More photos from OZ

A few more photos from the Gold Coast--you can see the stunning setting and ammenities of my hotel (the Sheraton Mirage), as well as the seemingly endless stretch of beach I ran along every morning I was there. The white bridge was the link from the Sheraton to the Marina Mirage, an indoor/outdoor mall housing lux stories, like Hermes, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton, plus a few bars and restaurants. That aspect especially reminded me of Honolulu/Waikiki, in that it's definitely catering to a well-off touristy, (and mostly Asian) crowd. Not quite my style—but fun to browse!

As you can imagine, Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin’s death is still looming large over the country. So I found it a little creepy to see a sign warning against the danger of “Marine stingers”—a year to the day of his fatal run-in with a stingray. Good thing I stayed out of the ocean! (It was a bit too cold for me, anyway).

There were also some funny little sightings along the beach—interesting looking beach birds (which I’m sure are as common as seagulls here!) and the variety of surf lifesaver clubs. Bec will have to correct me if I’m wrong here, but I believe that there a bunch of clubs that the lifesavers belong to, and each one has a little hut—or, in some cases, a beach-side café—for their home base. The pic here shows one of these clubs, complete with outdoor seating and flat-screen TVs! Pretty swank!