Surfers Paradise, Queensland: Travel guide and things to do

Surfers Paradise, QLDCredit: Glenn Hunt

The Heart of the Gold Coast.
From the Gold Coast hinterland the Nerang River snakes its way eastwards to a point just behind the ocean then winds northwards, following the coastline until it reaches that body of water known as The Broadwater. Just south of The Broadwater, and on either side of the river (an area know full of artificial canal developments), is that portion of land known as Surfers Paradise.

Located 83 km from Brisbane, Surfers holds a special place in the iconography of the Gold Coast. It is the town and beach which somehow symbolises the lifestyle and the aspirations of the people who come to the area either to holiday or to live. These people are not just coming to a sunny area for a holiday. They are coming to a 'paradise for surfers'. It is a potent and powerful image.

The history of Surfers Paradise is fascinating. It seems that the pre-colonial occupants - the Banjalang people - knew of the delights of the area long before Europeans arrived. The area around Surfers (as it is commonly known) was renowned for its excellent fishing grounds.

The coastline here was traversed by Captain Cook in 1770, by John Oxley in 1799 and 1802, and the opening of The Broadwater was noted in 1822 by John Bringle. White settlement of the area commenced with timber-getters in the 1840s and agriculture in the 1860s. The American Civil War created opportunities for cotton-growing at that time, though sugar was being grown by the late 1870s. The district was surveyed in 1869 and Southport was established in 1874.

The Southport Hotel was built in 1876 and traffic increased when a ferry service across the Nerang River was established that same year. Cobb & Co coaches started offering a service to and from Brisbane in the mid-1870s. The pier, now long departed, was constructed in 1880 and the area known as Main Beach (where the Sheraton Mirage is located) was sold in 1885. The railway arrived in 1889 and a coastal road was completed in 1923. The development of the area since World War I has been continuous.

The origins of the modern town really date to 1923 when James Cavill paid £40 for a block of land and proceeded to build his famous Surfers Paradise Hotel. Two years later the bridge across the Nerang River was built, improving access to the hotel which boasted a small zoo and excellent gardens. In 1933 locals, encouraged by the success of the hotel, petitioned to have this rather neutral name changed to something which evoked undiluted pleasure. During World War Ii the hotel was used by convalescing soldiers, some of whom later returned with their wives and families to enjoy the beach and the excellent climate.

The great change in the area occurred in the 1950s. An influx of tourists coincided with an easing of building regulations which resulted in an ocean front of endless high-rise apartment blocks. The 'City of Gold Coast' was created in 1959 and canal-based residential developments emerged in the 1960s which intensified concerns about the impact on the natural environment. The old wooden bridge was eventually replaced by a concrete structure in 1966 and since that time growth has been considerable.

Today the beachfront for most of the Gold Coast (and Surfers is now a suburb of the larger city) is just endless rows of high-rise development, all catering for the tourism which occurs on the coast throughout the year. All the buildings, many 20 or 30 storeys high, are cheek-by-jowl with the beach.

No one ever seems to have taken into account the inevitable victory of the sea. All that is required is a couple of really savage cyclones to drift too far south and to lash the coast with huge seas and torrential rains for a few weeks and there will be disasters of major proportions in this area which is built too close to the beach. In any contest between man and the sea, the sea will always win.

It is also true that the nature of Surfers Paradise has changed. It is now a place for young people. The hoards of students who arrive from New South Wales and Victoria after the completion of examinations, and the surfers who mooch around the promenade waiting for a good wave, are today's clientele for the town. The families have moved on. They either stay further south or move past Brisbane to the Whitsundays and Airlie Beach or the Noosa-Tewantin area. However, in fairness, Surfers Paradise does still have the greatest concentration of five star hotels in Queensland outside Brisbane.

Punters can get their fill at Bundall Racecourse, immediately behind Surfers Paradise.

Things to see

Sea World
Sea World, facing The Broadwater, is a huge 25-hectare marine park (the largest of its kind in Australia). It offers a combination of rides, shows and attractions, including such hair-raising machines as the Three Loop Corkscrew and Lasseters Lost Mine. Unlike Wet'n'Wild (see subsequent entry), which is basically participation-oriented, Sea World is essentially a range of shows and rides. The crowds are attracted by the spectacular waterskiing displays and the dolphins, sea lions and penguins which perform for the crowds. So successful has Sea World become that there is now a specific hotel - the Nara Sea World - attached to the complex. It offers free entry with accommodation under certain circumstances.

Attractions and rides are forever updated and changing, for 24-hour recorded information about operating hours, prices, shows and attractions ring [phone] or check out:http://seaworld.myfun.com.au/

Ripleys Believe It Or Not Museum
This collection of displays relating to the bizarre, freakish, unusual and mysterious incorporates hundreds of exhibits, illusions, interactive displays, games and movies regarding feats, facts and stories of life on earth. Typical stories concern Bosco the labrador who outpolled two humans to become mayor of a small Californian community for eight years. The museum is located in Raptis Plaza, within Cavill Mall, and is open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. For more information ring [phone] or check out:http://surfersparadise.ripleys.com/

Flycoaster
Flycoaster is a free-fall device which drops up to three people from a height of twelve stories to a spot two metres above the ground in just over one second, reaching a speed of 130 kmph. There is also Bungee Trampolines which consists of a trampoline and a harness attached to the waist which is connected to bungee ropes on either side. It allows participants to spring up to 14 metres in the air and to undertake somersaults and other airborne acrobatics. Flycoaster is open daily to 10.00 p.m. and is located at the corner of the Gold Coast Highway and Cypress Ave, tel: [phone] or check out:http://www.flycoaster.com/fly

Slingshot & Vomatron
Slingshot passengers are propelled over 100 metres at speeds in the region of 160 kilometers per hour. The Vomatron can best be described as a giant propeller with seats on each end. The engines rotate the giant 40 meter arm at speeds of more than 120 kilometers per hour, throwing the capsules into extreme spins putting 4gs of force upon its unwary passages. The whole affair is videotaped to review one's own terror from the safety of one's lounge room. It is located at 6 Palm Ave, tel: [phone].

Snow World
Snow World presents the novelty contrariness of ice and snow on the Gold Coast. Something like a giant ornate refrigerator, it offers a changing panorama of spectacularly lit ice sculptures, rendered by Japanese ice-carvers, as well as ice slippery-slides and other forms of snow play. Snow World has a cafeteria and supplies the requisite jackets for icy activities. A day pass is available and they are open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily. Snow World is located at the corner of the Gold Coast Highway and Ocean Ave, tel: [phone].

Australian Shooting Academy/Timezone
The Australian Shooting Academy has six ranges with personal instruction and the only indoor clay pigeon target range in Australia. No license is required but ID is essential. They are open daily from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. and are located at Level 1, the Paradise Centre, tel: [phone] or check out:http://www.australianshootingacademy.com.au/index.html. Funtasia Timezone is also located in the Paradise Centre, tel: [phone] or check out:http://www.timezonegoldcoast.com.au/

Gold Coast City Art Gallery
This substantial gallery is part of the Arts Centre, adjacent the Evandale Civic and Cultural Centre, off Bundall Rd, on the western shore of the Nerang River, tel: [phone] or check out: http://www.theartscentregc.com.au/pages/art-gallery-current-exhibitions.php

Sanctuary Cove
At the north-eastern end of the Gold Coast, on the southern bank of the Coomera River (just behind The Broadwater) is Sanctuary Cove - a dubious brainchild of the hype and 'entrepreneurial' activity of the turgid 1980s. It was created by a Queenslander named Mike Gore who became synonymous with the term 'the white shoe brigade', which was used to describe hucksterish businessmen whose ethics came a definite second to the business of making money. It was opened with a rare concert by Frank Sinatra and has since grown to consist of two excellent golf courses, a shopping centre called Marine Village, which has more than 75 shops ranging from gift shops to restaurants, cafes and bars and lots of very expensive housing designed for retired millionaires. Much of the development has been carved out of the shores of the river. It is an integrated design which smacks of both wealth and artificiality.

Dreamworld
The three biggest family attractions of the northern Gold Coast have all been set up at a point most readily accessible to the hordes of Brisbane: on or just off the major motorway - the Pacific Highway - at the north-western end of the Gold Coast, thus ensuring visitors from the state capital can be spared the slog of navigating the heavy traffic and byways of the tourism mecca that is the Gold Coast. These three attractions are Dreamworld, Wet 'n' Wild and Movie World.

Dreamworld is located just west of Sanctuary Cove. It is an Australian version of Disneyland with a myriad of rides and entertainments to occupy children and adults for an entire day.

Dreamworld is located just off the Pacific Highway (along Dreamworld Parkway). It is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily with hours extended during the summer school holidays (9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.). For more information contact [phone] or check out:http://www.dreamworld.com.au/

Wet'n'Wild Water Park
Wet'n'Wild is one of the most comprehensive water fun playgrounds in the world, with heated pools and slides permitting year-round access. Spread over nearly 10 hectares the theme park's activities range from a freshwater wave pool, with waves up to one metre high, to an extensive series of spectacular water slides and raft or tube rides (it is claimed that, on the toboggan drop, it is possible to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h while the Super 8 Aqua Racer consists of an 86-metre plunge).

The emphasis is on diversity with something for each age group, from the hair-raising to the languid and lazy. Thus, while the toboggan drop and the white water twisters are meant for adults and older children, there are also attractions for younger children and more sedentary adults, including the Buccaneer Bay theme park play area and a calm drift along the 'river' past a pirate castle and subtropical gardens.

Wet'n'Wild is located on the Pacific Motorway at Oxenford. For 24-hour recorded information on Wet'n'Wild Water World's operating hours, prices, water slides and pools call check out:http://wetnwild.myfun.com.au/. During office hours visitors can ring Wet'n'Wild on [phone]. They are open daily. From 27 December to 25th January hours are 10.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.From 26 January to April and September to 26th December the closing time is 5.00 p.m. and from May to August it is 4.00 p.m.

Warner Bros. Movie World
Also on the Pacific Motorway at Oxenford is Movie World Theme Park. Designed as a working studio with a number of large stages and an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment, it manages to combine a day out with a wide range of activities. The combination of studio and fun park means that most of the Park's attendants are young actors hoping for work, and their first big break, in the studios next door.

Warner Bros Movie World is basically a combination of Disneyland and Universal Studios. It celebrates the fun and excitement of movies offering entertainments ranging from impromptu street events and a daily stunt show which re-enacts a Police Academy-style hold up.

Like Disneyland the streets are full of characters from various shows, such as the Warner Bros cartoon team of Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck and Sylvester who walk along the main street amusing the crowds. Rides and shows are constantly changing so it is best to check out their website below for updated attractions

There are a wide variety of shops selling souvenirs (T-shirts, posters etc) as well as providing a wide range of food.

Movie World is generally open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. daily. For operating hours, prices, shows and attractions check out: http://movieworld.myfun.com.au/. To contact the office ring [phone]. The Surfers Riverwalk is a pleasant 9-km walkway extending from Sundale Bridge at Southport to Pacific Fair at Broadbeach..

Gold Coast Beaches and Foreshores: Introduction
There are many beaches along the Gold Coast shoreline but, in effect, they are all part of the same strand which, but for the mouths of Tallebudgera Creek and Currumbin Creek, extends southwards, in an unbroken fashion, to the Tweed River inlet at the Queensland border. Apart from the two estuaries mentioned above, the only breaks in the 40-km sand-line are a few small rocky headlands just north of the state boundary at Coolangatta. Of course, the whole coastline isn't patrolled but many sites are all the way along the coast. Naturally, such activities as swimming, surfing (there are many surfing tuition organisations), boogyboarding, surf fishing, walking and sunbathing are popular and there are plenty of parks adjacent te beaches with picnicking, barbecue and play facilities.

Gold Coast Beaches and Foreshores: Main Beach and The Spit
North of Surfers Paradise Beach is Main Beach. At the expanse of sand known as 'Narrow Neck' an artificial reef has been constructed to protect it from heavy surf. Continuing north are the historic Main Beach bathing pavilion, the Southport Surf Life Saving Club on Macarthur Parade, then the lengthy narrow promontory known as The Spit. Seaworld Drive extends north all the way along The Spit, past the Sheraton Mirage Hotel and Sea World.

On the eastern side of Seaworld Drive is an extensive foreshore greenery that extends all the way along The Spit. Most of it is known as Philip Park, which is crisscrossed by walking paths. There are two parking areas just south of Sea World with nearby barbecue facilities. South of the Sheraton is Hollindale Park, which has more walking tracks, public toilets, public telephones and there are picnic facilities at the southern end of Seaworld Drive. In the north-western corner of The Spit is Doug Jennings Park and, opposite, extending 500 metres out into the ocean, is a jetty beloved of anglers.

There are three boat ramps facing The Broadwater, on the western side of The Spit: the southernmost is on Pelican Beach, adjacent the jetty by the corner of the Gold Coast Highway and Waterways Drive; the second is adjacent the marina at the southern end of Seaworld Drive, and the third is on the northern side of Sea World, off Muriel Henchman Drive. There is a yacht club at the southern marina and there is another marina behind the Mirage Hotel with water police adjacent. For information on foreshore facilities along the western side of The Spit, north along The Broadwater and along the inland waterways, see entry on Southport.

Gold Coast Beaches and Foreshores: Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise Beach itself offers free volleyball and there are craft markets every Friday night on the adjacent Esplanade, as well as two surf lifesaving clubs - in Hanlan St and Thornton St. It is an oft-voiced criticism of Surfers Beach that The Esplanade and its high-rise development encroach almost right to the edge of the beach, leaving very little foreshore greenery to act as a physical, aesthetic and psychological buffer against the ostentatious and imposing commerciality and brouhaha of Surfers.

There are also a number of facilities along the foreshores of the Nerang River at Surfers. There is a boat ramp just north of Budds Beach, off Paradise Place, a ferry cruise terminal at the end of Cavill Ave which is essentially a shopping strip (there are small parks to either side of the terminal), and a boat ramp near Capri Bridge, off Naples Ave.

Gold Coast Beaches and Foreshores: Broadbeach and Carrara
Immediately south of Surfers is Broadbeach. Pratten Park, on the foreshore adjacent Old Burleigh Rd, offers visitors anexpanse of greenery with parking, picnicking, barbecue facilities, the Kurrawa Surf Lifesaving Club (host of the annual Australian Surf Lifesaving Titles) and a footbridge connecting with the mall and the monorail, which circuits back and forth between this point and Jupiters Casino. A second surf club - the Broadbeach SLSC - is located further north in Broadbeach Blvd. There are any number of streetside cafes, along with restaurants and shopping opportunities in the mall and along Surf Parade. A craft market is held on the first and third Sunday of each month and there is a lantern craft market on Friday nights between September and May. There is a boat ramp at Miami Keys (off T.E. Peters Drive) and a huge Pacific Fair shopping complex, complete with cinema, six major stores and more than 250 specialty shops. It is situated between the Nerang-Broadbeach Rd, Sunshine Blvd and the Gold Coast Highway.

Carrra, west of Broadbeach, is situated on land given over to a cotton plantation in the 1860s. It possesses a major sports centre, two golf clubs, balloon rides, a country music festival and markets every Saturday and Sunday.

Gold Coast Beaches and Foreshore: Mermaid Beach
Mermaid Beach is both the suburb immediately south of Surfers and the actual beach it is named after. Like most of the Gold Coast beaches it is popular and crowded in season. Like Surfers it has no real recreational foreshore area, but there is a surf lifesaving club, with a parking area, and picnic/barbecue facilities on Hedges Av, between Ventura Rd and Montana Rd. For information on beaches and foreshore facilities further south see entry on see entry on Burleigh Heads.

Aquaduck Safaris
This company offers tours of Surfers Paradise and the Broadwater by means of amphibious land-and-sea vehicles, tel: [phone] or check out: http://www.aquaduck.com.au

Mini-Golf
King Tutts Putt Putt offers three 18-hole themed mini-golf courses focusing on ancient Egypt and the Jurassic Age. They are located at the intersection of the Gold Coast Highway and Pandanus Ave, at Surfers Paradise, tel: [phone] or check out:http://www.kingtuttsputtputt.com.au/

Tourist Information

Gold Coast Tourism Bureau
Cavill Ave
Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: (07) 5570 32 59

Gold Coast Visitors & Convention Centre
Level 2 64 Ferny Ave
Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]