Gold Coast diaries
In true Melbourne style, I bumped into someone I knew at a cute Richmond florist-hybrid cafe. Our impromptu run-in turned into devouring a tuna melt and mortadella sanga on a park bench while chatting about what we’d both been up to. Upon revealing that I was moving from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, he said something surprisingly accurate, which also made it a tad jarring.
“That’s kind of off-brand for you,” he remarked.
And maybe it is. I’ve caved and bought an anklet with a shell to try and assimilate into the beach life. Not sure if I’m at full beach girl status yet–I’m yet to surf (can boogie board) and still get irritated when I have to wait 15 minutes for a coffee. However, I am convinced my almost-black hair is turning golden from the sun.
While that thought may be a product of sunstroke, here are some of my more conventional feelings from one month in the Sunshine State.
WEEK 1:
I know people move interstate and overseas all the time and I know this is dramatic, but nothing prepared me to move from the city to the beach.
Born and raised in Melbourne, I became desensitised and quite fond of the city's go-go-go pace, excess amount of bakeries and idiosyncratic tram dings. When it comes to Melbourne, it certainly doesn’t fall short of variety and I love that there is always something new to try or explore.
At the same time, moving to the Gold Coast felt wholeheartedly aligned. The beach, good weather, a calmer atmosphere and fresh new role. Everything felt overwhelmingly positive and filled with opportunities to grow.
It was almost weird that leaving Melbourne I was pretty stress-free. In a really nice way, it just felt right.
However, I think I conflated my enthusiasm with ease. Whenever someone enquired about the move I found myself responding that I was still “finding my feet” and that I knew it “would take time to settle in.”
A part of me believed this, but being so detached from my regular lifestyle and routines was unsettling. Leaving my entire network, friends and family was so much harder than I had anticipated. It was equally hard because I didn’t leave Melbourne out of distaste for the city. I was thriving off everything the place had to offer and my relationships there, which manifested in me constantly comparing Melbourne to the Gold Coast.
Upon discussing the qualities I love about the Gold Coast that don’t exist in Melbourne and vice versa, I was pulled up on contrasting the two cities. At that moment, I realised this pattern was conducive to me feeling at ease. After all, they’re two different places, provide their own unique benefits and can serve entirely different purposes.
This week I had a taste of home with one of my long-term best friends spending the first couple of days with me, followed by my brother and a couple of his mates. Despite the familiar comfort, I was disheartened by feeling so out of my comfort zone. Maybe it is the potential longevity of this move or the fact that I am isolated from many of my closest friends and family, but it does feel daunting and scary. These emotions feel confusing, as typically I am someone who thrives alone. After travelling solo for months on end and living alone for the past few years, I really thought this transition would be seamless.
I don’t want to come across as ungrateful, as I feel so fortunate to be in this position. I do feel like I’ve absolutely lucked out. At the same time, I have been antsy, anxious and on edge. I guess ripping off a bandaid always hurts, especially when you add salt water to the mix. So rather than thinking of this as ‘off-brand,’ it’s just a ‘re-brand’ of sorts.
10 things I loved about my first week:
Being able to go for beach swims
Getting up early and being woken up by the sun
How friendly everyone has been
Walks with friends
The farmers market
Getting over eight hours of sleep
Working again
The weather
My new local Thai restaurant
Seeing a lady walking a cockatoo
My second week on the Gold Coast
This week has honestly flown by. Being at work and feeling more settled has made the days zoom past and it’s nice to feel like I’m actively being productive. The biggest shift I’ve felt this week is a little more peace in where I stand in terms of work and my friendships with people here.
On a phone call to a friend who moved to Sydney earlier in the week, she expressed the same feelings of unease that I had in my first week. We agreed that it’s kind of weird how moving to another state has so many aspects familiar and culturally similar, but also is filled with distinctive traits unique to the city. For me, it’s those unique subtleties that make everything feel quite foreign. It’s the challenge of not having your strong community, but having to make a conscious effort to create new friendships that don’t happen as naturally as in a circumstance like travelling. After speaking to her on the phone, it was clear she was feeling similarly to when I first moved. In a bittersweet way, this felt reassuring. One week later I already felt slightly more alleviated, which was my reminder to just be patient.
I’ve joined a gym/pilates studio which feels like a step in the right direction in finding a routine. At work, I’ve met some of the wider team and feel less like the new girl. I think meeting a bunch of new people has also helped and was my highlight of the week. I had coffee with strangers that turned into dinner and wine at an Italian restaurant and random interactions like small talk about Robbie William’s Netflix doco and receiving high-fives from locals for no real reason. No matter how big or small these instances were, this week has given me faith in building relationships with new people.
10 things I loved about my second week:
Wearing pretty dresses
Going out for nice lunches by the ocean
Mojitos
My cameras
Long convos with friends in person and over the phone
Having a debate with an old man about which overnight oats look best while waiting in line for coffee
Airtasker for providing someone to build my IKEA chairs after failing to build one in two and a half hours (call me lazy, but I call it working smarter, not harder). In my defence, he said they were “very challenging”.
A man communicating with his mate over a megaphone
Walks along the beach
Friendly people at coffee
My third week on the Gold Coast
This week I think I found a proper appreciation for the Gold Coast – and mainly because of its nature, beaches and scenery. It was also a week of friendships, both old and new. So, the common thread of being surrounded by good people absolutely helped.
What made me really appreciate the Gold Coast was exploring. Without a reason, I find myself resorting to routines, habits and places I know. With a friend visiting from Melbourne it was the perfect excuse to venture to areas that I’d never been. We took things easy, indulged in going slow and lived alla la dolce vita.
We visited vibrant night markets with live music and ate sweet treats wherever we could find them. We did pilates, fell asleep on the beach and had fish and chips while watching the sunset. We were spontaneous and went to a mindfulness session run by an ex-pro surfer. We did laps around Cavil Avenue for quality entertainment. We spoke to a guy at the beach about the spikes on lizards.
Honestly, this weekend felt like a holiday. The combination of quality company and the Goldy’s natural beauty left me feeling refreshed and maybe even romanticising Queensland a little. It was full of meeting new people, visiting new places and trying new food. So maybe all I needed was to detach from my day-to-day and embrace the tranquility of my surroundings.
10 things I loved about my third week:
Being forced to go for runs (or motivated by a friend)
Effortless friendships that don’t change after time apart
Wooden planks that say “man cave”
The abundance of French bulldogs and sausage dogs
Massive Surf Club feeds
The fact that the YoChi here has a bouncer
Exploring new beaches
Early nights
Acai
The salt wall at my pilates studio
My fourth week on the Gold Coast
Sometimes I forget how much of a blessing time is. This was the first week I began feeling properly settled and dare I say, like a Queenslander..?
Kidding I’m still a Melbourne girl at heart–but I am feeling more like this is home. Comparing the two cities occurs less frequently now, and I'm becoming more anchored in my daily routines. At work, I am still grasping as much information as I can, but am no longer feeling like an intruder. My little community is growing and I’ve established habits I find grounding. In my downtime, I actually feel like I can breathe and have even been dedicating time to my creative endeavours.
Honestly, I can’t believe how fast one month has flown by and I’m really looking forward to what is next.
10 things I loved about my fourth week:
Sunglasses – the QLD glare hits different
Getting rained on, but not getting pneumonia from the freezing cold
Cookies
Aloe Vera
Lupin (on Netflix)
My digi cam
Sunset beach walks
Everyone at fitness classes being so chatty
QLD fresh fruit and veg
Collecting shells
