A Day in Surfer’s Paradise (Brisbane, Austrailia)
Posted by E.G.D. on March 15, 2015

In case you didn’t know where you were, here’s a sign ^_^ (Photo © Jody Diehl)
G’day mates!
Our trip to Australia’s Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise was spectacular! We couldn’t figure out if the area was named for the golden sand or the big bucks the area obviously attracts.
Surfers Paradise was the absolutely perfect beach. It seemed to stretch forever. We got there by bus transfer from the Port of Brisbane. The ride was less than an hour and a half from the ship. Driving along the highway we were struck by all of the familiar businesses: IKEA, Target, and (of course) all of the fast food restaurants we generally see in Every Town, USA.
We also noticed all of the park lands and green spaces in the cities. The Gold Coast was loaded with beautiful green parks too. The Esplanade at Surfers Paradise was shaded with trees, grassy areas, man-made shade, and public art. There large sculpted, permanently installed lounge chairs on the promenade that served the sun bathers. We even saw an amazing treed park on top of a two story parking garage.

Greg in Surfer’s Paradise! (Photo © Jody Diehl)
We changed into our bathing suits in the cleanest public restrooms I’ve ever seen (especially at a beach!). Then we just dropped our beach bag on the sand and ran into the surf.

Sand n’ Surf (Photo © Jody Diehl)
The huge waves were crashing and had quite a powerful drag.
Life guards were plentiful and their stations were loaded with every type of equipment you could imagine (picture those beach lifeguard/rescue TV shows). I’ve never felt so safe – both for our personal safety and our belongings on the shore. It was a blast. We stayed in the surf for as long as we thought we wouldn’t get burned…

Lovely Surfer’s Paradise! (Photo © Jody Diehl)
All in all, it was the perfect day for our stop at the Port of Brisbane, Australia.
We hope all is well with all of you.
Have a wonderful yesterday! Love to everyone! – Jody & Greg
On to Sydney!
peaceloveandsandytoes said
So glad you enjoyed my home beach. Wish I had known you were here – we could have organised to meet 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Jody said
I don’t know how we ever missed your comment! Our daughter was manning the site while we were away and this one just slipped by us. I’m so sorry about that!! Our trip to Surfers Paradise was very last minute because the cruise ship only managed to set up a transfer to the beach in the nick of time. We simply couldn’t miss the opportunity. It would have been great to meet up. We certainly hope to have the opportunity to return some day. It was amazing!