DESTINATION INFORMATION

Gold Coast

The Gold Coast has always been Australia’s darling in the sun - a place of escape and escapism, a place that boasts an eternal summer and shines when the rest of Australia shivers, freezes or hibernates for the winter.

With 300 days of sunshine every year, the brilliant weather is a cornerstone of the Gold Coast’s massive appeal - and everyone loves the sun. From north to south, drop-dead fabulous beaches with creamy sand and the bluest, warm water stretch along a seemingly endless slice of the Pacific Rim.

In the south east corner of the state and wedged between the Queensland Coast and Tablelands to the west, the striking high-rise city finds a unique balance between thumping metropolis and casual holiday hot spot. The mood is totally relaxed, and dictated by the climate. You’ll quickly to swap your usual formal dress code for the “uniform” of the coast – ‘boardies and thongs’ (swimming trunks and rubber sandals). When you’re staying on the Gold Coast there’s no place for formality.

The heart of the Gold Coast city is Surfer’s Paradise, and it’s everything the name implies. “Surfer’s” is the original Mecca for surf-loving board riders in search of the perfect wave and has a magnetic pull that’s drawn millions of visitors for decades.

At its centre is Cavill Mall, lined with shops, bars and restaurants, with funky open air places to sit, shake the sand from your feet and sip on a cool drink. It buzzes during the day as people move from the beach to their hotels and back again.

Surrounding Cavill Mall in Surfer’s Paradise, the streets are a tempting playground built for the serious shopper where the alphabet of world class shopping is reflected in the classy stores selling everything from Armani to Zegna.

Shopping isn’t the only street pastime on the Gold Coast. Hundreds of restaurants, cafes and bars push the limits in a dynamic clash of cultural cuisines.

But the fun really starts when the sun rises and the attractions open up for the day.

The Gold Coast is a world of worlds. Seaworld, Dreamworld, Movieworld and a galaxy of other theme park worlds that ensures your fun never ends. A trip to the Gold Coast is hardly complete without at least a day at one of the major attractions – one world at a time.

The Gold Coast has been a source of adoration by sun lovers and visitors for decades and for good reason. It basks in the magnificent weather and like every world class resort city, it keeps on reinventing itself.

The city just keeps getting better and better.

Please visit the Gold Coast Tourism website for further information on the Gold Coast.

Australia

When he first came to Australia from a gloomy English winter, writer and comedian Stephen Fry commented: “It was like someone just turned on the colour”

He was right of course; Australia is one of the most colourful countries in the world in so many ways. From the sub-tropical north, to the temperate south, the entire country is bathed in a warm sunshine that brings out its natural blues, reds and greens. It’s like holidaying in the brushstrokes of an impressionist’s painting.

Australia is a big country, similar in size to mainland USA and much bigger than all the countries of Western Europe. And it’s big on attractions too.

A trip to Australia isn’t complete without experiencing its iconic and beautiful sites. There’s good reason why Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the natural wonders of the modern world – it’s just so beautiful. The northern tropical warmth brings out the surfer, diver, swimmer and yachtie to the blue, blue water – every day of the year.

In Sydney, the impossibly stunning harbour has visitors constantly mesmerised. The city on its shores pulsates, as every international city should, but the atmosphere is relaxed and the sights are breathtaking. If you can’t find fun in Sydney, you won’t find it anywhere.

The largest blanket of bright red dust imaginable, which covers most of the continent’s centre is weighed down and held in place by the magnificent Ayers Rock – an ancient and sacred aboriginal site smack in the centre of the country known as Uluru. The centrepiece of Australia’s Outback, the Rock, steeped in a unique spirit of the nation’s aboriginal cultural heritage is a must-see inclusion on anyone’s bucket list.

A little further south, in the hills of South Australia’s temperate climes, wine is the only word. The famed and incredibly beautiful Barossa and Clare Valleys, Coonawarra, and McLaren Vale wine districts are a magnet to the sophisticated palate of any wine-lover. And Adelaide, with its more provincial architecture and style cuts a nice cloth on the nation’s food and wine table too.

The contrast between Western Australia’s capital – Perth, with its modern architecture and love affair with beaches and outdoors lifestyle, and the charm of our Apple Isle – Tasmania, is as strong as you could imagine. Tasmania is a microcosmic version of the rest of the country and a postcard sized snapshot of the prettiest parts of Europe. Mountains, lakes, valleys, more wine districts and beautiful cities fill the island and welcome tourists with open arms.

And then there’s Melbourne of course. Classy, sophisticated, Australia’s second largest city is the country’s centre for sports, culture, theatre, food and wine, and fashion. Melbourne is the nation’s capital of so many different pursuits, knowing where to start exploring is your greatest challenge.

Let yourself be surprised by Australia – it’s a land of contrasts and paradoxes. It’s beautiful yet rugged, sophisticated yet relaxed, stylish yet unpretentious, diverse yet united.

And Australians? – They’re the most welcoming people in the world. They love their life, they love their country, and they love sharing it.