Gold Coast, Austrail: Encounters with Nature In the Lighted City

Surfers, jellyfish stings, and an Outback Spectacular, Gold Coast, Australia, has so much to offer the family on vacation, although not all of it may be welcome.

Surfers Paradise at sunrise, Gold Coast, Australia. Photo by Charles Black and courtesy of Chuck Black Photography.

“Can we go see Six in Sydney?” my daughter asked.

I didn’t know what Six was, but I’m always up for a good trip, so I gave it a cautious “maybe.” Although I love Sydney, I have been there on three occasions and if we were going to cross “The Ditch” from New Zealand to Australia, I wanted to visit somewhere I had not previously been.

A few days later, my daughter presented me with a writen plan for a trip to Brisbane, where Six would be performing. She included other things to do in “Brissie,” such as places to stay and dine. Faced with such an overwhelming onslaught of teenage enthusiasm, I had to say yes.

Brisdbane, Australia. Photo by Charles Black and courtesy of Chuck Black Photography.

As we did more research on the area, one thing stood out: although Brisbane is “lovely,” the place to vacation is the nearby city of Gold Coast. This vibrant vacation mecha in northeast Australia is renowned for its long sandy…