Can't believe we have been at the Gold Coast 2 weeks already - time is flying by! We are loving it here Lots of similarities to Florida but the vibe is much more relaxed and easy and no pesky mosquitos which is a big bonus
I have never known Pete to be so chilled and relaxed - not one jigsaw in sight and he is happy to explore or do nothing !!
MONDAY - 18 holes of golf at Surfers Paradise GC (with buggy 🛺). Both played reasonably well for a change
Weather is still cloudy with some rain showers ☔️ and a little cooler
We returned unintentionally to the Thai restaurant and had a great meal - spring rolls followed by Massaman curry and dare I admit Fried Ice Cream 🍨 😳 which I have to say was to die for (Helen - not for disclosure to fatclub 😂😂)
TUESDAY - we skipped breakfast and headed back to Banksy's for lunch - really good !
We bought a travel card enabling us to use the public tram/buses and rail. We travelled by tram 🚃 as far north as you could go, which was Helensvale some 25 km (15 miles) had a shop (as you do!!) and a coffee break!
The Gold Coast is approx 36 miles of fabulous beach, unspoilt with lifeguards situated regularly along the coast There is an absence of litter and/or louts - Australians are a friendly lot 🇦🇺
The public transport is so good with our return from Helensvale costing only 50 cents each (in truth it didn't cost us anything to go as we didn't know where to tap on and off😂 you did it on the bus at Bondi but here apparently you do it at the station - I wondered what those pink machines were for- oh well we know now !) Clean and efficient with trams running every 7 mins 🚃 not surprisingly it is busy and well used
Another partially cloudy day with a few light showers but still nice and warm
WEDNESDAY - decided to stretch our legs and head on the coastal route to the north of Broadbeach
Walking 15.3km in total, took in some fabulous coastal scenery. A couple of coffees and sharing a piece of cake (so as not to undo all the good work!!) we are about to head off for an Italian meal tonight 🇮🇹
THURSDAY - another round of golf today. Weather really hot today ☀️ A good round getting better each time!!
FRIDAY - an overcast but warm day so we decided to get the tram and go a couple of stops to explore. We found a small harbour in Southport and an abandoned shopping mall
We did come across a floating church ⛪️ interesting ????
We continued to walk back along the coast stopping at Southport Surfing Club for chips and coffee then Surfers Paradise for a very decadent milkshake each finally reaching our home destination of Broadbeach for a beer (I'm not sure we are doing enough steps to burn off these calories for these rest stops 😂😂)
We have walked 14.3 km today though 🚶 seen some lovely fauna and flora along the way as well as a flock of parakeets and the birdsong here is quite loud and unusual
On our travels we are seeing some fabulous new towers being constructed. Today there was one 76 storeys high - massive. There is one being constructed not far along the coast from us that won't be finished until Q4 2027 already sold off plan. A half floor apartment starts at $5.2M ! There will be a 3 storey penthouse which in size is the equivalent to 10 of our 4 bed houses - think we are in the wrong country boys !!
I will sign off now so as not to bore you all. Hope everyone is ok ❤️
