QLD Day 4 - Brisbane to Gold Coast

I retrieved my luggage from the locker and rolled onward to the platform to wait for the Gold Coast train. They run every half hour. I was lucky to get one of the brand new trains that are based on the new Perth train sets for this journey (see photo in Day 3 post). The train ran express until Beenleigh, then stopped at all stations from there to Robina. The only problem was that it was a suburban train and lacked certain necessities for the longer journey (especially luggage racks). The quality of the track was outstanding and it was obvious that big money had been spent on providing substantial stations along the route.

On arrival I dragged my case up the stairs at Robina as the line at the lift was too long. Eventually I worked out which bus stop I needed to wait at to get to Pacific Fair, it was not all that obvious though. I would be staying at Broadbeach, and Pacific Fair shopping centre was around the corner, only 700 metres according to the trip planner. The bus I got seemed to take the scenic route and even got stuck in a traffic jam outside a school. It was timetabled to take 20 minutes but seemed to take much longer. It was an interesting ride none the less.

By the time I got off the bus I was quite hot and frustrated and had a rather angry 700 meter walk to my accommodation. The good thing about high rise accommodation is that it's easy to spot from a distance when you don't know where you are going. Eventually after what felt like a marathon distance I trundled into the lobby and checked in.

After getting into my apartment and opening the doors and seeing the view all my frustrations washed away momentarily. This was the life.

Seeing this made me feel good
(click to see larger size)

In need of supplies I made the journey back to Pacific Fair to find a supermarket. The walk back didn't seem nearly as far. Latter on when I had the basics, but realised I needed some alcoholic beverages, I discovered that the Broadbeach shopping centre was even closer.

Frustrations returned when the hotplates didn't work. I tried all switches and dials I could find but nothing would work. I even found the fuse box and flicked the circuit breakers off and on. After a call to reception I was pointed to a switch that was hiding behind the kettle. The only place I didn't look! While the food was cooking I took a quick shower, changed into some fresh clothes and opened a beer. I was finally able to relax.