The City and Theme Parks
Downtown Surfers Paradise is a thin ribbon of partially reclaimed land between the ocean and the Nerang River which - as the Broadwater - flows north, parallel with the beach, past the Spit and South Stradbroke Island into the choked channels at the bottom end of Moreton Bay. Reclaimed land in the river forms islands whose names reflect the fantasies of their founders - Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Miami Keys - and which have become much-sought-after real estate. From its dingiest club to its best restaurant, Surfers exudes entertainment, and at times - most notoriously at New Year and Christmas - you can spend 24 hours a day out on the town. Another thing you'll spend is money; the only free venue is the beach and with such a variety of distractions it can be financial suicide venturing out too early in the day. The city is full of tourists staggering around at noon, with terrible hangovers and empty wallets, complaining how expensive their holiday has become. The area around Cavill Avenue is a bustle of activity from early morning - when the first surfers head down to the beach and the shops open - to after midnight, when there's a constant exchange of bodies between Orchid Avenue 's bars and nightclubs. If you spend any length of time in town, you'll get to know the district intimately. The block between the sea and Orchid Avenue is a mall , given over to snack bars, coffee houses and shopping arcades; you can pick up a cheap T-shirt or play a game of chess at one of the outdoor tables. Raptis Plaza here is a collection of exotic eateries overlooked by a replica of Michelangelo's David , with an indoor rock climbing wall tucked away in the Plaza's basement. Across the Esplanade, the beach is all you could want as a place to recover from your night out. In early afternoon, the sun moves behind the apartment buildings, but you can escape the shadows by moving up to Main Beach. If you're feeling energetic, seek out a game of volleyball or head for the surf: the swell here is good in a northerly wind, but most of the time it's better for boogie-boards. North of Main Beach, the Spit 's attractions include the world's first "Versace hotel" - a six-star edifice fitted out with all things Versace - and Sea World (daily 10am-5pm; tel 07/5588 2205; $49.80, family rates; access on the Surfside Bus from the highway), the longest running of the Gold Coast's theme parks. Besides various stomach-churning rides, the park features immaculately trained dolphins and killer whales, and helps rehabilitate stranded wild dolphins for later release. The other theme parks are north out of town, all located on Surfside and Gold Coast Shuttle bus routes. Dreamworld (daily 10am-5pm; info tel 07/5588 1111; $49.80, family rates), on the Pacific Highway at Coomera, 17km north of Surfers Paradise, has a violent double-loop roller coaster and a fairground atmosphere, as well as a collection of hand-reared tigers in a large enclosure; this may be as close as they'll get to the wild, but at least they're protected from poachers. Movie World (daily 10am-5pm; info tel 07/5573 8485; $49.80, family rates), also on the Pacific Highway, 14km north of Surfers, is a slice of Hollywood featuring studio tours, and western and stunt shows. Near Movie World, Wet 'n' Wild (daily 10am-4.30pm or later; tel 07/5573 2255; $28.20) has a series of pools linked by vicious water slides - the back-breaking "twister" and the 25-metre-tall, high-speed slide alone are worth the entrance fee.
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