Benowa

The towers and architectural spires of the Surfers Paradise apartment buildings might dominate the skyline, but the ambience of Benowa is a world removed from the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast tourist strip.

Still, its central position on the fun strip means that visitors are never far from the surf, the nightclubs, the golf clubs, theme parks and the assorted tinsel that sets the city apart.

Along with most Gold Coast suburbs, Benowa is but a comfortable, scenic drive from a rain-forest bedecked hinterland range. The picture postcard coastal range villages of Tamborine Mountain and Springbrook present magnificent views to the sea and inland river valleys and provide direct access to spectacular bush-walking tracks which you share with the more gregarious members of the local fauna.