As I scrolled through the album on my mum’s phone, I came across a beautiful picture of us in Australia. This was a picture of us on Surfers Paradise Beach in Gold Coast (Happy times !). I began to reminisce about our amazing trip to Australia…

When my father finally announced proudly that he had managed to buy tickets to Brisbane, I spent the next two days battering him with questions and squealing excitedly. I spent a lot of time carefully crafting a travel itinerary listing down the places to visit. The next few weeks were spent planning and packing clothes and necessary supplies. As it was a 10-days trip, my mum was extra cautious with her checklist. We had a fairly turbulent flight journey, but I handled it well. We landed in Brisbane and from there we drove to Gold Coast. The entire time, I was staring out of the window , completely bowled over the magnificent panorama. It took us almost an hour to reach Gold Coast.

We had rented an Airbnb and initially I was a little skeptical about it as I had never stayed in an Airbnb before but the moment I entered, I realized how mistaken I was! The apartment had a 360-degree view of the beach, and all my eyes could perceive was the vast turquoise ocean and the glistening white sand. Sunlight filtered in through large floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors, giving the apartment a warm glow. It seemed like a luxurious mansion to me and with the apartment being on the 49^th floor, the view was breathtaking. However, riding the elevator was a bit appalling, with my ears closing and popping open simultaneously. Initially, it felt like I was in a Gondola ride experiencing free fall but later I got used to the not-so-awful elevator.

As we had planned only two and a half days in Gold Coast, I was in a tremendous hurry to visit the beach. So the next day we woke up quite early. That was when I saw the sunrise and I was mesmerized. The yellow hues across the sky and the sunbeams gradually spreading over the white sand and the blue ocean made the entire sight golden. I assume it might be one of the reasons why the city is called Gold Coast.

We spent one complete day in Surfers Paradise. Many adults were surfing with different kinds of surfboards. A few children were on paddleboards and were thoroughly enjoying the activity. Em (my little sister) became busy playing with her sand toys and I enjoyed the waves. There were live performances in the backdrop. It was an electrifying atmosphere. We took a stroll in the vibrant market and my mum did not miss any opportunity to shop. The tram in Gold Coast was another interesting watch, something that I had seen in Kolkata a long time ago.

The next day we visited the “Glow-worm cave” and got an opportunity to learn about the behavior and lifecycle of the glowworms. It was a guided tour which ended quickly so I was a bit disappointed. While driving back, we spotted a waterfall and parked our vehicle. A short, beautiful walk brought us to the Tambourine mountain waterfall. The water was pristine. The view from the waterfall lookout point was jaw-dropping. We captured many memories at this spot.

I was extremely eager to visit the Sea Aquarium and the Wildlife Sanctuary (I dreamt of meeting the cuddly Koalas and kangaroos) but could not, as we had to leave for Noosa the following day. My displeasure was compensated by delectable cuisines, ICE CREAMS, and treasured souvenirs !!!.

Have you ever visited Gold Coast? Share your wondrous encounters in the comments below!

Signing off…