The Gold Coast is literally the golden goose of tourism in Australia. It is the one place where the excitement never wanes and the partying doesn't stop.

The 70 km coast with the most, stretches from Cabarita Beach in New South Wales to Beenleigh and the beautiful South Stradbroke Island. It has been a tourist resort since the 1880s, attracting visitors in hordes to its magnificent beaches, sub-tropical rainforests and terrific holiday infrastructure and atmosphere.

The Gold Coast, so called because it was and is prime real estate, gets more than two million tourists every year. The entire area is geared to providing the perfect holiday whatever be the choice. So you can enjoy a vacation, en famille or alone, shop till you drop or sail, dive, snorkel and surf till your muscles cry stop. Dining is top class, be it al fresco, along the beach front or in classy upmarket restaurants with the menu in French.

You can take the kids to anykind of theme park - they are all there at some point or the other along the Gold Coast. Waterparks, rides, underwater worlds, whatever keeps the mites happy. Bungee jumping, surfing, swimmmg, para sailing, gliding or hot air ballooning, tennis, squash or golf - the sports options are equally numerous.

Southport, Surfers Paradise, Beenleigh, Coolangata are just a few of the places along the coast, some are pretty expensive but do get more reasonable as one gets away from the main tourist centres.

Southport is the oldest and the original town on the Gold Coast but there's nothing much to see or do there now. It's a quiet place to stay, relax and explore the areas around. The coast at Southport is sheltered from the open ocean by a peninsula called the Spit, a narrow, 3km long sand barrier with three complexes for tourists. Fisherman's Wharf is the departure point for most boat trips and has restaurants, pools and plenty of shops around the area.

Surfers Paradise is, surprise surprise, a surfers paradise! Originally just the Surfers Paradise Hotel in 1936, it has now grown into a mammoth resort centre in town. It's probably the most popular partying place in Queensland after Cairns. In fact, nowadays, its not the surf and sand alone that attracts people but the nightlife and its location, which is close to many theme parks in the area. Its a small town of 16,000 with two or three main streets and is surrounded by good beaches.

The Southern Gold Coast is just south of Surfers Paradise and is a strip of pure unadulterated attractions. The Burleigh Heads National Park has great walking trails and Australia's most famous surfing point breaks. Three wildlife sanctuaries The Currumbin Sanctuary, the Fleays Wildlife Park, Olson's Bird Gardens have great wildlife to offer. Mangroves, rainforests, platypus, kangaroos, koalas, emus and much more all located within a few kilometres of each other. Further south, Coolangata is the southern point of the Gold Coast.

An activity for the daredevils and the thrill seekers is bungee jumping. If you always wanted to and didn't dare, here's your chance. Otherwise try bungee rocketing, horse riding, jet-skiing, parasailing and biking. Cruises are a good option and there are plenty to choose from. Life saving carnivals and other special events happen during the summer including IndyCar motor racing with a four-day carnival that coincides with the event.

The Gold Coast Hinterland is just a short drive from the coast and in an equally attractive setting, probably even better. The McPherson Range is a paradise for walkers and those fancying a good drive through the mountains. Barely 20km inland from the coast this is a good getaway, and if you're sick of the beach, then the fresh mountain air should cool your brain. Tamborine Mountain with its 600m high plateau has spectacular gorges, waterfalls and nine national parks.

Springbrook National Park is higher at 900m and is the remnant of a huge volcano. Springbrook town is a lovely drive from the coast and has places to stay, is a good base from where to explore the dazzling waterfalls and forests around the park. Lamington National Park has amazing suspended bridges walks through the mountains. Mostly subtropical vegetation, it is full of beautiful gorges, pools, waterfalls and plenty of wildlife including bowerbirds and pademelons.

Getting there: The Gold Coast Highway runs along the coast and for those flying in, the airport is at Coolangatta. You can arrive by road, air or by train. Most buses travel all the way along the coast and there are dozens of car, moped and bicycle rental places to choose from.

Accommodation: There are lots of very expensive resorts and hotels. But if you want backpacker hostels and caravan parks, the tariffs go up by 50% during the peak season and even 100% at Christmas time. Motels are aplenty for those who maybe travelling en famille and would prefer to have kitchen and en suite facilities.

For detailed visitor information, see Brisbane.
For country information, see Australia.