With their gold bikinis glowing in the midday sun, the image of Gold Coast Meter Maids strutting through Cavil Mall in almost iconic. Blonde surfers, glamorous women and brightly dressed tourists come together to create an endless holiday vibe on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Surfers Paradise Beach
With a wide strip of clean, white sand, the Pacific Ocean sparkling in the sun and views for miles, the beach adjoining Surfers Paradise doesn’t need beautifying.
Yet, its main claim to fame is its bikini-clad sunbathers and local surfers. A place to see and be seen, this beach offers volleyball nets, surf lessons and patrolling life guards, all under the gaze of hundreds of high-rise residents.
Cosmopolitan Main Beach and its famed dining strip, Tedder Avenue, is half an hour walk north up the beach, and trendy Broadbeach is the same distance, heading south.
Children’s Activities in Surfers Paradise
Aside from the beach, ‘Surfers’, as the locals call it, is well equipped to keep children busy. ‘Timezone’ claims to be the largest indoor family entertainment centre in Australia and offers Laser Skirmish, Dodgems, Mini Golf and Sega Rally 3, among a range of games.
Infinity, located in Chevron Renaissance, is a maze filled with special effects, music and illusions. Costs range from AUD$24.90 for adults and AUD$16.90 for children.
Bungy Australia’s lights draw crowds on balmy nights, and apart from bungy jumping with a view of the ocean, the complex offers theme park rides and wildly popular trampolines.
Surfers Paradise Nightlife
The vibrant, and flamboyantly tacky, hub of the Gold Coast offers international restaurants, after dark shopping and street entertainment. Orchid Avenue, lit like a mini Vegas at night, is lined with nightclubs and the infamous gentlemen’s clubs, such as ‘Players’ and ‘Hollywood Showgirls’.
Teenagers flood the streets after the restaurant rush, as bar hopping launches into full swing and tourists visit ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ and ‘Strike Bowling’.
Choose to people watch from a restaurant in Cavill Mall, check out the big screen at Circle on Cavill or stroll through the night markets lining the esplanade for a typical Surfers Paradise night.
Surfers Paradise Accommodation
From two to five stars, Surfers Paradise has all accommodation options covered. Direct beach front views are available from four-star Pacific Plaza Holiday Apartments. Families are well catered for at Sun City, with water slides at the pool and the new Q1 building offers 360 degree views from the seventy-seventh floor on ‘Qdeck’.
Day or night, for the young or simply young at heart, Surfers Paradise delivers holiday fantasies, true to its name.
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