Travels and Tours Australia – Day 14: Surfer’s Paradise Gold Coast

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The alarm sounds early. I need to make sure I am breakfasted and ready to leave within 20 minutes to ensure I get to the harbour in time. I have opted to walk down from the hostel, having studied a map it is less than half the distance than the walk to Surfer’s Paradise, which had only taken me half an hour. Despite the advice given to me, I believe it is a short walk and I am proved right as I arrive and board the boat with plenty of time to spare.

Thankfully the boat is a lot larger than the one in Mission Beach, which calms my nerves with regards seasickness, I do however opt to take a ginger seasickness tablet before enjoying my free morning coffee and muffin. It doesn’t take long for everyone to board the boat safely and the journey out to commence. Though inside the boat a documentary about Whales is being played, I choose to sit out the front in the fresh air.

The ride out is about an hour long and we are instructed how to spot where whales are close to the surface. It really seems like just a blink of an eye before it is announced that one has been sighted and the course of the boat is changed. While still readying my camera, a whale jumps out of the water and my heart skips a beat. I had far from believed the brochure when it said that a viewing is guaranteed, and I far from imagined they beautiful beasts would venture so close to our capsule. The whales are seemingly aware of our presence and venture even closer to explore and entertain. While I have heard of people friendly dolphins, I am surprised to learn that whales are equally inquisitive.

Though they seem to be engaged in some sort of rivalry, the pair stay together and we are treated to several jump displays before the one whale gets the hump and starts smacking its tail. As they disappear under the water, a couple of dolphins replace their presence and put on an equally impressive show. However, the whales seem aware that they may be replaced in people’s hearts and reappear suddenly. Having won our attention, the disappear and reappear on the opposite side of the boat in a manoeuvre we are informed is titled mugging. With the whales still in full flow, we are sadly informed that our time at sea had come to an end. With the impressive display burning a place in my heart, I am sad to say farewell to the whales and head back to the bay.

I disembark and decide that an afternoon relaxing on the beach is the only way to flounder the craving to return on another whale visit. The beach is bustling but no less impressive than the night prior. I decide to treat myself to a falafel wrap and sit on the beach watching a group of teenagers dig themselves further and further into the ground. Having resisted the tourist traps shops to date, I decide that Surfer’s Paradise provides the perfect excuse to indulge.

With the location having firmly won my heart, I hunted an I Heart GC T Shirt but my hunt proved unsuccessful and instead I bought a couple of ‘treasures’ for friends and family before heading back to the hostel for a bite to eat and an evening of doing very little.

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