Caught in Currumbin's coils

Currumbin Sanctuary is a mere 20 minute drive from the bustle of Surfers Paradise

As the snake winds itself around my shoulders I let out a yelp, much to the joy of the watching children, including the 9-year-old similarly coiled by a python and showing not a hint of concern.

I suspect that even the docile koalas nearby, who have been positively dormant all morning, wake to stifle a smirk.

This is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, a jewel in the Gold Coast Crown.

Just 20 minutes drive from the razzamatazz of Surfers Paradise, Currumbin could be a different world.

The National Trust property has one of the world's largest collections of Australian native wildlife. And as well as being a fascinating place, it is a calm and unrivalled way to spend a day - or was until the snake-handling show.

Volunteering to hold one seemed a good idea, somehow.

It wasn't. The handler eventually took pity on me and removed the snake, which by now had worked its way down my back, and I was able to slink away to the safety of the lorikeet feeding area. At least there was no 17m crocodile-holding show.

Currumbin started life by accident in 1947, when Alex Griffiths began feeding the lorikeets to stop them wrecking his colourful garden.

Before long, visitors found out about the resulting influx of birds, and one of Queensland's oldest tourist attractions was born.

Its history contrasts with much of that of the Gold Coast - particularly Surfers Paradise, which seems purpose-built to cater for holidaymakers and partygoers. This is the place to go for unending hedonistic delight. Surely even those who work in the bars and clubs do so only to earn money to go to the bars and clubs.

The golden-sand beaches are beautiful, but at night the choices are to go out and party or listen to others going out and partying.

The key is to choose accommodation a short distance from the main centre, which affords the chance to walk in for an evening but is far enough away not to be forced to listen to it until 6am.

Surfers is the heartbeat of Gold Coast City. But strictly speaking it is a suburb of the tourist hot-spot with a population of 500,000.

It would be a crime to visit the region without spending time at one or more of the theme parks, so it was with a kind of juvenile excitement that I headed to Dreamworld for a day, with faint memories of candyfloss and waltzers.

That excitement wilted as soon as I walked through the gates and was struck by a moment of epiphany. I was a lone 30-year-old in a theme park for children and teenagers and I felt uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, I forced myself to queue for The Claw, telling myself it was part of the job and it couldn't get worse. Then the operator singled me out as "on my own" to take the last single seat on the ride - at which I suffered the indignity of walking past said children and teenagers to take my space.

Fortunately, I later ran into 77-year-old "Ozzie-Kiwi" granddad George, who had been on every ride and said "it's a good bit of humour". But he had the excuse of bringing the grandchildren.

Dreamworld has everything you would want in a theme park. The Claw leaves you dizzy, The Cyclone leaves you queasy and The Giant Drop leaves your stomach 40m feet in the air while bringing the rest of you to the ground in a split second.

I wouldn't choose to go there alone again, but for a family day out it's probably hard to beat.

But it may soon face stiff competition. The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that there are plans to open a Disney park in Queensland.

Interestingly, the same paper ran a story a couple of days later warning that extreme G-force rides were bad for your health.

For a more sedate experience, it was off to Movieworld. The Warner Bros park is a triumph of expensive production values. The home of Batman, for example, is visually stunning and there are also an array of stomach-churning rides.

However, Movieworld is very child-oriented and, having already decided to preserve my little remaining dignity by ignoring the rides, there was not a great deal else but to watch a couple of shows and meet the "stars of Scooby Doo".

Younger children will love the place, but I left after a technology-free live version of the technology-dependent hit film The Matrix and a run-in with some painfully enthusiastic cartoon character imitators.

Electing to act my age, I drove the hour north to Brisbane for a look at "Australia's fastest-growing city". It has come a long way since being established as a penal colony for the worst class of offender.

The city's showpiece is the Storey Bridge and, although no Sydney Harbour Bridge, it is an impressive structure.

What Brisbane lacks in visual impact it makes up for in vibrancy. The centre is bustling, bright and clean, and further out there are heritage trails to show off the city's finer points. One good option is to see the city by river ferry cruise.

Brisbane suffered in the 1980s in the way of many major cities, when fine heritage buildings were torn down in the name of progress.

Fortunately, enough was saved and restored, or in some cases "reconstituted", to give the city a specific identity. By and large, traces of the colonial past mix easily with modern architecture.

However, boating up the river you'll see some bizarre and ugly private waterfront properties - cementing the comforting notion that money can't buy taste.

In the 1970s Brisbane was dilapidated, but the 1982 Commonwealth Games breathed new life into the city.

Alongside the Brisbane River is Stanley Plaza, which hosts events and attractions most days and features frequent market days selling all manner of curiosities, from oil-burners to family crests.

Sea World and Wet'n' Wild are a short drive from Surfers and the place is packed with places to eat, drink and shop.

Back at Surfers, however, it felt important to spend time on the beach - with so much artificial entertainment around it's easy to forget why the whole place exists. In one direction are looming apartment blocks and hotels which have sprung up to cater for the influx of visitors. Look the other way and it's kilometres of white sand and surf that even progress can't spoil.
* Stuart Dye visited the Gold Coast as guest of Air New Zealand Holidays.

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