Yamba - to the Gold Coast and return

Yesterday I paid a visit to Queensland's Gold Coast, driving from Yamba up the Pacific Highway to Southport (taking a friend to a medical appointment) and returning via the Gold Coast highway and then back onto the Pacific Highway.

This was only my second visit to this part of the world, the last one being in the mid-1980s.
So there were some significant changes that I noticed!

First, a map. From Yamba to the Q1 Tower.
Yamba to Surfer's Paradise


After dropping my friend off at the medical centre I had a couple of hours to fill, so drove the short distance (a few kilometres) from the hospital across to the coast, with the Q1 Tower as my targeted destination in the GPS.
Below is a short video clip I made (followed by some photographs.)

Surfer's Paradise  does nothing for me. I find nothing appealing about it as either a place to holiday or live.
Sure, the towers are splendid examples of modern high-rise architecture but 20 metres from the high-water mark on a long stretch of white sand?

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The tallest building is the Q1 Tower.

Fifth-tallest apartment building in the world

The Q1 Tower at left and the other ultra-high-rise at the far end (not sure of its name)

The little pagoda-roofed structures are watchtowers for the surf life-savers.

Enough of the beach and towers.

There is a light-rail system being constructed.
Back in the day we called these "trams", the tracks running down the centre of the streets.

Light-rail tracks along the concreted section in the centre of the street.

After leaving Surfer's Paradise to head home, we motored down the Gold Coast Highway and had lunch at the Currumbin Beach surf club.
Currumbin Beach 
A few views from the restaurant deck, which projects over the beach and the water when the tide is high.

Arguably the best way to experience the towers of Surfer's....from a distance!

This is a lovely spot. I could live here......if I won the lottery!

The seaward view from our table

Finally, we stopped at Rainbow Bay, with the view in the background north to Coolangatta

Yours truly catching a few rays at the Pat Fagan Park, Rainbow Bay