Gold Coast Day 1 and 2

This week Ryan and I took our first real trip in Australia, and boy am I excited for more!  We went to the Gold Coast which was absolutely beautiful and exactly the type of trip we were looking for.

We flew into Brisbane on Sunday morning and rented a car to drive to the Gold Coast.  On the way to our hotel we decided to stop at Tamborine National Park, where we were hoping to find some short walks and beautiful views from the mountain.  An added bonus that we weren't expecting was a very crazy, twisty drive up the mountain with many switchbacks and steep slopes.  The drive was a bit nerve-wracking, but completely worth it.  Unlike in Canada where you have to earn your beautiful views by doing long hikes, here it seems like they let you drive to them!  Luckily we had a tiny car or it would have been much harder. 

The main thing we did at Tamborine National Park was go on a short rainforest walk.  I was completely in awe because it was the first time I have ever really walked through a rainforest, and it was super cool!  The pictures do not do it justice, but it was very lush with all sorts of really neat trees.  The best part was the crazy bird sounds, which really set the mood.  It felt like I was in a Planet Earth video!  The best trees were these strangler figs, which climb up existing trees and completely suffocate them. 

On the way down the mountain we also passed this beautiful view.  Unfortunately by then it had started to rain so the pictures is a bit blah.

Instead of getting a typical hotel, we got a serviced apartment.  It was absolutely amazing with a huge balcony and beautiful ocean views.  It also had a fully equipped kitchen so we were able to cook a few meals ourselves which was a nice change.  For anyone coming to visit Australia, I would highly recommend going to the Gold Coast and staying where we stayed. 

The next day we  woke up (at 6:30am) to this spectacular sunrise.  Of course I got up to take the picture, but I could see this from my bed! 

Monday was dubbed "beach day".  We were staying on Broadbeach which was just south of Surfers Paradise, and consequently it was much less crowded (if you can even call it that).  We went and picked up stuff for a picnic lunch and spent the morning until 2pm just reading and lazing on the beach.  The water was still too cold to swim, but it was a beautiful day.  You can see Surfers Paradise where all of the high-rises are in the first picture.

Then, FINALLY, I got to try surfing!  Our instructor was a stereotypical Aussie surf bum who said things like "far out".  I'm going to admit, it was much harder than I had expected.  By the end of the lesson I was able to stand for a few seconds on a wave, but that was about it.  Lots of fun but I don't think I missed my calling!

And thus concludes this post.  Stay tuned for day 3 and 4 of our adventure!