts hosts what has now become one of the most important marathons in Australia. The Gold Coast Marathon attracts every year thousands of runners from every country. The next occurrence is coming in just a couple of weeks, on Sunday 5 July.

The race course has changed several times over the years, in 2009 the full marathon will start from the race precinct between the Southport pool and Thompson Park, then down south until Burleigh Heads, back north to Runaway Bay, and finally back south again to Southport.

The registration centre for late entries and kit collection is located in the Convention and exhibition centre in Broadbeach. Please note that registrations and kit collection close at 5pm on Saturday 4 July. For online registrations, race options, maps, and all other information refer to the Gold Coast Marathon website.

Remember that althought this is a low season, the event attracts lots of runners and many hotels and resorts will fill up during the event. If you haven’t done so already, make sure to book your accommodation
as soon as possible, and avoid paying a full price at the last minute.
You can normally obtain some of the best deals from Expedia.
If you also require a flight and/or a car, consider bundling all into a single booking, it will turn out to be much cheaper.

If you fly to the event, you may find useful my articles about Gold Coast airport transfers and Brisbane airport transfers.

So how many of you are up for the race this year? Personally so far I have only assisted to the Gold Coast Marathon as a spectator. However from year to year I keep promising to myself “next year I’ll register and race it in my own”. Apparently I couldn’t stick to my promises, but next year I’m really up for it

The night markets in surfers Paradise are objectively some of the most spectacular markets in the area. They are held on the beachfront promenade every Wednesday and Friday from 5:30pm to 10:00pm, weather permitting. Currently there are more than 120 stalls selling a broad range of merchandise. This is were many local crafters come every week to display their work. Even if you have nothing to buy this is the right place to go for a walk after dinner, just for the lighting and choreography it’s really worth it

Goldcoastadvice supports local artists, our featured artist today is a person who after several years in the corporate world has decided to return to her true passion, glass painting. Her work is displayed in a number of local restaurants and venues. For more information you can visit her Hand Painted Glass Bottles website.

Here is a list of a few Gold Coast restaurants that I particularly appreciate, some of them are big favourites among locals, others are less popular but they are all places where I eat regularly and I highly recommend. They are listed in no particular order. Only 3 restaurants in the list yest, but I’ll add more in the next couple of days. I guarantee that I’m not affiliated with these restaurants in any way, they are all genuine recommendations. For more information, contact details and pictures I provided links to the relevant pages of Gold Coast Food Guide Blog http://www.gcfoodguide.com.au. This is one of the most authoritative source of unbiased information about restaurants on the Gold Coast.

1- Chan May Thai

This is one of the most popular Thai restaurants among locals, or at least among those locals who enjoy Thai cuisine. Chan May Thai has 3 Restaurants on the Gold Coast, one in the Crown Towers Resort, one on the Gold Coast Highway half way between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, and another in Nobby Beach. All 3 restaurants have great decor, reasonable price, and most of all they serve great food. Booking is a good idea, otherwise you may end up waiting for quite a while in the reception area. If you are looking for a great place for a romantic dinner this is definitely a good option.

http://www.gcfoodguide.com.au/blog/index.php/2008/03/16/chiangmai-thai-broadbeach-gold-coast/

2 – “You Japanese Restaurant”, located inside a small arcade right in front of the Transit Centre in Surfers Paradise, is one of the most popular casual Japanese restaurants in town. The restaurant is equally frequented by local Japanese and westeners and it gathers to pretty much anyone, couples, families with kids, as well as singles, there is a bar-style seating area which is good for people eating alone. Just be advised that “You” is a japanese style Izakaya restaurant, and at night it may becomes quite busy and loud. So if you are looking for a quite and romantic candle-light dinner, maybe this is not the best place for you.

The prices at “You” are slightly higher than some of the other similar Japanese restaurants in town, but the quality of the food makes up for it. I suggest to make a booking if you go there between 6 and 8.30 PM, after this time normally it becomes a bit quiter.

http://www.gcfoodguide.com.au/blog/index.php/2007/09/30/you-japanese-restaurant-surfers-paradise/

3- Costa D’Oro, in Italian it means “Gold Coast”. Costa Doro is situated in Orchid Avenue, this is the Nightclub strip of Surfers Paradise. I normally eat at this restaurant for lunch, I don’t enjoy it so much at night because the outdoor eating area is right on the road, and at night many local young drivers enjoy doing their show-off rides on that road, especially on weekends, and this can make it a bit unpleasant. The restaurant has a cosy indoor area, but it’s not very large so you better make a booking if you want an indoor table.

Costa Doro serves a large range of Italian dishes, I recommend the oysters and one of the many scaloppine dishes for main, they serve a nice parmigiana too. Be aware that if you go for a Sunday lunch, due to the small number of customers the restaurants is only managed by one Waiter/waitress and probably there isn’t a main chef in the kitchen, so the level of the service and food may not be up to the standards of the other days, but except a few times we have been mostly satisfied on Sundays too.

This is the link to their official website, as the restaurant has not yet been featured on Gold Coast food guide. http://www.costadoro.com.au/welcome/page1.php

The past summer was characterised on the Gold Coast by some of the most powerful, spectacular and destructive thunderstorms in recent years.

Here is a video that shows the magnitude of the phenomenon. I took this from the centre of Surfers Paradise, at 0:43 you can see a spectacular lightning effect all over the 323 metres facade of the Q1 Highrise, one of the tallest buildings in the South emisphere.
More videos on this subject to come.

The next video was not taken by me. It was shot in the neighbouring Brisbane in November 2008, when a cyclone-like storm of unprecedented intensity for this latitude caused huge distruction and several lives were lost. From 1.35 the video shows winds of unbelievable violence.

The Springbrook National Park is located on the Gold Coast hinterland, less than 1 hour drive from Surfers Paradise. It features some great lookouts and a ‘real’ rainforest, which is quite unusual for these latitudes. During good weather, Springbrook is the ideal destination for picnics and bush walks. Make sure to bring warm clothes, as due to the altitude sometimes the temperatures can be quite low even in summer.

If instead you decide going to Springbrook on a raining day, maybe there will be less to do and to see, but you will enjoy the rainforest on it’s wildest, and for some people the most suggestive time: under the rain . The sound of the rain filtering through the dense layers of the forest, accompanied by the sense of peace and isolation created by the mist and fog can be a great memory to take home from your holiday, probably better than a super-crowded shopping centre on a raining day. The area features also several waterfalls that during rainy periods are very spectacular, while during the draught are often nothing but dry rocks.

However, if you decide to go there with bad weather it’s very important for you to take some precautions, in particular: DO NOT go there on heavy rain conditions or in the hours following such conditions, DO NOT go there when there are strong winds, and most of all DO NOT go there when thunderstorms are approaching. Although Springbrook is only a few kilometers from the coast, the weather conditions may worsen very rapidly as you climb the mountain. The best thing to do is to log into the website of the Australian bureau of meteorology, and check the Brisbane radar loop, as well as the QLD weather warning page. If you see nothing more than light rain, no storms or heavy rain approaching, and no warnings for the area, then you should be clear to go. The approximate coordinates for Springbrook are “28.1 deg S – 153.3 deg E”, you can find the location easily by moving the mouse cursor on the radar’s map and looking at the coordinates display on the right of the screen. If you don’t have access to the Internet, just check the weather forecast on the local TV before leaving. Please note that the precautions listed above are particularly relevant in summer, especially during stormy days, as the area is known to be theater of major thunderstorms and hailstorms that may ruin your day if they take you unexpectedly.

There are two roads that climb up to the top of Springbrook. One from Mudgeeraba, another from Nerang. Both roads are mountain roads and require some driving skills. At some points they are quite narrow and often the end of the road is a deep cliff. The road climbing from Nerang is probably a bit longer, but slightly more gentle than the one climbing from Mudgeeraba. Your choice. For driving directions I suggest getting yourself a gold coast hinterland map, they are usually available in news agencies for a few bucks, or even for free in your accommodation. Alternatively you could print out a map from the Google Map website.

What to do when you you get there? Well the options are many, but the 3 places I absolutely wouldn’t miss are the “Best of All Lookout”, the Rainbow Falls and the Twins Falls. All these sites are well signed from the main road, and can be reached within less than 10 minutes walk from the respective car parks, which makes it easy for anyone to get there, during good or bad weather. If you go to the “Best of All Lookout” on a rainy day, what you will see is a grey wall of clouds, while on a sunny day you get one of the most impressive views you could dream of. You can see from the Southern end of the Gold Coast, down to Byron Bay and beyond, from the beautiful Tweed Valley (the remaining of an ancient volcano), out to the horizon of the Pacific Ocean.

Below is a nice art-style video created by BushmanProductionsAU, it features some footage of the 3 sites mentioned above.

Point Danger lookout is a Peak overlooking Duranbah Beach, between Coolangatta and Tweed Heads. Coolangatta is the last Queensland suburb to across when driving southbound on the Pacific Highway or the Gold Coast highway. Right after Coolangatta is Tweed Heads, the first suburb of New South Whales, as well as the last Suburb of the Gold Coast.

Point Danger was named by Captain James Cook on his 1770 journey to warn ships of dangerous coral reefs off the coast. The place has a large car park and features a light house and a captain cook memorial, moulded from an original iron cast jettisoned from the Endeavour and recovered in the 1960s. Underneath the lighthouse is a geodetic mark that represent the actual border between Queensland and New South Whales.

Durambah Beach is well know by surfers, as it provides good surfing conditions all year around, it also features some of the biggest waves on the Gold Coast. With bad weather the waves right off the beach are often even bigger and more spectacular, and Point Danger is the best spot to watch them from you car, or if the weather is good you may prefer the grassed area or one of the many benches. Several car spaces overlook directly the Ocean. I suggest stopping on your way to purchase some fish and chips or something else to eat, and then enjoy it at point danger while apreciating the suggestive views of the ocean pacific. With good weather, the view stretches from Surfers Paradise to Byron Bay. With bad weather you may not see that far, but watching a multitude of daring surfers catching those big waves it’s quite entertaining. It’s not unusual to see dolphins jumping between the Surfers.

how to get there? If you are staying in Surfers Paradise, take the Gold Coast highway and drive southbound till Coolangatta. Past Coolangatta airport make sure to take the Coolangatta exit on the left, you will get into Musgrave Street. Keep driving along the beach, Musgrave Street will become Marine Parade, just stay on it, you will across the city and then start climbing into the hills, at the very top is Point Danger lookout (you can’t miss the lighthouse). If you get the road map from the brochure “Best of The Gold Coast” your destination is the blue “P” sign at coordinates 60-0. A drive from Surfers Paradise to Point Danger in normal traffic condition should take aproximately 30 minutes.

The Spit is the name of a narrow strip of land at the northern end of the Gold Coast that separates the Pacific Ocean from the famous Broadwaters. This is one of the favourite Sunday’s destination for the locals, great spot for fishing, picnics, and relax. It’s also well know by expert surfers, as the popular South Stradbroke Island (Strady) is only a short paddle away, however if you are a surfer beware that the area is known to be infested by sharks, as this is the main inlet for the huge Gold Coast waterway system.

Although The Spit is located just a 10 minutes drive from Surfers Paradise, it may not be easy getting there if you don’t have your own transport. On the other hand, if you do have your own transport getting there is very easy. From Surfers Paradise just get onto the Esplanade and drive northbound, this will take you through Main Beach, once you get to the first roundabout turn right, then it is a straight drive till the end of the spit. You will first pass the Marina Mirage complex, on your left, this is where some of the most exclusive hotels of the Gold Coast are, The Sheraton Mirage and the Palazzo Versace. The Marina Mirage complex features several exclusive boutique and high-end restaurants, as well as some more affordable restaurants that offer also great views of the Broadwaters. Shortly after Marina Mirage, always on your left, you will see the theme park Sea World, along with it’s hotel Sea World Nara resort. This for the tourists is normally the end of the road, beyond this point is mostly a local ‘playground’.

What to do on the spit? Well, if you like thrill-filled venues full off non-stop action, then this is not the right place for you, or maybe it’s good for a site seeing drive, as there are great views over the Broadwaters.
Fishing is one of the most popular activities for those coming here, being this the major inlet/outlet between the Pacific Ocean and the Gold Coast waterways system, it makes it a big transit place for all sort of marine life. Food-wise, most people bring their own, unfortunately the area doesn’t have a public BBQ, so if you are up for a Barbie you should organise your own. There is a decent fish and chips and burger shop were you can also purchase baits and small fishing gear. The shop features also a comfy outdoor eating area.

On weekends, with good weather you can normally find a icecream van parked in the area, which in my advise sells the best soft cones in town…and no, I’m not affiliated with them:)

If you are a Surfer you may have heard of South Stradbroke Island (Strady), as it is known for its quality waves. The island is only a couple of hundred metres away from the top end of the Spit, and often surfers paddle on their boards to get there. However if you are a beginner I discourage swimming across the channel, because there are strong currents and eavy traffic of boats going in and out from the Broadwaters and into the Ocean.
And even if you are an experienced surfer, but are not familiar with the area, I suggest talking with a life saver or a local surfer before going into the water. The area is know to be inhabited by sharks, and at some time of the year it may not be ideal to get into deep waters.

If you prefer to lay down on the beach and relax, there are several small but very cosy and intimate beaches facing the Broadwaters, they are also protected from the strong winds and big waves of the Ocean, which make them an ideal place to spend a pleasant afternoon in total relaxation. If you want to swim, I suggest doing so only in shallow water.

Here below is a video I made a couple of days ago, it’s the footage of a short drive around the top end of The Spit. The weather was not very good on the day, so I’ll try to make a new one as soon as the weather gets better.

Apparently in this time of recession Gold Coast businesses are not doing their best to help consumers reducing their holiday expenses, on the contrary, entry tickets for theme parks and other attractions are in continuous rise. You would think “why increasing prices? If they do, less people will visit them”. Well, that’s what I thought too, but it appears that when on holiday people care less about prices, and when something has to be done has to be done, regardless of the cost!

However, if you are keen to browse around you can find several coupons for discounted entries and special promotions. But if you are not a coupon-hunter, you may end up paying full price for all those attractions. Here are a few hints on where to find some coupons and special deals, maybe they are not a huge deal if taken individually, but if you add them up at the end of the week you may have spared enough money to afford that nice dinner:)

The first and simplest thing you should do is grab yourself a copy of ‘Best of the Gold Coast’, this is a little 120-pages booklet that you can normally find in every hotel or resort in town, and if not you can grab it from any information desk. ‘Best of the Gold Coast’ is packed with discount vouchers for most, if not all available activity and tours. Discounts can vary from $2 to $20 per person, depending on the total cost. The most valuable coupons are those offering “pay 1 get 2″. For example if you are up for a game of bowling, who doesn’t enjoy a game of bowling on holiday, you can obtain a nice 50% reduction. Please ensure to read the condition on the coupon as these change from venue to venue, some are valid for up to 5 people, while others are valid just for 2, and you have to buy one game each to get another 2 free.

Theme parks, such as Dremworld, Seaworld, Movieworld and Wet’n'Wild are less keen in giving out coupons. But if you register with the website http://www.myfun.com.au you can get 10% discount on most tickets. It’s not much but still better than nothing, especially if you are planning to take there the whole family.

Another way of obtaining discounted theme park tickets is to bundle them into a holiday package. Some travel agents offer various hotel packages that either include theme parks tickets and transfers, or where you can add them at a reduced price. These packages can also include other activities, such as hinterland day tours, baloon flights, and more. I have embedded some of those special offers at the bottom of this page, but I leave it to you to compare the prices, as these vary from time to time and they are not necesserely always the cheapest option.

If you walk around or inside the Centro in Surfers Paradise, you may notice a few small boots promoting very cheap, or even free theme park tickets. These boots often belong to timeshare companies, and yes you will get the cheap or free tickets, but the catch is that you must attend a 90 minutes timeshare presentation in order to redeem your coupons. If you don’t mind it, and you are interested in knowing more about timeshare you may try that option, just make sure you understand all the terms and conditions, as traditionally those companies are not very transparent up front

The Gold Coast is an ideal departure point for whale watch cruises. The whale watch season goes from June to November, which makes it one of the longest in Queensland. The great advantage is that in this area the whales swim relatively near to the shore, so it’s very common to spot them after only 20 minutes from departure, while other popular whale watch tours departing from other locations up north may take over 1 hour before reaching the whales transit area.

There are some watching areas on the Gold Coast where occasionally it’s possible to see the whales from shore. One of these places is Point Danger in Coolangatta. Another are the various beachfront highrises…if you are lucky enough. A few years back I was living in one of the highrises on the Esplanade in Surfers Paradise, and in 2 occurrences I did see whales jumping in the ocean from my own balcony. That’s sure a memory that will stay with me forever.

There are several operators providing daily whale watch tours, they all have a very high spotting rate. And if you are unlucky, most of them will give you a free pass to come back another day.

One of the most common question I receive from travellers to the Gold Coast is about transfers options from and to the Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta. So here is a list of those options, along with aproximate prices and links for further info and bookings.

Door-To-Door Shuttle Bus

The shuttle bus is the common choice for most visitors. It is normally the cheapest solution, unless your accommodation is located in the immediate proximity of the airport, let’s say between Coolangatta and Currunbin, in which case a taxi is probably a more convenient solution.

Two of the most popular providers offering door-to-door transfers from and to the Gold Coast airport are CON-X-ION and Surfside. CON-X-ION is in my advice the most convenient choice for destinations in the southern and central part of the Gold Coast, including Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise and Main Beach. The prices between the 2 providers are very similar for this area, but CON-X-ION has smaller coaches and carry less people, which normally means you get at your destination faster.

On the other hand, Surfside has a single flat rate, which makes it a cheaper option for destinations in the northern section of the Gold Coast (Sanctuary Cove, Pacific Pines, etc), or in the hinterland (Nerang, etc). Family tickets are also very competitive.

The typical cost charged by both providers for a return ticket for one adult to the Surfers Paradise / Broadbeach / Main Beach area is 38-40 australian dollars. For More information, detailed pricing and online bookings, visit CON-X-ION website or Surfside website.

Taxi

A taxi trip for up to 4 people from Gold Coast Airport to Surfers Paradise is approximately $54. A maxi taxi for groups up to 11 people is $81. If your accommodation is in a different suburb you can check the estimate fare cost from the Regent Taxi calculator

Long Term Parking

If you are only leaving the Gold Coast for a couple of days, you may find your car to be the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Coolangatta Airport. You can check and compare short and long-term parking fees here