Take the ride of your life

THERE'S plenty for everyone as David Nankervis found on a high-speed tour of Queensland's Gold Coast tourist attractions.

Kangaroos ... hands-on wildlife experiences at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Picture: Tourism Queensland

FIVE, four, three, two, one – whooshka!

And you're away – hurtling from zero to 160km/h in just seven seconds as you race 38 storeys high before free-falling back to earth in your electromagneticallypowered box car.

The aptly-named Tower of Death ride literally takes your breath away.

Thankfully, however, not all rides on Queensland's Gold Coast – the national capital of theme parks – are as stomachchurning as Dreamworld's terror tower. The pace of the kiddie-friendly Wiggles Big Red Car ride, also at Dreamworld, is decidedly more sedate. This is the beauty of the dozen theme and entertainment parks which dot the Gold Coast – they provide something for everyone regardless of age.

Among the most popular are Sea World, which specialises in performing seals and dolphins and Shark Bay, Movie World, offering close encounters with cartoon characters, Wet 'n Wild Water World with its giant wave pool and Dreamworld, also home to the Big Brother house. While the Gold Coast may well be beautiful one day and perfect the next, there are still five other days a week when the weather may be a bit more inclement. And that's when theme parks – which cost an average $60 an adult and $40 a child – can be a lifesaver for parents looking for an alternative to beach bumming or suntanning by the pool.

Now you will – on average – get plenty of tanning time on the Gold Coast. It boasts 287 sun-drenched days a year along 70km of beach, stretching from Beenleigh in the north to Kingscliff in the south.

It's a climate that attracts almost five million Australian and international tourists annually to the region, which includes the famous Surfers Paradise. The good news is when you aren't spending cash at the theme parks you can enjoy free entertainment at the seaside. And you don't necessarily need to be a surfie to enjoy the waves, with body surfing and boogie boards also proving popular along the long golden sand beaches.

Beautiful-people spotting is also a cheap and entertaining pastime along the Gold Coast.

With its 500-plus cafes and restaurants and top-notch designer shops such as Cartier, Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, there are always plenty of people who want to be seen living "the" life. There is plenty more to surfing, sunning and sightseeing at Australia's most popular tourist destination if you should luck out with some overcast days and semi-tropical rainstorms.

With the region very much a mecca for young adults especially the notorious schoolies week – nighttime entertainment is neverending.

Venues offer various forms of entertainment, from classic "doof-doof" disco music to live bands and sports bars where AFL fans can catch up on all the Aussie rules action.

Away from the fast-paced Surfers Paradise is the undervalued Gold Coast hinterland, home to heritage listed national parks.

Some 56km from Surfers is Lamington National Park, Australia's largest reserve of pristine sub-tropical rainforest, with more than 900 species of plants, which are home to 120 different bird species.

Lamington, along with nearby Springbrook National Park, traverses the border with New South Wales and supports more frog, snake, bird and marsupial species than any other region in Australia.

While there are many Gold Coast tour operators, your holiday experience can be greatly enhanced with a hire car, particularly if you want to enjoy the theme parks and hinterland, with family sedans priced about $70 a day from major hire car firms. Driving is also more attractive given Queensland's lower fuel taxes, with unleaded about 10c a litre cheaper than the national average.

Sunday Mail (SA)