The Gold Coast extends over several dozens of kilometres south of Brisbane. It is still part of Queensland. The town is populated by approximately 600,000 inhabitants, making it the sixth largest city in Australia. Some of them might live here because of the weather. The Gold Coast has a humid subtropical climate with 300 days of sunshine per year and an average annual temperature exceeding 25°C. According to Lonely Planet, it is considered to be "The Mecca of seaside tourism" attracting each year tens of thousands of schoolies. At first sight, the Gold Coast consists of a sad mix of Los Angeles (for its traffic), Las Vegas (for its ostentatious style and theme parks like Wet'n'Wild), Miami Beach (for its architecture) and Cancun (for its fauna and its haute cuisine... not). This is not exactly what we expect to find when coming to Australia. Surfers Paradise district has an appealing name though and… that is pretty much about it. Not too many surfers here but a lot of luxurious and modern buildings, including the Q1 Tower (one of the tallest residential buildings in the world). Actually they should think of changing Surfers Paradise name for Real Estate Paradise. It would certainly be a bit more accurate. The period is quite busy due to summer holidays. Today the Gold Coast is host to Summafieldayze, a huge annual music festival. A line-up of international artists such as Justice, Snoop Dogg, Moby or Erick Morillo performed on stage this afternoon. We have to admit, we are quite impressed. The town also hosts a few different major events throughout the year such as the Gold Coast 600 (a V8 Supercars street circuit carnival), the Gold Coast Airport Marathon and the Quicksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast (a leg of the ASP World Tour). In our opinion, unless you really like the place or unless you have already bought your tickets to attend an event, there is no need to book a hotel or any other kind of accommodation in the Gold Coast. Spend the day if you want, then drive (far away).
