Synonomous with healthy eating, beach side dining and long standing awards and reputation is Coolangatta’s Japanese favourite, OSushi.
Whilst this restaurant has a sushi train it is far from just a sushi joint. The place has an extensive hot menu too offering many styles of Japanese dining, including the popular poke bowls, udon noodle bowls, sashimi and other styles.
The layout is simple and welcoming. The happy bustling staff make your experience memorable as well as high quality food.
Position opposite the main beach at Coolangatta beside the Cooly pub it draws a diverse crowd. Lunch time vacay goers can stagger off the beach, and score a great snack. Night time diners can have a myriad of choice. Either dining at the sushi train or sitting outside with the sea breeze gently cooling the evening.
On this night we have kingfish cerviche. The fish is fresh and the tastes infuse well on my palette.
For mains we share a sashimi platter with comes with seaweed salad. I look sashimi and the salmon is buttery and fresh.
The best thing about this restaurant aside from the great food, friendly staff and ideal location, is that is serves a variety of alcoholic beverages at reasonable prices.
Surf Life Saving Clubs are an iconic landmark scattered around the Australian coast line.
In Queensland some of the best locations to eat over looking the surf are in surf clubs.
By far my favourite is Rainbow Bay Surf Club which over looks the infamous Snapper Rocks. Snapper, as it is known by locals, hosts the annual World Surf League Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro.
The QuickSilver Pro has been drawing the world’s best surfers for years, and my all time fav Kelly Slater carves up the waves only meters in front of you! Definitely worth going down to watch if you are around Late February, early March.
At other times of the year, it is still worth drifting down to the southern end of the Gold Coast to have lunch at the Rainbow Bay Surf Club.
The food at this surf club is OK. It’s a kin to a good counter meal. Most the surf clubs are similar. Rainbow does offer lunch time specials so for a reasonable price you can grab a beer and feed, or wine and feed overlooking one of Australia’s most amazing ocean views from which to eat above.
These are “clubs” but visitors are welcome. You will be asked to sign in on arrival or join, which is a nominal fee of around $5.
Not being a big fan of buffets, I went to Danny’s Family Buffet as surprise for the children and with no real expectation.
I was pleasantly surprised!
Roses on the Golf Course at Tweed-Cooly
A family run business this restaurant is a land mark on the Cooly-Tweed boundary. Located inside the club house at Tweed Heads the open aired restaurant doesn’t try to be a five star buffet but definitely dominates the four star territory.
A great variety of foods are available and you can cook have your own fillet of fish cooked for you upon request. We had the choice between bass, flat head or calamari. Roasts, hot meats, chinese favourites, about fifteen different salads and more. The best for me was actually eating gluten and dairy, which I hadn’t done for a very long time.
yummy chinese at Danny’s Buffet Restaurant
My favourite dish was actually the plump home made spring rolls. Juicy on the inside, crunchy on the outside and loads of filling. They were the best spring rolls I have had in years.
All the other traditional Chinese favorites featured such as sesame prawn toast, dim sims and chicken and egg soup. All delicious.
The kids had a ball – I switched off my strict mummy hat and let them feast for the last time on their school holidays. Approximately seven plates along each – I was wondering how they physically don’t pop.
What an awesome day to be swimming through the majestic waters of Coolangatta in the Cooly Classic Ocean Swim.
Perfect Gold Coast Day for the Cooly Swim at Kirra
It is the start of April and a few hundred competitors line up to do the classic swim.
Classic it is!
Today is a special day for me- a day when I was returning to swimming (following my near-crippling neck injury) . It is also the first ocean swim my nine year old son has done.
We both agreed to ease ourselves into it – my son opting for the 300 metre swim this time and myself the 1km.
The day was so well organised, no stress, no over zealous organisers, just let’s all have some fun, and as the lady on the starting line said “look after each other”.
Bare bodies, bare personalities and bare facts.
Finishing at the Cooly Classic 2016
The small talk on the beach before taking off is always interesting.
Some people are taking it really seriously and not up for much chat. Others are in it for the personal challenge and others are in it and truly regreting it… It’s a mixed bag and I think talking to total strangers in your togs is always liberating. Bare bodies, bare personalities and bare facts. I like it!
Today the thoughts going through my mind were about feeling happy and successful.
To get to this point, the point of standing on the beach at Coolangatta in my togs ready to swim 1000m has been a long road.
It doesn’t sound like much but after my neck injury a few years ago it was a huge moment.
No one will really know what it felt like 3 years ago when I thought I would never be able to swim again.
At the time, I saw two neurosurgeons and they both muttered I was lucky not to be in a wheel chair: “..This is an injury we see with car accidents...” but I had been hit by a guy in water polo.
My bulging discs at C5-6 and C6-7
The result was two damaged neck discs.
Over the month following the injury I lost 7 kgs, couldn’t use my left arm and had issues swallowing. I was in pain regularly and sleep was nearly impossible.
I decided though, after hours of crying and hanging in the neck brace that I did not have an option. I had to get better.
I did what the surgeons said, I considered their surgical offer, a fusion, but decided I would see if I could fix it myself.
Over the last three years I have seen my friends – both chiropractors, who I believe have helped me heal. Dr.Jay Miller is awesome and has been a close friend for years, and then last year, I swapped to Dr. Kieran Crowe as he has a different technique. Both very good and over the year my pins and needles, pain and awareness of the injury dissipated.
Two weeks ago an uber driver told me about the Cooly Classic and said he was swimming and I should check it out. I did then I decided.
I decided to do it.
I hadn’t swum for weeks but I knew my heart and determination would carry me over the distance. I just didn’t know how much I would enjoy it.
Over last week I did four swims and they were pretty lame and certainly no where near the 1000 meters I need to be able to swim but I knew I could do it.
And then I stopped thinking about it and just started trusting.
I trusted the factI had always been a swimmer.
I trusted the fact that even if my fitness let me down I could breast stroke.
And I also trusted the fact that if everything caved in there were plenty of event life guards to rescue me.
This clip is funny…
Off we went…. striding through the ankle deep, then knee deep waves…. until I tripped, like most, and decided it was time to swim.
Unlike other ocean swims where you can’t see the bottom, (and can spook yourself), the water here was crystal clear and relaxing.
What an experience.
I feel like Dory in the Movie Finding Nemo when she is released to swim again. The new “old” world opened up.
The Underwater World is incredible.
Around Coolangatta and Kirra even more incredible.
Beautiful, turquoise blue warm waters washing away any stresses and enticing day dreams and thoughts of success.
I can’t describe it entirely but I wish I had swum with a go pro.
It’s the sort of thing you could watch over and over at night to wind down… add some beautiful back ground music and I could fall asleep to it. It was hypnotic, meditative and empowering. Just me, my intact neck and the magic blue ocean.
I love it and it was FUN!
At the end I found a little reserve to do a beach sprint (always a self conscious moment for a mother of three) but I gave it my best.
I had a few minutes at the end when the adrenaline hit me and I nearly wanted to vomit but I am sure it was a mixture of physical exertion and emotional over whelm.
After my swim I raced over to watch my son.
Kalani running out of the water in his first ocean swim
His first ocean swim.
He ended up loving it too and found his competitive spirit coming out of the water.
All afternoon he relived his moment of glory and wanted to know his time. A transformation compared to his mindset before the swim!
Everyone swimming would have their own reason for swimming and their own personal stories just like mine. That’s what makes these events special. People pushing themselves outside their normal boundaries.
Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Klim and his body products Milk and Co.
After wards there were a few sponsors and co-sponsor was swimming legend Michael Klim.
Michael had won a few medals in the Olympics and has been a lot of older swimmers icon. He had plenty of time to spend with the kids and adults and was inspirational for all.
I will be checking out his baby and adult skin care range called Milk & Co.
After the swim we headed up to the Kirra Surf Club. Along with neighbouring clubs – Rainbow Bay, Coolangatta and to the north, Currumbin, Kirra boasts one of the best views on the Gold Coast…. and no one knows about it.
I am looking forward to Noosa swim now and so is my son and friend that came down. We are thinking about making the weekend a family weekend and hiring a house and taking a few people up. I can’t wait.
Thanks guys for a wonderful event and for getting me back in the water.
There’s a special clarity in the air at Coolangatta that sends me into holiday mode every time I hang out down there. And it is a hang-out. Coolangatta (Coolie) lines side by side by some of Australia’s most gorgeous beaches; Snapper, Greenmount, Kirra Beach.
The water is always blue-green and pristine.
Beautiful wave on the beach at Coolangatta by Sam Beau Patrick
Clear waters, safe beaches and golden sunsets.
My friend is staying in an apartment on the beach and I am pretending I am in the south of France – why not?
Today was typical Coolie stylin’.
Small little waves rocking into the beach.
The long beach had just the right mix of children playing, random people sun baking and people lapping up the water. NOT Bondi-stylin’ nor Surfers styling”…. just Coolie-Style. Even a man with a metal detector wanders around!
Coolangatta Gold blue skies by Sam Beau Patrick
Did I mention the azure blue waters.. Hypnotic, delicious just like a blue parfait.
This is a picture of the water… Yes I ramble but the bubbles in the water jingles down here, like fine crystal.
Off to George’s Paragon for lunch. Long standing restaurants generally get things ok. This time started off rusty but came good. Not great but good.
Seafood restaurant and I order steak?! Hey I was craving meat. It was good. The garlic prawns on top just enough. 5/10..
The raw caramel slice on the way home was perfect and the Geisens topped off a perfect afternoon.
When ever I am here I feel away.
Long walks, dopey walks, golden sunsets.
Coolangatta is GOLD. Cheesey but I think it puts the ” Gold” in Gold Coast.
One of my favourite local day-get-aways is a visit to Point Danger and Coolangatta south of the Gold Coast.
I always feel on holiday when I am in the neighbourhood and worries from home seem distant.
A popular cafe and casual dining spot is Cafe D-bar.
cafe dbar
The views are spectacular and sitting up stairs makes you feel on top of the world. Open air, gentle breeze and usually yummy food.
I often order the coffee martini and today tried the Gravelox salmon. Maybe I don’t know my graveloxes but it wasn’t as good as the salmon I have sampled in Monaco and the south of France but fortunately the view makes up for the food today.
The breakies are generally good. But they can get overwhelmed and quite busy and today my meal and drink came in dribs and drabs.
Overall it is generally a safe bet, good location and a good spot to take visiting guests.
Unlike other ocean swims where you can’t see the bottom, (and can spook yourself), the water here was crystal clear and relaxing.
