Brisbane, QLD


Friday, July 23, 2010

CONCRETE JUNGLE or PARADISE?

The Gold Coast is a city located 57k/35m south of Brisbane. It has a sub-tropial climate with a Mean Max Temp of 25*C/77*F and a Mean Low Temp of 17*C/63*F, There is 57k/35m of coastline beaches. Sounds like paradise, in fact one of the beaches is called "Surfer's Paradise"
Looks like paradise.
However, the city is the 6th most populous city in Australia with over 450,000 people, not counting the millions of tourists. The beaches are surrounded by concrete towers.


Even more are being built.

They provide jobs for lots of people, can you see the little blobs on the 7th balcony up? 

15 comments:

  1. I am with Julie, I too have a love - hate relationship with the Gold Coast. It is much too commercial for my liking, the only time we visit the place is if we meet friends there, oh and our financial adviser.

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  2. I don't mind the high rise at all ... but I have no recollection of what it was like before that.

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  3. Have been going there since the 60's Diane and now find it has lost some of its charm. I am looking for the 'simple' life these days although I do enjoy the climate.

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  4. Amazing beaches!! And yes, the concrete jungle is pretty in its own special way.

    Oh, and not to mention the beautiful azure skies you have. Wow...gorgeous.

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  5. For temperatures like that, I think I could stand living in a high-rise.

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  6. Hi Diane, I have mixed feelings about touristy areas... I'm sure the Gold Coast is a beautiful place ---but George and I usually stay away from the areas where there are huge highrises --and lots of people. We prefer the smaller, more intimate places..

    It's like Myrtle Beach --here in the states... It's so crowded with tons of highrises... We go NORTH of there to a small area called Ocean Isle Beach. The beach is just as nice --but there aren't nearly as many people around.

    Great pictures.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  7. Diane, the Gold Coast beach looks beautiful and I love the tall towers and buildings. I usually shy away from crowds though, I like to visit places during their off peaks times if there is such a thing.

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  8. Great pictures and beautiful skies, diane. I have never seen so many and such high buildings. Thanks for sharing. Have a good weekend. Jo

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  9. It looks very pretty there even with the high rises. It's hard to stop development when an area is popular. Coming from NYC it sounds very livable.

    PS: I found out the chef at the Le Cirque restaurant is Autralian.

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  10. Ditto - Julie, Bill and Betsy.
    I can't stand the bloody place. I think the rudeness of the rude inhabit it! I even dread going down to visit my brother and his wife, who thankfully live on the canal region - not the highrise.
    It is great also that the highway now bypasses the centre and you only see it from a distance.
    Good photography Diane.
    Cheers
    Colin (HB)

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  11. It's a shame to spoil such a beautiful beach with this awful high buildings ! These are really appartment machines, the more tourists the better !
    You illustrated this so well. For that I love the English coast at least at the beaches the old Victorian style buildings have been preserved and renovated.
    In Belgium too we have these hidious high buildings, however not that high, what makes me angry is, that they demolished the old houses of the beautiful coast line and replaced them by these "machines"

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  12. Your photos are magnificent! So that's the gold coast.

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  13. I visit very seldom Surfers. It is not my place, the furtherest I usually go is Burleigh because it still has got an old fashioned charm.I also like Murwillumbah, I do not like malls.

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  14. The shot of the coast with skyscrapers in the distance reminded me of some places on the Texas/florida/alabama Gulf Coast. Being from the west coast (Oregon) where the beaches are more pristine and without skyscrapers, we were totally shocked the first time we arrived on the other side of the country. I hated those skyscrapers. But it is so much warmer! So we learn to live with them, but as far as beaches go, I still much prefer Oregon.

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  15. The beach is beautiful but I'm not a fan of all that concrete. We usually find the off the beaten path, and less crowded, places to vacation.

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