Gold Coast in Winter

Gold Coast Winter 2019

Jet had been working full time most of the year so far, so we decided to investigate package deals to the Gold Coast. Got what we considered a great deal, with flights and six nights accommodation in a sea view apartment at Surfers Paradise.

So on Saturday evening, late June, we drove ourselves to Melbourne Airport. Left the car at a nearby long term car park and caught the courtesy bus to the airport. Jetstar, in the new terminal 4. Our first visit to that terminal. We managed to pack light and just have carry on luggage. So we went straight through security – well not actually straight through as J had obvious plans to cause havoc on board as was evident by the nail scissors she had confiscated.

We found an area to sit and get dinner. We met up with a family from work, the Fords who quite by co-incidence were on the same flight and were staying near us as well!

The flight was a little delayed, but we got underway for the 2 hour flight to Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta. This meant we touched down after 10:30 pm.

I had a little surprise awaiting – the first of a few surprises on this trip. A lady was holding our name up as we excited into the arrivals hall. I whispered to her that the kids did not know about this, so she quickly said, she was here to pick us up in her little white bus.

We walked across the rather deserted car park – I think we were the last flight in for the light. It was raining but was not overly cold. We began walking past a stretched limo and Ethan commented that someone was lucky, getting picked up in that… just as the driver opened the doors and the kids realised it was for us! You should have seen their faces!

With luggage in the boot, we got ourselves comfortable in the back. Sparkly and mood lighting that changed colours! We relaxed and enjoyed the experience. The driver kindly offered to stop so we could buy bread and milk on the way! We must have looked a sight, pulling into the servo!

It was about ½ an hour all up to Surfers Paradise, and our apartments on Enderley Avenue. ‘Artique’. We had to call the after hours number to be let in as it is not staffed after 6pm. It was a bit like being on hold to Centrelink or the Tax Office or a phone provider… apparently our call was important to them, but all operators were busy! Eventually after contemplating a night on the streets, we got in and quickly had our keys out of the security box.

Our apartment was on the 8^th floor. We were very impressed. Modern – although with a bit of wear and tear. Two bedrooms, large lounge / dining area with open plan kitchen. Then there were two bathrooms and another ‘powder room’ – although it contained no powder. Plus there were two balconies with awesome views… of lights tonight.

Next morning we slept in a bit, then after some grocery shopping we enjoyed breakfast on the balcony. We could see the ocean a block away, the tallest tower on the coast ‘Q1’ was not far away either. Very enjoyable view. A couple of rainbow lorikeets joined us for breakfast which was nice.

We went for a walk up to Surfers itself – which was about a 10 minute stroll. We checked out the beach, Cavill Ave and I arranged travel cards so we could get about on public transport.

After lunch we went and caught the bus to Sea World. We had the three parks pass that had seven days of access.  This turned out to be the first of three visits to Sea World over the next few days.

Our afternoon was spent looking mostly at the animals – the polar bear, sharks and other underwater swimmers, the dolphin show complete with oohs and aahs from the crowd…

Then the two rollercoasters. I took Ethan onto the ‘Storm Coaster’ as no-one else was wanting to. Gemma couldn’t as she was wearing her moon boot following being in plaster for several weeks. The Storm Coaster is by no means a high rollercoaster, but it does plunge into a watery / misty hollow which results in a little dampness. Thoroughly enjoyed it – Ethan did too, despite his initial fears.

The two of us then lined up for the Jet Rescue coaster – where we bumped into the Fords. We did not enjoy this as much. I launches from a standing start to a quick speed almost instantly and then rather than up and down, it is more round and round.

A pleasant surprise when J said she’d come on the Storm Coaster with me to finish the riding for the day!

On the way out we popped into the sea jelly exhibit which was amazing – especially the mirrored maze of jelly tanks, with colourful lights illuminating the creatures. They must feel like they live in a night club.

We had dinner back at the apartment and enjoyed more of the views.

Gemma was really tired so had an early night. The boys and I walked up to Surfers, checked out the night markets where we found some cool Kombie paintings on mini surf boards. We had a wander down Cavill Ave as well – I think I prefer it at night.

The next morning we caught a tram (a new form of public transport on the Gold Coast). Known as G link, it was very efficient and quite fast. This took us to Helensvale where we had a ten minute bus trip to Warner Bros Movie World.

We spent the whole day there – right into the early evening. On entering we were greeted by a fountain that was luminous green.

I think a truck load of Staedtler hi-lighter pens fell into it. It was an action packed day indeed. Some hightlights were:

Stunt show – a couple of commodore utes on the skid pan, a snazzy beetle and a high flying quad bike. Throw in some comedy and crowd participation for an entertaining show.

         

Meeting some superheroes and other characters throughout the day – Batman and Robin, Penguin and other villains, Tweety and Sylvester and Superman. Superman struck a very un-super hero like conversation, asking where we were from. I told him Melbourne and he asked if we flew here. I said yes, much like he must of being Superman and all. Turns out he just drove there!

     

  

Photo opportunities with ‘props’ and buildings around the place.

 

 

The log ride which Zac and I went on which included some cool scenery through old mining towns, followed by an unexpected backwards drop before the main drop down into the water.

  Scooby Doo ride – we all went on this coaster.

Superman Escape rollercoaster – no one was brave enough to come on this with D, but he went anyway. What a buzz!  Through the ‘wrecked subway’ with water pouring through, cars fallen from the streets above. Then a brief pause before Superman ‘launches’ us to warp speed and up over and around the coaster! Awesome – a second go was in order and no amount of pleading, begging, bribing or threatening would convince anyone to join me.

 The evening parade of super heroes and super villains. Lights, lasers, music, cool vehicles and all the heroes and villains up and down the street. We had front row views and enjoyed it.

We then rushed out the gates, caught a bus straight away which took us back to the G link, and all so efficiently, timed well and we were on our way back. This was almost as efficient as the Hong Kong public transport had been back in 2016.

We met the Fords at Grill’d on Cavill Ave and enjoyed dinner, swapping stories of bravery and stupidty on the adventures each family had had so far.

The next day we decided to take it a little easier so had a slower start to the day. We then walked up to Q1 and bought day tickets and took the elevator up to the Skypoint observation deck on the 77^th floor. The elevator has a camera on top of it, with screens on the ceiling so we could watch as we shot up the elevator shaft!

The 360 degree views  were amazing. We’ve been up towers before, but one right on the coast like this was a new experience.  We enjoyed coffees and hot chocolates while soaking in the panorama.

Below is Artique from Q1. 

I took the kids to the pool and spa back at Artique during the afternoon as J was meeting up with a friend who drove down from Brisbane. The spa was very nice – the kids were the only ones brave enough to try the chillier pool – kind of the reverse of the Superman Escape coaster from yesterday!

In time for a sunset, we went back up to Skypoint, to watch the sun settle below the mountains of the hinterland. The lights came on in the dusk and the view was even more spectacular. 

J and Sharon met us up there before going off out to dinner. The kids and I went back to Artique for dinner.

After an easier day we were ready for another full day at a theme park, so we returned to Sea World.

We started at the seal show which was entertaining. 

After that I noticed the sign by the helicopter flight shop said they were having a ‘happy hour’ between 11am and noon, with all passengers a discounted price. I whispered to J, should we? This was never in the plan, but we did… meaning another surprise for the kids. We found ourselves on a five minute helicopter ride over Sea World, the beach and ocean. Loved it! 

Other highlights of the day were revisiting the stingray patting area – Gemma fell in love with stingrays and of all things, sea cucumbers! We also saw the character filled penguins, the polar bear again and the sharks of course.

J surprised the kids by purchasing a family photo with a seal, which we were also able to pat.

J and Gemma went back to the dolphin show again. I pretty much forced Zac onto the Storm Coaster – he was glad he did it but once was enough.

We finished the afternoon at the Thunder Lake stunt show, which included BMX bike tricks of a giant ramp, water skiis, a couple of cool cars, a jet ski doing flips and a Kenworth truck boat… Very entertaining - I liked this better than the Movie World stunt show.

After dinner we all wandered up to Cavill Ave and spent an hour or two at the weird and wacky Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Another surprise the kids did not know was coming. 

I love this 'Last Supper' - it is made entirely of toast! Believe it or not! 

We enjoyed an icecream after that and met up with the Fords – accidently! We then had a quick look at the markets which were packing up for the evening.

Our time was going very fast on this trip – so much action, so little down time! The next day we were back at Sea World for the third and final time. Ethan and I enjoyed the Storm Coaster again – and then decided to give the Jet Rescue another go, even though we didn’t like it that much first time. So glad we did. We had the chance to sit at the very front, which Ethan initially said no to, I told him we were anyway! It was an amazing experience. We loved it!

Of course, we had to go pat sea cucumbers and stingrays again. The boys and I went to the nearby polar bear and quickly messaged the others, as one was playing in the water – a game of one person, or in this case one polar bear hide and seek. The playful oversized teddy bear dived into the water, hid a yellow ball in the rocks, went up for a breath then dived down again to ‘find’ the ball. This kept going for about 30 minutes!

Ethan and I left the others at Sea World as we were catching the Skybus back to the airport to pick up a rental car for our final 24 hours on the Gold Coast. I’d found a good deal online, so it was worth the trek, plus it meant we could drop it at the airport making our trip home easier. We did see a booby though...

We returned to Artique with our silver Holden Captiva just after dark, in time for dinner and another trip down to the pool and spa.

Our final morning saw us packing up and leaving Artique. It was a windy and wet day.  

Our plans were to drive up into the hinterland, Mt Tambourine and explore some of the many options there is. The rain was not going to stop us. Our first stop was at the Glow Worm cave – bought our tickets and waited for our tour. Then it was into the man made cave. We learnt an awful lot about these unusual creatures. Looking at them was like staring up into space on a clear night!

Although you couldn't photograph the glow worms - except for the two above, we could take photos of their frogs... 

For lunch, I found a Mexican cantina five minutes from the glow worms. The whole menu is gluten free. We met the owner / chef who was very friendly and welcoming. The décor was quirky and really nice. We sat outside beside a gas heater – it was a lot cooler today. The food was delicious. Ethan bravely tried the home made hot sauces – including the one that is alleged to ‘make grown men cry’. Although small drops, he survived with no tears. Give me a roller coaster any day…  You can keep your extremely hot sauces!  It poured with rain as we ate, and wondered whether our afternoon plans were going to be scuttled.

However it eased and stopped as we finished with the delicious churros for dessert. So we drove out to the Rainforest Skywalk. We enjoyed the walk along the platforms, forest floors and to the lookout before going up onto the cantilever. Everywhere was so lush and green despite the grey sky. 

Just as we got back to the visitor’s centre, the heavens opened again.

It was now time to head back towards the airport. The car had to be dropped at 4pm. The traffic was pretty bad and it took a while, but we  dropped the car off around 4:15pm.

Got the shuttle bus back to the airport where we got ready for our 8:30 flight. 

Nobody needed much for dinner after such a big and delicious lunch. We were back in Melbourne about 10:30… home and another fun family adventure done and dusted! Love making these memories.