Golden Days in Oz
Golden Days in Oz
by Allison Woolling
by Allison Woolling
Holidaying abroad with little free time on one's hands can be a daunting prospect, so when our annual leave was due we decided to make our vacation as hassle-free as possible.
Living in the UK, we opted for a southern hemisphere destination, hoping it wouldn’t be unbearably hot. It would be autumn there and temperatures were expected to be mild-ish…perfect for our un-accustomed “English” complexions.
I am a beach and water sport fan and interested in wildlife (to the point where I should have been a vet, like my husband, Mike, or marine biologist, rather than a housewife). My husband, on the other hand, likes golf and sailing. So, we needed to satisfy our hobbies as well as find time to relax, wind down and feel human again. After pouring over umpteen travel brochures for numerous countries, we settled on Queensland, Australia; Sanctuary Cove to be exact.
It is situated in picturesque surroundings around four man-made harbours and features two championship golf courses, health and fitness facilities and a Marine Village with over 80 shops, bars, restaurants, theatre and art galleries. It also has a marina with access for super yachts, plus the five star Hyatt Regency and a private country club. Located 65km (40 miles) south of Brisbane and within a hop, skip and jump of the famed Surfer’s Paradise it made for an obvious choice and suited us perfectly.
We arrived to a rising sun, a fitting welcome to this part of Australia with its wonderful coast and pristine beaches. This being our first visit, what a welcome it was
After a short nap, a shower and an early lunch, we set off to explore. It was only on descending to the hotel lobby again that it became obvious that we were not the only guests at the hotel. This should not have been a surprise, as it was only three days to Sanctuary Cove’s annual happening; the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. The hotel was rapidly filling with exhibitors, yachtsmen, prospective boat buyers and the like. It didn’t take long before my husband fell into conversation with a number of them.
Managing to drag him away from his ‘boating’ natter, we continued on to explore our new-found ‘home’ and made our way down to the marina all abuzz with the up-coming activities. We wandered blissfully along docks filled to overflowing with yachts and power boats and then made our way down to the golf courses where Mike booked a round for 3 p.m.
With his afternoon plans sorted, I made my way back to the hotel with the aim of discovering a beach on which to spend the rest of the day, soaking up the sun and getting into holiday mode.
While there, I noticed an advertisement for whale and dolphin watching cruises and decided that, as it was Mike’s birthday coming up, I would treat us to a day out on the water and get to see some of the local marine wildlife up close, a long held dream of mine.
Our first day’s adventures soon came to a close and we spent the evening catching up with new friends at the Verandah Bar and chatted about the up-coming boat show and all the wonderful things this part of Australia has for one to see and do.
Our time at the hotel was certainly going to be fun, with maybe not as much relaxing as we’d planned, but certainly filled with adventures. By the end of the evening our two week schedule was full.
Our time at the hotel was certainly going to be fun, with maybe not as much relaxing as we’d planned, but certainly filled with adventures. By the end of the evening our two week schedule was full.
Almost 70km of white sandy beaches, interspersed with rocky headlands, river estuaries and spectacular scenery offer surfing, fishing, boating and other watersports. The hinterland, with its sub-tropical, green, cool, national parks and forests, provides picturesque waterfalls and a myriad of weird Australian animals to discover. We were certainly going to be busy.
Day 2 found us making use of our Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle Gold Pass which we had collected at the airport on arrival. The pass covers all one’s Gold Coast holiday transport requirements with transfers to theme parks, trips to the shops, the beach or the Casino.
Our ride took us to one of the many local shopping areas, where I set about buying souvenirs for friends and family back home. This is a chore I do as soon as I can after arrival in any holiday destination (unlike many). This gives me the time to buy items I may discover later, but at least I know that I have something for everyone to start with.
After a quick lunch at a beachside café we visited the Australian Zoo, home of TV's Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, where a number of interesting marsupials and other Australian creatures are housed. We did the tourist thing and cuddled a koala, saw some odd-looking lizards, wombats, kangaroos and, of course, crocodiles. I highly recommend a visit to this zoo for anyone planning a holiday in the area.
The following two days were spent on South Stradbroke Island. We stayed in a luxurious beachfront cabin at the Couran Cove Island Resort and rested our weary bodies after a day’s snorkelling and a strenuous game of beach volleyball with other travellers.
The rest of our week was spent back at Sanctuary Cove viewing the boats at the very well-run boat show. There were live bands performing and some really well organized balls, one of which we attended (I hadn’t packed that ‘little black dress’ for nothing). We checked out the usual boat paraphernalia, some of which was added to our already bulky luggage (I saw an overweight charge looming).If you are a boat enthusiast and considering a visit, we urge you not to miss this show. It's world class and can easily be compared to other international boat shows, such as the Southampton Boat Show back in our homeland.
Our final week saw us doing the whale and dolphin watching trip. As with most activities in the area, we would highly recommend this. We also visited the Hinterland and some of its extensive wild-life parks, experienced a rain forest environment and spent hours soaking up the sun on the beach or by the hotel pool.
To sum our holiday up in one word would be to say it was 'fantastic'. We have also booked for this year, so meet us there and share a ‘shrimp on the barbie' when you arrive.
If you are visiting during the boat show please note: There is no public or visitor parking at Sanctuary Cove or in the immediate area during the Show. Please note that during the Boat Show, Sanctuary Cove is a closed site. Public parking is available at Parklands (the Gold Coast Showgrounds) just off the Smith Street Motorway. To take advantage of this facility, simply take Exit 66 off the Pacific Motorway (M1). For more information on the Boat Show you can call: (07) 5577 6868 or fax the place on: (07) 5530 8067 or email them at: boatshow@sanctuarycove.com
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