Surfers Paradise

State :	Australia Australia
State :	Queensland
Founded :	around 1933

Coordinates :	28 ° 0 ′ S , 153 ° 25 ′ E Coordinates: 28 ° 0 ′ S , 153 ° 25 ′ E-28 153.41666666667 3
Height :	3 m
Area :	5.8 km²

Residents :	23,689 (2016)
Population density :	4084 inhabitants per km²

Time zone :	AEST (UTC + 10)
Telephone code :	(+61) 7
Postal code :	4217

LGA :	Gold Coast City Council
Website :	www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Surfers Paradise

Surfers Paradise is a district of the city of Gold Coast in the Australian state of Queensland . Surfers Paradise, also known colloquially as Surfers , is known and famous for its skyline and its kilometer-long sandy beach . Due to the relatively low waves, the beach does not offer particularly good conditions for surfing.

Surfers Paradise is often referred to as the " Miami of the South".

history

The first European to settle in what is now the Surfers Paradise area was James Beattie. Beattie, a farmer, first ordered a 32- acre farm on the north bank of the Nerang River. The farm was not far from what is now Cavill Avenue, right in the center of Surfers.

Due to poor yields, Beattie sold the farm in 1877 to the German immigrant Johann Meyer. He converted the farm into a sugar cane mill and consequently grew sugar. Meyer, however, just like Beattie, had to admit defeat to the sandy and barren soil and was forced to sell the land after less than a decade.

After selling his farm, Johann Meyer founded a ferry company and shortly afterwards opened the Main Beach Hotel, which from 1889 also had a post office. In addition to the post office, a small settlement gradually formed around the Main Beach Hotel. The complex was named Elston, after the name of the hometown of the Southport headmaster's wife.

After Meyer's death in 1901, the Main Beach Hotel's license expired. Elston, which had grown into a small tourist town, had neither a post office nor a hotel for 16 years.

In 1917, Brisbane Real Estate held an auction for the sale of the Elston properties and named the properties Surfers Paradise Estate . The name is the first written mention of the term Surfers Paradise , although the term has probably been common among the population for a long time.

In the further course of the 1920s, due to the construction of the Jubelee Bridge and the expansion of the South Coast Road, more and more tourists came to Elston.

Thanks to the better transport connections, Elston now also moved into the focus of speculators and investors, who were buying more and more land on the coast and opening hotels .

One of the first landmarks to open in 1925, Brisbane-born Jim Cavill opened the Surfers Paradise Hotel. It was Cavill who encouraged Elston to rename it to the more descriptive name Surfers Paradise. In 1933 his efforts were finally successful and Elston was named Surfers Paradise, which it still bears today.

During the boom in the 1950s and 1960s, the first high-rise apartment complexes emerged . From now on, the building density increases steadily and the individual islands are gradually connected by bridges.

Events

Schoolies Week

Schoolies (also: Schoolies Week ) is an annual event that takes place between the end of November and the beginning of December. At this time, thousands of high school graduates ( schoolies ) from all over the country flock to the city to celebrate the completion of the exam phase. During this time - especially at night - a state of emergency prevails in and around the downtown Cavill Avenue, with all its clubs and pubs.

A supporting program is also usually offered during the day, partly by the city itself, but also by private companies. For example, there are often concerts on the beach and various beach volleyball tournaments.

2008 race track during the Indy race

Motorsport

Surfers Paradise has since 1991 on a street circuit named Surfers Paradise Street Circuit - similar to that in Monte Carlo - which is set up especially for the race. The course, which runs roughly 2/3 of its length through the Surfers Paradise district, is 4.47 kilometers long and has very fast, long straights as well as extremely slow corners.

The course as it is today is the third of its kind in Surfers Paradise. The forerunners included the Southport Street Circuit (1954) and the Surfers Paradise International Raceway (1966–1978).

Currently, the V8 Supercars races and the Champ Car World Series race, mainly taking place in the second half of the year, are among the most important motor sport events.

nightlife

Surfers Paradise has a strong nightlife scene and has been Australia's secret entertainment capital since the 1960s. Especially around The Esplanade on the beach and around Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue there are numerous clubs and pubs as well as nightclubs and table dance bars. Due to the numerous tourists and backpackers, the clubs are well attended. Pub and club crawls are also widespread, in which 5–6 clubs can usually be entered for a flat fee and free drinks are usually still available.

Attractions

Q1 tower

View from the 230 m high sky deck of Q1

The tallest building in Surfers Paradise is the Q1 Tower (Queensland Number One Tower). It is the most striking - because it is also the tallest - building and can be recognized from afar. With a height of 323 meters, the Q1 Tower is the tallest building in Australia and at the time of its completion in 2006 it was the tallest residential building in the world .

The Q1 Tower has a 230 m high sky deck that can accommodate 400 people, from which one has a wide view of the entire region.

Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe Surfers Paradise

Surfers Hard Rock Cafe is located at Cavill Avenue and Surfers Paradise Boulevard . What is special about this cafe is that it has a 10 meter long illuminated guitar on the facade. The restaurant on the second floor is always well attended and offers not only the usual live music but also a large roof terrace. The obligatory Hard Rock Cafe Store is on the ground floor and is rather small compared to the spacious restaurant.

Bavarian house

The Bavarian House at the bottom of Cavill Avenue has been in Surfers Paradise since 1975 and is a real institution on the Gold Coast. In addition to German wine and, especially Bavarian, beer, there are also traditional German dishes. In addition, the interior of the Bavarian Haus is extremely authentic.

Main beach access in Surfers Paradise

Mall

The mall is right in the center of surfers. At the top, it ends at the main entrance to the beach with its large Surfers Paradise logo.

Souvenir shops, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, pubs and clubs are lined up along the 500 meter partially traffic-calmed street.

Beach

The beach is named one of the most iconic and legendary beaches in the world by both the Discovery Channel and Lonely Planet . The part of the beach belonging to surfers along the Gold Coast is approximately 3 kilometers in length.

As usual in Australia, the beach sections are divided into swimmer and surfer areas. In some places, bathing is prohibited due to strong currents. The beach is monitored by the Surf Lifesavers all year round . The Meter Maids are young women in skimpy clothing who have been filling the local parking meters in Surfers Paradise since 1965.

The beach also has volleyball courts and is partially lit at night.

Since the start of the Shark Control Program in the 1960s, shark sightings on the approved beach sections have become rare (around two sightings a year). The last fatal shark attack on a Gold Coast beach was in 1964.

Surfers Paradise Beach
Beach during Indy 300
Security board at the beach access

Skyline and beach of Surfers Paradise with Q1

Weather

Surfers Paradise has a humid subtropical climate .

Sometimes it can get up to 40 degrees, especially in the months of September to February.

The average daily high temperature is 25.1 degrees, the average daily low temperature is 17.2 degrees.

The driest months are July, August and September (approx. 4-5 rainy days), the months November to March are relatively rich in precipitation with approx. 8-9 rainy days each.

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Surfers Paradise

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	30.5	29.9	27.8	26.9	26.1	24.9	23.8	25.6	27.7	28.2	29.5	29.8	O	27.5
Min. Temperature (° C)	23.9	22.9	21.7	19.3	17.4	15.1	13.5	13.9	16.8	17.0	18.7	21.4	O	18.4
Temperature (° C)	26.7	25.2	24.6	23.8	21.9	19.4	18.7	19.9	20.9	23.1	23.7	25.7	O	22.8

Precipitation ( mm )	106.6	169.1	89.2	109.3	115.6	123.3	44.6	58.2	45.7	92.6	145.8	124.9	Σ	1,224.9

Rainy days ( d )	5.8	7.7	4.9	8.6	9.6	7.3	8.6	7.6	8.1	7.4	9.1	4.7	Σ	89.4

Water temperature (° C)	27	25th	23	22nd	20th	17th	15th	13	17th	23	24	28	O	21.2

T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r

30.5

23.9

29.9

22.9

27.8

21.7

26.9

19.3

26.1

17.4

24.9

15.1

23.8

13.5

25.6

13.9

27.7

16.8

28.2

17.0

29.5

18.7

29.8

21.4

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

N i e d e r s c h l a g	106.6	169.1	89.2	109.3	115.6	123.3	44.6	58.2	45.7	92.6	145.8	124.9
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Source:

Backpacking

Surfers Paradise is a popular destination for backpackers from around the world all year round . Due to its central location on the typical travel route along the east coast between Sydney and Cairns and the many jobs available, especially in the catering trade, Surfers Paradise is increasingly the destination of tourists who have a work & travel visa.

In addition to its own centrally located bus station, Surfers has numerous hotels and hostels, which are particularly popular with backpackers . Due to the many hostels on a relatively small area, the various operators usually compete for the guests' favor. While the pool and bar are often standard, many operators also offer an evening program.

crime

The Surfers Paradise district is relatively the most dangerous of the seven districts on the Gold Coast. The most common offenses include assault, substance abuse, and robbery / theft. Hot spots include Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue and The Esplanade . Criminal offenses are increasing here, especially during events and public holidays.

Surroundings

The capital of Queensland, Brisbane, is approx. 75 km to the north and is therefore approx. An hour's drive away.

Other well-known places in the immediate vicinity of surfers are:

Byron Bay (80 km)
Mt. Tambourine (40 km)
Coolangatta (with the nearest airport) (25 km)
Tweed Heads / Point Danger (25 km)

Transportation

Gold Coast Hwy (right) and the bus station (left)

Surfers Paradise is connected to the Gold Coast transport network. Most of the local public transport is served by Surfside Lines , part of the Queensland government's TransLink initiative to develop the greater Brisbane area. Most of the local transport routes run along the Gold Coast Highway.

Rail transport

The nearest long-distance train station is the Nerang Railway Station, which is approximately 11 km from Surfers Paradise. The Queensland Rail operates direct flights to Brisbane, along the Gold Coast Railway Line. Buses run to all parts of the Gold Coast from here.

Typical airline at GC Airport

Road traffic

Surfers Paradise is accessible from Brisbane via the M1 Motorway and from Sydney via the Pacific Highway (1). From the hinterland, Beaudesert Nerang Road (No. 90) leads directly to Surfers Paradise. The Gold Coast itself is accessed from the Gold Coast Highway (No. 2), which runs directly on the coast.

air traffic

The nearest international airport is the Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta . This is about 25 km from Surfers. It is served by many nationally operating carriers . Airlines flying to Coolangatta Airport include: Virgin Blue , Pacific Blue , Tiger Airways Australia , Air New Zealand , Airnorth , PacificFlier and Jetstar . Furthermore, the Brisbane International Airport in Brisbane, which covers significantly more destinations, is approx. 90 km away.

Trivia

Surfers Paradise Beach has been named one of the best in the world by the American Travel Channel .
The beach was named Queensland's cleanest beach by the Keep Australia Beautiful Council in 2006 .
Surfers Paradise has been voted Australia's top landmark for destruction .
The destination of the refugees in Mad Max II is Surfers Paradise.
While Surfers' beach is largely shark-free, there are frequent shark sightings and fatal attacks in the Nerang River and in the channels behind it .
In the racing game Forza Horizon 3 , Surfers Paradise was recreated for the game world and is a venue for all kinds of car races at the eponymous Horizon Festival.