Surfers Paradise is the heart of the Gold Coast city – one of Australia’s fastest growing regions – a multicultural city a buzz with booming business and tourism, mixed with a blend of relaxing lifestyle in the sun and surf; surrounded by tropical rain forests and beautiful beaches.
As Australia’s sixth largest city, the Gold Coast is a city that has it all and is fast becoming the hub for Christian conferences from around the nation. In 2008 SURFCiTY hosted conferences with guest speakers including Brian Houston & Phil Dooley from Hillsong Church, Reggie Dabbs, Tony Campolo, Paul Geerling, Danny Guglielmucci and more.
Weather
As Australia’s holiday hotspot, Surfers Paradise has perfect weather all year round. The Surfers Paradise climate is sub-tropical with almost 300 days of sunshine each year.
Summer – December to February
Autumn – March to May
Winter – June to August
Spring – September to November
Average Summer Temperatures: 19 to 29 degrees Celsius (66 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit).
Average Winter Temperatures: 9 to 21 degrees Celsius (48 to 69 degrees Fahrenheit).
Humidity can be quite high during summer.
Clothing
With over 70kms of beaches and warm weather in spring and summer, you’ll definitely want to bring your swim suit.
Evenings and mornings can be cooler during winter, while the days are beautifully warm. Some international students are taken by how cold it can get during winter nights. However, this only lasts a few short weeks. During this time you will need a warm jacket, jumper, long sleeve shirt or sweater. Rarely will you need a scarf. You’ll never need gloves.
Accommodation
The Gold Coast has a variety of styles of accommodation on offer.
AIMEE LAAKSO, Canada
Age: 23
Accomm: Share an apartment, $130
Work: Sales, 20 hours
Food: $45 week
Transport: Bus, friend’s car, $30 week
Social: $100. Hang out with friends. College is great. Learning about the Word everyday and growing in my relationship with God has been awesome. The weather on the Gold Coast is perfect. Warm most of the time, with only a few cold weeks in winter.
CARLA VIERA, Brazil
Age: 23
Accomm: Share an apartment with a friend, $160 week
Work: Take-away food, 20 hours
Food: $60 week
Transport: Walk, taxi late at night, $20 week.
Social: $40. Coffee with friends, read novels etc. The way we study the Bible at SURFCiTY College is brilliant. We don’t focus on church traditions and stuff – just the Word of God. The Lecturers are really helpful and lot’s of fun. The Gold Coast is a nice, safe, very enjoyable, amazing beaches.
DIEGO ALEJANDRO PEREZ-DELGADO, Colombia
Age: 23
Accomm: Share accommodation, $70 week
Food: $20
Transport: Walk, bus, $10 week
Social: Rarely spend any money on social stuff, as I like to use the internet, which is free at the College, or I’ll just hang out with friends. I’ve grown so much while studying at SURFCiTY College. It’s been awesome. The character development and encounters with God are really great. Studying on the Gold Coast is really nice. The weather is good.
JUDITH HUTTE, THE NETHERLANDS
Age: 25
Accomm: Share Accommodation, $130
Work: Florist, 15 hours week.
Food: $50, week.
Transport: Car, $30
Social: $10. I love catching up with friends. The beach on the Gold Coast is great. The people are friendly and the weather is lovely. Studying at SURFCiTY College is really awesome. I have learned so much more about God and the Bible. My life has really changed.
