The Unforgettable Australian Gold Coast
The eastern coast of Australia is home to some of the most pristine and gorgeous tracts of land on the planet, graced with spectacular beaches and looming ridges that dazzle visitors to these shores. The most popular-and for good reason-of all the wonderful destinations along Australia's Pacific coast would have to be Gold Coast City and the broader Gold Coast area.
This strip of beautiful shoreline and hinterland is situated in the southeastern corner of the state of Queensland, and happens to be located a relatively quick drive south of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is the biggest city in the country among the non-capital cities, and this is in large part due to the tremendous rate of growth of the tourism sector in the Gold Coast.
One of the most stunning attributes of the Gold Coast is the subtle yet excellent fusion of modern, urban life with pristine natural surroundings, achieved in such a way that few if any other places in the world can claim. The center of town and the most developed area is the narrow stretch of city located right on the waterfront, and there are plenty of high-rise apartment condos and many more features of a modern cityscape; then, there are natural spaces located a little farther inland such as the pristine and biodiverse rainforest and many remote beach areas that are fodder for backpackers, nature lovers, and anybody looking to get back in touch with the great outdoors.
A truly remarkable quality of this area is its winding grid of man-made canals and waterways, which were built as a way to ease development in what was historically a low-lying marshy area. In their totality, these canals stretch out over a distance that is over nine times longer than the world-famous canals of Venice, which is a fair amount of waterways when you think about it. One of the benefits of this feautre has been that lots of properties are located on the waterfront even if they are not right on the beach, and this has helped boost the Gold Coast's allure.
The Gold Coast is ultimately known as one of the best surf destinations in the country, and in the world for that matter. The surf breaks of greatest renown along the Gold Coast's roughly 35 miles of beaches would have to include Kirra, Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, and Palm Beach, among others. Here, the perfect wave is always just about to roll in.
Given the excellent beach conditions and the temptation to take a dip experienced by everybody, there is a professional and extremely competent Shark Control Program carried out by the state government, and it is credited with sparing beachgoers from shark attacks since the late 1950s...an eternity! Under the watchful gaze of these professionals, tourists and locals alike can take a dip without cause for concern.
Some of the most recognizable places in the Gold Coast are the Q1 building, a soaring tower with an observing deck that is only beaten out in height by one other tower (also in Australia) in all of the southern hemisphere, at about 754 feet tall. Then there is the beauty of Lamington Park, which figures on the World Heritage Site list compiled by the United Nations because of the ecological diversity and spectacular natural vistas. Finally, just about evey beach along the entire length of the Gold Coast-it ought to go without saying-is on its own a landmark worthy of recognition.
All in all, the Gold Coast has plenty to offer people of all tastes-a fact that is well attested to by the 10 million visitors that come to this corner of Queensland every year. The fact that a majority of those people are themselves Australian is further proof of the fact that this is one of the most naturally pleasing and rewarding landscapes in the vast and intriguing country/continent of Australia.
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