On the coast 100 km south of Brisbane. A favourite spot on the Gold Coast. It has almost everything you’ll find in Surfer’s Paradise – including better surf and better beaches – but attracts a less hectic crowd. That said, you can still have a wild old time here. The coastal strip around Coolangatta sprawls either side of the New South Wales border, which means that during the New Year celebrations here they make use of the hour time difference between the two states and bring the New Year in twice.

The state border actually runs through the Captain Cook Memorial at Point Danger, where there’s a lighthouse and a big bronze globe which shows the details of Captain Cook’s 18thC voyages of exploration and discovery.