On the Coast – Over 55 Issue 31 I September/October 2019 | Page 28

the gold
The green behind
WORDS BY DORIAN MODE
PICTURES BY LYDIA THORPE
T
at Surfers Paradise (20min drive away).
he cooler months are an ideal time
We breakfast with them in the sunlit
for seniors to escape the chill of
restaurant (great buffet) and chat about
NSW and jag a bargain flight to
music and life in Queensland in general.
the sunny Gold Coast. And while we’ve
Through happenstance, Val chose the
regaled you with tales of Goldie in our
Mercure Gold Coast Resort to stay as
column in the past, we thought we’d
it was the best deal she could find on
view Queensland’s jewel through a new
the internet on the Gold Coast. They
lens. You see, there is more to the Gold
Coast than simply ‘the strip’. Here we visit confessed that they loved the resort and
deemed it excellent value for their senior
the Gold Coast hinterland.
dollar. Incidentally, there are no lifts at
There is no proper resort-style
Mercure. So senior readers should avoid
accommodation in the hinterland –
booking a room on the third floor if you
outside tiny B&Bs. So the ideal
have mobility issues. However, Brian and
accommodation to experience the best of
Val were just fine on the second floor. But
both worlds is the Mercure Gold Coast
frankly, they are fitter than me and Mrs
Resort at Carrara. This tranquil oasis has
Pictures. The rooms are high spec with
a gym, sauna, glamorous swimming pool,
upmarket toiletries – no cheap pump
two floodlit tennis courts but more
packs of hard soaps and shampoos.
importantly for us, is the ideal stepping-
off point to see both the
Hinterland Village shop
hinterland and the strip i.e.
Surfers Paradise, Main Beach
etc. If you are a golfer, the
Mercure backs on to five
championship golf courses.
And if you schlep the
grandkids, the famous theme
parks are nearby. Not to
mention Currumbin Bird
Sanctuary and Pacific Fair
(one of the biggest shopping
Post breckie, we collect our rental car
centres in the world) is only 10 mins
and point it west towards the mountains.
away for you to punish the credit cards.
Uniquely, on the Gold Coast, you can be
On our first night at Mercure, we
on the beach or the mountains in less
run into dear chums Brian (91) and
than 30 mins. We soon happen upon
Val (89), who have driven down from
trendy Mount Tamborine. Here you’ll
Caloundra to stay at the Mercure Gold
find Katoomba meets Lismore, with its
Coast Resort. They have concert tickets
tropical bush setting and quirky tea
for HOTA, the Performing Arts Centre
28
O N T H E C OA S T – OV ER 5 5
houses. We enjoy the renowned ‘Gallery
Walk’; the main strip of Mt Tambourine.
It’s a senior-friendly amble through
gift shops and galleries, all framed by
twitching palms and shrieking white
parrots. It’s a little twee for my taste -
whenever I see a German cuckoo clock
shop, I groan – but lots of excited tourists
are weaving in and around the hive of
galleries and specialty shops, buying
souvenirs and ephemera.
You’ll find the visitors centre at the end
of town. Here kindly volunteers steer you
towards a legion of activities in the
hinterland. There is an overpriced skywalk
and a glow worm tunnel. Psst! there is a
free rainforest platform skywalk at
O’Reilly’s. In 1937 an airliner disappeared
during a flight from Brisbane to Sydney,
carrying five passengers and two pilots.
The wreckage was found by Bernard