I traveled to the Gold Coast of Australia in September of 2013 for a conference.  Remember the long, endless, beautiful beaches. Made a day trip to Brisbane, which was just over an hour from the Gold Coast.  On the way back home, stopped over in Sydney for a couple of days and walked around the city. Finally got to see the iconic Opera House. Unexpected surprise was the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk - a lovely 3 Km walk along the cliff coast.