Surfer's Paradise

Surfer'sParadise
Originally uploaded by BLP.

Let's see, where was I?

Ahh, yes. Surfer's Paradise. I went off to the Gold Coast last week for two days and failed to pack anything useful for participating in a conference, such as presentable clothes or a razor. This was of little consequence, although I did end up giving a talk on the second day and would have preferred not to have looked as shaggy as I did. But given that an earlier presenter completely failed to maintain consciousness during his own talk (leading to an early break for tea and the arrival of the paramedics), my presentation was still more effective than others, despite my appearance.

Surfer's Paradise and/or the Gold Coast is a bit like Las Vegas on the water (but maybe a little more old Vegas than new Vegas). The beaches are beautiful, but backed by towering hotels and apartments, which I've been told house numerous Japanese tourists during the high season (someone even told me that people from Japan make weekend trips to the Gold Coast, despite the 10-hour flight, one-way). There's an array of casinos, pubs, mini-golf facilities etc., and further inland, one finds the residential area consisting of thousands of houses lying just above sea level in the most flood-prone area of Australia. Some 50-60% of Gold Coast residents live in a flood plain, and with the fastest growth rate in Australia (10%/year), 50,000 people move into the area each year.

It's definitely not the outback.