The Gold Coast is probably Queensland’s most versatile watery playground, in fact it has 250 kilometres of creeks, rivers, lakes and bays that are usually busy.
There are many ways to enjoy a day on the water, as a passive or active adventurer.
The most family-friendly and possibly quirkiest can often be seen on the Gold Coast Broadwater. Aquaduck sightseeing tours depart Surfers Paradise several times a day aboard a specially-designed LARC amphibious vehicle.
When it leaves the bitumen for the broadwater, tyres give way to a tiller and the driver becomes a skipper. The 40-minute cruise heads up to the mouth of the Nerang River, where there’s running commentary about waterfront luxury homes and the lives of the rich and famous who live in them.
Junior passengers are given an opportunity to take the wheel and earn a ‘skipper’s licence’.
But for those who want total control, there’s a high adrenalin experience further north of Southport.
Daniel Watkins is a three-time world wakeboarding champion who lived in the US for 15 years, before retiring and returning home to create cable ski playground in a disused quarry at Oxenford, on the Gold Coast.
Gold Coast Wake Park caters for beginners as well as the daredevils who take on the jumps and other obstacles around the circuit. Daniel claims that novices are usually on their feet after just a few minutes of private instruction. Up to 8 riders at a time can use the main carriages, but there’s a special 2.0 cable that slows down to help newbies get up and running.
Daniel’s passion is to create a breeding ground for the next generation of world champions. Two of the three best riders in the world already live in Oxenford.
