Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Better Nightlife - Surfers Paradise or Brisbane?

I am traveling to Australia next week and start my stay in Brisbane. I arrive at 7am on a Friday and depart Brisbane on Tuesday to head to Sydney. I would like to spend two nights in Brisbane and two nights in Surfers Paradise (I will spend one day from Surfers Paradise to drive to the Hinterland and explore Lamington and Tamborine). I was curious which has better nightlife...Surfers Paradise or Brisbane? Trying to decide where I should spend Friday/Saturday and where I should spend Sunday/Monday.

Your profile doesn't indicate where you are from, but presumably US or Europe -- Australians would already know all about Surfers. The answer is neither; Surfers is like JAX (i.e. college town gone wild, lots of booze and semi-topless girls) while Brisbane is a small city trying to become sophisticated (so it imports things like the NY Ballet at times). Both are pitiful compared to the real nightlife in Australia which is in Sydney and Melbourne -- both offer world-class nightlife that is competitive with NYC, London, etc.

What kind of nightlife are you wanting? Pubs? Clubs? What kind of music - live, techno, house?

Gold coast is more RnB, drunk 17 year olds with fake IDs. There's more indie live music in Brisbane, but plenty of good dance places too.

I would recomend the following...
Surfers: Melbas, Sin City, East, Platinum and My Bar.
Brisbane: Family, Cloudland and The Met.

Surfers: Melbas, Sin City, East, Platinum and My Bar.



Ahhh, memories... :D
When I went to uni at the Gold Coast, we used to go to Melbas and MyBar (and Rose & Crown). I think the Berlin Bar doesn't exist anymore. :(

Definitely skip Shooters, Shugarshack, and the Bourbon Bar (if they are still around).

Your profile doesn't indicate where you are from, but presumably US or Europe -- Australians would already know all about Surfers. The answer is neither; Surfers is like JAX (i.e. college town gone wild, lots of booze and semi-topless girls) while Brisbane is a small city trying to become sophisticated (so it imports things like the NY Ballet at times). Both are pitiful compared to the real nightlife in Australia which is in Sydney and Melbourne -- both offer world-class nightlife that is competitive with NYC, London, etc.

People in Portland OR. shouldn't throw stones

I would recomend the following...
Surfers: Melbas, Sin City, East, Platinum and My Bar.
Brisbane: Family, Cloudland and The Met.

MyBar and Platinum are pretty good.

When I went to uni at the Gold Coast, ...

Good one! ^

Ahhh, memories... :D
When I went to uni at the Gold Coast, we used to go to Melbas and MyBar (and Rose & Crown). I think the Berlin Bar doesn't exist anymore. :(

Definitely skip Shooters, Shugarshack, and the Bourbon Bar (if they are still around).

From your recollections I would say we were at uni on the Gold Coast at roughly the same time.

Did you go to Bond?

People in Portland OR. shouldn't throw stones

LonelyFlyer, I hate to break this to you. But as someone who has lived on the Gold Coast for 3 years and enjoys going back there for holidays, Number 6's comments are spot on. The Gold Coast is like that.

Next week should be OK as "schoolies" time is from Nov 21 to sometime in Dec.

Back in 2001, we made the mistake of staying in Surfers Pardise during "schoolies". It may have been OK if we were teenagers but not as 40+ adults. We rented a car & made daytrips to Noosa, etc. We had non refundable hostel reservations. At least at the hostel we stayed at, they specified a min age of at least 21 so the hostel wasn't too bad.

I would double check my above information as I have no interest in "schoolies" stuff.

From your recollections I would say we were at uni on the Gold Coast at roughly the same time.

Did you go to Bond?


003 to 021 :cool:
And you?

I was there a long time before you - 932 to 972. I did Commerce & Law, and took 1995 off to do other things during my degree.

I have very fond memories of Bond. I found the Gold Coast only so so, although I enjoy returning to enjoy the beaches, and stay at Versace when back on the Coast.

But its good to meet another Bondy on Flyertalk. I had suspected there would be a number of us on Flyertalk, as we were a pretty jetsetting bunch even at university!

You were studying law at Bond at the same time as some very good friends of mine.

But on topic - I think I'd rather go to the dentist than go out in either Surfers or Brisbane.

I did a stint at Bond as well - 023 to 052. Was on the campus last month, you would not recongise anything around it anymore... Epic construction!

Back to my previous post, Cloudland is a place to check out.. Has a retractable roof and uber cool. Another place in Brisbane for a knockoff on Fridays is the bar Fridays, great place on the river.

Other new places in Surfers that the cool kids are hanging out are Ruby Tramp and Elsewhere.

Melbas was a Gold Coast legened for 20 years and it recently was put into administration. All the managment has left and there is a different feel to the place now. :(:( Probably spent more time there then I did studying.

If looking for a sunday afternoon drink either Fisho's at Fishermans Warf or a local Surf Club.

My info is 11 years out of date, but I achieved a 100% strike rate at the Royal Exchange hotel in St Lucia (or thereabouts - it was spitting distance from the UQ) when single and in Brisvegas for a week. I also wound up in some nightclub down on Eagle St, near Char Char Char, that was pretty good - had Dianna Ahnaid performing live so there were stacks of grungy/ hippy girls about. Great night.

These days I don't go out single enough to comment much on nightlife - but I have taken the odd client to the Equestrian Club in Adelaide.