Tastes of Culture

This morning I had to rise from bed and head down to Coolangatta Beach. A surfboard rental client of mine was getting an early start on the day and needed a minimal and a short board scooped before checking out. So I went to do just that, getting to Cooly just before 7am.

On the Australian Gold Coast, Coolangatta is roughly a 30 minute drive headed south out of Surfer’s Paradise, both places being world-renowned thanks to the impressive surf conditions they present. Surfer’s Paradise, located at the northern tip really does have some of the most spectacular of the Goldy’s beach breaks thanks to the shifting sand-based ocean floor, which gives a lot of swell.

Coolangatta on the other hand is at the south end of the Goldy is more famous for the world class point breaks of Snapper Rocks, Greenmount and Kirra. These points, though not able to pick up as much swell as the northern beaches, definitely host the best waves of the area. On their given day, the waves can bend endlessly around the points. A surfer can kick off a wave due to fatigue rather than the wave ending.

That’s not the case this morning however. Upon arrival, the waves stood at less than one foot tall and nice and clean, though without a hint of wind. Having scooped the surfboard rentals I stopped in for a bite to eat at a pleasant little cafe with the idea of observing what our beaches are like when there is no surfing to be done.

It didn’t take me long at all to realize just why the Australian Gold Coast, in the northern Queensland state, is among the most frequented beach destinations on the planet. At little past 7 o’clock in the morning the beach front is already thriving with activity; for sure, 24 water helps a lot just as the 26 air temperature does–who wouldn’t be inclined to spend a day on the beach in those conditions?

A few Polynesian-style surfers are out on the water–the stand-up paddling kind–with some longboarders, too. Folks are already taking a dip close to shore between the flag markers, catching tiny breakers that wash right up to the beach.

Coolangatta is graced with an impressive 50 meters of perfectly golden sand as the average beach width, the perfect scenario for the many women working on their tans in their bikinis (even at a little past 7 in the morning!). Comically, I find that the ones out tanning so early are usually the ones wrapping up their vacation, desperate to reach that next shade of bronze before going back to the office job at home.

Other morning activities to be observed are being carried out by the several groups of folks enjoying the running and bike paths that are neatly cut out of the park pastures, where health-conscious people do exercise routines. Also, many simply stop for a minute to observe the whales way out in the ocean splashing and frolicking along their migration route.

All of this passes before my eyes and ears as I enjoy my latte and eggs benedict which a charming waitress has served me. As one of the locals here, it’s such a privilege to be able to constantly enjoy such scenarios–which others fly from the other side of the planet to take in. Hopefully you’ll become one of those many visitors to our area, as there is really no better place to go!

Damian Papworth understands that with holidays in the sun, with warm water, golden sand and sun drenched days, nothing beats the Queensland Gold Coast. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service