by Tracie Hocart
Christmas on the Gold Coast is really something special. People ask me “Are you heading away over the Christmas break?” and I always say I would rather be here than anywhere else this time of year. Why would I head away when there is such a great atmosphere in the air? It’s that special time year when everyone is friendly & smiling (except for the usual grumpy people who have lost the smile reflex somewhere along the way.)
For us, living on the Gold Coast at Christmas time has always been a pleasure. Even when we lived in Brisbane we still managed to find ourselves down here at Christmas time. So many of our friends and family head to the coast and we find people landing on our doorsteps trying to organise get togethers everyday of the two weeks before and after Christmas. Thankfully most of our friends either have their own accommodation arranged or have holiday homes here. We generally have family staying here and there, but do not find that a problem. Happy to have them!It’s really starting to get hotter that’s for sure. We have noticed the humidity during the past week after the rain. Like most people, who end up living on the Gold Coast, we have great insulation (keeping the house cool in summer & warm in winter), a pool, a covered outdoor entertaining area (patio) and air conditioning. So for us the heat isn’t too much of an issue – in fact I love it when the temperature hits the high 20s (28+°C) and early 30’s.
In the summer months around Christmas our social activities consist of lots of BBQ’s, sitting outside for meals, enjoying a cool christmas drink or two with friends (also outside), swimming in the pool, heading to the beach for an hour or two, having an evening picnic with take away at one of the beach side parks or hills overlooking the ocean. For special get togethers, dinner at one of the local restaurants where you can sit outside and watch the rest of the world go by is also a favourite.
The kids love nothing more than hitting the water theme parks here. We have just had a full year pass, for Dreamworld and White Water World, expire. As a local you usually get really good deals on these and during the school holidays we well and truly get our moneys worth – the kids never get sick of going there (and dad and I love it too!). We are hoping to get MyFun passes shortly to keep the kids occupied for the rest of the holidays. These are fantastic and include Seaworld, Wet and Wild and Movieworld. And once again, as a local, you can pick them up for a great price when they announce new marketing deals.
We are so very lucky to have such fantastic beaches. We live in the centre of the Gold Coast and can choose from a large number of great beaches, all within a 5-10 minute drive. My favourite would have to be Nobbys as it is patrolled but away from a lot of the really busy beaches to the North. For the family I also love Tallebudgera Creek which is a little creek/inlet running from the surf beach around the corner. There are no massive waves and if you wanted to you could probably swim all the way across to the other bank (although take care with the current and I wouldn’t’t recommend this to the kids).
If you are thinking of moving to the Gold Coast any time soon, you have all this to look forward to. After living in Brisbane, which I also loved, I have to say that the Gold Coast has been a great place to bring up a family. Our advice would be to live close to the centre of the Gold Coast where you only have to a 5-10 min drive to get to the best shopping centres, beaches, attractions and activities. And this time of year you will really benefit from having all this and more close by.
About the author: Tracie Hocart has lived and worked on the Gold Coast for the past 8 years with her husband Damien (a Certified Practicing Valuer) and young family. Tracie and Damien own and operate Residential Property Solutions assisting home buyers and investors locate the right property, in the right location, at the right price.