Gold Coast: Broadbeach and Springbrook

It was bittersweet to leave New Zealand. We wanted to stay but also move along in our journey. The flight from Queenstown to the Gold Coast was uneventful. Once through the airport, we quickly caught an Uber to our apartment in Broadbeach. When booking the room, we thought the tenth floor was high but the building had fifty floors! The building was a mix of short and long-term rentals. It was close to many restaurants, cafes and most importantly the beach.

Each morning we woke up and walked to Bam Bam cafe for breakfast. The almond croissant was outstanding, as was the avocado toast and coffee. We also enjoyed a dinner at Hideaway Kitchen. We had to order the Hello Sunshine cider.

After breakfast we walked on the beach. The Gold Coast was originally known as the South Coast (south of Brisbane). However, in the 1950s it was a popular destination known for being expensive and was nickname Gold Coast. The beaches are spectacular. It was a holiday week so the beaches were busy with families and tourists. We walked down to Mermaid Beach and up to Surfer’s Paradise.  We also enjoyed the painted koala bears placed around the cities.

On our way to the airport, our Uber driver gave us a tour. He was a retired lifeguard and drove us to see his favorite spots. He highlighted where his daughter learned to surf, his surf club and buildings where his friends owned rental units (in case we return for a longer stay).

We did not fly but met a shuttle to take us to a silent yoga and meditation retreat in Springbrook for Easter weekend. Neither of us had been to a silent retreat so this was a little out of our comfort zone. The grounds were lovely but the rooms needed updating. We saw wallabies and lots of Australian birds! It rained much of the time, so one leech decided to visit our room. Ian removed it without any fuss because Sunshine has an irrational fear of them. Our days went something like: mediation, eat, meditation, yoga, mediation, eat, mediation, yoga, mediation, eat, Q&A (participants wrote down questions) and movie (an interview with Elkhart Toole and documentaries about the Life of an Indian Yogi and Happiness). There was no internet or WiFi. The silence was a surprising source of comfort. At the end of the long weekend, we both felt more grounded, relaxed and present.