The main township of Surfers Paradise is not very big and can comfortably be explored on foot. The hub of this city is concentrated around a few streets namely Caville Avenue, Elkhorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise Boulevard and the Esplanade Road nearby.
Surfers Paradise is a fairly modern city with many high-rises and a fantastic network of public transport. The roads are not very wide and thankfully, are usually devoid of traffic congestion.
The Clock Hotel -right in the heart of the city
Surfers Paradise Boulevard where people move about leisurely
Surfers Paradise Boulevard is one of the happening streets as a number of tram stations are located along it.
The busiest corners are found at the pedestrianized half of Caville Avenue. Dozens of restaurants and shops line this stretch which also leads to the main entrance of Surfers Paradise Beach.
SHOPPING
SHOPPING
This city boasts of a number of shopping complexes and malls alongside the smaller shops. Chevron Renaissance Shopping Centre is one of them.
Paradise Centre at Caville Avenue is the largest shopping complex in Surfers Paradise featuring many retail outlets and a big electronic game centre on the first floor.
Whether you are an avid shopper or a die-hard window-shopper, this is the best place to be in Gold Coast. Townships in other districts of Gold Coast are much smaller and do not offer the variety available in Surfers Paradise. Tourists may probably be heading for souvenir shops but many souvenirs available are made in China and some, in Indonesia. Made in Australia souvenirs/products tend to be very expensive.
There are only a few products that interest me and one of them is the Australian nougats. It is not easy to get these in Surfers Paradise but I finally found them at a shop called '88 Australian Trading P/L' and bought 2kg of it. (1kg @AUD29)
This shops sells a lot other foodstuffs and some authentic products. (It is located at Surfers Paradise Blvd very near to Caville Avenue Tram Station).
Walking around you do find interesting shops and shops with outrageous names.
Peeping into this particular one, it does sell a lot of decent things as well.
There are shops that open 25 hours a day!
And there are classic looking ones like this.
There are two Woolworths and one Coles Supermarkets within the vicinity.
I was surprised to see the three wheeled rickshaws. These public transport are apparently not popular as most prefer to walk. To attract attention, the peddlers sometimes dress in eye-popping outfits.
Massage Centres have also sprung up at many corners of the city.
There are quieter roads within easy walking distances to the main hub. Beach Road (above) is one of them.
DINING
DINING
There are endless dining options in Surfers Paradise. Western, Middle-Eastern, Indian and Asian cuisines are readily available. Fast food chains like KFCs, McDonalds, Dominos, Hungry Jack, Pizza Hut etc are available too.
You can get meals below AUD10 in McDonalds, Hungry Jack, Subway and a few fast food chains but none below AUD6. This set meal at Opurto (a Portuguese Fast Food Restaurant), cost AUD10.
There are a number of food courts in the city. This one has multi-cultural cuisines.
This is a food court for Thai and oriental food.
A one dish noodle/rice meal costs about AUD 10-12 in this Asian restaurant.
These are the food we tried at Yum Cha, Chinese Restaurant. It's AUD10.90 each.
Korean food lovers will have ample choices as there are many Korean Restaurants in Surfers Paradise.
Meals like these: Bibimbap or Bulgogi Rice cost about AUD12-15. Sometimes the same meal is cheaper during lunch time.
This Korean BBQ meals costs us around AUD25pp. (AUD50 for two)
Outside a Xian Restaurant waiting for our takeaway to bring for a picnic by the beach.
Tired of eating out? The supermarkets offer a vast variety of foodstuffs which you can buy to prepare your own simple meals. Want to indulge in fine dining? It is also available but be prepared to fork out a lot more.
ATTRACTIONS - (Pay Activities)
Most of Gold Coast's indoor and outdoor attractions (not theme parks) are centred around Surfers Paradise. There are easily a dozen of such attractions which are accessible on foot if you are staying in the vicinity. Among the popular ones are 'Infinity', 'Ripleys' Believe It Or Not', and 'The Haunted House'.
NIGHT LIFE
While many Australian cities I've been to turn sleepy after 6pm, Surfers Paradise remains vibrant and lively until much later.
It feels safe to walk the streets alone at night but it's always good to be cautious.
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