Live Bands ! and other Gold Coast, Australia Nightlife Tips

Nightlife Spot: Venues

The best venues you can catch some local or touring bands at are The Coolangatta Hotel, Hard Rock Cafe and Waxy's Irish Pub in Surfers Paradise, The Soundlounge in Currumbin, Brannigans Tavern in Broadbeach.

If you really want to see some good live music your best bet would be to pick up the local street press from a music store and see what's happening.

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Theme: Live Music
Website: www.gcbands.com

Nightlife Spot: Surfers Paradise

Love it or loathe it, the commercialisation of the Gold Coast tourism industry has provided the area with one of the best ranges of entertainment options in the world. By day there are any number of touristy things to spend your time on, but as the sun sets, the thriving nightclub industry comes alive.

If you're looking for something to do on the Gold Coast after the suns gone down head to Surfers Paradise for a night out until the sun comes back up.

Club styles vary from Top 40 dance hits and alternative rock to modern house and acid jazz. Whatever your taste and budget you shouldd be able to find a club you like. The clubs are all very close togther, so you don't have to walk to far to the next one, if your ears don't like what there hearing.

Clubs are packed with tourists during peak holiday seasons, schoolies week and the Indy Carnival, but you'll find the crowd is generally made up of partying locals 365 days a year.

Drinks are reasonably cheap compared to big city prices and you shouldn't really expect to pay much more than $5.00 for your average beer or spirit.

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Theme: Nightclub
Dress Code: Club Wear.
Directions: There are plenty of buses available, just chek the timetable. Alternatively, there's plenty of street parking if you want to leave your car overnight. Taxis are generally plentiful, most nights you'll probably incur a 10 minute wait.

Gold Coast pubs are not particularly charming, classy or ancient, but like anywhere in the world which has a local population who like to drink, if you're a visitor who enjoys a cold beer and aren't too obnoxious you'll fit in just fine.

There are over 100 pubs on the Coast and most of them offer a good range of drinks, decent counter meals at decent prices and more pokie machines than you can throw a two dollar coin at. Contrary to popular belief, most Queenslanders (at least South East Queenslanders) don't always drink XXXX, and because of the Gold Coast's proximity to the NSW border and its large population of interstate arrivals, you can get pretty much whatever beer you want. And there are no territorial beers which you aren't allowed to order for fear of breaking the local alcohol code of ethics.

Beer language on the Gold Coast: almost every state in Australia has a different terminology for the different sizes of beer. On the Gold Coast the following standards apply:
Pot - 285ml (10 ounces)
Schooner 425ml – (15 ounces)
Jug - 1125ml (40 ounces)

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Theme: Eating and Drinking

My personal favourite pubs on the Gold Coast are:

Parkwood Tavern
Cnr Olsen Ave & Wintergreen Drive, Parkwood Ph:55715104
One of the most popular pubs for the locals. You might be lucky enough to see one of Australia's legendary rock acts like The Screaming Jets or even popular new comers The Butterfly Effect who have both played there frequently over the past few years.

Surfers Paradise Beer Garden
Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise. This is the place all the cool touring musicians (Jack Johnson, Michael Franti) come to do secret gigs. Quite a large pub with plenty of pool tables and balcony space to watch the goings on in the centre of Surfers.

Fisherman's Wharf
Shop 20 Mariner's Cove, 60-70 Seaworld Drv Main Beach Ph:55710566
Probably one the best located pubs in the world, the current Fisherman's Wharf is a re-incarnation of the old pub, a Gold Coast icon which was demolished to make way for Palazzo Versace, Nirvana played there once.

The Grand Hotel
352 Marine Parade, Labrador
Ph:55286442
The Grand Hotel shares the same building as the Grand Apartments. It offers patrons access to 4 restaurants, entertainment, a tavern, cafes and water views across the Broadwater.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Website: www.parkwoodtavern.com.au

Nightlife Spot: Conrad Hotel / Casino.

Although I have put the Casino in as one of the nightlife tips, like all casinos it is open for business 24 hours/7 days a week, but it is at night when Jupiters comes to life.

Jupiters Casino is the only licensed casino on the Gold Coast and is a resort casino with a host of facilities from gambling rooms to entertainment, leisure and fine dining.

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Theme: Casino
Dress Code: Your overall appearance must be neat, clean and tidy. Jeans, dress shorts, sandals and deck shoes are allowed, however marked or torn jeans will not be permitted. Sportswear, singlets, tracksuits, beachwear, work boots and thongs are not permitted at any time.
Phone: 07 5592 8100
Directions: Broadbeach Island, Broadbeach. Across the road from Pacific Fair.
Website: www.conrad.com.au/jupiters