Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rubs shoulders with hotel guests. There is a A$5 (US$3.25) cover; the club opens
Friday and Saturday night. At 10:30pm they push back the tables at
Saks,
Marina Mirage, Sea World Drive, Main Beach (
&
07/5591 2755
) and this ele-
gant cafe/wine bar turns into a dance floor for fashionable 20- and 30-some-
things. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the coolest nights to turn up, and
there's a live band Sundays; no cover.
It's not as big as some Vegas casinos, but
Conrad Jupiters Casino,
Gold
Coast Highway, Broadbeach (
&
07/5592 8282
), has plenty to keep the gam-
bler amused—70 gaming tables and 1,200-plus slot machines with roulette,
blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, baccarat and minibaccarat, craps, Pai Gow, and
Sic Bo. Downstairs the 1,100-seat Jupiter's Theatre stages floor shows and con-
certs; and there are three bars, including an English-style pub. Of the five restau-
rants, the good-value
Food Fantasy
buffet is outrageously popular, so be
prepared to wait. The casino is open 24 hours. You must be 18 to enter, and
smart, casual dress is required.
10 The Gold Coast Hinterland: Back to Nature
The cool, green Gold Coast hinterland is only a half-hour drive from the Coast,
but it is a world away from the neon lights, theme parks, and crowds. Up here,
at an altitude of 500m to 1,000m (about 1,640 ft.-3,280 ft.), the tree ferns drip
moisture, the air is crisp, and the pace is slow.
Mt. Tamborine
shelters several villages known for their crafts shops, galleries,
cafes, and B&Bs. Easy walking trails wander from the streets through rain-
forest and eucalyptus woodland, and as you drive you will discover magnificent
views.
The impressive 20,200-hectare (49,895-acre)
Lamington National Park
lies
to the south of Mt. Tamborine. The park, at around 1,000m (3,328 ft.) above
sea level, is a eucalyptus and rainforest wilderness crisscrossed with walking
trails. It's famous for its colorful bird life, wallabies, possums, and other wildlife.
The road to the park is full of twists and tight turns, and as you wind higher and
higher, tangled vines and dense eucalyptus and ferns make a canopy across the
road, so dark you need headlights. The park is about 90 minutes from the
coast—but once you're ensconced in your mountain retreat, the world will seem
remote.
The hinterland is close enough to the Gold Coast and Brisbane to make a
pleasant day trip, but you will almost certainly want to stay overnight, or longer,
once you breathe that restorative mountain air.
MT. TAMBORINE
40km (25 miles) NW of Surfers Paradise; 70km (43 miles) S of Brisbane
Crafts shops, teahouses, and idyllic vistas are Mt. Tamborine's attractions. The
mountaintop is more a plateau than a peak, and it's home to a string of villages,
all a mile or two apart—Eagle Heights, North Tamborine, and Mt. Tamborine
proper. Many shops and cafes are only open Thursday, Friday, and weekends.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
From the Gold Coast, head
to Nerang and follow signs to Beaudesert. The Mt. Tamborine turnoff is off this
road. Alternatively, take the Pacific Highway north to Oxenford and take the
Mt. Tamborine turnoff, the first exit after Warner Bros. Movie World. Many tour
operators run minibus and four-wheel-drive day trips from the Gold Coast, and
