Because it's my birthday!
Getting to Gold Coast via public transport was relatively easy. It's more worth it to get a Daily ticket which includes all-day transport via train, bus and ferry. To Gold Coast which is across 12 zones, each adult daily ticket cost about A$17. Otherwise, you typically could get a 2-zone ticket which gets you around the city and a couple of suburbs and costs about A$5.
Checking out train schedules at Central Railway Station along Ann Street, which is 2 parallel roads away from Queen Street Mall. Interesting that streets parallel to Queen Street Mall were named after females and streets perpendicular were named after males in the City Centre.
So as i was saying, to get to Gold Coast, take the Robina Line train (yellow line) to Helensvale, which is approximately a 45 minute ride from Central Railway Station. At Helensvale there's a bus guide which tells you what public bus number to take, depending on which part of Gold Coast you're headed.
Public Bus Route Map at Helensvale Station. We took 709 headed for Surfer's Paradise. Skipped all the theme parks cos Auntie Julia had already brought HY, ZY and me to Dream World, Movie World and Sea World when we were kids.
From Surfer's Paradise, we took the bus in the opposite direction and got off at Harbour Town, for part two of our factory outlet shopping spree.
Yummy italian cuisine lunch at Nonna's at Harbour Town.
After a long train ride back to the city, we used our daily ticket again on a bus ride to this supposed best steak place in Brisbane at the Morrison Hotel, called the Fiascos Steakhouse, recommended by HY.
Do not judge a steak by its plate cos that slab of steak on the unassuming white plate is one of the best steaks i've tasted... it's quite pricey at A$30 per steak but well worth the money i'd say. Thanks Auntie Julia for the treat!
Ta-daa! Self-created birthday cake with a little help from those seated around me. Yep, was my birthday today. Happy Birthday me!
next day
