Surfers Paradise is the heart of the Gold Coast, 80 kilometres south of Brisbane, with a small population of 17,207 (ABS 2001). The area is famous for its high rise skyline, its location on a beautiful, long, white, surfing beach, and being one of the regions’ main tourist centres, with countless restaurants, night clubs and bars. It is also in close proximity to many attractions such as Dreamworld, Sea World, Movie World and Wet ‘n’ Wild.
Situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Nerang River, the town has grown around the old Surfers Paradise Hotel, built in 1925, on what was Elston Beach. The popularity of the area grew rapidly once access problems were solved, with the opening of the road in 1925. The owner of the hotel, Jim Cavill, pushed for a name change for the area, which occurred in 1933, and Surfers Paradise was born!! Unfortunately the original hotel burnt down, but Surfers Paradise kept on growing. By 1935, most of the coastal strip between the New South Wales border and Southport had been developed. In the 1960’s, high rise buildings started to appear in Surfers, and tourism reached new highs. 1965 saw the introduction of the world famous Meter Maids, and the current look and feel of the area was cast in concrete!! Today Surfers is a bustling tourist destination, with an estimated 10,000,000 visitors to the Gold Coast region per year, many of which travel to Surfers Paradise.
Things to do:-
Surfers actually offers so much, so a short list only.
Ice skating, skydiving, sling shot bungy, jet boating, ballooning, gliding, Tiger Moth joy flights, shooting, fishing, and of course swimming and surfing. Don’t forget to check out Cavill Avenue, and the side streets, for the shoppers. At night, bars and night clubs, and heaps of places to eat.
Things to see:-
Major theme parks, Dreamworld, Sea World, Warner Brothers Movie World and Wet’n’ Wild. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and the Wax Museum.
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