We had attempted a trip to Gold Coast a month earlier but the tour got canceled. We looked into taking the train there ourselves but there was a track closure that weekend so it just did not pan out. So when the weather forecast called for sun and moderate temperatures, we went for it. We got on the 8:59 express train which was a semi-express. It still stopped at the Brisbane city stops and the Gold Coast city stops but was an express in the center portion of our train trip. Once in the Gold Coast area proper we transferred over to the light rail train to the coast where we stopped at the North Surfers Paradise station. It is easy to see how this area got its name as the waves come in and break at four or five high. We saw more beginners learning how to surf than actual surfers but that may have been the time of day or the fact that it was a week day. We had a nice walk along the beach to the south and saw more and more folks. There were families, dog walkers, swimmers and folks on every type of electric contraption. Watching the beginner surfers learn how to surf was very enjoyable. We stopped for lunch at a nice Thai place and two jet fighters roared by at low altitude. They made quite the racket. We saw many different memorials, one to Vietnam Vets, one to a famous Lifeguard, one to the greats of Australian Surfing and one for Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee where she wanted to encourage the bringing of families together through the activity of walking. After lunch we walked back to the north and the folks thinned out considerably. There was a large excavator with a specialized claw on the front. This claw could scoop up a bucket of sand and then part of it would spin and sift the sand trapping any large stones or debris. We suspect the sand that was getting sifted came from nearby construction sites. At David Evans' Reserve there was a strip of native scrub forest. Here I saw a black-faced cuckoo shrike a very cool looking bird. We were getting a bit salty so we headed back.
The water was very nice
More and more development as we headed south
Lots of condos along the beach
The swimming areas were strictly defined
A beautiful day for a walk
He caught a few good waves
Get that mascot some sunscreen for its nose
Diversity on the beach
The silver gull
A strange gold colored and foamy patch of water moved to the north as we watched it. Perhaps that is why it is called the Gold Coast
Swimmers
All the learners got blue shirts to wear
I don't think they are supposed to drag the surfboards
We have reached the most popular section of the beachfront
A memorial to the greats of Australian surfing
Honoring Marc Occhilupo the oldest world surfing champ at 33 years old
A legend in the lifesaving community
These folks all had matching shirts that said "Dear Santa, I can explain"
Condo canyon
Flags at half mast
What used to be life saving gear
The Kracken!
Yes, another day in paradise
A fine lunch
No shirts required
Mistletoe to smooch under
An impromptu acoustic session
A Friday Afternoon party
Fishing
This condo was so tall that it was throwing shade on the beach by 2 PM
The sifter attachment
Cleaning the sand
Just as we expected
Here here!
The strip of native scrub land
The Cuckoo Shrike
With the black face
Coolangatta way off in the distance
Keep them feets off them seats!
The light rail to take us back
Of course surfboards are allowed on the train
It has been 194 days since we began our Migration
