Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

We are now on the Gold Coast, also known as Surfers Paradise.    The weather is currently moderately warm, about 23 or 24 degrees.   No heatwave yet, thank goodness.    And very refreshing after the sticky hot weather in Singapore.    

Walter and I arrived here, not in the best of health unfortunately.   Walter has a cold and I have a tummy problem in the lower region of the stomach.    Not too much description is needed with the latter complaint.   We think we may have picked our complaints up on the plane coming out from the UK.    It was definitely not all the curries I ate!    

We are staying with our friend Jackie, who lives about 10 minutes drive from the main part of Surfers Paradise.    Jackie and I, together with June, travelled to Australia from NZ, courtesy of TEAL, in 1965.   We thought we were super cool, dressed in our tight short skirts and twin sets.     In fact when we first came here we travelled to Brisbane for a week before starting work in Sydney.  Surfers Paradise was then a very wide beach (later destroyed by a severe high tide in 1967) with a few buildings clustered around the Surfers Paradise Hotel, which was two stories only.    We actually sat on the beach (it was winter) in our short skirts and twin sets.  

 Jackie and I, still looking very chic and cool!    We still to think we are still 20 years old.   The high rise buildings of Surfers Paradise are in the background.    The beach, although narrower than in 1965, still has very white sand.

 Walter and I looking very happy, at least we do not look ill.

The main part of Surfers Paradise, not quite the South of France, but a very unique place.  

 This sign warns people not to not drift too far south otherwise they will get caught in unsafe currents.   I have not swum in surf such as this since 1989, which was when I was on the Gold Coast last.   We bought beach towels today so we are definitely going to at least paddle in the water.    We cannot come all this way and not swim in the sea here.   But still a scary undertaking.    And Walter hates sand!

 Jackie's house on the Gold Coast.   Quite different from English houses.   She lives in a gated community, although crime is not a problem here.

Jackie's back courtyard - a real haven.

Time for a glass of red wine.    Medicinal of course!