Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Value Golf on the Cheap
Hitting the links on the Gold Coast doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a
leg. At the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum is Emerald Lakes Golf
Course on Nerang-Broadbeach Road at Alabaster Drive, Carrara (& 07/5594
4400). The course welcomes all comers for just A$20 (US$13) for nine championship
holes or A$38 (US$25) for 18 holes on a par-72 course. You can
even play under floodlights at night for A$24 (US$16) for 9 holes. The
course is 10 minutes inland from Surfers Paradise.
A$50 to A$80 (US$33–US$52) for a dinner cruise. Senior, children’s, and family
rates are also available.
GETTING ACTIVE
Surfers Beach Club (& 07/5526 7077), on The Esplanade in front of the Paradise
Centre (opposite McDonald’s on Cavill Mall), rents surfboards and other
sports gear, including in-line skates for A$15 (US$9.75) for 3 hours. For highpowered
watersports, contact one of the many operators on The Broadwater at
Sea World Drive, such as Aussie Bob’s (& 07/5591 7577), located at Berth
C67 at Marina Mirage.
Follow the screams to Banzai Bungey (& 07/5526 7611), on the corner of the
Gold Coast Highway and Palm Avenue, Surfers Paradise where you can bungee
jump for A$80 (US$52) or A$75 (US$49) if you are between 13 and 16 years old.
And there’s a video to prove you’ve done it! Jump between 10am and 10pm daily,
or even on Christmas between noon and 10pm.
The Gold Coast boasts more than 40 golf courses. An 18-hole round generally
costs about A$100 (US$65), including a cart, with additional charges of around
A$30 (US$20) for clubs and A$10 (US$6.50) for shoes. Grandest is the Hope
Island Golf Club, Oxenford-Southport Road, Hope Island, 25 minutes north of
Surfers Paradise (& 07/5530 9000), designed by the Thomson–Wolveridge team.
A 9-hole round is A$70 (US$46), but few golfers can resist going the whole 18 for
A$110 (US$72), including cart rental. Other championship fairways can be found
at The Palms at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove Resort, Casey Road, Sanctuary
Cove on Hope Island (& 07/5577 6031); Lakelands, Gooding Drive, Merrimac
(& 07/5579 8700), designed by Jack Nicklaus; and the two 18-hole courses
at Royal Pines Resort, Ross Street, Ashmore (& 07/5597 1111).
WHERE TO STAY
Ashmore Palms Holiday Village Finds A rare collection of 22 colorful
South American macaws is a major attraction at this award-winning budget
tourist park. The former caravan park has grown and developed as the Illich
family has transformed it into a lush tropical garden of 6 hectares (14 1 /2 acres)
complete with swimming lagoon and waterfall, heated pool with fountains, barbecues,
a general store, and a 1km ( 1 /2-mile) rainforest walk through thousands
of palm trees. All are self-contained with kitchens and bathrooms, and most
have a private balcony overlooking the gardens. There’s a wide selection of two
and three bedroom cabins and villas to choose from; the newest and most elegant
are the Mediterranean-style two-story Macaw Mansions, which have a parents’
retreat with private bathroom (with Jacuzzi) upstairs. Lorikeet Lodges are
designed for access for those with disabilities. Ashmore Palms has twice won the