After hippie-dippy Byron Bay, crass and flashy Surfer’s Paradise couldn’t have provided a more marked contrast. The seaside resort offers a depressing lesson in destination marketing. Step One: Give your place a great name, one that rings of holiday and adventure, sunshine and beach. Step Two: Do whatever you want, people will flock to your destination regardless, because it sounds so nice.
Obviously, there are people who consider Surfer’s Paradise an eden of sorts, but unless your idea of a good time is a day on a man-made beach surrounded by towering hotel blocks, followed by a trashy night on the tiles, in nightclubs that look like they were made solely with hen and stag nights in mind. Of course, we had been told all this in advance and went anyway, against our better judgement, because surely a place called Surfer’s Paradise is a must on any Queensland itinerary… So, we got what we deserved.