Australia’s eastern shore contains many amazing habitats and natural wonders, and the beaches that grace this stretch of the Australian are most definitely among the most alluring in the world. On the eastern coast, and in the nation as a whole, surely among the most famed and gorgeous destinations, with more than enough reason, is Gold Coast City and the wider area of the Gold Coast.
Located on the southeastern coastal strip of the state of Queensland, the Gold Coast is a short drive south of the capital city of Brisbane. Gold Coast City itself is the largest non-capital city in Australia, and the tourism industry is booming at an extraordinary rate in this swanky and hip town.
The area blends the extremes of urban, modern life on the one hand and pristine ecological settings on the other hand like no other place on the planet. The most developed portion of Gold Coast City, sitting right on the waterfront on a sand bar, is brimming with high-rises and all of the luxuries and comforts of modern life; then, the areas farther inland as well as the beaches farther from downtown, including the rainforest area in the Gold Coast hinterland, provide the ideal sanctuary for nature lovers, picnickers, and just about anybody looking to get away from the bustle of life in the center.
A truly remarkable quality of this area is its winding grid of man-made canals and waterways, which were built as a way to ease development in what was historically a low-lying marshy area. In their totality, these canals stretch out over a distance that is over nine times longer than the world-famous canals of Venice, which is a fair amount of waterways when you think about it. One of the benefits of this feautre has been that lots of properties are located on the waterfront even if they are not right on the beach, and this has helped boost the Gold Coast’s allure.
The Gold Coast is ultimately known as one of the best surf destinations in the country, and in the world for that matter. The surf breaks of greatest renown along the Gold Coast’s roughly 35 miles of beaches would have to include Kirra, Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, and Palm Beach, among others. Here, the perfect wave is always just about to roll in.
Given the excellent beach conditions and the temptation to take a dip experienced by everybody, there is a professional and extremely competent Shark Control Program carried out by the state government, and it is credited with sparing beachgoers from shark attacks since the late 1950s…an eternity! Under the watchful gaze of these professionals, tourists and locals alike can take a dip without cause for concern.
Some of the most recognizable places in the Gold Coast are the Q1 building, a soaring tower with an observing deck that is only beaten out in height by one other tower (also in Australia) in all of the southern hemisphere, at about 754 feet tall. Then there is the beauty of Lamington Park, which figures on the World Heritage Site list compiled by the United Nations because of the ecological diversity and spectacular natural vistas. Finally, just about evey beach along the entire length of the Gold Coast-it ought to go without saying-is on its own a landmark worthy of recognition.
All in all, the Gold Coast has plenty to offer people of all tastes-a fact that is well attested to by the 10 million visitors that come to this corner of Queensland every year. The fact that a majority of those people are themselves Australian is further proof of the fact that this is one of the most naturally pleasing and rewarding landscapes in the vast and intriguing country/continent of Australia.