Cooly Rocks On Festival on the Gold Coast. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
Cooly Rocks On Festival on the Gold Coast. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
Herald reporter Katie Harris hit the Gold Coast in search of an old-school Aussie getaway.
Europe, Japan, Bali. Scrolling through TikTok recently it seems everyone’s following with the same travel itinerary.
While Australia remains a Kiwi favourite, with the rest of the world at our fingertips it’s easy to forget the allure of travel across the ditch.
We may associate the Gold Coast with modern high-rises and glam happenings, but there’s a cool retro revival going on. One that’s encouraging visitors to turn back the clock and enjoy a GC holiday from yesteryear.
Here are our top spots for a vintage-style adventure.
Dripping with 70s funk and sex appeal, if it weren’t for the Netflix and air-con you’d be forgiven for thinking you had been sucked through a time machine. Soaking in the sea air from pastel loungers, you can see why The Pink Hotel is now famous on Instagram. Each room is uniquely decorated with midcentury furniture spliced with modern art and amenities. The pink facade cuts a striking figure on the Coolangatta waterfront and its open-air rooftop bar beckons you toward a mid-arvo margarita.
While Coolangatta offers year-round nostalgia, for five days each June the town’s esplanade is transformed into a vintage oasis. Firstly there’s Elvis (well several) floating around making hearts flutter in various iterations of jumpsuits and leather. Then there’s the cars. Frankly, I’ve tried my darndest to avoid all motor events since I spent much of my childhood reluctantly trackside at Canterbury’s Ruapuna, but these are groovy. Long, generously sized interiors and buffed to the max. Impossible not to love.
The festival began about 30 years ago and was initially a boat race around the headland. Director Mark Duckworth said people started turning up with vintage cars to watch the boats and slowly but surely it evolved to what’s now Cooly Rocks On. “Which is over 900 vintage cars, hot rods, classic cars taking over the streets, rockabilly music, as well as lifestyle. You can even get a tattoo onsite.”
Cooly Rocks On will be back June 4-8, 2025. Keep an eye on what’s hot to trot atcoolyrockson.com
Coolangatta Beach, and the first day of Cooly Rocks On from The Pink Hotel rooftop. Photo / Katie Harris
Lorikeet breakfast
Word is it’s essentially illegal to visit the Goldy without stopping in at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a conversation with a local who hadn’t implored me to visit. So there I was bright and early one morning for the lorikeet breakfast. I had assumed it was a human breakfast where the birds would flap about in a nearby enclosure, but there were no eggs bene in sight. Just me, a tray of sweet, milky bird feed and dozens of other tourists equally armed and swamped by hundreds of the colourful parrots. Apparently, this experience is make or break for the birds. People either leave traumatised, hoping to never see the animals again, or as lorikeet lovers. Thankfully I was the latter. Hopefully ‚they’ll remember me when I come back for round two.
The word is it’s essentially illegal to visit the Goldy without stopping in at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
Longboarding at Currumbin
In the early 2010s, I had a formative experience with the Australian TV show Puberty Blues. It follows two best friends, Debbie and Sue, as they navigate surfing, relationships and at times violence in Sydney’s Southern Shire. For the three summers following its release, my best friend and I rarely left our local surf club, usually only doing so to binge-watch Puberty Blues again. Stepping on to the squeaking (the sand makes a sound) foreshore I felt 16 again. Or, more accurately, I finally felt like an extra in the TV show I always dreamed of starring in. The waves were forgiving, the people were friendly and even in June it was spring-suit weather. Cami from Currumbin Surf School, located beachside, sussed me out with a longboard and good vibes.
Currumbin Beach has waves suitable for all. Photo / Katie Harris
Longboards Eatery
I learned a lesson when I went to Longboards for dinner. Always Google before you head out to eat. There was no issue with the menu, staff or location; my outfit was the problem. Longboards Eatery is a laidback, surf-themed sports bar with a large swimming pool in the middle. I arrived in a dress resembling a Paddle Pop with pink fur and kitten heels. But despite my bizarre attire, which unfortunately drew even more attention as I was dining alone, it was still a great night. My vegetarian chicken burger and margarita were at the table in minutes, and the staff stopped by my table for banter throughout. However, this may have been out of pity over my unfortunate dress choice. There is nothing better than a good burger next to the water, and if you want an old-school GC bite, this hits all the right spots.
The writer was a guest of Tourism and Events Queensland and flew with Air New Zealand on their daily direct flights between Auckland and Gold Coast Airport.
