Gold Coast Tour Day 1

It's another long drive - 990 kilometers from Sydney to Gold Coast. This time I brought only one book - E. Annie Proulx' The Shipping News. Seen the movie, but didn't like it. I'm pretty sure the book would be better. The committee who gave out the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction can't be wrong.

First stop we made is at Coffs Harbour, 565 kilometres north of Sydney and 450 kilometres south of Brisbane. I don't know about you but the only thing I know about Coff's Harbour is The Big Banana and whale-watching. I didn't get to see the whales, but The Big Banana is still there. How big is it? 11 metres long, 5 metres high, and 2.4 metres wide. There's also a souvenir shop nearby, the Cockatoo Cafe, a half-kilometer toboggan ride, an ice-skating rink, etc. While everyone is busy buying trinkets, I took a walk along the Big Banana Skywalk through the banana plantation, which gives a nice view of the place in general and parts of the Pacific coastline.

Stopped for lunch at McDonald's Port Macquarie. I believe this is one of first few Maccas with the new store design being rolled out globally. Gone are the bright red-and-yellow signages in favor of muted, earthy colors. The staff uniform is also different, and there are more common tables and benches to maximize space. Next stop is Ballina. It is located 753kms north of Sydney, and is known for two things - sugar cane plantations and another "big thing" - the Big Prawn.

It was already nightfall when we got to Gold Coast. Stopped at Victoria Square for a quick dinner at Ming Palace. From there, it's a quick drive to our hotel for the night, the International Beach Resort. The room and facilities are nothing to write home about, but its location is wonderful. Cross the Esplanade in front of it, and you're already on the beach. Since it's already dark, my brother and I went to the Adrenalin Park instead. If you're young and reckless and with money to burn, this is the place for you. There's the SkyDiver where riders are suited up in a harness, hooked up to a tow cable, pulled back, winched to a height of 60 meters, then released. The ad says 0 to 100kph in 1.3 seconds. There's the Slingshot, which throws passengers up into the air at speeds of 160kph. Instead of rubber ropes or bungee cords, the machine uses computer-controlled springs, which means this ride is pretty safe. Then there's the Vomatron. Imagine a 40m-long bar with two passengers on each end. The machine swings them round and round like a Ferris wheel. Nice? Try 120kph. The rides are very expensive - from A$30 to A$90 per ride. You get a huge discount if you opt for a second ride immediately after. Want a video of yourself screaming yourself silly? Pay some more.