East-most Australia

On a Thursday (Apr 3) trip out of Brisbane, K and I traveled south of Brisbane along the Gold Coast to Byron Bay.

Traveling south on the highway to these locations, we could have sworn we were traveling on any highway back in the southern part of the US (except we were on the opposite side of the road and trade the pine trees for eucalyptus trees).

Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is both a region and a city of Queensland.  In fact, as cities go, it is the 6th most populous city in Australia with just over a half a million people.  Given that it sits just 58 miles south of Brisbane, it makes the Brisbane to Gold Coast area kind of one big megacity.

Queensland is the Sunshine State and the Gold Coast region to the south and Sunshine Coast region to the north of Brisbane give it the Sunshine State its claim to fame.  Miles and miles of flat sandy beaches.

Gold Coast (the city) actually has Australia's tallest building - the Q1 tower.  The tower is the pointy looking building on the left of the picture below. 

 

 

Gold Coast is both a tourist/retirement city as well as the film production area of Queensland (they have a Warner Bros. Studio here).  As a tourist/retirement community, the city skyline is just packed with high rise condos/apartments/hotels.  Think Myrtle Beach or West Palm Beach back in the US (in fact - perhaps both of those combined given its sheer size).

Beyond the beaches and living buildings, you'll find lots of tourist attractions.  Theme parks, mini-golf, ice cream shops, and tourist souvenir shops.  Again - just like Myrtle Beach or other US beach city.

It is also home to Surfers Paradise - one of the best known beaches in all of Australia.

One of my favorite attractions in Gold Coast is the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids.  These hard working gals have been in the city since 1965 (not these two of course) helping to protect the tourism interests by paying meter fees before the meters expire - fighting "the man" so to speak.  You can read more about the Meter Maids here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise_Meter_Maids.

They ask for $5 contributions to take a picture with them which they apply to their meter maid saintly endeavors.  I could not help but provide them a contribution.  K took this picture of me with two of these outstanding citizens.  America needs more hard working, community minded girls like these.

Byron Bay

From the Gold Coast, we traversed the coast further south to Byron Bay.  Byron Bay is famous for being the eastern most point of Australia.  It is a cute little town, with a beautiful lighthouse sitting high on the eastern most point and some great beaches - surfer beaches.

K and I toured the lighthouse, spent the next couple of hours out on the nearly deserted beach shown below (just us and a few surfer "dudes") and then had dinner in town before returning to Brisbane (about an 1.5 hour away).

 

 

Our kind of day in Australia (or anywhere) - warm, beautiful and relaxing.