Gold Coast

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We spent the second half of our Queensland trip at the Gold Coast. Our accommodation for the last three nights was at Carmel By the Sea in Broadbeach. We had a spacious 2-bedroom apartment with a view. It was another great location but a slight contrast to the relaxed beachside town vibe. There was more happening here. We had the convenience of restaurants, groceries, cafes, parks and the beach all within walking distance.

We didn’t do any cooking at our Broadbeach apartment. On the first night we had Japanese at Harajuku Gyoza. It was busy there and they had forgotten one of our orders. The next day we hung around Broadbeach and had treats at a dessert restaurant called Cowch. We walked some of it off afterwards along the beach. Dinner that night was from 22 Pizza Joint. We had delicious takeaway pizzas and pasta. While waiting for our order, Phil and I walked around and discovered frozen yogurt from Yo-Chi and had an impromptu date sharing a yummy treat.

We had another beautiful day to explore Burleigh Head National Park. It was a 16-minute drive south from Broadbeach. We found street parking and walked up a steep street to the Julia Street entrance. We walked along the Rainforest circuit to the Oceanview track and back. We weren’t sure if Catherine was going to make it as she’s not a fan of hiking, but she did. We made a few stops to admire the view and rested when needed. We could see views of the Broadbeach and Surfer’s Paradise skyline. Our next stop that day was Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. We were there for the lorikeet feeding. That was quite a fun experience. Catherine also got to hold a snake. Our excursion ended next door at the Currumbin Community Markets. We bought Filipino bbq pork skewers which the kids ate up and milkshakes for a late afternoon tea. Dinner was takeaway Chinese from The Peacock Inn Chinese Restaurant.

After checking out from our apartment on the last morning, we made our last Starbucks and frozen yogurt run before leaving Broadbeach. Phil took a walk while he waited and discovered a Life Saving event at the beach. We drove back to Brisbane airport via Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and Mount Coot-tha lookout. We did a quick walk through the Tropical Display Dome, Fern House and Arid Region Plants. I think we only covered an eighth of the garden. We quickly drove up to the lookout which was busy with people and cars. Phil dropped me off to take a few photos and he joined me after finding a parking spot to admire the impressive view of Brisbane. It was a clear and sunny day.

We spent the rest of our time in Brisbane driving to the aiport, hanging out at the lounge and waiting for our hour-delayed flight back to freezing Canberra.