Gold Coast: Winter Getaway

In the winter months, everyone's thoughts seem to turn to holidays. What could be better than relaxing somewhere in the sun, rather than working somewhere in the cold? It's almost as though, to survive the cold and grey, we need a goal of warmth and light to work towards. Even if it's just a temporary sojourn.

Low tide at Surfer's Paradise Beach

This year, my parents and I met for a June long weekend in the Gold Coast. Uncharacteristically, the region was experiencing fairly consistent rainfall - so it wasn't exactly the sunny paradise we'd anticipated. Nonetheless, the temperature was a solid 10 degrees warmer than in Melbourne, so I was still happy. And, as it turns out, moody weather makes for better beach photos.

We mainly wandered between Surfer's Paradise, Broadbeach and the Nerang River, at one point ascending the popular SkyPoint building to visit its observation deck.

Inviting walkway to Surfer's Paradise Beach

View towards Surfer's Paradise Beach from our holiday apartment

Sun breaking through the clouds

Solitary runner

Surfer's seagulls congregating at night

Seagulls and shadows in the sand

Lifeguard hut on the Esplanade

Edward Hopper-esque

Nerang River

View over the Nerang to Surfer's

Looking north towards Main Beach from SkyPoint

Tourists

Looking south towards Broadbeach from SkyPoint
(Nerang River on the right)

Moody beachy reflections

Tourists on Surfer's Paradise Beach at low tide

Anju Restaurant + Bar

Some friends wanted to try the new Korean fusion joint Anju Restaurant + Bar (18 Little La Trobe Street, Melbourne), so I happily joined them for an early Friday dinner. Not having eaten much Korean food previously, I'm still learning about what constitutes 'traditional' Korean fare, so I was interested to see how this place did 'fusion'. Owner Young Choi went from a retail background to opening a completely fusion restaurant (combining Spanish, Mexican and Japanese), before adapting to patrons' requests for more the more traditional foods of his native background. The result is a schmick, modern restaurant/bar down a dodgy-looking CBD street, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Let me break it down for you... The style Anju has a warm industrial feel with traditional accents. Wooden floorboards, tables and decorative features (like planter boxes and wooden toy trucks hanging overhead) are interspersed with hard industrial surfaces like ...

Double Happiness, New Gold Mountain

Some names in Melbourne's bar scene are thrown around quite a lot. Everyone's heard of Cookie , the Carlton , Gin Palace , Supper Club . Since arriving in Melbourne in 2009, I have heard the name Double Happiness (21 Liverpool Street, Melbourne) a lot, and thought, 'What a nice name!' (DOUBLE happiness! Man, I reckon most people would be pretty content with SINGLE happiness) - not realising I had actually already been to this tiny, iconic laneway bar. Double Happiness is topped by New Gold Mountain - technically a separate entity, but both bars are so small and so close, one would be forgiven for thinking they were the same bar with a different theme on each level.* They're run by the same crew as Lily Black's - a 'top marks' bar for its location (on Meyers Place ) and its Art Deco stylings - and Mr Wow's Emporium on Smith Street (another place I've heard of a lot but not yet made it to... SAD FACE). Liverpool Street is one of the many la...

Arbory Bar and Eatery

New: Arbory Bar and Eatery, Flinders Walk, Melbourne When I heard Arbory Bar and Eatery had opened along one side of Flinders Street Station, I was surprised that I'd managed to skip any pre-launch hype about it. (a) A new bar, (b) in such a central location, and (c) such a big venue - how had I missed this?! But no matter. I was able to get along and check it out only two weeks after opening. Redeemed. Drinks with a river view So - this place is pretty cool. Arbory (Flinders Walk, Melbourne) runs the length of the old Sandridge platform (up to 150 metres, depending on which source you believe), along the river side of Flinders Street Station. The Sandridge railway line, which went to what is now Port Melbourne, ran for 133 years from 1854. Since it was decommissioned in 1987, its dedicated Flinders platform had been left terribly sad and unused. Flinders Street Station backs onto one length of Arbory The combined powers of Metro Trains and the HQ Hospita...

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