Gold Coast

The Gold Coast announces itself from the highway — a wall of high-rise towers along a coast of golden sand, then surf. Australians can be snobbish about it, but the Gold Coast delivers exactly what it promises: 57 kilometres of beach, reliable reef breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra that produce waves envied globally, and a built-for-fun infrastructure that makes no apology for itself.

Surfers Paradise is the centre of gravity — loud, glittering, unapologetic. But the better beach experience is further south: Coolangatta with its twin surf breaks and genuine surf culture, or the quiet northern beaches above Southport where the crowds thin quickly. The theme parks (Warner Bros., Dreamworld, Sea World) are a legitimate reason to come, and genuinely world-class for families with kids.

The Gold Coast Hinterland is the surprise. Twenty minutes from the coast, the road climbs into the Lamington and Springbrook plateau — ancient Gondwana rainforest, subtropical mountain valleys and cascading waterfalls that are part of the same World Heritage listing as the Daintree. The contrast between standing in a cool rainforest gully and lying on a hot beach two hours later is one of the great Queensland pleasures.