Gold Coast Area
Dec 16th, 2003, 10:04 AM
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Gold Coast Area
Any suggestions for accommodations in the Gold Coast area? We will be arriving in Brisbane on Jan 10 2004 and will be in the area 7 days. Would like a central location (Noosa?) to explore from. Also, any special "tours" suggested?
Dec 16th, 2003, 02:14 PM
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Hi, dobie45!
Will you have a car? One of our "regulars" on this site, Janese, will tell you all about a B&B at nearby Mt Tambourine -- in my opinion, a MUCH nicer idea than the Gold Coast, where there are hundreds of hotels and motels, all equally characterless (which could well sum up the Gold Coast). At least, prices are pretty low along the highway -- and righly so!
Will you have a car? One of our "regulars" on this site, Janese, will tell you all about a B&B at nearby Mt Tambourine -- in my opinion, a MUCH nicer idea than the Gold Coast, where there are hundreds of hotels and motels, all equally characterless (which could well sum up the Gold Coast). At least, prices are pretty low along the highway -- and righly so!
Dec 16th, 2003, 03:21 PM
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I'm by no means an expert - we'll be making our first visit to that area in April. I think that Noosa would be considered the Sunshine Coast, not the Gold Coast. It's north of Brisbane, whereas the Gold Coast is south. We're dividing our time between Noosa and Byron Bay (which is south of the Gold Coast, I believe).
Dec 17th, 2003, 05:19 AM
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You're right - I meant the Sunshine Coast. We plan to stay in/near Noosa. Does Janese have any good suggestions? We probably will rent a car for a day or two and would like to stay near the beach - A 3*-4* would be acceptable. We'll be winding down and would like a day or two of R&R before heading back to the rat race.
Dec 17th, 2003, 12:42 PM
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Personally I don't like Noosa - I was there last week visiting a friend and the beach was dreadful, slimy green algae, seaweed and murky. It regularly gets washed away and is not much of a beach at the best of times. Parking in Noosa is disgusting and all in all I can think of 100 better and cheaper places to stay than there.
Noosa is not central because it is at the very top end of the Sunshine Coast and the furtherest away from Brisbane. Getting to and from there is a pain even if you have a car.
If its the Sunshine Coast you are wanting to be in/on then I would be staying in and around Mooloolaba/Alexandra Headlands which really is central.
If you are after quiet beaches then I would be going to Golden Beach at Caloundra.
Alan always buckets the Gold Coast because he has never come up here and asked me to show him around to those places that are the jewels in the crown of the Gold Coast because the GC is not just beaches and tourist strips. No one who lives here would ever dream of driving down the "strip" any more than people who live in Las Vegas spend all their time along the "strip" there - unless they are gamblers that is.
Let me know if its the Gold Coast you are staying in or the Sunshine Coast - one is north of Brisbane and the other south of Brisbane as Susan of Toronto rightly says.
Noosa is not central because it is at the very top end of the Sunshine Coast and the furtherest away from Brisbane. Getting to and from there is a pain even if you have a car.
If its the Sunshine Coast you are wanting to be in/on then I would be staying in and around Mooloolaba/Alexandra Headlands which really is central.
If you are after quiet beaches then I would be going to Golden Beach at Caloundra.
Alan always buckets the Gold Coast because he has never come up here and asked me to show him around to those places that are the jewels in the crown of the Gold Coast because the GC is not just beaches and tourist strips. No one who lives here would ever dream of driving down the "strip" any more than people who live in Las Vegas spend all their time along the "strip" there - unless they are gamblers that is.
Let me know if its the Gold Coast you are staying in or the Sunshine Coast - one is north of Brisbane and the other south of Brisbane as Susan of Toronto rightly says.
Dec 18th, 2003, 03:13 AM
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Janese, there is only one "jewel in the crown" of the Gold Coast, and that is a woman, of whom you may have heard, named LizF. I don't retract my statement about the coast, but I did, when re-reading my first post, worry a little that it may have sounded anbiguous, because of a badly placed relative pronoun. The Mt Tambourine area is ceratinly NOT characterless!
Dec 18th, 2003, 12:11 PM
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And a Merry Christmas to you too Alan ( and all you lot on Fodors the Famous & Fabulous )
I do challange you to come up here and be surprised at where I would take you and your family. Now don't get me wrong here, it would only be to the best of places! LizF - I have no idea why I can't write under LizF anymore - it is a mystery to me.
I do challange you to come up here and be surprised at where I would take you and your family. Now don't get me wrong here, it would only be to the best of places! LizF - I have no idea why I can't write under LizF anymore - it is a mystery to me.
Dec 23rd, 2003, 05:24 PM
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How are your travel plans going dobie 45?
I live in Burleigh Heads which is pretty much the geographic centre of the Gold Coast and widely considered to be the most attractive part. Make sure you stop here at least and take a walk around the headland, watch the surfers, take the path to the top if you're energetic enough for a great view to the south.
If you are arriving in Brisbane I think you should start by taking a hotel there to get your bearings. Have a look at Wotif.com for this region http://www.wotif.com/Search.jsp?region=11 and you'll see there are some good quality hotels looking for your business at reasonable rates. Brisbane is central to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, about 140km (87 miles) from Noosa which would be at the Northern extremity of your travel horizon and 180Km (112 miles) south to Byron Bay via the Gold Coast.
Brisbane may have its detractors for lacking some of the sophistication of Melbourne and Sydney, but it does have some lovely riverside locations for dining and depending what currency you are bringing with you, your shopping dollar should go a long way. I think you would enjoy one or two nights in Brisbane in transit to other parts of the area.
Clearly Janese is not an admirer of Noosa but I can say that despite already living in a beachside holiday town, Noosa is often my choice for a domestic holiday. I have experienced the seaweed problems Janese mentioned but these are very isolated instances and 99% of the time the beach is lovely with a gentle surf very suitable for those not used to exposed ocean swimming. There is also a National Park on the Noosa headland with great walking tracks and if you're lucky you might see a koala in the wild.There are a wide range of accomodation options within walking distance of the beach - particular along Noosa Parade with outlooks over Noosa River. Parking isn't an issue if you park your car at your accomodation and walk. You're not likely to have to walk more than 1 km in any direction and it is mostly flat. Janese is right about Mooloolaba, which you can visit as you travel south on your return to Brisbane. Make sure you have a beer at the Mooloolaba Surf Live Saving Club.
This is part of the world which you can really explore by yourself. I'd spend the money budgeted for tours on car hire. Do it by the seat of your pants - ask the locals, they'll be delighted to recommend the best parts. We're all proud of where we live.
I hope there's something in my spiel above that you can use. If you haven't already locked in your itinerary I'llbe happy to reply to any queries or direct you to specific accomodation options, destinations etc.
Have a great time.
I live in Burleigh Heads which is pretty much the geographic centre of the Gold Coast and widely considered to be the most attractive part. Make sure you stop here at least and take a walk around the headland, watch the surfers, take the path to the top if you're energetic enough for a great view to the south.
If you are arriving in Brisbane I think you should start by taking a hotel there to get your bearings. Have a look at Wotif.com for this region http://www.wotif.com/Search.jsp?region=11 and you'll see there are some good quality hotels looking for your business at reasonable rates. Brisbane is central to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, about 140km (87 miles) from Noosa which would be at the Northern extremity of your travel horizon and 180Km (112 miles) south to Byron Bay via the Gold Coast.
Brisbane may have its detractors for lacking some of the sophistication of Melbourne and Sydney, but it does have some lovely riverside locations for dining and depending what currency you are bringing with you, your shopping dollar should go a long way. I think you would enjoy one or two nights in Brisbane in transit to other parts of the area.
Clearly Janese is not an admirer of Noosa but I can say that despite already living in a beachside holiday town, Noosa is often my choice for a domestic holiday. I have experienced the seaweed problems Janese mentioned but these are very isolated instances and 99% of the time the beach is lovely with a gentle surf very suitable for those not used to exposed ocean swimming. There is also a National Park on the Noosa headland with great walking tracks and if you're lucky you might see a koala in the wild.There are a wide range of accomodation options within walking distance of the beach - particular along Noosa Parade with outlooks over Noosa River. Parking isn't an issue if you park your car at your accomodation and walk. You're not likely to have to walk more than 1 km in any direction and it is mostly flat. Janese is right about Mooloolaba, which you can visit as you travel south on your return to Brisbane. Make sure you have a beer at the Mooloolaba Surf Live Saving Club.
This is part of the world which you can really explore by yourself. I'd spend the money budgeted for tours on car hire. Do it by the seat of your pants - ask the locals, they'll be delighted to recommend the best parts. We're all proud of where we live.
I hope there's something in my spiel above that you can use. If you haven't already locked in your itinerary I'llbe happy to reply to any queries or direct you to specific accomodation options, destinations etc.
Have a great time.
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