The Gold Coast Girls Trip You Need to go on!

Lindy-Joy
Apr 16, 2020
10 min read

We all need to get away from reality sometimes and live a little. An excuse for a girl's trip (or boys) is all you need to get on a plane headed to the Gold Coast for a week you’ll never forget! It may sound a bit ‘extra’ for just a week’s holiday, but I promise you that if you plan carefully, save cleverly and get a fun group of people on board with you, it will be well worth your while.

Why the Gold Coast?

It’s affordable, flexible for your kind of holiday, the people are helpful and kind, and the weather is (mostly) nice all year round.

Of course, with the situation the world finds itself in now, which is truly heartbreaking and unexpected, it’s not possible to be booking your trip right away. However, what you can do is start planning, researching, and asking what friends are interested in coming. Keep joyful spirits and the hope alive that this will all pass over soon!

Myself and three other friends, Madi, Kiara, and Meg, who came with me to Australia, were beyond grateful at the timing of our holiday. We went this early February before the world went into lockdown. Any later, and we may not have been able to go on this trip we had anticipated for what was over a year. This made me all the more motivated to write about our time there and hopefully give you insight into what you might like to do if you go yourself.

Really, there is no exception to what excuse you can use to make your Gold Coast holiday happen. We had just graduated High School and wanted to celebrate! Four teenagers, en route to the Gold Coast. None of us would have expected what those ten days had in store for us.

The time had finally come.

T H E F I R S T D A Y

Auckland, 4:00 am

Awoken by my alarm, Mum and I were at the airport an hour later. We joined my friends and their parents for check-in. Soon, parents were left behind and we were through the terminals. Our journey had begun. As fresh 18-year-olds navigating their way through the airport, we soon realised our mistake. The loudspeaker boomed:

“Gates to Gold Coast Flight will be closing shortly.”

You know that moment you can’t believe the voice on the speaker is addressing you? Well, it was exactly that moment. Our flight was about to leave… without us. The girls started huffing and puffing, moving their legs faster, eventually sprinting away from me. I was quite amused if I’m honest. It hadn’t even been an hour away from our parents and we were already losing our heads! I joined the race and like madmen rushing through the empty lobbies, we made it just in time before they closed.

Gold Coast, 8:00 am

Our apartment at Surfers International on the 16th floor was situated right on the Coast of Surfers Paradise. Walking out to our balcony, I could not believe my eyes. Our home for the next 10 days overlooked a breathtaking view of the vast ocean which met an endless strip of golden sand. It was early morning, yet, the heat was undeniable as the sun shone through our windows. The accommodation we stayed at was perfect for us. A massive living space with a kitchen, two bathrooms, a spa bath, and a living room! Both ladies who worked at reception were our mothers over the trip, answering all our queries and looking out for us. We couldn’t have picked a better place to stay.

Soaking in the flawless painting of nature before us, our first instinct was, beach!

Lying on the warm sand, serene as ever, we soaked up the 30-degree heat rays. The ocean was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Venturing out deeper to where boys were body surfing the massive, tumbling waves, I joined in. It was nature’s wave pool. The hotel spa was our recovery place as we relaxed on the poolside concrete, warm as an oven from the sun baking it all day long. Gazing into the clearest blue expanse, I remember feeling so happy to be there at that moment.

A P R I V A T E T O U R

If we thought our first day here was a scorcher, boy, were we in for a shock! Like beached seals (not whales), Madi, Kiki, and I lounged on a paddleboard in the shallow, calming waters of Main Beach. We had woken up early that morning for the excursion and arrived to find out that there were no other tourists who had booked. A private tour for the four of us! The guide was the loveliest ever.

Departing on our adventure from Main Beach, we launched our kayaks in partners into the sea. First official stop: Stradbroke Island. Hiking along scorching sand and through the mosquito-infested bush, we came out the other side

immersed in the most stunning private

beach scenery. Pearly sand expanded before us, all deserted except for local surfers being towed into the waves by jet skiers.

At Wave Break Island, we snorkeled. Although, I’m not sure if you can count it as that. The water was a murky brown and the only thing we saw, which I deem worthy of mentioning, is the creepy, spotted needlefish. They moved stealthily in gangs. Each of us had a turn at leaping out of the water in fright when they appeared close enough to be seen through the unclear water. Freaky things.

Our tour guide’s friend delivered a restaurant-quality lunch to us on the stranded island. In the midafternoon mellowness, we arranged ourselves on picnic blankets under a swaying tree, nibbling away at our food and taking in the view of the peaceful waters as our tour guide played the song ‘Shot Reverse Shot’ by Jack Johnson.

The hottest day we would know this trip was also the day the weather turned. Thus far on the trip, I was positive that the sunshine was here to stay. However, the weather had other plans. It was time to bring the paddleboard back onto shore and kayak back.

That same night, while dining outside Cocohut Taste of Thailand restaurant, the sky poured down buckets. Thunderstorms loomed. I was impressed that the Aussi weather could turn quicker than New Zealand, I had never seen it done before! It was a memorable night eating Thai food, chatting and laughing for three hours till we couldn’t anymore. There was something about the rain that made me feel almost exhilarated and in the mood for an adventure.

R E L I V I N G O U R C H I L D H O O D

How could we say we’d been to the Gold Coast and not gone to any theme parks? It was out of the question. In our time we could only fit in Wet ‘n Wild and Movie World. Having been to the other theme parks on previous trips, these two are my favourite. We booked for a 3-theme park-pass deal which included Sea World also.

The whole morning before visiting Wet ‘n Wild we were riddled with anxiety over the thought of having to do the Wedgie Drop ride where you plummet through floorboards into a deathly loop. You can get STUCK inside the bloody thing! However, Kiki and I are the same, when there is a scary challenge, we have no choice but to force ourselves to do it.

The ride was closed.

A brush of relief washed over me, yet at the same time, I was annoyed. I’d hyped myself up to do it and it felt like a missed opportunity. Nevertheless, we shook off the disappointment and did the rounds on all the other rides available to us.

Until next time, Wedgie.

At Movie World, we tried every ‘scary’ ride we could and tapped into our childhood fantasies. The highlight of that day would have to be the end-of-the-day Parade. All the actors dressed up as characters put on a show for everyone: Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird and more. We spotted Superman as he waved heroically on a giant float passing by. It was a bit of a competition to see who could high five him when he did the rounds greeting his fans, just for a laugh!

Little did we know what would happen the day right after this...

T H E N I G H T L I F E

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were the main nights we went out into the town for dancing. At one point during the week, as we headed for dinner, we were roped into joining the ‘wicked bar crawl’ by a charismatic blonde guy selling tickets on the sidewalk. You don’t have to go looking, they’ll be scattered around if you’re interested. It's usually 120 AUD for free entry into certain clubs, free drinks and fast entry (it really just depends on what deal you choose). We really hoped we weren’t being scammed, but you’re only here once, right?

On Thursday night, we met the other lot of ‘bar crawlers’ at the Beer Rooftop Garden. I’ll never forget this night. We had the tastiest bargain dinner of beef burgers and kumara fries (or as the Aussies say - sweet potato) and listened to Danny Dyson playing live music. The atmosphere was buzzing. We played Jenga which we borrowed from these two men sitting at a table. One of them looked quite familiar and we eventually figured out why. You’ll never believe who it was…

Superman from the Movie World parade!

We hosed ourselves with laughter as we stared in disbelief. Egging each other on to go confront his profession as a part-time superhero, none of us had the guts. I really wish we did, looking back now!

A highlight of our Friday night expeditions for me was the secret Tiki Bar. At some point during the night, we found ourselves standing before two gentlemen, dressed in Hawaiian apparel. They knighted us with colourful leis, directing us down a narrow and dimly blue-lit alleyway to a side door. It sounds totally dodgy, but was to our surprise, just a Hawaiian-themed bar packed with people and blasting music.

The following night on Saturday, The Island Rooftop Bar was our location for dinner. It's a modern, trendy place and overall gave off great vibes. Usually, when it's not raining, I assume there would be far more people there as it was relatively quiet when we went. We met a few friends over the night from several cultures and literally danced the night away (as cliché as it sounds). Some lovely workers and club owners shouted us free drinks and entry. I think they must really love kiwis!

Overall, I would say the bar crawl for me was a one-time thing. If partying is your scene (not really for us), I would recommend it as it felt a safer way to go about clubbing in the Gold Coast.

B U R L E I G H H E A D S

Our night was magical. We boarded the tram heading to Burleigh Heads, not far from Surfers. It continued to rain outside and it felt like quite a sombre, special moment. Knowing we were gonna leave tomorrow, I was simply grateful for all we had done so far.

The vibe at Burleigh is less touristy and more relaxed than Surfers. Hopping off the tram and heading on our way to climb Burleigh Heads Mountain for sunset, the weather had other plans for us. It started raining, and I mean raining. Dinner time it was! After running to cover halfway to the restaurants, we were drowned rats. We couldn’t face the music another time and threw in the towel (which I wish we actually had handy). I dived from under the cover of the building into the uber as though the rain were acid. It was really quite tragic. The kind driver escorted us all the way, being 2 minutes (I kid you not), to Justin Lane Restaurant.

We lumbered into the restaurant like losers, unsure if we’d be let in looking as we did. Luckily, we were. Changing clothes in the bathroom, we giggled at our appearances. Let me just say, backpacks and sneakers do not go well with cute dinner dresses!

Justin Lane served us the best carbonara I’ve ever eaten, but I cannot say the same for the spicy and dry meatball pizza though, watch out for that one! We left back for home with our bloated tummies and turtle backpacks, but the night was not over yet.

Back in Surfers, we visited The Avenue Bar. It was karaoke night! What I love about The Avenue is that they have events going on almost every night. Sitting at the front, an older guy, slightly intoxicated, came and joined us. He was just being friendly and actually dared us to do karaoke in the room packed with people.

It is our last night here…

Next thing we knew, we were up on stage singing ‘Dancing Queen’. Some dudes in the back of the room sang along with us and our new friend who convinced us to sing in the first place started to dance, as he promised, at the front of the stage. He was kicked out for ‘interrupting’. Though we tried to explain the situation to the bodyguard, it wasn't enough to save the poor fella. I think he may have gone to the bar across the road, so we don’t feel too bad!

A little off-topic, but here is some of the food we ate!

T H E M O P E D S

Mopeds are just slow, side-walk vehicles, aren't they? They're not really that dangerous, right?

Oh, how terribly mistaken we were.

Little did we know that mopeds go up to 70km/ph and you’re permitted to drive them on the main roads. How good! Despite our shock of realisation, we were stoked that they weren’t normal scooters, but more like cars. We'd been desperate to try them out the entire trip. The hiring lady, in full trust of us (for who knows what reason), handed us three mopeds. We did test circles while she watched, trying so hard not to fall and laughing at each other struggling to gain control of the vehicle. Off we went!

It was the wrong decision to wear a skirt for reasons I won’t mention, plus if I fell off, I would be meat and bones. Nevertheless, we started on our way driving amongst cars and along the coastline.

On our last day on the Golden Coast, and with only two short hours before our taxi left for the airport, we gave in to our adventurous instincts and went on the mopeds for a second time. We had just had a breakfast for champions at The Beach Bar. The waitress brought us waffles with all you could load on - icecream, bacon, fruit, you name it. Best ones I’ve ever had. Ending our trip right meant mopeds had to be included!

Two minutes into the ride, as we trailed behind one another religiously, I turned around to see my friends were nowhere in sight. A moment of panic swept over me, have I lost them? A closer look and I spot Madi, her face etched with concern. The wheel of her moped was touching the curb at the roundabout while she was half on the road!

I turned around and headed to her in a hurry as she lifted the bike onto the pavement. Turns out she crashed the moped into the curb - the break had broken! They really are tricky things to handle. We managed to replace the bike for free in good time and

flew all the way to Burleigh Heads for one last spectacle.

Best girls trip ever, with the best friends ever.

Goodbye, Gold Coast!

Back we headed for New Zealand. Where a new adventure was about to begin.

Hello, Adulthood!