"Aggressive Tourist Development" Gold Coast by bkarjee

Gold Coast is the undisputed Theme park Capital of Australia and a visit to Gold Coast is incomplete without a taste of these theme parks. But offcourse, there is a lot more on offer.
Gold Coast is very close to Brisbane and latter is normally the port of entry for international tourists. Gold Coast also has an airport, mainly for domestic flights, but some international flights are also available. The domestic airport is located south of Gold Coast and is roughly 25 KMs from Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise is the heart of tourist district and the skyline of Surfers paradise looks more like Manhatten or Shanghai then a tourist enclave.
Gold Coast boasts of 45 KMs of white sandy beach, probably the longest in Australia and locals also call it the sunshine capital of Australia, because of the facts that there is more than 300 days of sunshine every year, although I was unlucky in the sense that I hardly saw half a day of Sunshine in my 4 day stay in Gold Coast. Perhaps Dec-Mar is not so good for sunshine. Most of the time, it is cloudy during these months.

Enjoy sand castles with your kids

Gold Coast has so many things to offer to all category of tourists.
1. Theme Parks: There are 4-6 theme parks in Gold Coast, some of them are Dream World, Movie World, Wet and Wild water park, Sea World. These can be ideal for those who are visiting Gold Coast with their families. Kids have the best of time in these parks. I would rather say the if you want to have some quality time with your kids, head to these theme parks. This can be a best gift for the children and you too can unnerve. All these theme parks also have some adrenaline pumping rides and if you want to challenge yourself, just go there.

2. Wildlife Parks, National Parks, Zoological Gardens: Australian native animals are the main attraction in these wildlife parks. You can go there and feed Kangaroos, hold Koalas in your arms, get photographed with colorful lorikeets and come face to face with the deadliest reptiles on earth. All this and much more

3. Become a part of the nature-visit the Gold Coast hinterland, which is less than 30 kms away from the Surfers Paradise. Go on a long drive to McPherson mountain range that extends to the adjacent state of New South Wales. Dont forget to take a good road map, as the roads are not so well marked in the hinterland. Ideal for bushwalks, wine tasting, farm experiences. Visit Lamington National Park for tumbling waterfalls, spectacular views of the cluttered coastline and the towering rainforests of the hinterland.

4. Sea Sports and other outdoor adventures: Whatever sea sports you can think off, you will find it here in Gold Coast. See my activities section.

5. Connossieurs of food-dont get disheartened-there is a lot for you too. Epicureans will find the blend of Asian and Western food with a toss of sea food mesmirising. The beachside eateries of the Main Beach and Surfers Paradise offer you not just the best foood but also the best sea view while you have your lunch/dinner. Some of the finest selection of Asian Food-Indian, Chinese, Thai, Malay and offcourse the Western food-the list is endless.

Surfers Paradise by sunset

All season are considered best for visiting Gold Coast, but as I mentioned earlier, if you are actually very keen on Vitamin D, make sure you avoid the wet season. Local People in Gold Coast do not agree that there is a wet season in GC but I did face the clowds fury and I cannot ignore it. So better avoid Dec-Jan-Feb, if you are coming from 10000 miles.
Transportation is not at all a problem. Australians Drive on the left side of the road, just like UK, Singapore, Malaysia, India etc. Americans, take a note. Rental cars are numerous and very cheap. You can get a deal for as less as A$35.00 per day, for a new car. The moment you land up at the airport, you will be greeted by unending counters of these Car Rental co's and this will include the best names like Hertz, Avis, Thrifty, and a lot of local ones. Just go for it. And yes, dont forget a good road map. I went for Hertz, who offered me an Automatic Toyota Corolla 1.8 Ltr (just 10 months old) car for A$ 65.00. This was inclusive of full insurance, which meant that in case of any mishap, my liability towards the car is reduced to zero.
If you are planning to stay in an apartment, make sure you book one close to some supermarket so that you can stuff up your kitchen with all the necessary groceries and the like. Most of the shops close by 17:00 hrs. The supermarkets and Wine shops are often open till 2100 hrs. The restaurants are open till midnight.

• Pros:Excellant tourist destination for families and singles of all age group
• Cons:Over commercialization
• In a nutshell:You can balance nature and development in Gold Coast