Surfers Paradise, that glorious stretch of beach on Queensland's Gold Coast offers something for everyone with its beach sports, shopping, nightlife, theme parks, not to mention the surfing. But if you tire of the malls and vistas of tall apartment blocks, and packed beaches, you have a whole new array of holiday options just outside the city.

To get out into the clear high air, head for Mount Tamborine, a 40-minutes drive from Surfers Paradise. It's home to Queensland's first national park and now features a number of separate parks on the plateau and surrounding shelves.

A place of rainforest areas crossed by gentle streams and pretty waterfalls, Mount Tamborine is home to a charming bevy of beautiful picnic areas along with many bushwalks to view lookouts, gorges, cliffs, waterfalls, open forest and woodlands.

Wandering in the park, you can spot such fauna as lyrebirds, the platypus, scrub turkeys, lorikeets, whip birds and bower birds.

Other than its natural assets, Mount Tamborine is home to many villages with craft and antique shops, galleries, wineries, tearooms and restaurants.

There's a lost to see and do at Mount Tamborine. You can go hang gliding, follow the Antique & Collectables Trail, go horse riding, and wander through the botanical gardens. So it's best to start your visit off at The Tamborine Mountain Information Centre in Doughty Park, North Tamborine

Wildlife buffs can enjoy the vast array of local fauna at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the world's largest collection of Australian native animals.
Covering 27 hectares of landscaped land and bush, it began in 1940 as a hospital for sick and injured animals. It's currently home to more than1400 mammals, birds and reptiles.

Among the exhibits are Tasmanian Devils, a house of reptiles and the biggest walk-through aviary in the southern hemisphere. There's also a miniature railway that has been running since 1964.

The Sanctuary offers a powerful learning experience via its fascinating wildlife shows and displays and nightly Wildlife Adventure tours. The latest innovation is Wild Island, an outdoor adventure playground and interactive science activity area. It's a fine activity for young people as it combines entertainment with education on wildlife.

Another intriguing natural option near Surfers Paradise is a visit to a bee farm.
Known as Superbee Honey World, it's a working honey factory. Here you can enjoy live bee shows and sample the world's widest range of pure honeys. Admission is free and it's open daily 8am - 5.30pm.

As you make Surfers Paradise your base to explore the surrounding region, you can take your choice from a broad array of Surfers Paradise hotels to suit all tastes and budgets. Two of the most popular are BreakFree Enderley Gardens Surfers Paradise and BreakFree Equinox Surfers Paradise.

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Richard Greaves has over 20 years experience in the travel industry and writes for Cheaper than Hotels. Cheaper Than Hotels offers Surfers Paradise hotels as BreakFree Enderley Gardens Surfers Paradise and BreakFree Equinox Surfers Paradise.