Upon awaking this morning I promptly headed on over to Coolangatta Beach. A surf-rental client was leaving the area very early in the day and needed me to come by and pick up the equipment (a short board and a minimal) they had been using before they went ahead to check out. Hence I went for precisely that purpose, arriving a little earlier than 7am.

On Australia’s Gold Coast, Coolangatta is about 30 minutes drive south of Surfers Paradise and like Surfers Paradise, has been made famous by some of the world class surf breaks in the area. Surfers Paradise at the north end of the Gold Coast hosts the Goldy’s best beach breaks, the waves form on a shifting sand based ocean floor, picking up lots of swell.

Unlike Surfer’s Paradise, Coolongatta farther south, is renowned for its point breaks at sites such as Greenmount, Kirra and Snapper Rocks. Though they lack the significant swell of the northern beaches, these point breaks surely offer the best waves in the region. The waves simply do not stop bending around the points on the good days. When fatigued and tired, a surfer can simply kick off a wave instead of it abruptly ending.

This morning was another story, however: when I arrived at about 7am the waves reared up no higher than a foot tall or so, with no wind to promise a change in the conditions. After collecting my rental equipment from the departing client I decided to catch some coffee and breakfast at a charming cafe in town, with the intention of discovering what happens along the beach when surfing is not a viable option.

Shortly into this observational activity it dawned on me just why the Gold Coast, in Queensland state in the north of the country, is one of the hottest beach destinations in the world. At this early hour the activity on the beach front was already moving at a good pace with plenty of folks out enjoying the conditions: of course, with the water at 24 and the air at 26 they didn’t need much cajoling. In such conditions, who wouldn’t want to be hitting the beach for the day?!

Enjoying the tame water, a few longboarders and Polynesian-style surfers (the standing-and-paddling kind) were out doing their thing in the ocean. Many beach-goers were already dipping themselves into the water in the areas designated by the flags, riding small breakers right up to the shore’s edge.

The beach at Coolangatta spreads out to approximately 50 meters of gorgeous yellowy-golden sand, a perfect setting for the many ladies already out in their bikinis deepening their tans at such early hours. The really early tanners comically tend to always be the ones that are wrapping up their vacations and want to go home that much bronzer!

Along the bike and running paths designated in the park, tiny groups of cyclists and runners whiz by as they carry out their morning fitness program. Way out at sea a pod of whales is playfully splashing around as they follow their migration path, to the great amusement of the beach-bound passersby.

I observe this all from a chic little cafe, where a pretty waitress serves me my latte and eggs benedict. As a local, sometimes it is time well spent just to sit back, recognize and soak up the things that so many other people travel the world to come here and enjoy. I hope you manage to share the beauty of our home one day too. Life really doesn’t get much better than this.

Damian Papworth knows that for holidays in the sun, with a warm ocean, golden beaches and sun drenched days, no destination tops the Queensland Gold Coast. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service