Alluring Australia

1. What country and city did you travel to?
Whilst in Australia, I visited the Gold Coast.

2. What time of the year did you travel?
I travelled early Feburary in order to go during the summer season and also when the schools went back.

3. Where did you stay?
Stayed at the Watermark Hotel and Spa Gold Coast in Surfers Paradise. It is conveniently located to everything, practically a 5 minute walk to all facilities.

4. What was your favourite location?
It would have to be in the heart of Surfers Paradise near the boulevard. The reason why i found it so enjoyable was that there was always something to do for everyone. For instance if you felt like having a quiet one you could check out the beach markets and the amazing sand creations or if you wanted to have a big weekend you could go on a pub/club crawl... you need to try it at least once! Below is a photo of the start of the first club we went to that night, depending how much you want to party will determine how good you will feel the next morning....





5. What was your favourite activity?
My favourite activity was at the theme parks in the Gold Coast. Before we left to go to Queensland we organised to have our tickets pre-purchased which saved us a lot of time instead of waiting in the long queues. They always have pretty good deals going to the parks like a 3 park pass etc. When we went there we got the vip pass which cost just under $100 and we had unlimited entry into Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild Water World till middle of June that year. If you had to pick one park to see, i hands down would say go to Wet n Wild Water World.




6. Name a song that framed your trip?
This song will be a constant reminder of the fun, good and memorable times of me and my closest friend in Queensland. "Wiz Khalifa and Snopp Dogg- Young, Wild and Free". If you want to check out the song, the link is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa5B22KAkEk

7. List the 5 words you need to know in that country?
Since everyone in Australia speaks english, you wont need to worry about a language issue but depending on where you go, people may tend to use a bit of slang. So i've included some common slang words used in Australia.

-Budgie Smugglers= most commonly known as a speedo style swimwear for guys
-Mate= can be actually anyone you know ( instead of using their name)
-G'day= hi
-Crikey= surprised at something ( good/bad)
-Hoo Roo= bye

8. Words of Warning
Two important things to know when traveling to the gold coast is choosing the time to go. Depending on the type of holiday you want to have, timing is very key for instance if you want to have a child free holiday avoid school holidays and schoolies week, which runs roughly through end of november till middle December. Another thing to be careful about is the beaches and to make sure to swim between the red and yellow flags.

9. List 3 essential clothing items
-BeachTowel
-Thongs
-Swimmers/Togs

10. List 3 essential personal items
-Sunscreen to protect yourself in the hot weather
-Insect Repellent, the insect are pretty intense in Qld so make sure to keep a good supply of insect repellent.
- Waterproof Camera to capture all the memories

11. Currency convertor
Currency used is AUD.

12. Name one thing that is highly recommended by you which is great value for money.
Go and enjoy the picturesque view of the beaches which is so cheap to do and is conveniently located to most of the hotels/resorts in surfers.

13. Traditional food that you recommend to try
Because the gold coast is visited by so many thousands of visitors every year, the type of food you experience is so diverse for instance it could range from fish and chips by the beach or a steak and veggies in the local pub. My ultimate favourite place to check out again would have to be Vapiano italian restaurant, their food was so good and fresh because they make it directly in front of you when you order.

14. Something to push your boundaries
If you aren't afraid of heights and want an extreme thrill experience, make sure to check out the superman escape ride in movie world. It literally is an exhilarating experience and reaches speeds of 100km/h in 2 SECONDS!!! Make sure to hold on tight, because the ride does goes through some very enduring drops.



Written specially for you by Toula :)
Love,

The Travel Buggers