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WE HATED to leave Horizons but we had to push on to our next stop, on Queensland's Gold Coast. It was a day's drive, we discovered, and so to save time I suggest you fly. You’ll be checking into Royal Pines, your next resort, in about an hour.
It’s easily done. There’s an airport at Cessnock, a small town in the Hunter Valley, which is about 30 minutes flying time from Coolangatta airport. Your next stop is a short drive from there.
Known as the Sunshine State, Queensland has a coastline of some 2,000 miles. Brisbane, the capital city, is in the southern section, within easy reach of the coast and the two principal tourist regions that include many of the state’s golf resorts.
They are the Gold Coast, to the south east of Brisbane, and the Sunshine Coast, to the north east of the city. Both are an hour by road from Brisbane airport.
The Gold Coast nudges the state of New South Wales from where it stretches northwards for about 50 miles, encompassing a succession of pristine beaches and small communities devoted to the art of being laid back!
The focal point of the region is Surfers Paradise, a vibrant, non-stop town where life revolves around the surf beach and a host of nocturnal attractions, from discos to casinos. Bathed in sunshine by day and by an explosion of neon at night, it never stops sizzling. It’s a cross between Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach with a hint of Soho thrown in.
Only five miles away a plethora of plush resorts and country clubs offers a more esoteric form of hedonism. Welcome to Golfing Utopia.
There are 40 or so courses accessible to the public, several of them world class in design and presentation. Simply to read the names of the architects is verification of their pedigree: Jack Nicklaus, Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Graham Marsh, to name the most famous.
Some of their courses are part of all-encompassing resorts. And while they vary in style and presentation they have a common bond: standards are uncompromising. Our next stop sets the scene nicely.
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