Head inland for a contrasting experience. Visit pretty hinterland areas such as Tamborine Mountain or get the sense of rural lifestyle at places such as Beaudesert. The Gold Coast has some of the most diverse flora and fauna areas in Australia with World Heritage Listed rainforests near the New South Wales border. Walk amongst ancient Antarctic Beech trees， wonder at spectacular Springbrook waterfalls or head to Tamborine or Lamington National Parks. You can view delicate glow worms or see pretty marsupialsmarsupial n.有袋动物 adj.有带动物的 pademelonspademelon n.［动］小型沙袋鼠［澳洲土着语］.
Theme Parks
The Gold Coast is Australia，s theme park capital， with three major parks offering thrills， spills and excitement There，s adrenalin sports - from bungy jumping and parasailing to abseiling. And a number of wildlife parks giving you the chance to meet some colourful Australians such as rainbow lorikeets， kangaroos， wallabies and reptiles.
Shopping
Shopping centres abound with some of Australia，s largest shopping precincts. Visit Pacific Fair， Harbourtown， The Oasis， Surfers Paradise， Marina Mirage， Runaway Bay Shopping Centre on the coast or head to the hinterland to craft stores and art galleries. And there，s a huge array of markets with specialist farmer，s markets， beachfront and evening events.
Dining Out
Choose from more than 500 restaurants， fresh seafood， authenticauthentic adj.可信的 ethnic cuisine or Queensland meat. An established tourism infrastructure means you，ll find an answer to all your needs - including diners with cultural or religious dietary requirements. Dining precincts extend along the coast include Main Beach， The Spit， Chevron Island， Surfers Paradise， Broadbeach， Burleigh Heads， and Coolangatta.
Entertainment
The Gold Coast is an event capital in Queensland. There，s the fast pace of the annual Indy car race each October， racing carnivals， outrigging and marathonmarathon n.［体］马拉松赛跑(全长42，1954米)， 耐力的考验 events. Go to the cinema， see a live musical or themed show， head to a nightclub or casino， the fun continues 24 hours a day.
Great Barrier Reef
大堡礁
澳大利亚东北部昆士兰州的东海岸，珊瑚礁相连，这就是世界七大自然奇景之一的大堡礁(Great Barrier Reef)。大堡礁由2900个独立的珊瑚礁石群组成，堪称为世界上最大的天然海洋公园、珊瑚水族馆。大堡礁由北到南绵延二千公里，星罗棋布的热带岛屿，风光明媚。明朗的气候、美丽的珊瑚、原始的礁岩、纯白的沙滩、活跃的海洋生物与种种活动，吸引了众多游客前往一睹风采。
大堡礁是世界上最大的礁岩体，是距今15 000年前的珊瑚一点点长成的。这里是成千上万种海洋生物的安居之所，其中包括1500种鱼类、4000种软体生物、350种珊瑚家族以及多种鸟类和海龟等等，构成了世界最大的生态系统。其海岸线由南至北延绵2000多公里，尽是罕见的海洋生物，由于这里的生态环境至今仍未受到污染和破坏，故这些生物仍保留了最原始的面貌。
您可以在凯恩斯(Cairns)、汤斯维尔(Townsville)、道格拉斯港(Port Douglas)及麦基(Mackay)等城市乘坐豪华高速邮轮前往大堡礁，船上还有海洋自然学家向您介绍大堡礁，让您从多方面认识海洋生物，如同上了一节轻松生动的生物课，从而令您对它们更加关心及珍惜。到达目的地之后，您可坐浮船，体验大堡礁壮丽景色；坐半潜式玻璃底游艇，从船的玻璃底部观看海底世界；乘直升机鸟瞰大堡礁全景；在导游带领下在岛上漫步，探索雨林；潜水探奇于大堡礁水底世界，与万千鱼群共舞；碧波畅游于海湾，享受阳光与海滩。
大堡礁以海洋学上的重要地位而闻名，当然，对于热爱大海的人们来说，大堡礁是个充满幻想的地方。大堡礁在澳大利亚自古以来是与埃阿兹岩相提并论的观光胜地，倾倒了不少游客。在这里，谁都可以溶身于大海、珊瑚和鱼创造的“乐园”中。大堡礁内侧有700余个大小岛屿，其中有几个成为疗养胜地，游客很多。
The Great Barrier Reef， off Australia，s east coast， is one of the wonders of the natural world. It is World Heritage listed and is one of Australia，s， and the world，s， premier holiday destinations. The combination of glorious weather (be aware that it rains a lot in the wet season！)， pristine rainforest， white sandy beaches， and an ocean varying in hue from blue to turquoiseturquois n.［矿］绿宝石， 绿松石色， 青绿色 adj.绿松色的 to green， ensures it，s where the world wants to go to lie on the beach， swim， surf， snorkel， sail， bushwalk and birdwatch.
The area abounds with wildlife， including dugong and green turtles， varieties of dolphinsdolphin n.海豚 and whales， more than 1500 species of fish， 4000 types of molluscmollusc n.软体动物 and more than 200 species of birdlife. The Great Barrier Reef system consists of more than 3000 reefs which range in size from 1 hectare to over 10，000 hectares in area. The reef is scattered with beautiful islands and idyllic coral cays and covers more than 300，000 square kilometres.
The coral has， over the years， brought many ships to grief - Cook，s own Endeavour hit the reef and almost foundered - if it had， and Cook and his crew had perished， Australian history would be quite a different story. One of the most famous wrecks is that of the HMS Pandora， which foundered in 1791. The Queensland Museum has been leading archaeological digs to the Pandora since 1983 and its most recent was completed in February 1999.
The corals which make up the various reefs and cays， and which are the base for this variety of sea and animal life， consist of individual coral polypspolyp n.珊瑚虫(水螅型)， 息肉 - tiny live creatures which join together to form colonies. Each polyp is a tiny jellylike blob crowned by tentacles， and looks not unlike an anemone， but much smaller. Each polyp lives inside a shell of aragonitearagonite n.［矿］霰石， 文石， a type of calcium carbonate which is the hard shell we recognise as coral. The polyps join together to create forests of coloured coral in interesting fan， antler， brain and plate shapes.
There are many different types of coral， some are slow growing and live to be hundreds of years old， others are faster growing. The colours of coral are created by algae. Only live coral is coloured. Dead coral is white.
The ideal environment for coral is shallow warm water where there is a lot of water movement， plenty of light， where the water is salty and low in nutrientsnutrient adj.有营养的.
Reefs are sensitive to climate change， to changes in patterns of water movement， and to physical damage - so problems like global warming， El Nino， the building of moorings or breakwaters， any additional nutrients running off land from human habitation， may well have a negative effect on the reef system， and thus on the sea and land animals which depend upon it for survival.
Tourism may also have a negative impact， with fragile corals broken by reef walking， dropped anchors or by boats dropping fuel and other sorts of pollution. Even the number of people in the water with the associated runoff of sweat and suntan lotions may well have a negative impact on the fragile reef environment.
