gold coast elevation Page 224

As the name suggests, the Gold Coast spends most of its time flirting with sea level — beaches and central suburbs sit around 0–10 metres above it.

Head inland and the ground stops being lazy: Tamborine and the hinterland climb to roughly 500–600 metres, and the Springbrook/Lamington ranges top out around the 900–1,000 metre mark.

So the “Gold Coast elevation” depends on which bit of sand or rainforest you’re standing on — anywhere from zero to about a kilometre up.

Either way, bring sunscreen at the bottom and a jumper for the lookouts; both are Australia in stereo.