School holidays are a great time to come to the Gold Coast. One thing we try ask parents is, do you really want to be running up to the shops every day to rent out a surfboard, so your children can ride and bring it back before the shop closes in the afternoon. Of course you don’t. A much easier solution is to hire a surfboard for your whole holiday. That way you only have to pay once, the surfboard is there when you need it, the kids can just take it to the beach whenever they want — which means no stress, no crazy daily surf shop rituals and happy children.

You can relax more as you get more time in your holiday when you are not running around hither thither, your kids can enjoy the surf more as they are not constrained by when the shops are open and you save money as long term hire is always cheaper than daily or hourly hire.

View Larger MapImagine lying close-eyed on the sands of a golden beach with the warming rays of the sun gently feathering your body with its kisses. The slight breeze coming across the ocean keeps you from over heating while the sounds of waves breaking in the ocean and children playing joyously nearby, lull you into a blissful doze. You are drifting in and out of a dream-like state where you reflect on the waves of the morning, as earlier today, when the waves were a little bit cleaner, you spent a couple of hours in the ocean catching them. You well and truly got your share in the surf, getting your exercise, your excitement and your sense of achievement all in one hit. What a way to spend a summer holiday, it is as if you have booked a trip to heaven.

The beaches on Australia’s Gold Coast really are a treasure. Stretching from Duranbah in the south (which is actually in the northern part of the state of New South Wales) through to South Stradbroke Island in the north (which is in the south east corner of Queensland), there are miles and miles of sun drenched, golden sanded shores to explore and enjoy. With bike trails, surfboards to hire, Surf Life Saving Clubs and restaurants to visit and conveniences everywhere, it is easy to see why some people never go anywhere else on the Gold Coast, other than to the beach.

So what do you need to know to enjoy our beautiful beaches? It is simple really. From wherever you are now, book a flight and fly into Coolangatta Airport on the Gold Coast. From there, head east. In fact, no matter where you are on the Gold Coast, if you head east you’ll get to the beach. So if you get lost, ask someone which way is east, travel in that direction and soon enough you’ll find yourself.

Life guards and/or lifesavers patrol our beaches all year round, at least between 9am and 5pm. In the holiday months, this is often extended. So if you want to swim somewhere under the safe and diligent eyes of our patrolling life guards and life savers, just look for the patrol areas which are highlighted by the red and yellow flags. Go and have a chat to them too if you are unsure about the conditions in the water. They will tell you everything you need to know from water temperature, to where the rips are, to safety in the water and areas to look out for.

http://www.goldcoastsurfboards.com.au/gold%20coast%20holidays.html Here’s a short video taking you through one of the Gold Coast’s smaller, lesser known attractions, David Fleay’s wildlife park. Its a great thing to do if you only have half a day to spare

I took my family through David Fleay’s wildlife park on one sunny winter afternoon. After a delicious lasagne, we proceded to visit all the wonderful native Australian animals.

http://www.goldcoastsurfboards.com.au/Gold_Coast_Student_Exchange.html If you are coming to Australia’s Gold Coast to study abroad, you must go surfing. Don’t worry about any equipment, we’ll set you up with everything you need when you get here.

Recently the team an Bond Uni Surfing and Social Association came to us as they needed 20 surfboards for an event they were putting on down at Miami Beach on the Gold Coast. We got the surfboards to them, they had an awesome day. This video gives some footage of what went on.

Whether to rent a car while on holidays is a question many ask themselves.  There is no absolute answer to this question, it depends on the destination you are visiting and your holiday agenda.  If you are coming to the Gold Coast though, we strongly recommend you do.  Yes, it is an additional expense, but here are some compelling reasons to support our argument.

• The return trip in a taxi from the Gold Coast Airport to Surfers Paradise will cost you the equivalent of 4 days car hire
• The Gold Coast covers 1402 square kilometers.  There is plenty to see throughout this area.  Its a wonderland which deserves to be explored.
• There are 70kms of beaches on the Gold Coast.  This is particularly pertinent for surfers as, if the swell is big, you’ll want to hit the southern points, if its small you’ll want to hit the northern swell magnets.  If you want the best waves on the Gold Coast, you will need to travel.
• Most of the theme parks are 20kms north of Surfers Paradise.
• Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo is over 150kms north of Surfers Paradise
• Byron Bay is 90kms south of Surfers Paradise

So you see in that very short, exclusive (Ie. there is so much more to do outside that list – I could write all day) list, distances are a fact of life on the Gold Coast.  If you want to get around and get the most from your trip, rent a car.  We have recommended our favorite operators on this page on our website: http://www.goldcoastsurfboards.com.au/car_rentals.htm

The team at Gold Coast Surfboards would like to offer congratulations to Gold Coast local Stephanie Gilmour for winning the 2008 women WCT title, for her second straight year.  Great work Steph and good luck with your 2009 campaign

So you’ve got a cheap flight, and sorted out your accommodation at a discount, what do you do once you are here, to ensure you don’t blow 12 months spending money. 

Naturally, you should start with the Gold Coast beaches.  In fact, you can spend your whole holiday on our beach, and not spend a cent more than you would back at home.  And for such a holiday you’d probably return home fit, happy, tanned and relaxed.  If you don’t mind spending just a few dollars, at a reasonable rate you can hire a surfboard off us that suits your ability, and turn your holiday into a surf trip. 

Research the suburb you are in before you go.  The Gold Coast calendar is packed with free entertainment, from music festivals, to local markets, sporting events and fine food carnivals.  Most of these events show off the talent of the local producers and artists, so they are definately worth checking out.

If you have access to a car, try the hinterland.  The tamborine and lamington mountains are close and packed with wineries, retreats and natural wonders.  They are definately worth a day trip.

I hope that gives you some ideas.  You can definately do the Gold Coast this year, even if money is a bit tighter

Well, the surf is definately down this week.  Its less than a foot.  The good thing about this though is that its given me an extra hour a day to think about the information I am going to add to the site this month.  Given rising interest rates, petrol prices, rents etc, I have the perfect topic.

What I thought I’d do this month is put together some information about making a Gold Coast holiday CHEAP.  How do you get here and have a ball on a budget.  I’ll look at accommodation, flights, surfboard rentals (of coarse) and other attractions.  So stay tuned.

My girlfriend recently took me, her mother and ther sister to the Australian Outback Spectacular theatre restaurant. This to my mind, is undoubtebtedly the best show the Gold Coast has to offer, in the theatre restaurant type of venue.

I wrote a quick review of the evening at the following link: Gold Coast Attractions: Australian Outback Spectacular

One of the things we really like doing at Gold Coast Surfboards, is visiting the array of tourist attractions on the Gold Coast and reviewing them based on our experiences.  That way, you can plan your next trip a bit easier, based on real life experiences up here.  Recently I took my parents to a place one of my clients raved about, Tropical Fruit World.  I must admit, I was a bit dubious about this excursion, which is why I took my parents and not my mates.  But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the day, it was well worth the trip to Duranbah on the Goldy’s south.  Here is our review: Gold Coast Attractions – Tropical Fruit World