Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Check out my latest National Geographic piece: What Makes Australia's Gold Coast Golden? And more photos of Sea Temple Surfers Paradise, where I stayed my first night.
Freelance tagged Australia, Gold Coast, National Geographic Tuesday, July 17, 2012 
A short 30-minute drive from the Gold Coast airport in Australia is Surfers Paradise. If you've seen photos of the Gold Coast and its skyline, Surfers Paradise is the center of it all. Since I'm not a surfer, it wasn't that type of paradise for me, but the beautiful beach and views out of my balcony and up the Australian coast were fantastic.
After nearly 30 hours of travel, two things in my room at Sea Temple Surfers Paradise made me giddy - a full kitchen and a washer/dryer! Then, in order of giddiness, the large balcony, coastline view, and great bed. Each room can be owned for those that come here often but also is a wonderfully spacious hotel retreat. Interestingly when I checked in, for the first time ever, I had to sign a sheet saying that I would keep noise levels to a minimum. Alas, my fog horn never came out of my suitcase.
Because it's so shiny, bright and new with great facilities, Sea Temple stands out. Get a mass of soft scrambled eggs for breakfast - they are bright orange from the Australian yolks and delicious.
Kitchen
Too bad it was only me! 
Outdoor Pool 
Outdoor Seating and Ocean Views
Great gym! 
Indoor Pool
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 I'm nearing the end of my 3-month travel stint but before I'm home in New York for the month of June playing massive catch-up, I'm headed off to the Gold Coast of Australia. Today's flight path is New York-Los Angeles-Sydney-Brisbane. It's all on Qantas, the airline that I've always wanted to fly because everyone I've talked to LOVES it! Oh and I get to meet a koala. YES!
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
