The Gold Coast ...

After visiting Sunnybank and meeting with Brenda Parkes, we were officially finished with all of the work we had scheduled for the trip. We had one full day to max, relax and be tourists before going to yet another airport to catch our final flights back to Japan. We decided to spend some time as a large group and we all boarded the train in Brisbane to head to the Gold Coast.

"The Gold Coast is a city and local government area in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state and the sixth most populous city in the country. Gold Coast City is renowned for its sunny subtropical climate, popular surfing beaches, expansive waterway and canal systems, a skyline dominated by high-rise apartment buildings, active nightlife and wide variety of tourist attractions."



After a couple hours on the train we arrived at our stop and headed directly to the beach known as Surfer's Paradise. It was absolutely beautiful. I love the beach anyway, but there were so many amazing things about this beach. First of all, there were surfer's galore. Second, the water, the sand, the waves ... everything was perfect. Third, I just kept thinking, 'So, this is winter on the Gold Coast, eh?' I was also thinking, 'Hmm ... I wonder if there are any apartments for rent around here.' :)

We all kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants & headed straight for the water:

すごい：

Some of the most amazing Japanese people I know:

ゆみ、みわ、　と　たら：

(otherwise known as Yumi, Miwa & Tara)

Look how happy we are!!:

It was a tad windy, but nothing like an Iowa winter:

And then we wrote our names in the sand because that's what you do when you're on the beach. I've written my name in the sand on beaches all over this globe & I plan on doing so many more times.

アースツライヤ (in Katakana):

We spent most of our time at the beach and then we walked around the city and it kind of reminded me of when I was in Venice Beach CA a few years ago. The scene was relaxed, everyone was chill, surfer's were wandering around with their boards & the whole vibe was just so good. It was also Harley Bike Week so we watched the bikes for a little while and for a minute I really missed my dad & when we used to go riding together.

We met back up with some of the group and decided to head to the Q1 building (where there's not a tower, there's a tall observation building... lucky me). "Since the opening of the worlds highest residential tower in 2005, the Q1 building has been a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. It is the second highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere after the Eureka Tower in Melbourne. The observation deck at level 77 is the highest of its kind in Queensland and offers expansive views in all directions, from Brisbane to Byron Bay. It towers over the Surfers Paradise skyline, with the observation deck 230 metres high, and the spire extending nearly another hundred metres up. In total, the Q1 is 322.5 metres high."

I can imagine it's not cheap to live here:

The view from the top:

So far away from home ...Kazuyo, me, Daniel & Dori ... loving our lives:
I am an unbelievably lucky girl:

We grabbed food, ate some ice cream, mingled with some locals, and got one last glimpse on the beach before heading back to Brisbane on the train. Honestly, I can't think of anything better that we could have done on our day off. The Gold Coast was perfect.

I still don't know what this means ... Anyone Australian want to help me out?

Bernie? Ames? Steve? ...

One last fun filled evening to go before the Australia blogs are finished ... Wow this has taken me forever!!

much love

-tara-

xx