After looking at pictures of the gold coast and reading all about the developments happening down there I thought I should check it out for myself. Prepare to get jealous (esp if you look at the photos!)

I hired a car and set off. It took about an hour to drive down to the coast. My first stop was at a place called main beach. It was a clear blue sky, the sun was shining and the sand was warm and (almost) white. I had a paddle and the sea was warm too.

The next stop was Surfers Paradise. I drove to the south end of the beach and was able to to find free parking (apparently the introduction of parking charges at surfers paradise was quite controversial!). I walked along the beach towards the town centre. I still can't believe I live here! It was such a beautiful day and the beach was stunning, there was even pineapple trees growing by the beach - it really is paradise. Even the towering apartment blocks added to the view & excitement of being on the Gold Coast!! After a wander round the town and lunch at the 'surf club' it was time to continue my journey down the coast

I drove onto Burleigh Heads, another beautiful beach about 5km further south. In addition to the beach there is a small national park, but the car park was rammed so I drove on down to Currumbin. Here the sea has worn away at the rocks to reveal the bottom of what was once a river valley so there are some large rock platforms sticking out into the sea.

After an ice cream I drove on to Coolangatta to watch the sunset behind the Surfers Paradise sky line - a stunning end to a great day, and a great first week