August Surfboards

August Surfboards

When You Get to Australia's Gold Coast

Why holiday on the Gold Coast? Its a question I am asked quite often despite our perfect weather, beautiful beaches and laid back way of life. If you are thinking about visiting us here, I have outlined some of the major highlights of our year below, to help you plan your next trip and to make sure you get the most out of your time here.

The calendar of events listed below is by no means exhaustive. So for more information about holidaying at the Gold Coast, make sure you look through our website at Gold Coast Surfboards

January The Magic Millions Carnival - A must event for those who love everything horse racing. The Magic Millions carnival in January brings Australian horse racing to the Gold Coast, combining the annual yearling sales with race meets, parties and dinners, all culminating in the Magic Millions race day, where over 3 million dollars in prize money is up for grabs.

February Without any specific big event in February, it is often the best time to visit. With school holidays coming to an end, the peak tourist period starting to die, you will be left with more space, more time and a more relaxing experience. Perfect for the holiday maker just wanting to wind down on a beach somewhere.

March Every March, the surfing world turns their collective attention to the Gold Coast, as the first event on the annual World Championship Tour is fought out on our waves. Given how much Australian surfers love the Gold Coast as a surfing destination generally, March really becomes a special time for surfers local and visiting, who find themselves on the Gold Coast.

April The Malfunction Surf Festival cruises into Coolangatta during March. Are you a surfer who has a touch of nostalgia for the surfing days not too long past. If so, this festival is for you. Aimed at longboarders and retro surfers, the five day carnival has a look at many aspects of the surfie culture, including art and memorabilia, surf vehicles, surf movies and a surf celebrity dinner.

May Each year in May, over 70 blues artists from OZ and the US, and over 100,000 blues lovers and enthusiasts make their way to Broadbeach to appreciate 5 days of blues music in a massive street festival environment - The Broadbeach Blues Festival has come to town. The line up of artists and festival generally gets better and better every year.

June The Gold Coast Bazaar - Our Festival of Fashion, Food and Fun. Established in 2007, the Gold Coast Bazaar brings the best the Gold Coast retail sector has to offer into a carnival of fashion food and fun. June at the Gold Coast is a definate for those who love to shop.

July The Gold Coast Marathon in July has become more than a race. It has become a weekend of fun and fitness, and a celebration of our modern day athletes who can accomplish these amazing feats of endurance. I participated in this event for the first time in 2008, albeit in the shorter 10km event on this weekend.

August August in the Gold Coast is your time of year if you love to celebrate your taste buds. The annual Tastes of The Gold Coast Festival brings the best of the Gold Coast's food and wine together, to be tasted and feasted upon, in Australia's most idyllic settings. It is a true celebration of the Gold Coast lifestyle, wine and food producers, chefs and restaurants, who now count as some of the worlds best.

September The Swell Sculpture Festival hits Currumbin Beach in September. Swell is a globally unique outdoor sculpture festival. The idea of Swell is for artists, both local and international, to create pieces which are large and durable and specific for outdoor display. Not only does this bring some spectacular sculptures to the Gold Coast, but it also provides a free outdoor event for the locals and holiday makers to the area, with plenty of events organised in a spectacular outdoor art gallery on the beach.

October The Lexmark Indy 300 - Four big car races come to the streets of Surfers Paradise, and are raced over 4 days. The Indy is one of Australias biggest car events, with Champ Cars and the V8s descending on the Gold Coast to race around a 4.47km street circuit in Australia's favorite tourist destination This event is a must on the calendar of all motor enthusiasts both national and international

November - December Schoolies Week comes to the Gold Coast. Its become an institution for Australian high school leavers to descend on the Gold Coast to celebrate finishing their secondary schooling. Its a 3 week graduation festival, a rite of passage, where the nations school leavers get the chance to taste the freedom they have worked for for 12 years. Its the perfect holiday event for you if your are 18ish and just finishing high school.

If your ideal holiday isn't one shared with a city of maraudering teenages and you are coming to the Gold Coast during this time of the year, we suggest you book your hotel a little bit out of Surfers Paradise, which is central to the schoolies action. Anything between Mermaid Beach and Coolangatta should be fine.

And don't forget when planning your trip to the Gold Coast, you can do it all from the convenience of one website. From hotel reservations, to car rentals and airline bookings. You can even hire your surfboard for your entire holiday, all from the Gold Coast Surfboards website

About the Author

Damian Papworth is the owner of Gold Coast Surfboards, a unique long term surf board hire service. As a financial member of Gold Coast Tourism, he just wants to ensure visitors of the Gold Coast have the holiday of their lives