surfers paradise

At last, after over twenty hours of travel, I reached sunny Brisbane, Australia.

Getting through customs and baggage claim was surprisingly easy (and quick), and I knew I was in the right place as soon as the smiling customs agent wished me a "G'day" and "welcome to Australia!" I had never had an Official Passport Stamper be so friendly with me. (Usually they treat me like I'm a plague carrying drug mule.)

I found my friend at the airport, and we recognized each other instantly, despite the seven years that had passed without seeing one another.

My first day in Australia really began when we left the airport. We sailed down the highway towards the delightfully touristy Surfers Paradise, which is basically a small version of Miami, Florida. (There is, in fact, a Miami on the Gold Coast of Australia, but that's a different story.)

Surfers Paradise is one of those towns that tourists flock to, despite having nothing to do with the 'real' Australia. It's full of high rises, expensive hotels, Japanese families carrying camcorders, and yes, surfers. It is also located alongside a very nice beach, which is probably the main reason it appeals to so many visitors.

There are a lot of fun things to do in town, especially if you are in your teens and twenties. The legal drinking age in Australia is 18, and there are plenty of bars and 'bottle shops' (liquor stores) in the area. This fact, of course, makes Surfers party central. One word of warning, however: liquor is horrendously expensive in Oz. I'm including imported beer under this category as well. Expect to pay upwards of $40 for a bottle of Bacardi, which is a ridiculous sum of money when compared to what one pays in the States. A bit of a damper on the party spirit, but no one can keep a good Aussie (or American tourist) down.

There are plenty of places to shop, as well. Surfers is a black hole for cash. Most of the stores tend to be overpriced and cater to tourists. There are also some surprisingly upscale places with designer merchandise aimed at the rich folks who stay at the $600 a night hotels that dot the beach.

I did manage to find the mother ship of all souvenir stands. Two stories of junk shopping heaven, the upper story was a shady smoke shop and the bottom was home to piles upon piles of junk. I stocked up on 5-for-$1 postcards, $6 mugs and eyed the tiny Aussie flags, kangaroo toys, plastic boomerangs and towels emblazoned with the naked bosoms of Australian women. I have no idea what the place was called, but it was next to a mall. If you ever go, try to find it. It has the best souvenir deals of anywhere I saw in Aussie.

Surfers Paradise was also the place where I experienced my first taste of the perennial Aussie fast food favorite, Red Rooster. Red Rooster is famous for its chicken, although it also serves a decent fish n' chips selection. Good old R.R. soon became a budget dining go-to of mine, and I came to really love their golden chips (fries), chicken sandwiches and fried fish.

I had expected Surfers Paradise to be tackier than it was, based on the Lonely Planet's Guide rather grim take on the town. However, I actually really liked it, and found the party atmosphere to be quite fun. The beach was beautiful, and the water was warm, clear and impossibly turquoise. There was also a lovely boardwalk alongside the beach.

The public toilets there are hilarious, by the way. You enter in to a concrete enclosed single toilet stall, and are locked in by some sort of automated machine. It scolds you if you don't urinate fast enough, and then you have to fiddle around with the controls forever in order to get the doors to open again.
You then emerge again in to the bright sunshine, blinking and confused, and watch as the next person in line struggles with the tempermental toilet stall.

My only bummer about Surfers was that I didn't get to meet one of the famed Meter Maids. The Meter Maids are scantily dressed young women who walk around and feed parking meters. They are the opposite of the police -- their sole job is to make sure people don't get parking tickets. I hear they wear next to nothing and are famous in Aussie, but alas, I didn't get to have a photo-op one.

In my next post I'll put up some photos of the area, so that you can see exactly what I'm talking about when I refer to it as 'Little Miami.' It has everything you would expect in that city -- tanned, skinny people, beautiful beaches, gorgeous high rises, palm trees -- except, perhaps, a large Cuban population.

That said, Surfers Paradise is all eye candy and a good time. It's a frivolous place and not at all a reflection of the true Aussie spirit. I would recommend a one or two day visit, but not a long term stay. There are beaches that are equally nice on the Gold Coast, far less crowded, and unknown to tourists. Hit up those spots instead, but only if you want a flavor of real Aussie beach-bum life and not a touristy good time.