A Vacation Guide to Queensland, Australia
Queensland is a state located in the in the north east section of Australia. What I like about it is that it includes a bit of everything. Outback? It’s there. Rain forest? It’s there. City life? It’s there. Beaches and breathtaking sunsets? Plenty of them. The capitol of Queensland is the city of Brisbane where you can always find something to do.
The cities of Gold Coast and Surfer’s Paradise are located about 1 hour south of Brisbane. There you will find fun parks such as “Warner Brother’s Movie World” A fun park centered around Warner Bros. cartoons and movies. “Dreamworld”. Roller coasters, big drop, and you can even have your picture taken while holding a live Koala bear. (they’re so soft) Dream world has it all. “Wet and Wild”. Great summer fun in this water park and “Sea World”. Not just Killer Wales, Dolphins, and polar bears but fun rides too. All of these parks are located within a few miles of one another. “Movie World”, “Dream World” and “Wet and Wild” are all located within 1 1/2 miles of one another. Fees for these places are never cheap anywhere but you can always save money when going during the week as opposed to weekends. The city of Gold Coast merges into the city of Surfer’s Paradise. They are pretty much considered the same city. There you’ll find plenty of beaches and night life.
You’ll find accomodations at places like Marriott for example CONSIDDERABLY cheaper than you’ll find in the USA. In 2001 for example, myself and a friend stayed at a Courtyard Marriott overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the 28th floor. A King Sized bed and spa bath for about $60 US dollars a night and that was the regular price and on a WEEKEND.
In northern Queensland you’ll find Noosa Heads. Noosa Heads is a beach community with breathtaking views and the town has a nice country feel to it. If you want a beach that isn’t very crowded like in Surfer’s Paradise, Noosa Heads is for you.
About 30 min from the Gold Coast is an area known as the “Gold Coast Hinterland”. In this area, you’ll find a rich rain forest and breathtaking views and sunsets. Among the rain forest are several small and quaint mountain towns such as “Tambourine Mountain” which contains the towns of “North Tambourine”, “Eagle Heights” and “O’Reily Park”. These towns have a very quaint atmosphere that is reminiscent of the old days and are surrounded by rain forest. About 5 different species of wild parrots are a common sight and in some areas will eat from your hand. Look out for Kangaroos while driving, it’s very likely that you’ll see them around and about.
Be leery of snakes and keep and eye out. The locals will tell you that if you see a snake, just assume that it’s poisonous and you can’t go wrong. Fact is that most snakes in Australia are poisonous.
One difference you’ll note between Australia and the USA are the PEOPLE. People are genuinely NICE down under. The cities are clean and you don’t see homeless. In my own experience, I was there on 9/11/01 and STRANGERS who heard my American accent walked up to me and gave me a hug. Lovely people over there.
Queensland is an excellent choice for an Australian vacation. A bit of something for everyone to enjoy. The hardest part about visiting Queensland is having to leave.
