Surfers Paradise

The Gold Coast is a coastal town in the southeast of the state of Queensland. It has long been a high-profile destination for Australians and overseas traveller. Tourists can enjoy world-class surfing beaches (more than 50 km), theme parks, huge shopping malls, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland. I stayed in the district known as Surfers Paradise, the centre of tourist activity. Unlike most east coast cities, the cityscape here is dominated by skyscrapers which are in fact not hotels but rather resident buildings which are filled with pensioners. The image of the city itself is further characterized by countless artificial canals and islands.

View from the highest building of Australia

Together with the little Mexican Mariana I visited the Q1 Tower, the highest building in Australia since 2005. At breakneck speed, the elevator took us to the viewing platform, where there is also a small coffee and we could enjoy the sunset over the town. The sporty ones also can climb 1330 stairs to get to the top of the building.  323 meters high, it is also the highest skyscraper in the southern hemisphere. The Q1 Tower is used exclusively for apartments. The 526 apartments in the building were for sale at a minimum price of 985,000 US dollars each, and they contain the highest outdoor balconies in the world.

Man masturbating at the beach

In the evening we, together with the Hongkong girl Paris and Dutch man Mark played Jenga, where we all had to prove our skills. The Dutch man got his diving licence at the same diving school in Honduras as me! What a coincidence! Later we were deciding if we should check out the nightlife as Gold Coast is very famous for it but most of us including me weren't in the mood, especially since going out in Australia is costly.

After 2 days I left already. Before I took a short step into the ocean but the water temperatures were too cold for me. Naturally, there are many surfers here, but the rough waves crushed quite a few of those who were having their first surfing lessons. Normally, the waves are quite suitable for beginners.

When I was lying on the beach with 2 friends from the hostel we witnessed an older man masturbating at the beach. He was fully enjoying himself while listening to erotic content on his headphones. My friend got so disgusted by seeing his boner that she informed the lifeguards. They advised him to stop or they would call the police otherwise. He looked rather disenchanted to have to suppress his excitement but followed the advise.