Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast 27th July

On the Greyhound bus again, this time a short trip to Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast. Checked in to the hostel and then had a walk along the beach.The sea is a beautiful colour and there were a handful of surfers bobbing around waiting for 'the' wave. Sat and watched for a while and decided that it seems quite a futile pursuit, which includes lots of sitting around in the water with only a slim chance of riding the wave when it does come.There are lots of surf schools around, but we decided against enrolling due to the probable level of frustration, and while the sun is shining and the sky is deep blue the water is a bit nippy.Surfers Paradise is a built-up town with some big tower blocks along the sea front and lots of repetition (i.e. cheap bargain bucket shops, tour operators and internet cafes).

28th July

Off to Sea World today, for an entertaining day, where we saw a sea lion show, playful polar bears, the shark bay, aquarium and a dolphin show.We also went on the roller coaster rides and one called Jet Ride was so fast and threw us around so much we felt a little dizzy when we got off.We also went in to a 4D cinema to watch an animated film about conservation.As it is off-season at the moment there were no queues for anything. Went into the town again in the evening and it's quiet everywhere except for the odd Irish pub or three.