Dynasty (2008 June 2008挢��

story Dominique Rowe

gold & green

Delicious Gold Coast
Gold Coast Meter Maids

With 300 days of sunshine a year and temperatures never falling below 22 degrees Celsius, the state of Queensland, Australia, justly deserves its nickname ��嚹he Sunshine State��

A hundred kilometers south of the state capital, Brisbane, lays the Gold Coast. Stretching from South Stradbroke Island to Rainbow Bay, this 70-kilometer stretch of coastline with numerous sandy beaches, thrilling theme parks and endless shopping and backed by a lush hinterland featuring stunning National Parks, is one of the country�� most popular holiday destinations.

With fantastic weather all year round it comes as no surprise that the major attraction of the Gold Coast is its beaches. Endless stretches of sparkling white sand and warm, turquoise blue waters that meet the horizon make for perfect, endless days. However, don��脌 expect to laze around on Aussie beaches. The beach is a way of life for the locals, a place to meet friends and socialize, get fit and healthy playing sports or taking coastal walks and enjoy picnics, barbeques and beachside dining.

China Airlines flies to Brisbane three times a week and Dynasty Packages are available. For details please contact your travel agent or Dynasty Package at dp.china-airlines.com

For the full feature, please refer to Dynasty June 2008.

Delicious Gold Coast

With plenty of sunshine, the Gold Coast has local gourmet treasures aplenty and the Hinterland Food and Wine Trail will guide you through the best of local vineyards, macadamia nut plantations and homemade cheese and chocolate shops; while the City Food and Wine Trail will take you from a long-time favorite pie shop and strawberry farm to Belgian chocolate factory and tropical fruit plantations. June at the Gold Coast is a busy month with delicious events. The annual GCBazaar is a month of fashion parades, food and wine and lots of fun, while A La Carte in the Park at Southport on 15 June features multi-cultural cuisine with live music, dance, cooking demonstrations and entertainment for the whole family.

http://www.tastesofgoldcoast.com.au/food_wine_trails.asp

Gold Coast Meter Maids

Beautiful golden bikini-clad young ladies patrol the streets of Surfers Paradise, the tourist strip of the Gold Coast, feeding expired parking meters and leaving calling cards under windscreen wipers advising drivers that they have been saved from a parking fine. This sounds too good to be true: they are the Meter Maids introduced in the 1960s as a positive spin on the city’s parking regulations and to help tourist avoid parking fines while exploring the area. The idea was first met with protest from the local community but the Meter Maids have become one of the most photographed attractions and the most recognized icon of Surfers Paradise over the past 40 years.