Holidays .... what are they good for?

It seems that these days, our holidays, like our modern lives, have to be planned, booked and the time spent fully accounted for. It would seem that is why we have such a current infatuation with cruise ship holidays, what could be better than having a fully itemised itinerary of relaxation.


However, this year I bucked the trend by not going on a cruise or even over to Australia favourite overseas holiday destination, Bali Instead I once again booked my holiday at the Australia Post and Telstra sponsored holiday accommodation on Australia's Gold Coast at North Burleigh Beach. The area, located in SE Queensland , is called the Gold Coast because of the large expanses of golden sand on the beaches ... beautiful .


Now, besides the wonderful beaches, the Gold Coast has quite the reputation as Australia's favourite holiday destination because of its proximity to the theme parks, beaches and 24 hour entertainment around Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise. This means that the Gold Coast  attracts events such as Schoolies Week (an Aussie tradition that signals the end of high school formalities http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolies_week), 100's of work related conventions, end of season trips for sporting clubs and even a round of the V8 Supercars (Australia's premier motor racing marque) on it's coastal street circuit. It is quite the 'in' destination for those who are in full on party mode. 


But thundering V8 Supercars, the Cavill Ave late night bars or even the theme parks weren't my focus this year ... the plan of this years annual break was trying to achieve total relaxation and recuperation. Although we did manage a day excursion and took the train up to Brisbane to check out the beautiful parks and galleries around the wonderful South Bank precinct of the Queensland capital.


It was a holiday of sun, beaches and books, I did not  even go onto the internet (ok I did once to do my banking), or even (shock, horror!) take the Canon 400D out and preferred to capture my whole holiday on the Sanyo S1275 'point & shoot' camera. The reason for preferring the Sanyo was that if I wanted to take a swim, I could, without having to worry about the security of the bulkier Canon DSLR. With the Sanyo I was able to wrap it up in a towel and secure the compact camera that way ... easy as!

So most mornings I woke early, grabbed the towel, grabbed the camera and took a stroll along the pristine beaches of Australia's wonderful Gold Coast region.


So now I can correctly say on my profile that I enjoy long walks on the beach, watching picture perfect sunrises over the ocean and capturing natures beauty .... I have the pictures to prove it! (& I don't like pina colada's or getting caught in the rain!)


So sometimes on holidays it is best just to do absolutely nothing, just sit back, with a good book, comfy chair and enjoy just being away from the humdrum of our everyday lives! And here's a travel tip, don't catch the train into Brisbane from the Gold Coast  ... it sucks!

A Movieworld Adventure

No visit to Australia's Gold Coast would not be complete without a visit to one of the theme parks located just a short drive from most of Surfers Paradise's tourist accomodation.

As I mention is an earlier post, on this visit we concentrated on the one theme park, Movieworld.

Warner Bros Movieworld is a one of the best of the theme parks to visit, mainly because it has something for everyone, no matter what the age or the level of mobility, from toddlers, to thrillseekers  right through to pensioners. For the adventerous, rides include the Batwing Spaceshot, Batman Adventure, Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster, Superman Escape (0 - 100 kph in 2 secs!), The Wild West Falls & Lethal Weapon (unfortunately not operating on this visit). 


For the kiddies (plus the less adventurous), is the Looney Tunes Fun Zone and the Shrek 4-D Adventure attractions.. 

Not only are there the rides, there is ample free entertainment throughout the day to keep the 'oldies' entertained, including the amazing Stunt Driver Show and the Grand Parade. Also if you have a lecherous old fool in tow, he'll love the Marilyn Munroe Show, I know I did!  


I took my small Sanyo S1275 for capturing those unique photographic moments around the Park and it performed every task asked of it. The bulky size of the Canon 400D and other DSLR's can be a real hindrance if you want to go on all the rides, so I was glad I made the decision to leave the 400D back at the unit for the day 


Movieworld is a wonderful way to spend a day on the Gold Coast, but be warned, it can also be a very tiring day out for the faint hearted! 

Finding gold on the Gold Coast

Looking for gold on the Gold Coast is not a real hard task, especially if you use the Golden Hour Calculator. The calculator which is freely available online at http://www.golden-hour.com/ or as a downloadable iPhone application from iTunes, is a great resource in determining the best photographic times, especially sunrise and sunset from any worldwide location. The Golden Hour, or sometimes better known as the Magic Hour, is the first or last hour of daylight, where you can get out and take some wonderful photographs, as the light is arguably at its best.


Now whilst holidaying on the Gold Coast I thought I'd take advantage of the Golden Hour and see what gold I could find during the glorious sunrises and the wonderful sunsets that can be found in this part of Australia. So being based at North Burleigh, it gave me the opportunity to access some of the best coastal photographic locations on the Gold Coast, from beach, to cityscape, to ocean and to bushland settings, a true smorgasbord of backdrops to chose from..

So armed with both my camera's, the Sanyo S1275 and the Canon 400D I headed out to capture that glorious golden moment.

For the morning shoot I grabbed the Canon 400D and went up onto the rocky headland at North Burleigh to capture to the first rays of dawn creeping across the Surfers Paradise cityscape. This is a great place to photograph from because you have the advantage of sweeping views south to Coolangatta and north to along the crescent shape beaches north to Southport. Although not a classic spectacular sunrise, I was lucky enough to capture a morning with enough broken cloud to scatter the morning rays.

For the afternoon shots, I was lucky enough to be at Burleigh Heads and walking around the Burleigh Heads National Park armed with my go anywhere friend, the Sanyo S1275. Although the Sanyo has some restrictions, especially with the lens choice and zoom quality, it is still a handy bit of equipment. Afternoons on Burleigh Beach are special, there is always something happening on the beach, in the surf, or with people just making use of  the National Park and the walkways. I was lucky enough to be in the area just at the right time, with the late afternoon sun capturing the essence of a perfect day on the Gold Coast.

So if  you planning to holiday on Australia's premier holiday destination around Surfers Paradise, make sure you pack your camera, check out the Golden Hour website and you too will find gold on the Gold Coast.

A Gold Coast Adventure

Have you ever had a holiday where, while the holiday was way too short, it also felt that you been able to totally relax and get away from the mundane? Well that is how I felt after spending 2 weeks of my annual leave in arguably Australia's best, and most recognisable tourist destination, Queensland's Gold Coast region.


What was even better, because I'm a of API (Australian Post-tel Institute), which provides employee benefits for Post and Telstra employees, I was able to take advantage of  their discounted rates for their holiday units located right across from the beach at North Burleigh (which is only 10 kilomtres south from Surfers Paradise).


While many people scoff at the idea of a Gold Coast holiday, I have come to love this region of Australia, not just for Surfers Paradise and Cavill Avenue, but for the whole range of activites that are available in one area.


So I armed myself with both my camera's, the Sanyo S1275 and the Canon 400D to make sure I didn't miss one moment of my stay in this stunning photographic location.


Although the lure of the beach is strong, a quick trip into the hinterland can provide the budding photographer a chance to capture some of the beauty of an extinct 20 million year old Mt Warning volcano. At places such as Springbrook, Tambourine and Binna Burra, the landscape can present you with spectacular views of  the Gold Coast from the eroded volcano rim. These views are coloured with the lush greenery that abounds in the tropical, rainforest environment and with so many walking tracks that criss cross the ridgelines, the views are ever changing. The original volcano was a huge monster, that was over 2 kilometres high, had a caldera of over 40 kilometres and spewed ash over a distance of more than 100 kilometres!


Also just as famous as the natural attractions are the man made ones, especially the theme parks, which included Seaworld, Dreamworld, Movieworld & Wet 'n' Wild. This time we only visited Movieworld and it was here that the versatility of the Sanyo S1275 becomes apparent with its compact size and ease of use made it easy to capture some of the images that abound in this Warner Bros. wonderland. Actually, the compact cameras are the way to go at the theme parks, I noticed that quite a few people were using DSLR's and they seemed cumbersome in the hectic, confined spaces of large mobile crowds. Just a tip, make sure you take a small plastic bag to protect your camera when riding those more aquatic type of rides.


Of course, the Gold Coast is internationally famed for its beaches and it is not hard to see why, stretching from Southport to Tweed Heads are some of Australia's best surf beaches (although Newcastle does rival it, lol!). As I mentioned earlier, we were staying right on the beach and so nearly every day it was over to the beach to soak up the sun, read a good book or go for a swim. Nearly every morning and afternoon, I was able to grab the 400D, walk around the beaches and to capture some of the beauty that just seemed to continually fill my view finder.


The best thing however, was being an API member I was  able to take advantage of the excellent accomodation deal, and also, the cheaper entry into the theme parks using my API membership card. To find out more about API go to www.apiaustralia.com.au and take advantage of the membership for only $4.50 per pay and then you may be able to spend a wonderful, relaxing holiday on Australia's beautiful Gold Coast