Waves, Traffic and Aussie-isms

We have been enjoying a much more relaxing time here on the Gold Coast than during the previous weeks of the trip. We have no plans to get on a surf board but the water is so warm and surf so mesmerizing it is almost impossible to resist. There are many kilometres of beach but only small sections, 100 to 200 metres wide at various locations, are protected by life guards. The hard core surfer dudes pretty much ignore the life guard stations but those of us who just play in the surf and sand observe them completely. The water currents that can be felt only a few metres from shore are quite impressive.

Gail Just got Covered by a Wave,
you can see her head in the middle of the frame.

What you see just before you go for a ride.

There is the very obvious wave that rises and curls with the foamy cap. They are fun to just jump into and let them carry you to shore like a pretend surfer. They are often not as violent as other waves that lack the foamy crest. Some of the waves that appear as innocent rollers hit with freight train-like impact. As the ocean recedes after one of these swells it feels like you are about to be dragged out to sea or, in some cases, down the beach parallel to the shoreline. The biggest impact seems to occur when a swell that has gone high on the sand recedes and meets another wave just as it breaks. If you happen to be at the point where they meet and the wave crest is rising you get tossed and twisted like wet clothes in a washing machine then spit out nearer the shore.

Traffic here is, in some ways, more civilized than in Canada. When traffic is heavy enough they stay in their lane when two lanes turn but in lighter traffic conditions, like us, lane markers are often ignored. It is generally safer for pedestrians to cross streets here. Perhaps part of the reason is the $400 fines for not giving way at controlled pedestrian crossings and only slightly less for other marked crossings. Our problem is checking the right direction for approaching traffic. Occasionally during the evening when traffic is lighter, we can hear vehicles that sound and sometimes look like leftovers from a Road Warrior movie. In general, vehicles here tend to be smaller. The few larger vehicles seem to be Land Rover style off road machines with unmistakeable snorkel air intakes.

The Aussies we have met have been friendly and willing to chat informally whether on the beach, in restaurants or in grocery stores. It takes a while to become accustomed to the language similarities shared with the British but they also have a whole series of Aussie-isms. Here is an abbreviated list from my observation.

Aussie-isms

• Sunnies : sun glasses
• Maccas (sometimes Mackers): McDonalds Restaurant
• Woolies: Woolworths, a grocery store
• Barbie: BBQ Grill
• Boggy: poor quality
• Pozzy: position
• Dunny: toilet
• Mozzies: mosquitos
• Trackies: track pants
• Sickie: “mental health” day
• Cockie:  cockatoo

To say the dress code in Burleigh Heads is informal is no exaggeration. Smart casual means shirt and shoes. Beach wear, that’s something else indeed. A swim suit and a surfboard is pretty common. I am not permitted to even photograph most of the swimsuits. I can only say that having seen them in the surf they are much stronger than they appear.

On Sunday’s walk about we discovered quite a large market in the park along the beach. There were vendors selling a variety of goods from bamboo clothing to candy. One of the clothing vendors brought their own portable dressing room for customers to try on merchandise, first time we have seen such a thing. Sunday and Monday were surf days. When we’re on the beach resting there are lots of Aussies willing to engage in conversation and it is quite remarkable how many have a Canadian connection of some kind.

Tuesday we returned to the public transportation system first to head south to Currumbin. The beach was like many others except for this lookout.

We passed through the community of Palm Beach on the way and we took a look at the wildlife centre but elected not to drop another $100 to look at austalian animals seen many times before. In the afternoon we headed north to Surfers Paradise. We remember one high rise building when we were here 10 years ago, today the skyline is filled with skyscrapers.

Our trip to Surfers was by bus and tram, a vehicle built in Canada by Bombardier Aerospace.

The tram travels along the highway between opposing traffic lanes. It is not the fastest but it is quite effective. The tram is essentially a street car that is about one block long with very comfortable seating. While walking to the beach we encountered a city workman who reacted to my Toronto Blue Jays t-shirt. As it turned out, he had been in LA when Wayne Gretzky played one of his last games and also saw the Jays play in LA. I’m not sure how long ago that was. When we visited Surfers Paradise 10 years ago there was only one sky scraper today, it looks like the photo below. We counted a dozen buildings more than 30 stories.

While walking the main street of Surfers Gail’s Canada t-shirt got a reaction from a young woman whose father had spent years in Manitoba. Once again, we ducked a rain shower while riding the bus back to Burleigh Heads. However, our luck missing rain ended this evening. We needed the umbrella on the walk to The Surf Club for dinner and after dinner the umbrella was not quite enough. We didn’t get soaked but it ended our dry streak.

Here is a video clip from various beach visits. It may take some time to download.

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