So we left Brisbane and arrived at the Gold Coast late morning and headed to the camp to check in. As it is getting nearer to Christmas we are having to be at our next camp early in order to secure a spot. We had chosen a campsite at main beach that was literally a short stumble from the ocean. As soon as we had looked the camp it was off to the beach to relax and read our books. On arrival at the campsite we were advised that their swimming pool was closed and as a compensation they had rented an outdoor cinema and were playing Kung Foo Panda at 7pm. We weren't in the least bit bothered about the pool as we prefer the beach anyway however we were more than happy to take them up on the offer of the film! We got back from the beach in plenty time to get showered and prepare a delicious chilli to have after the film. By 7pm there was a bit of a crowd gathering so with the instruction to bring chairs and blankets we wandered over to the green armed with our picnic chairs and a bottle of wine. The film was really funny and it was great to be able to sit outside and enjoy it on a huge inflatable screen definitely something a bit different and we were already looking forward to the next film to be screened in 2 days time!The next morning and following a few glasses of wine the previous evening I had agreed to us renting a boogie board and mike teaching me how to catch some waves. Not one to do anything by halves I had chosen to have my lesson at surfers paradise and as the name might suggest the surfers love it because of the ridiculously massive waves. After collecting our board we headed to the beach and with one look at the massive ocean swell I was beginning to think I had bitten off more than I could chew yet again! With a final tighten of the strings on my bikini I took to the ocean with my board under my arm and I have no doubt in my mind I must have looked about as at home with the situation as the Queen at a rock concert. The plan was to start with some of the smaller breakers before trying out any of the bigger waves and with umpteen tiny kids around me surfing the waves I was thinking how difficult can it really be. A few pointers from mike and I was soon lying with my belly on the board, him hanging onto my ankle waiting for the next suitable wave. Before long Mike was warning me that the next one was the one and so he let go of my ankle. The last thing I remember was him shouting kick, kick, kick before this huge wave completely wiped me out. I emarge at the shore completely disorientated, hair everywhere, with a mouth full of salt, my boob hanging out and my bikini bottoms have slipped down exposing my huge white ass for all the poor unsuspecting bathers. Thankfully before too long Mike bounds through the ocean to pick me up, tuck in my particulars and inspect for damage. Needless to say I had a scraped knee and a bruised shin and a serious dent in my pride and that was enough for me I quickly surrendered the board to Michael and retired to my towel for some much needed R&R! As anticipated Michael was a natural and by the end of the day he had a very attractive pink belly and apparently very sore nipples!!! By later in the afternoon I had stewed all day on my failing at the boogie boarding so determined to succeed I took to the water myself for a second time to try and conquer my fears. There is no doubt about it, the waves at surfers paradise are massive with some of them reaching 10-15ft so I was never going to venture from the small breakers closer to shore however after a couple of failed attempts and lots of encouraging looks from Michael I managed to develop my own unique technique and was soon starting to enjoy myself. I was completely surrounded by 7 year old girls but I didn't care I was at surfers paradise and I was surfing (well boogie boarding but that's just a technicality). With matching pink bellies, we left the beach and headed back up to the camp to deposit the board having had quite enough action for one day! Once back at camp we got showered and changed and decided to walk down into surfers paradise itself for a look around. The literature from the caravan park had described itself as only 10 minutes from surfers so rather than take the van we decided just to walk however we soon discovered that the walk wasn't 10 minutes it was more like an hour long 3.5km trudge in the heat and humidity! We were rewarded at the end however as the last 1/2km took us through the nightly market held on the esplanade and I always find markets entertaining! I managed to bypass all the lovely beach bags, sarongs and homemade toiletries and settled for a lovely malteaser cupcake complete with its own adorable box! After the market we had a walk around the town and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was much improved from the last time we were here. Gone were many of the crappy and tatty shops to be replaced by more tasteful alternatives and the smelly backpackers bars were definitely the minority surrounded by nicer restaurants and cafes. It was clear to see that surfers has undergone some much needed renovation and was a pleasant surprise from what we had been expecting. We had been dreading it all night and whilst we could have got a taxi we love having something to moan about so we began the 3.5km meander back to camp by which time out bellies thought our throats had been cut and our steaks couldn't cook quickly enough on the BBQ!

The next day was another day at the beach however there was much less excitement and not a boogie board in sight! Unfortunately a forecasted storm for late afternoon rolled in as predicted and cut short the sunbathing action. We decided to leave the beach before it started to rain. We quickly devised a plan B which involved taking the van to some of our old haunts on the gold coast. We decided to visit Broad Beach which was about a 20 minute drive from the campsite. The last time we were here surfers paradise wasn't very nice and so we had chosen to eat in broad beach as it was much nicer and had a better selection of restaurants. When we arrived it had just started to rain so we had a quick walk around the main street to find that very little had changed and all the visited restaurants were still there serving the same menus! Eventually the rain was too much and so we headed to the main shopping centre for a look around. After window shopping we got some supermarket supplies before heading back to camp. Unfortunately outdoor cinemas don't go so well with thunderstorms and so the film had been postponed to another night!The storm was a keeper and the forecast suggested no let up on the rain all day! We had decided to head further down the gold coast to the seaside town of Coolangatta however we weren't too hopeful of an improvement in the weather! Rather than head straight down we decided to spend some of the morning and early afternoon in one of the larger shopping centres. Santa had asked me what I wanted for my Christmas and after a lot of thought I decided I wanted a bikini but not just any bikini I wanted one from one of the nice surf shops. So with it pissing down outside I was torturing Michael trying on every bikini in the centre before deciding that I wanted one of the first ones I had tried on…oops! Thoroughly shopped out we headed back to the van only to discover that it had still not stopped raining! It took about and hour to get from surfers down to our next stop a campsite in Kirra Beach. We checked in and for the first time in a long time put the kettle on. Its funny that when its miserable outside you crave a good cup of tea and lucky for my Michael makes the best tea. Around 6 o'clock it finally stopped raining so tired of being cooped up in the van we headed out for a walk around the town. Kirra is much smaller than its neighbour coolangatta (hence the cheap campsite) so there really wasn't much to see or do however we were just glad to be out and about. We managed to find a small bottle shop and so treated ourselves to a bottle of wine and some beers before heading back to camp.As is so often the case in the tropics the next morning is like a completely different planet, the sun is out and the whole place just looks much brighter and more inviting. We pack up the van and head round to coolangatta beach. Much as with a couple of days previously we had plenty sunshine in the morning however by the afternoon the storm clouds start to roll in! We quit the beach and decide to have a walk around the town as it is much bigger and better than Kirra. The storm clouds fortunately didn't really amout to much and so by late afternoon it was lovely again so we headed back to camp to relax in the gardens.The last time we were in Australia one of our favourite beaches had been at Rainbow Bay so the following day it was really sunny so we decided to go to Rainbow Bay which was only a short drive from the camp. I love this beach as it is in its own bay so as well as being really pretty it is more sheltered and as such the waves are not so choppy and more Tracy friendly! It is also the last beach in Queensland as it sits almost on the border to New South Wales in fact you can walk from the bay to the very point where you cross into the neighboring state. As it is the last beach on a clear day you can view the entire length of the Gold Coast which is a really awesome sight. We had a really nice day chilling out on the beach and whilst the waves were a little bigger than our previous visit it was nothing like surfers paradise and in hindsight would maybe have been a better beach for my lesson but I wasn't about to ask for lesson number 2 as my belly had still not recovered from lesson 1. By late afternoon the wind was picking up and creating a huge sand storm on the beach and whilst it was really funny at first as we were both sand beasts covered from head to toe in sand including rather attractive sand moustaches it soon got a bit tiring so by 4pm we were ready to wash off the sand and go for a walk around the headland and up to the state crossing taking in the memorials to captain cook and WW2 victims. The following morning seemed much less windy and the sun was still shining so we decided to have one last day in Queensland and try for a sand storm free day at Rainbow Bay! The gods answered our prayers and we managed to have a fantastic day at the beach. Being a Monday it was much quieter and with less wind I could even venture into the sea for a swim. The day seemed to pass so quickly however I think that was helped by the fact that we kept falling asleep? As if doing nothing day after day is exhausting we seemed to dose in and out of consciousness all day and by the time it was time to leave we realised we had hardly spoken to each other all day as we had been too busy kipping. I guess all this not working and bumming about all day is starting to get to us, thank goodness we are off work tomorrow!