It's not the old Gold Coast

I know what the  Gold Coast is famous for - surf breaks, stunning beaches, theme parks, shopping, nightlife and its hinterland.  I was there, part of it all in the sixties, before the theme parks and the many  shopping opportunities came along and when there weren't so many choices for nightlife.  Ahh, the fun we had!  It now makes me sad to see what has become of it.  I'm out of step with the times, I know, but given the choice of looking at trees or looking at high rises I'd take the trees any time.  My phone doesn't do them justice.

On my holiday home I enjoyed a few days down the Gold Coast with my sister, Tricia at the home of her daughter who was vacationing in the USA.  The home sits on the banks of the Nerang River on the other side to many high rises, a great spot for watching the river traffic, the ferry boats and whale watching tour boats coming and going during the day.  And very pretty night lights.

One day when the weather was far from ideal we took a drive to the hinterland to visit the Hinze Dam, the potable water supply for the region.

Another day we visited the HOTA art gallery which, apart from housing some very interesting artworks, also offered excellent views of Surfers Paradise. 

I'm a pretty hopeless tourist but I did get one shot of Southport beach.  That's the shark watch drone landing spot.  From memory I think it was roughly opposite the Surf Lifesaving Club, the exterior of which remains exactly the same.   You can't say that about many places on the Gold Coach!

It's close to this beautiful sculpture known as Melody which was created by Frank Miles, a unique Australian artist specializing in Bronze Sculpture.

I don't recall ever going near the Southport Broadwater in my youth.  If there wasn't surf it didn't interest me.  I'm pretty sure there wasn't a paved walkway there back in the day.  But it's a very pleasant place to take a walk now.  And the estuary looks like a good spot to catch a fish.