Surfers Paradise Beach in the evening

Surfers Paradise Beach is not only enjoyable during day time, but it also looks fantastic as the sun goes down and night falls. Lifeguards are packing up and visitors are enjoying themselves, watching the sunset.

 

 

At night, the steps leading to the sand on the beach is lighted up in blue lights. The blue lights fit the theme of the sea, following its colour.

 

The area towards the sea is dark, but the entrance of Surfers Paradise Beach is bright. Cavill Avenue, which is opposite the beach, is lighted up brightly.

Evenings in Surfers Paradise

The majestic ocean at sunset

Buildings around Surfers Paradise in the evening

The iconic Hard Rock Cafe guitar at Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Cavill Avenue

Ferny Avenue – that’s where these beautiful scenes are from. Specifically, they’re the scenes from one of the rooms on the 19^th floor in Vibe Hotel. Standing at the balcony in the evening, you realise that Surfers Paradise is well-connected when you walk through the different buildings around. Illuminated by the bright city lights and seaside sunset, it is pleasurable walking on the streets of Surfers Paradise and safe too. Unlike some other tourist destinations in Australia, shops and restaurants in Surfers Paradise are open past 5pm, especially during the school holidays.

Cavill Avenue later in the evening

During the school holidays, there are more families out and about in Surfers Paradise in the evening, enjoying their break. The remaining term breaks in 2013 are 23 September to 7 October and 16 December to 27 January 2014.

The evening traffic on Ferny Avenue

Evenings in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast are truly amazing.

Bonsai Beauty in Gold Coast

Bonsai plants come in different shapes and sizes, which makes them stand out. In Chevron Island, there is a shop which sells them, named ‘Defined Garden Bonsai Studio’. The shop’s name is awesome; as the word ‘studio’ shows an impression that bonsai gardening is an art of its own (think of artist in his/her studio) and the words ‘defined gardening’ sounds elegant, like from a glossy gardening magazine. They have a selection of plants to choose from at the entrance.

Defined Garden Bonsai Studio even offers bonsai workshops for different groups of bonsai enthusiasts, from newbies to the ones with experience.

If you are a tourist, you can also consider buying small bonsai pots as souvenirs of your visit to Chevron Island.

 

 

 

 

Defined Garden Bonsai Studio,

66 Thomas Drive,

Chevron Island, QLD 4217 

Website: http://www.definedgarden.com/

5 Money-Saving Tips While Staying in Gold Coast

As a tourist, you may realise that you must stretch your every dollar, especially with all the beautiful and amazing things to buy. These are our 5 tips to take good care of your budget when you're in the amazing city of Gold Coast.

1. Currency Exchange – It is better to exchange your currency from your country of origin if your country’s exchange rate is lower than the Australian Dollar (AUD). An example is the Singapore Dollar (SGD). If you’re coming from Singapore, it is better to change your currency from there.

2. Aussie SIM Card – There are a few mobile phone operators, such as Telstra, Optus, Virgin and Vodafone. Once you have the local 3G network, you can call back home at a cheaper rate than using your original SIM card. If you want to save more, use free communication apps to send messages and call. An example is Viber. If you don’t have Viber, you can download it from the app store. Viber is free to download and you can make calls and messages all for free with the app. It’s better to download it using Wi-Fi as it may cost extra for you to download it via 3G.
 
3. News – Hotels may provide newspapers, but if they don’t, there are a couple of free ways to find out about news. You can use free Wi-Fi from places which offer them and read the news online. Another way is to grab a copy of the local free newspaper, where one of the stands is at the information booth in Cavill Avenue. You can also head down to Hungry Jack’s to read the newspapers which they provide, however, they are not free and you have to return them after reading. There is also a flat screen TV in the restaurant which airs Sky News.

 

4. Coupons – Coupons are readily available in Gold Coast. Most of them are printed on tourism brochures and other brochures about local events and businesses. There are coupons on local maps as well. Places where you can get the brochures are Coolangatta Airport upon arrival and the Information counter in Cavill Avenue. If you shop at Coles Supermarket, keep the receipts as there are coupons printed behind them. Some examples of these type of brochures are Hello Gold Coast, Gold Coast Guide and Gold Coast Tourist Magazine.

Behind a Coles Supermarket receipt

5. Gifts and Souvenirs – The most precious and cost-free souvenirs to share with your loved ones is seashells from the beaches in Gold Coast. There are plenty of beautiful seashells and sea rocks around. These souvenirs are really special as they are one-of-a-kind. They are more meaningful as gifts for your loved ones and souvenirs for yourself, as a reminder of your amazing memories in Gold Coast.

Seashells and sea rocks in Surfers Paradise Beach

Now that you have acquainted yourself to these tips, you need to remember that there’s one golden tip which is budgeting your expenses daily. It helps a lot as there are so many beautiful things to buy and exciting places to visit.