Gold Coast surprises

We set off for  Burleigh Beach to meet up with an old school friend and her hubby. As complete newbies to the Gold Coast we were in their hands. We drove to their place in Varsity Lakes, jumped in their car and we were off.  We were in good hands as one of our friends is a property valuer along the coast and knows pretty much every inch.

Our first stop was the Burleigh Beach Pavilion where they insisted we sample the local vino as the water lapped at the foot of the Pavilion below. Being good guests of course we complied. 

What a spot! Remember this is winter and folks were in surfing and swimming, gals were in bikinis and there was a relaxed  beach resort vibe to the shops and cafes. Lots of pop up designer shops, art and crafts.  Very cool. Apparently Burleigh Beach is going to be the new Byron Bay, you heard it here first :)

Just behind the Pavilion is the Burleigh Beach Headland Park which has about 27 hectares of trails and bush that is protected from development. You can walk around the headland at sea level or take a higher track up in  the Rainforest to lookouts for viewing whales as they go up the coast in Spring. We had exploring to do so our guides kept us moving :)

They don't call it the Gold Coast for nothing. You could start at one end of the beach and still be walking 70kms later.  There's a beach spot for whatever takes ya fancy.  Apparently there are four major surf breaks that the surfies  love, hence Surfers Paradise beach. Add to this Miami Beach, Labrador, Main Beach ...I'll stop there .... there's a lot of golden sandy beach to be had.

But wait there's more.  The Gold Coast has the largest constructed canal network in the southern hemisphere. There are 135 constructed lakes and more than 400 kilometres of canals and homeowners can step off their deck onto their boat and pootle off to the islands with ease.

There are some very fancy schmancy  communities that face directly onto the ocean front where there is some of the most expensive real estate in Australia. Some of the homes were so over the top they looked a bit tacky but each to their own.  If you had a spare Australia $45million you could snap up the house above.

There are theme parks, boat ramps, trails and tracks, a Waterworld, casinos and apparently lots of night life for the youngies. Before our visit we had a bit of an impression about the Gold Coast being a bit rough around the edges and  maybe a bit sleazy so it was great to have an informed look around. Again we were struck by the clean beach fronts, the respectful use of the wonderful public facilities and family parks, the friendly people and the relaxed feeling across the different parts we visited.  Not sure what happens after dark on the GC but we had a grand day thanks to our friends and we drove home with an amazing sunset to admire. Another perfect day in the lucky country.