kerikeri

hi all-

i hope you can assist (again).

i love oz but tend to go to the same places whenever i go.

my favorites are: palm cove, manly, sydney (and other burbs on the water).

what do you think of coolangatta compared to those?

what i like is: wandering around and sitting in a cafe near a beach; having a few options for dinner, and feeling safe in case i want to stroll on my own along the seaside either day or night.

is there somewhere else you'd suggest for a 4 day stay? i tend to not like places like cairns proper, that are more city-like, and i don't need an island vacation.

would you say coolangatta is more like manly or cairns, in terms of its feel as a city?

sorry to go on, i wanted to be really specific in hopes of figuring out where i should go.

i am going in may. i have considered broome before, but every time am put off by the remoteness/price of the flight.

kerikeri

where are my manners?
thank you
or is it "ta"?

kerikeri

beryl800

Coolangatta is more Cairns than Manly, and more Miami than either. Look to the Qld north coast, Noosa area north or south. Airlie Beach further north is also possible. Byron Bay also springs to mind. Depending when you are going, have a look at Glenelg, an Adelaide beachside suburb - more a Manly like place. St Kilda in Melbourne has also grown up, and shed its red light image, but again it would have to be summer. An advantage to both Glenelg and St Kilda is that they are only a tram ride from excellent restaurants and other activities in Adelaide/Melbourne, in addition to the local ones.

chimani

Broome is lovely, but I see your point about the cost of the flight. Expensive, eh, unless you are already in Perth.

I know you said you didn't need an island vacation - but have you considered Magnetic Island (fly to Townsville). Has lots going for it.

But isn't remotely like Coolangatta.

Do you actually want to swim/do water activities - or do you just like to BE near the ocean?

Cheers.

kerikeri

thank you both!

i have been to st. kilda. when there the beach was infested with flies. theye were everywhere! but loved the architecture.

i have in the past considered noosa and airlie and will reinvestigate. i think i was confused by the lay out of noosa.

and to answer your question: i always like to dip into the water for a fast swim, which is why i was leaning to those north facing (?) beach options. i am too chicken of sharks to surf.

of airlie, noosa and byron bay, which is most tropical? airlie because it is furthest north?

ta again!

kerikeri

LizzyF

I have to disagree with a previous poster where they say that Coolangatta is like Cairns than Manly and more Miami than either. Coolangatta is the quiet end of the Gold Coast and if you walk up to the Greenmount end of the beach it is really lovely and quiet. It still has the advantages of having many restaurants etc but is without the pace of the Gold Coast per se. Also it is cheaper and easier to get to than say Byron ( Hippy Heaven) or Noosa ( St Kilda's Ladies getaway .
If getting to it is not a problem then perhaps Port Macquarie or Coff's Harbour would be nice as well. I prefer P.M myself as preferably close to the Koala Hospital. There are some really good deals in accommodation around that area in apartment resort hotels. If I could remember the name of the one I have stayed in twice I would tell you - they have koalas hanging out of the trees sometimes at the front of the building where you go to reception.

LizzyF

PS> The last time I was in Airlie Beach I thought that it was pathetic as a destination other than a place to get to the islands from. Nothing opened until after 6pm for a meal and it was really geared to backpackers and/or the 18 - 25 group.

pat_woolford

kerkeri, wouldn't be put off by surf and tiny possibility of sharks, as long as you swim at lifesaver patrolled beaches and swim between the flags. Coolangatta, Sydney, Noosa, Byron Bay all have surfing beaches. Airlie doesn't, its protected by Great Barrier Reef and its not much of a beach anyway. As LizzyF says, its just a jumping-off spot for Whitsundays Islands, but you say you don't need an island vacation.

Airlie Beach/Whitsundays would be the most "tropical" in terms of weather, especially in May, where it'll be cooling off further south. Have you thought of Mission Beach, a couple of hours south of Cairns - beautiful long beach where rainforest comes down to beach in parts with cafes and eateries. No surf and marine stinger season should be finished by May.

kerikeri

thanks again.

i spent some time research accoms today and am pleased that my "read' of airlie as just a stopover town is correct.

i am now realizng that when i wrote coolangatta, i was thinking that someplace called tweeds was near to it and i would be in that general area...maybe i am bad at map reading but does that seem like an ok place?

i have indeed looked into mission beach in the past and the thing that i recall preventing a visit was fear of cassowaries- i think at the time i investigated that option (2001)there was a resort that bragged it had cassowaries on its beach. now, that is very scary to me. if it is untrue i feel foolish.

ok. so byron bay does look a bit fancy if it is just me, but what about that tweeds area?

would flying into one airport in the gold coast and out of another be a very stupid plan?

and thanks for the reminder of mission beach!

kerikeri

LizzyF

Coolangatta and Tweed Heads are beside each other and Tweed Heads is a nice area as is Coolangatta. Down that end of the coast you have a lot of lovely beaches which are much quieter than the other end of the Gold Coast - from one end of the G.C to the other its about 60 klms. The airport for the GC is Coolangatta and Freedom Air goes into Coolangatta - the other International airlines fly into Brisbane - if you are going to Coolangatta from Sydney it is also convenient and cheap if you get a budget airline.

kerikeri

thank you once more.

60ks seems very "doable."

i think i may actually have "a plan" for a few days!

thank you all again!

kerikeri