Gold Coast (Queensland - Australia)
19 November - 22 November 2015
19 November - 22 November 2015
I first made it to the Gold Coast as a 12 year old. As a family we drove up the Pacific Highway, stopping at Port Macquarie & Byron Bay on the way. Back then it was still the recreational catch-all for people wanting to have their fun in the sun. Sand, surf, night clubs and varying degrees of debauchery, that at that age I knew nothing about, it was the golden strip that drew people from all over Australia, and, from all over Japan. Back that it was Japanese investors driving the market in the South East corner of Queensland rather than China.
To me the Gold Coast always had its place in that enigmatic Queensland ad, 'Beautiful one day, perfect the next'. I'd often wonder whether that proclamation was actually true, outside of those moments where I'd be watching the Coolangatta Gold (the 1980's film) and then realising that the actual race of the same name existed.
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
Making it to the Gold Coast was kind of like making it to Adventureland. Being a kid that grew up 50kms from the nearest beach in Sydney, entering this world was the stuff of fantasy. Better still, the hotel that we stayed at for those few days, the Baronnet, was only a short walk away from Cavill Mall where Grundy's Arcade was located. A playground of entertainment just waiting to be exploited with borrowed 20 cent pieces from my father. Coupled with visits to Sea World and potentially Dream World, how the hell could life get any better?
All of those memories underpinned the premise for taking Inga to Surfers Paradise.
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
View from the Q1
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
What sold it for her, which took me all of 2 seconds to find out, was the sun. There was sun, sand and surf a plenty. How much more does a Latvian require in life. Oh yeah, perhaps there was also the fact that average temperatures on the Gold Coast in Winter were 15 degrees (that's a mild Summer in Riga). There was no more thinking to be done. This place was already a winner!
Drinks at the Q1
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia
Our time on the Gold Coast was fun. There were the obligatory stops at the theme parks, Sea World, Movie World & Wet & Wild, cocktails at the Q1, mindless meanderings on Cavill Avenue, a stop at the Hard Rock and I even had the chance to introduce Inga to a good 'ole friend of mine, Jay Ryan. It didn't surprise me one bit when Inga put it to me that 'she wouldn't mind living here one day'....and I tell you what, last year (2018) we got awfully close. We did purchase an investment property on Hamilton Avenue in 2016 and really investigated a move to the Gold Coast last year. In fact, we came very, very close to signing a contract for a dual level apartment on the Broadwater. Looking back now that decision might not have been the best in terms of my own working opportunities, and whilst I was willing to make the commute to Brisbane on a daily basis, knowing what we have in our lives now, well, that decision would have been brutal for all.
Never the less, the Gold Coast still remains on our radar. If opportunities for work become more readily available then I can't say that a move there won't happen.
