It’s the destination. The place that all the tourists know, heading north from the cool chic of Sydney to a place where gleaming towers line a golden beach, blue waves rolling in. In this shot, taken a little bit further along the coast, Surfers Paradise shimmers like some mythical Oz on the horizon, a place of light and dream.
The first time I went to Surfers was for a friend’s wedding (and that’s a whole other blog post in itself). We (hubby and I) rented an apartment on the 35th floor of what was, at the time, one of the tallest buildings there. The apartment was straight out of The Golden Girls, with rattan furniture and palm leaf prints, shell sculptures hanging on the walls. There was also a huge terrace with views on three sides, and a dizzying drop to the beach below.
When I was younger, my great-aunt used to live in Florida, and we went to visit her several times in her condo near St Petersburg. Surfers Paradise felt so similar in every way that I had to stop myself several times and remind myself that I was not, in fact, in Florida. But the streets, the architecture, the palms and blue water, were just the same. And yet… Australia has a flavour all its own – if you’ve been there, you’ll know what I mean.
Thanks for coming on another Wednesday Wander with me – see you next time!
Helen Glynn Jones 
This post should come with a word of warning for anyone who’s never been: Surfers’ Paradise is rather tacky! Didn’t you think? You’ve almost you’ve got to see it and tick it off your list, then go somewhere nicer! Even just a little further up or down the Gold Coast is more pleasant, or up on the Sunshine Coast. Thanks for reminding me of my youth!
Oh yes, it’s sooo tacky! It seemed to have become a bit more ‘upmarket’ the last time I went there, but it reminded me of Florida in more ways than one, definitely 😀 Friends of ours live at Tallebudgera, which is so much nicer, and we’ve spent time at Lennox Head as well – I think Surfers is one of those places you have to visit once, then move on. Funnily enough, my nana’s cousin was there during the Second World War – his ship called in on its way through. She remembered him writing to say it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Sadly, he was lost at sea not long after, the ship sunk in the Straits of Malacca. But I love that his last port of call was somewhere that made him so happy, and I imagine it would have been like Paradise back then.
Australia has a flavor all it’s own–that’s what the salt water crocs say, I reckon.
Ooh, cheeky! But probably very true 😀
The city in the distance does make it a striking photo.
Thanks, Allie – it looks almost unreal, floating on the edge of the water. Up close it’s quite different – it reminded me of Florida for several reasons 🙂
This makes me want to visit! When I looked at that first picture, all I could think of was hoop dancing on that wonderfully (almost) empty stretch of beach.
Hoop dancing! That sounds gorgeous 🙂 And it would have been a lovely place to do it, just as the sun was setting.
That is a great time. So is sunrise… when the sun is up… anytime really. There’s just something enchanting about hoop dancing during sunrise and sunset; it has a certain energy about it.
Well, they are both powerful times of day – the turning of night into day, or vice versa, holds a lot of magic 🙂
It looks so beautiful! It’s interesting that it reminded you so much of Florida. I’ve not been to Australia or St. Pete beaches, but am from Naples, Florida which is a little more south. 🙂
It really did! To the point where I would stop and think ‘where am I right now?’ Which sounds a bit weird, but it was just sooo similar.
Finally got round to showing my partner this. He thought it was a shithole (early 80s). He only stayed overnight. Slept in the Toyota, off the next morning.
Haha, yes, it doesn’t have the best of reputations, though I think it’s come a long way since the eighties and is a bit more ‘glam’ now. 😀
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