Gold Coast
Postcode: 4218
Once little more than a weekend surfing and fishing retreat for Brisbanites, the Gold Coast has come quite a way since a couple of entrepreneurs sat down in the 1960s and planned a canal resort on one of the finest stretches of golden beaches in the land.
Today the Gold Coast is a vibrant city of 400,000, a surf, sun and rainforest mecca for tourists from all over the world. It conjures up different images for different people, but whether you adore it or detest it, you can’t ignore it. From its nightclubs to its beaches, from its towering apartment buildings to soaring rainforest, from its myriad golf courses to its theme parks, the Gold Coast is brash, it’s young and it’s exciting.
A major arterial road also links Broadbeach to Nerang and the rainforest rich hinterland. The entire Gold Coast-Tweed region is a haven for game, reef, beach, estuary and freshwater fishing.
Broadbeach is somewhat quieter than Surfers Paradise to the north, but boasts and excellent stretch of beach, dining and shopping options. Broadbeach Mall and Surf Parade are lined with trendy outdoor cafes and restaurants, and beachfront craft markets are held the first and third Sunday of every month. But probably the best known attraction at Broadbeach is Conrad Jupiters Casino, which thrives with gamblers 24 hours a day.