Just Back From...
Gold Coast
By Jeremy Nguyen
It was that time again, when I needed to think about a short holiday destination, just a getaway from work and home (Sydney). The Gold Coast was the obvious choice as my partner and I were travelling on a budget.
With airfares quite cheap today (if you get in early), especially on airlines such as Virgin Blue and Jetstar, interstate travel is much more affordable these days. Keeping in mind school holidays and public holidays, best times to travel are obviously outside of these periods.
Having worked through the Christmas break, the intention was to travel to the Gold Coast just after the "SCHOOLIES" period, after public school holidays were over, and after the Australia Day holiday. It just so happened that on the dates that we wanted to fly, flying into Brisbane was the cheaper option. We hired a car through Hertz who upgraded us free of charge to a bigger car (as their smaller cars were not available), and drove from Brisbane down the Gold Coast. A one hour drive on the M1 motorway, following the signs to Southport and Seaworld, we made our way to the "Moorings On Cavill" self contained apartments (at the other end of Cavill Ave, rather than the beach end). With an underground carpark which is one of the reasons I chose this property, the other reasons being price and location. It was a short walk to Cavill Ave Mall and to all the bars/shopping/entertainment. We were booked in a 1 bedroom apartment, but once again due to lack of available apartments, we were moved to a 2 bedroom apartment. It had great views of the river with quite a long balcony, and a spacious living and dining area.
After getting some lunch on the beach, we did some grocery shopping to hold us over the next 4days/3nights, knowing that the apartments were self contained with cooking facilities, and also knowing that we'll need snacks the next few days as we planned on visiting a couple of the theme parks.The night was spent at a local Chinese restaurants, amongst a large number of other types of restaurants along the Gold Coast Boulevard.
Day 2, we woke up at a lazy 10am, and proceeded to pack our bags with snacks and a frozen water bottle, for our pre-paid entry ticket for Seaworld, through Qantas Holidays. We drove from our apartment to Seaworld, a 10minute drive with signs making the journey an easy one. A warm 31 degrees, clear blue skies, and cool breezes through the day made for a very enjoyable day, as we watched a SEA LION show, went around and saw some of the Seaworld attractions such as the Polar Bears, and go on some of the park's rides like the Bermuda Triangle and Viking's Revenge.
In the evening, we ate at the Sofitel hotel (at Broadbeach) seafood buffet which was fantastic, a great selection of Moreton Bay bugs, prawns, oysters, crabs and other seafood made the meal one to remember. The restaurant is located on the pool deck, with a great atmosphere, very romantic, even though there were quite a few people around. After dinner we returned to the CBD of the Gold Coast, but I personally think it's the Central Beach District, rather than Business, as everyone walks around in swimmers rather than the suits I see around the Sydney CBD. We went to the Friday night markets which starts at the beach end of Cavill and proceeds along The Esplanade (the road that runs along Surfers Paradise Beach).
Day 3, was spent at Warner's Bros Movie World, a 20minute drive from our apartment. With maps from hotel and good street signs, getting there was once again not a problem, and we had the flexibility of going at any time/leaving at any time as we had our own car. We did all the normal things, i.e. rides, including Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon, Wild Wild West, and even a kids roller coaster (as we're not daredevils to try the new Superman ride, or anything that goes upside down). It was another warm day, but another clear day.
Later that night, we made reservations for the Chiang Mai Thai restaurant about 5minutes drive south at Broadbeach, and the meals were very spicy, but very tasty and at a very reasonable price, bookings are recommended, as it got really busy (especially being on a Saturday). Whilst down at Broadbeach, we decided to pop over to the Jupiter's Casino to check out the scene and of course, to try our luck. We lost $3, and left it at that. There were a few pubs and restaurants in the complex, but we didn't stay too long, as we were tired from a full day at Warner Bros earlier.
On the last day, we checked out of the apartment and drove up to Brisbane and visited the popular lookout called the Mount Coot-tha lookout overlooking the city of Brisbane only 15minutes from the city centre. Well worth a stop as there are a few restaurants up there catering for both lunch and dinner. After meeting a friend from Brisbane (which is the other reason we flew in and out of Brisbane), we went shopping around the city (around Queen's Street Mall) where my friend showed us the redeveloped area where David Jones is now located.
After a nice lunch, we started our journey to the airport (about 20minutes drive from the city). We dropped off the car at the Hertz depot, and proceeded to checkin. Checking in has now been made easier in both Sydney and Brisbane, as they have self-checkin stands where you select your name, and destination, and print out your own boarding passes and you can even select your own seating requirements. You then proceed to the checkin counter where a staff member will then tag your luggage and give you the luggage receipt.
An early evening flight from Brisbane back to Sydney, my partner and I both agreed, it was a short trip, but we did relax, whilst at the same time, we did pack in as much as we could (without feeling like we were on an escorted tour). We didn't have to wake up early (as there is no room service), we could do our own laundry and cook our own meals, which was great, and could be just as fun with a larger group (maximising the two bedroom apartments that' Moorings' had). All in all, although the Gold Coast was a place I had been to many times myself, there's always something to do, and getting away from work is always a bonus.
