BEST OF THE GC

We take a look at what’s hot down on the southern end of the Gold Coast

The Southern Gold Coast boasts a bygone beachside charm — you won’t have to wait for the region’s famous retro festival to do the timewarp inside the walls of an old-school motel.

It’s the kind of place where cafe owners know your name and generous, home-style helpings are the norm. Slurp an old-school milkshake or tuck into a burger with beetroot at Mervyn Roys, where you’ll be surrounded by careworn tokens from the salty ’60s.

Owner Gary Paxton says their Bilinga base allows them to do things differently.

“There was an opening in the area for a coffee shop that was small and local,” he says. “The attraction is you get parking easily, our prices are lower and the local atmosphere.

“It’s different from the generic experience that people are used to now. It’s a true old-school cafe, with all of our furniture from op shops and Salvo’s.”

Good mates and “bar enthusiasts” Zack Manoel, Elliott Balk, Samuel Cleary, Samuel Diklich and Claes Loberg also play their part in keeping Cooly rocking.

They set up Eddie’s Grub House, the “baddest little dive bar, live music and burger joint on the Gold Coast” … and a hot favourite in our Best of the Gold Coast burger poll. In the oldest building in Coolangatta — underneath the iconic pink motel — the venue once housed an “80s Indian restaurant” where a scene from Muriel’s Wedding was filmed. “We go for American comfort food and Diklich, who is the one with the background in food, nailed the burgers,” Zack says.

If you’re after a recovery breakfast after a big night at Eddie’s, check out Rockleigh Café on Griffith Street.

Owner Ben Moffitt is the latest of three generations of dairy farmers from Rockleigh dairy farm in Bega, NSW.

“Rockleigh Cafe is a combination of things from my childhood — a lot of our family meals were straight from the veggie garden, and we didn’t waste anything because we couldn’t just pop down to the shops,” Ben says. “What we can’t produce here we try to source locally — our coffee is part owned by Barefoot Barista, we use local meat suppliers and our sourdough is from Panya at Currumbin Waters.”

While crowds will descend on Cooly for the volleyball, the southern Gold Coast’s less-developed natural assets are a year-round lure for locals and visitor.

Our reader-voted beach beaches list was dominated by southern beauties, including Greenmount, Kirra and Rainbow Bay. One could

argue that Kirra is the real surfer’s paradise, turning on the barrels if you get your timing right. “The Kirra Surf Club is one of Queensland’s oldest clubs and has a great tradition within the lifesaving movement,” says our chief lifeguard Warren Young.

Mum to water baby Kit (and with another on the way) Channel Seven personality Liz Cantor has a soft spot for the sheltered Rainbow Bay.

“I think Rainbow Bay is the prettiest beach on the Gold Coast,” she says. “It’s my pick for swimming with little ones as the bay offers shelter from most wind directions and often has a nice inshore gutter, with kneedeep water perfect for the kids.

“It is also where I caught my first wave on a surfboard, so it’s a sentimental location for me.”