Living in Surfers Paradise… just hearing that phrase makes you dream, right? 🙂 Mia was lucky enough to spend 5 months there and shares all her tips for moving to or simply visiting this region of Australia.
Living in Surfers Paradise

Hi, can you introduce yourself?
Hello everyone, I’m Mia, 23 years old, and I’m studying hospitality management. After my literary baccalaureate, I decided to take a gap year in Australia, all by myself. I left in September 2022 and returned 11 months later. I arrived on the Gold Coast, where I stayed for 5 months.
Why did you go to Australia? And why did you choose Surfers Paradise?
Australia has always attracted me. The idea of being on the “other side of the world” and in the “antipodes” fascinated me. I first arrived on the Gold Coast, about 1 hour south of Brisbane. I decided to be an au pair at first because I wanted a stable point of reference for a few months and didn’t want to find myself completely alone 16,000 km from home. Four months before leaving, I started talking to a family through a free site to find an au pair family. I knew a bit about Australian geography, but when they told me they lived on the Gold Coast, I admit I didn’t know where that was. I Googled it, and I was a bit conflicted… skyscrapers, the “Surfers Paradise” arch… But I decided to take a chance anyway.

Were there any special preparations you had to make?
I went with a Working Holiday Visa (WHV), which I obtained online in 4 hours. No specific vaccines were needed, but I did a little check-up with the dentist and doctor a few months before. As for clothing, I packed a bit of everything, but mainly light clothes.
Did you experience any significant culture shock?
I’m not sure if you can call it culture shock with Australia, given that most of the population is of Western descent.
However, there was a small shock on my first evening with my host family, after 24 hours of flying and a 7-hour time difference. We ate dinner in front of the TV, without saying a word. It may seem trivial, but when you leave “everything you know,” your loved ones, and your life behind to go abroad, you kind of need some comfort when you first arrive. I felt a bit lost and had to hold back tears throughout the meal.
A positive cultural shock was the lifestyle. The constant “no worries mate” from Australians… It’s all about no stress, surfing before going to work, yoga classes at 6 am facing the ocean… I loved it.
Do you also live abroad and want to share your experience with the readers of “Exploring Earth’s Wonders”? It’s simple, just send me a quick email 🙂
What do you like most about your new life?
What I loved about the Gold Coast was the excitement. After my month-long au pair experience, I moved into a shared house with 3 awesome Swiss students, and later with 5 Brazilians in Surfers Paradise (the Australian Las Vegas). It was all about parties, music, and goon…
More seriously, what I enjoyed most was waking up every morning to the sound of the ocean, seeing it every day on my way to work, and having lorikeets join me for breakfast on the terrace.
You absolutely must see the whale migration if you’re there during the right season.
On the flip side, what did you not like as much?
Maybe the fact that the Gold Coast is full of young people from all over the world. We found our shared houses through Facebook, met friends of friends, became close with Japanese, Venezuelans, Brazilians… we shared our daily lives together (especially in my two shared houses), but the goodbyes were extremely hard. The Gold Coast is a bit like a major transit hub, with people staying for 3 days or up to 5 months. You’re constantly changing neighbors and colleagues. There were tears at the airport for 5 months.

Did you have any difficulties adjusting to your new life?
Not really, at least on my part. Maybe just a little when I was the only non-Brazilian in a 100% Brazilian shared house. At first, my roommates only spoke Portuguese. I struggled to adjust to their lifestyle, which was a bit too “relaxed” for my taste (especially when it came to cleaning) and very festive.
You’ve lived in Europe ( Italy and Spain) for a long time… So, do you prefer living in Surfers Paradise or in your home country?
You have to understand that the Gold Coast is made up of several neighborhoods, with the most famous being Surfers Paradise. I don’t see myself living in Surfers Paradise in the future, simply because it’s too festive and flashy. However, there are neighborhoods (especially Miami, where I was an au pair, and Burleigh Heads) that completely charmed me. Hipster cafés, large deserted beaches, parks with BBQ areas… I’d love to live there.
How’s the job market there?
Good. Very good, I would say. It’s like a constant vacation. They’re always looking for staff, especially in hospitality. After being an au pair, I handed out about 60 résumés. After many disappointments and bad experiences (like cleaning for a man living alone, lost in the countryside with no neighbors), I found a job within 15 days. You just need to seem motivated. There’s no secret to it. I saw a lot of people on Facebook groups saying, “I’m desperate, I have no money and no job,” but there are always opportunities.
Is the cost of living in Surfers Paradise very high?
Like the rest of Australia, food is really expensive. However, on the Gold Coast, I found that rents were cheaper compared to other areas. For example, I paid $140 per week for a shared room with a view of the Pacific, including water, electricity, and Wi-Fi.
Realistically, how much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Surfers Paradise?
I earned between $500 and $700 a week as a waitress. I had a comfortable lifestyle, could treat myself, and still managed to save.

Aren’t the temperatures too extreme in the summer?
The highest it got was 39/40°C, but it only lasted a few days. Since we had the ocean nearby, it was bearable. However, there are some really windy days on the Gold Coast, which can be annoying. Also, watch out for the storm season after the summer; the storms can be very violent.
What do you think of Australians?
Australians are really kind, there’s no doubt about that. They make you feel comfortable and aren’t stressed… However, I didn’t make any close “Australian” friends. I had colleagues and acquaintances, but no close relationships. They would ask a couple of questions about my country (like, “What’s the weather like there?”) but that was it. Still, they were always willing to listen and were there to help. But I don’t consider any Australians as “friends,” more like acquaintances.
Do you also live abroad and want to share your experience with the readers of “Exploring Earth’s Wonders”? It’s simple, just send me a quick email 🙂
Do you plan to stay long in Surfers Paradise?
I’m already back home, unfortunately, but I’ll definitely go back. I’d love to take my parents there to show them the city where I had the best moments of my life.
What’s the most memorable experience you had in Surfers Paradise?
There were several:
- The day I went jogging and ran into a huge python.
- The day I was trying to find a job, and a Korean restaurant gave me a trial shift. I was the only Westerner, cleaning the kitchen by hand, with cockroaches everywhere, and the chef yelling at me in Korean. That’s the only time during my stay when I thought, “Tomorrow, you’re getting on a plane home.”
- And lastly, definitely my best memory: Christmas in summer, on the beach, with all my friends, a huge meal with pizza, sausage, wine, talking about life until 3 a.m.
