This was published 1 year ago
Gold Coast things to do: Queensland holiday favourite has transformed, but not too much
By Craig Platt
The Gold Coast has transformed, but many of the attractions that made it popular in the first place remain.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
My daughter shrieks with delight as we enter a huge enclosure full of kangaroos lazing in the afternoon warmth.
Suddenly memories of my own childhood come flooding back, when my parents would bring me to this same spot, more than 35 years ago, as we escaped the cold Victorian winter and headed north.
I'm on the Gold Coast, on a long-awaited trip delayed multiple times due to COVID-19's lockdowns and border closures.
Get up close with wildlife at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
We're making a final stop before heading to the airport to return home at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, a mainstay of the Gold Coast's tourism industry for more than 70 years.
It's bigger than it was when I was a kid, with a larger range of animals and bigger enclosures. But there are things here I still remember, like the toy steam train that chugs visitors around the site.
The Gold Coast has transformed over the past 20 years and looked to shed its reputation as being a playground for bogans, backpackers and schoolies. But, thankfully, many of the attractions that made it so popular in the first place remain: the family fun of the theme parks, the nightlife for younger visitors and, of course, the beaches.
Th JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland
The region still sits among the top domestic destinations for Australians, usually behind only Melbourne and Sydney. COVID-19 hit the region hard, but like much of Australia's favourite domestic holiday destinations, tourism has bounced back.
That's been helped by about $1 billion in investment in new attractions and accommodation across the region. That includes the creation of Home of the Arts (HOTA) - a striking building and arts precinct built, in part, to showcase the extensive art collection of the Gold Coast City Council. But more on that later.
This is my first visit in nine years, though that brief visit in 2013 was for a conference that left me little time to explore the area. I'm staying at the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, which also enjoyed investment during COVID including a major $35 million redevelopment to lift it to a new level of luxury.
HOTA (Home of the Arts).
It sits between Main Beach and the Nerang River, which can be explored through boats for hire from Duffy Down Under Boat Hire, or on board a guided cruise. The boats run on electricity, so there's no fuel, fumes or noise to worry about. They're so easy to steer, in fact, that even my two-and-a-half year old daughter has a go (under strict supervision of course).
It's an experience reminiscent of the waterways of Miami, because the canals are bordered by an abundance of luxury mansions, many owned by some of Australia's richest people and, seemingly, left empty as holiday homes most of the time.
It makes me think of one of the long-term criticisms of the Gold Coast, specifically of Surfers Paradise: the abundance of high-rises that run along the coastline. But cruising the canals filled with multimillion dollar mansions, it makes me wonder exactly what the objection is. Sky-high hotels and serviced apartments have effectively made beachfront accommodation accessible to the masses. If they weren't there, what would be in their place? More empty mansions owned by millionaires that rarely use them, perhaps.
Of course, the Gold Coast, now officially considered a city, is more than just Surfers Paradise. While those high-rises may dominate the marketing photos, for better or worse, it doesn't take much to get away from the dominant tourist strips and discover parts of the Gold Coast that still offer the feel of a sleepy coastal town - but with the benefits of better infrastructure.
Melburnians are no doubt amused that, like Sydney, the Gold Coast has rediscovered the joy of trams and offers a light rail line (the only one in Queensland) that first opened in 2014 and was extended in 2017. It now runs 20 kilometres from Helensvale in the north to Broadbeach south of Surfers Paradise.
Further south, areas like Burleigh Heads have become the new purveyors of coastal cool, with boutique shops, breweries and stylish cafes and restaurants.
The day before my visit to Currumbin Sanctuary, first established in 1947, I'm at HOTA, first established in 2018. The main gallery, a five-storey colourful building that looks something like a Rubik's cube with misshapen pieces, offers permanent and temporary exhibitions along with a rooftop bar and cafe that looks over parklands and the Nerang River to the Pacific ocean beyond.
The grounds also feature a performance space that's hosted a range of major local and international acts along with an arthouse cinema and a theatre.
Though it's certainly a welcome addition to the region, HOTA may not be enough to establish the Gold Coast as a cultural destination - it will always be known first and foremost for those beaches, the bars, the theme parks. But, as I reflect on my stay while chugging around Currumbin Sanctuary on a toy steam train with my delighted children, I realise there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing whatsoever.
DETAILS
FLY
You can fly to the Gold Coast from Sydney or Melbourne with Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia or Rex. Direct flights are also available from Adelaide but Perth travellers will need to make a stop.
STAY
Rooms at the JW Marriott Gold Coast start from $280.
CRUISE
Boat hire from Duffy Down Under starts from $165 for one hour on a boat that seats up to 10 passengers. See duffydownunder.com.au
VISIT
Entry to Currumbin Sanctuary is $54.95 for adults, $41.95 for children 3-13. Children under 3 are free. See currumbinsanctuary.com.au
MORE
https://www.destinationgoldcoast.com/
The writer travelled as a guest of Destination Gold Coast.
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