Taking a surfing lesson in the concrete jungle of the Gold Coast

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Day 197: Monday 12th January - Taking a surf lesson

I leave Byron Bay this morning at 8:30am catching the bus up to the Gold Coast. My itinerary says I’ll be arriving in Surfers paradise at 9:10am, so I’m expecting a really short journey but I didn’t realise that time in Queensland is an hour behind New South Wales. I get a free transfer to my hostel on arrival at Surfers Paradise. It’s a good job I do get a transfer as its 4km to my hostel - I’m right on the edge of the city here, further out than I realised. This turns out to be one of the things I don’t like about my stay at Surfers Paradise. I can’t check in until 1pm so I drop my bags in storage and head down to the marina behind the hostel to check out the cost of going on a jetski safari. They can keep their safari.....$320 (£150) for a two hour safari, that’s daylight robbery. It sounds great as you get to go all the way up to the southern tip of North Stradbroke Island through inland waterways but I’m not that crazy about doing it, certainly not at that price. Instead, I book on to a surf lesson. Being in Australia you have to have a go at surfing at least once as it’s so integrated into their beach culture. It’s either here or Noosa as once I get further north in Queensland the surf disappears due to the Great Barrier Reef. At least so I’ve been told....what would I know about surfing??!!

My lesson is at 2pm so that gives me a few hours to kill. I can’t get in my room and being sunburnt the beach doesn’t appeal so I spend it updating my blog. By the end of today I’ll have caught up on the three weeks I let it slip. I’ll try my best not to let that happen again as it’s a chore when you get so far behind and you struggle to remember everything you did.

The surf lesson is fun but I don’t think I’ll try it again. I manage to stand up but I’m not in control as I do so. It’s hard, really hard and it’s also quite tiring for a beginner trying to catch a wave and being dumped on your backside more often than not. I can’t see me ever taking the required number of lessons to get any good and even then I don’t know if I have the patience to sit in the water waiting to catch a wave. Glad I gave it a try though...even though I don’t think I’ve ever swallowed as much sea water! I have an hour before the complimentary bus from the hostel will pick me up so I get some grocery shopping as the amenities around the hostel are somewhat lacking. I’ve also decided already that I’m not a fan of the Gold Coast. It is over-commercialised, full of shopping malls, agencies pushing real estate, skyscrapers etc. This is not what a beach resort should be like, it has more in common with Benidorm or Miami than anything. This is a fast-paced city rather than a laid-back beach town like Byron Bay.

Despite the supposedly good nightlife on hand just down the road I decide to stay in tonight. I’m still feeling uncomfortable from my sunburn and tired after my surfing exploits so I have a quiet night instead.

Day 198: Tuesday 13th January - Get me out of the gold coast

My sunburn is no better so going to the water park is a no go. Chill out in the hostel in the morning before heading into the city to post some stuff home. I also finally get my Fraser Island and Whitsunday Islands trips sorted after spending the last few days trying to work it out. There are so many options it’s been doing my head in. That done, I wander around the shopping malls until I can get my free bus home in two hours. I buy some thongs (flip flops) as my others are on the way out. The shopping malls are otherwise rather disappointing and the time drags until I can get my free bus. Whilst waiting for it I realise I’ve managed to lose my sunglasses case - this just tops off a frustrating afternoon.

My evening is spent chatting to some Swiss guys and Argentinian girls. I have the opportunity to sample the nightlife on the Gold Coast with another group from the hostel that are going out but I can’t be bothered. Surfers Paradise is one of those places I don’t like, and I am looking forward to leaving tomorrow. The place has no vibe, no soul and is exactly what I wouldn’t want in a beach resort. Okay my hostel wasn’t in the centre of the action, but I’m not sure that mattered. I guess it was a relaxing couple of days if nothing else. Everyone who said stay longer in Byron Bay and miss out Surfers Paradise out was right.

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