The Goldcoast of Australia is by far one of my favorite destinations to travel to. If you are ever blessed with the opportunity to go there, here is a list of 10 things you must do......
1. The most important thing to do on the gold coast is to get your fill of their famous meat pies. I don't care how picky of an eater you are, you will find a type of meat pie to satisfy your hunger, and believe me you will be craving one when you return home. As an experienced "pie eater" I will let you in on the secret, hit the local bakeries, get there early when the pies are fresh, and be sure to get your feast on because the pie shops usually close around 2 or 3. If you are able to time it so you get there right before they close, you may be lucky and get a deal on whatever goods are leftover!!
2. Surf your brains out at all of the different points and beach breaks. (don't try to beat the crowds, just as many people surfing at 5am as there are at 11am, just wait your turn and enjoy every second of it, because even the scrap waves on the points are better than any surf on the east coast.)Also if the waves are good, don't count on people leaving the lineup for work!!
3. Wear tons of sunscreen, I think there is a little whole in the Ozone layer directly above Australia, the sun is brutal, and will fry your tender American skin.
4. Make sure you don't leave the goldcoast without at least 1 magic shred sled from one of the shapers over here. I know you can get Aussie boards in the states, but there is no comparison, I don't know what it is, they're just better here. A little hint, you can eliminate the stress of bringing home a damaged sled if you pick up a Firewire while you hear.(I had several boards in my bag and the only one with damage was my step up poly board.)
5. Eat as many Tim Tam cookies as you possibly can and purchase some reserves to take home. They make Oreos taste like shit!!
6. Check out the Currumbin Rock pools. (I mean come on. They did it in the original Endless Summer)
7. Act like a dumb American and accidentally drive on the "Right side" of the road.
8. Take some time to Get to know some of the local people. You will quickly realize how layed back their culture is and how genuinely nice most of the people really are.
9. Wake up early enough to watch the sunrise over there. Pretty insane, the moon is still lit up as it sets, while the sun melts the horizon.
10. No matter how big the mission seems make your way over to Straddie Island. The first day I ever went there the beach breaks were knee to waist high when we left and it was overhead and barrelling when we jumped of the boat taxi..