Endless summer on the Gold Coast

The  sun is just peaking over the horizon.   Its warmth filters across rolling waves that lap the white sandy beach  like a rhythmic heartbeat.  I wriggle my  toes in the cool water as sand particles dance around my feet.  Breathing in, filling my lungs with warm  salty air, I scan the horizon.

Dawn is just breaking, and already the dedication to the ocean has filled the perfect peeling waves with surfers. With 52 kilometres of ocean beaches and a sub-tropical climate averaging 287 days of sunshine annually, it is clear to see why the Gold Coast is a surfer’s paradise.

Racing  the rising sun I walk along the shore line towards Burleigh Headland.  Every thought empties from my head as I bask  in the glorious beachscape before my eyes.   I have seen many beaches around the world, but nothing quite compares to  the Gold Coast beaches.  The sand just  seems so white and soft, the water blue and more clear and the sun brighter and  welcoming.

Reaching  the headland, I begin the ascent to the top.   The well-worn track winds through seaside vegetation.  The wind picks up strength the further up the  headland I climb.  Passing other early  risers undergoing rigorous exercise activities, I decide to pick up my pace  too. .

As  I reach the lookout at the peak of the rocky headland, the sun is just lifting  off the horizon.  I don’t know if it was  the steep climb up or the view, but my breath is temporarily snatched from my  lungs.  As far as the eye can see is  blinding white sand met by rolling sets of waves.  If the Gold Coast is the sixth largest city  in Australia, I don’t know where all the people were hiding.  .

The  sun, now higher in the sky, sets off an array of pinks and oranges that offset  the deep blue of the ocean as if it was a painter’s canvas.  The mix of these colours makes me feel just  as warm and fuzzy on the inside as the suns caressing rays make me feel on the  outside.

Now  quite hot, the appeal of a swim in the ocean calls.  After descending the headland I begin the  walk back down the beach.  In the  distance I see a man with two children, knee deep in the waves twisting side to  side from the waist down. Intrigued, I approach them and ask what they are  doing.

Local  to the area, Mark has brought his children down to the beach to help with what  he called “pipi shuffling”.  He explains  to me that the clam like pipis make great bait for fishing.  After one of the children scream out in  excitement at the pipi clasped in her hand, I decide to give it a go also.

I  begin to shuffle my feet from left to right on the  soft, wet sand, burying them.  Before  long I feel a pipi rubbing against my foot and grab it.  Satisfied with my prize, I hand the pipi to  Mark and wish him luck with the fishing.

Ending my walk in this surfer’s paradise, I can see why so many  people come to this very spot for a holiday.

Some people come for the shopping at  numerous shopping centres, small boutiques, specialty shops and markets.  Some are enticed by the restaurants and cafes  offering cuisine from around the world.   The evening entertainment from nightclubs, restaurants, clubs, hotels  and Conrad Jupiters Casino to Broadway musicals, ballet and theatre are a  highlight for others.  Maybe it’s the  large selection of wildlife and theme parks that draws the crowds.

Of the abundance of  attractions the Gold Coast offers, the endless  beaches and warm waters averaging 22 degrees celsius are by far my idea of a  relaxing holiday.