The next Commonwealth Games is less than 500 days away now, and it is set to take place on Australia’s fantastic Gold Coast, favoured holiday destination and utopia of all kinds of entertainment. Sports lovers, it’s time to start planning an epic trip to Queensland to combine the delights of the Gold Coast with the ultimate athletic spectating opportunity that is a global competition like the Commonwealth.
The Queen’s Baton was unveiled in November to kick off the 500-day countdown to the games which begin on the 4th of April 2018. The route for the Queen’s Baton relay has also been announced, beginning in London in March 2017 and visiting the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Peter Beattie AC, chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation, said of the unveiling of the baton, “Presenting the Queen’s Baton to the world is a major milestone in the GC2018 journey. In less than 500 days, the Gold Coast will host 11 days of unforgettable world-class sporting competition. The Queen’s Baton will play an important role in connecting people from around the world, building excitement for the Games.”
The event
The Commonwealth Games is a pretty big deal in the sporting community, bringing together the far-flung Commonwealth nations and territories. More than 6,600 athletes and team officials will be in attendance, with a worldwide TV audience of more than 1.5 billion.
The Games in 2017 is set to be the biggest sporting event in Australia in an entire decade, and certainly the biggest the Gold Coast has ever seen. An exciting time for the city!
A large consideration in the city’s successful bid was the venues which are ready and waiting for such an event, connected by a good light rail system. These include the Gold Coast City Aquatic Centre, Broadwater Parklands and the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
See the sports and the sights
With a huge influx of people coming to witness this iconic sports and athletic extravaganza, it will be necessary to book your trip to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games well in advance. Here are a few of the necessaries to consider if you would like to make the pilgrimage:
- Getting there: The Gold Coast spreads along the coast, and a rental car is a great way to get there and get around. You can pick up a Gold Coast Airport car rental and be in the thick of things immediately, or fly into the bigger hub just an hour to the north and grab a Brisbane Airport car rental. It’s an easy drive down from Brizzy - or you could make it into an epic East Coast road trip and make the journey up from Sydney.
- Accommodation: As the quintessential Aussie “sun, sand and surf” holiday destination, the GC has the full range of accommodation options and plenty of it - but with so many athletes, team officials, families and other visitors in town, you would do well to get booking soon! There is everything available, from hostels, motels and holiday parks to self-contained apartments, hotels and resorts. Keen campers might like to pick up an Australia campervan rental and take advantage of the various campgrounds.
- Things to do: You won’t be bored between games on the Gold Coast. The beach is appealing as always, and is the centre of much action: surfers, joggers, swimmers, families and more can be found enjoying the sunshine there. Behind the beach are the shops, restaurants, malls and other urban entertainment delights, including the revered outlet shopping. Of course, behind all of that lie the amusement parks: Movie World and Wet’n’Wild, to name a few. It’s a short drive to see the sights of Brisbane, and there are also natural wonders such as the Tambourine Mountain glow worm caves and the Tree Top Walk in Lamington National Park to be visited, easily accessible with a rental car.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games on Queensland’s sunny, exciting Gold Coast will be a wonderful event to behold and with fantastic atmosphere for visitors. With less than 500 days to go, it’s time to start planning your trip!
