· More than just beachesBroadbeach QLD, Australia · 26th Sep 2008 · Posted by Margaret
At the end of winter in New Zealand, the invitation to house sit for a friend on the Gold Coast and look after her two very precious cockatiels was easy to accept. We flew out at the beginning of September on an extremely wet day, looking forward to the endless sunshine of the sunshine state. Imagine our surprise when we arrived to conditions even wetter than those we had left. By the time we arrived at our Brisbane apartment we were wet through but that was the last time the weather was unkind to us.
A couple of days later, after enjoying catching up with our son Chris and his partner, Annie, we took the train to Nerang. The Brisbane ticketing system makes travel very easy, being based on zones radiating out from the city centre. Tickets cover train, bus and ferry so there is not the inconvenience of having to buy separate tickets for each service.
We were a little apprehensive about looking after the birds as they do not live in a cage and we were terrified we would somehow lose one or both of them but the door and windows of the apartment were all screened and “the boys” soon became accustomed to us. Each morning we would hear the patter of their feet over the carpet as they came into our room to call out and let us know they were ready for their toast of which they were very fond.
We took in the view of the Gold Coast from the Q tower in Surfers Paradise, which I think is the tallest residential tower in the world. It is well worth visiting as the views over the beaches and the inland waterways from the 77th floor are breathtaking. I had no idea of quite the extent of the waterways. With the miles of beach front and the waterways, thousands of people have the benefit of waterfront living, the canal dwellers also having their own private jetties. People here really enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and, at weekends, the parks and beaches were full of families , wedding groups and birthday parties. One thing that really impressed me was the provision of hot water boilers at all the beaches so you could make a cup of coffee. What a bonus.
We ignored the theme parks this time and hired a car for a couple of days to visit the hinterland. I would really recommend this to anyone visiting the Gold Coast as it makes a nice change from the bustle of the beaches and has the advantage of being several degrees cooler. We drove up the Tweed River Valley from Tweed City, a very interesting and scenic drive through sugar cane plantations. Murwillumbah is the service town for the area and is worth a stop on your way to the mountains.
We drove first up Mt Warning, the ancient core of the huge shield volcano which formed the gigantic caldera on the rim of which stand the mountains of the National Parks. We followed the short Lyrebird Track from the top car park and were very surprised to find a green, lush sub-tropical valley, quite different from the hot, dry Australian landscape we see more often. This valley was dominated by tall bungalow palms and was very pretty.
We just had time before dark to enjoy three other features of the Springbrook National Park; the Natural Bridge or arched cave with a waterfall tumbling from above, the impressive Purlingbrook Falls in their deep, rocky gorge, and the Best of all Lookouts. Unfortunately for us, the mist rolled in to obscure what must be an awesome view over the rocky escarpments but we were interested to see the very old, gnarled Antarctic beech trees, a rare relic of the time when Australia was part of Gondwanaland.
The next day we drove up the 36km of windy road to O’Reillys in the Lamington National Park. As soon as we left the car we noticed the flocks of crimson rosellas and king parrots surrounding park visitors who had purchased food for them. Although it was great to see these brilliantly coloured birds so close, it seemed a shame in a way that their natural behaviour was being so changed by the presence of people.
Much more exciting was our sighting of the rather rarely seen lyre bird. We were very lucky to see one scratching in the undergrowth for food and quite unconcerned by our presence. Another highlight was seeing the satin bower bird at work building his impressive bower where he displays to his prospective mates. The structure is made from long grasses and is about 40cm tall, quite a feat of building. He decorated his bower with all sorts of items he had gathered, all bright blue – plastic spoons, drinking straws, bottle tops, pieces of plastic tape, etc. Each item was carefully arranged to impress the female. O’Reillys have also built a treetop walk which gives a unique perspective on the forest.
Other highlights of our Gold Coast trip were visiting Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and seeing hump backed whales passing by on their migration past Point Danger at Coolangatta, also large dolphins surfing in the waves. One weekend Chris and Annie came down to join us and we enjoyed strolling round the craft market on the beachfront at Broadbeach followed by a delicious lunch on the balcony of the Kurrawa Surf Lifesaving Club overlooking the beach. The surf clubs are great places to eat.
Back in Brisbane, we enjoyed meandering up and down the Brisbane River on the City Cat, hopping on and off here and there to visit shopping centres, entertainment areas and parks. The river is the defining feature of the city and really adds to its attractiveness. Southbank, the site of the 1988 World Expo has been attractively redeveloped and, when we visited, countless families were having a wonderful time swimming in the pools and picnicking on the artificial beaches which have been created in the park. A new London Eye-type wheel had just opened which would give a magnificent view of the city. We took a trip on the river one night, a great way to see the spectacular lights of the city and the illuminated story bridge.
There are restaurants every few metres in the city but a special find was the tiny Silver Charm Thai restaurant in the lively Fortitude Valley area. It was not much bigger than a walk-in wardrobe with only three or four tables but the food was inexpensive and quite delicious and the staff friendly and helpful.
On the outskirts of the city are the Botanical Gardens which are well worth a visit for their range of diverse and spectacular tropical trees with their intriguing fruits and showy flowers and the range of colourful birds which they attract. We were amazed at the gigantic bamboos, extraordinary fruits such as the elephant apple and the brilliant flowering gingers and kangaroo paws.
It is well worth looking beyond the beautiful beaches and the shopping malls as there is so much more to see in the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip.
A couple of days later, after enjoying catching up with our son Chris and his partner, Annie, we took the train to Nerang. The Brisbane ticketing system makes travel very easy, being based on zones radiating out from the city centre. Tickets cover train, bus and ferry so there is not the inconvenience of having to buy separate tickets for each service.
We were a little apprehensive about looking after the birds as they do not live in a cage and we were terrified we would somehow lose one or both of them but the door and windows of the apartment were all screened and “the boys” soon became accustomed to us. Each morning we would hear the patter of their feet over the carpet as they came into our room to call out and let us know they were ready for their toast of which they were very fond.
We took in the view of the Gold Coast from the Q tower in Surfers Paradise, which I think is the tallest residential tower in the world. It is well worth visiting as the views over the beaches and the inland waterways from the 77th floor are breathtaking. I had no idea of quite the extent of the waterways. With the miles of beach front and the waterways, thousands of people have the benefit of waterfront living, the canal dwellers also having their own private jetties. People here really enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and, at weekends, the parks and beaches were full of families , wedding groups and birthday parties. One thing that really impressed me was the provision of hot water boilers at all the beaches so you could make a cup of coffee. What a bonus.
We ignored the theme parks this time and hired a car for a couple of days to visit the hinterland. I would really recommend this to anyone visiting the Gold Coast as it makes a nice change from the bustle of the beaches and has the advantage of being several degrees cooler. We drove up the Tweed River Valley from Tweed City, a very interesting and scenic drive through sugar cane plantations. Murwillumbah is the service town for the area and is worth a stop on your way to the mountains.
We drove first up Mt Warning, the ancient core of the huge shield volcano which formed the gigantic caldera on the rim of which stand the mountains of the National Parks. We followed the short Lyrebird Track from the top car park and were very surprised to find a green, lush sub-tropical valley, quite different from the hot, dry Australian landscape we see more often. This valley was dominated by tall bungalow palms and was very pretty.
We just had time before dark to enjoy three other features of the Springbrook National Park; the Natural Bridge or arched cave with a waterfall tumbling from above, the impressive Purlingbrook Falls in their deep, rocky gorge, and the Best of all Lookouts. Unfortunately for us, the mist rolled in to obscure what must be an awesome view over the rocky escarpments but we were interested to see the very old, gnarled Antarctic beech trees, a rare relic of the time when Australia was part of Gondwanaland.
The next day we drove up the 36km of windy road to O’Reillys in the Lamington National Park. As soon as we left the car we noticed the flocks of crimson rosellas and king parrots surrounding park visitors who had purchased food for them. Although it was great to see these brilliantly coloured birds so close, it seemed a shame in a way that their natural behaviour was being so changed by the presence of people.
Much more exciting was our sighting of the rather rarely seen lyre bird. We were very lucky to see one scratching in the undergrowth for food and quite unconcerned by our presence. Another highlight was seeing the satin bower bird at work building his impressive bower where he displays to his prospective mates. The structure is made from long grasses and is about 40cm tall, quite a feat of building. He decorated his bower with all sorts of items he had gathered, all bright blue – plastic spoons, drinking straws, bottle tops, pieces of plastic tape, etc. Each item was carefully arranged to impress the female. O’Reillys have also built a treetop walk which gives a unique perspective on the forest.
Other highlights of our Gold Coast trip were visiting Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and seeing hump backed whales passing by on their migration past Point Danger at Coolangatta, also large dolphins surfing in the waves. One weekend Chris and Annie came down to join us and we enjoyed strolling round the craft market on the beachfront at Broadbeach followed by a delicious lunch on the balcony of the Kurrawa Surf Lifesaving Club overlooking the beach. The surf clubs are great places to eat.
Back in Brisbane, we enjoyed meandering up and down the Brisbane River on the City Cat, hopping on and off here and there to visit shopping centres, entertainment areas and parks. The river is the defining feature of the city and really adds to its attractiveness. Southbank, the site of the 1988 World Expo has been attractively redeveloped and, when we visited, countless families were having a wonderful time swimming in the pools and picnicking on the artificial beaches which have been created in the park. A new London Eye-type wheel had just opened which would give a magnificent view of the city. We took a trip on the river one night, a great way to see the spectacular lights of the city and the illuminated story bridge.
There are restaurants every few metres in the city but a special find was the tiny Silver Charm Thai restaurant in the lively Fortitude Valley area. It was not much bigger than a walk-in wardrobe with only three or four tables but the food was inexpensive and quite delicious and the staff friendly and helpful.
On the outskirts of the city are the Botanical Gardens which are well worth a visit for their range of diverse and spectacular tropical trees with their intriguing fruits and showy flowers and the range of colourful birds which they attract. We were amazed at the gigantic bamboos, extraordinary fruits such as the elephant apple and the brilliant flowering gingers and kangaroo paws.
It is well worth looking beyond the beautiful beaches and the shopping malls as there is so much more to see in the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip.
