Solo Australia Part 13: Gold Coast Glowworm Cave
I ordered a GO CARD online, costing 10 AUD, with 5 AUD deposit and 5 AUD credit. The GO CARD is Queensland's transportation card, offering a 30% discount on cash fares, with an additional 20% off during off-peak hours (9:00-15:00). After ordering online, it is mailed within 1-3 days and received in 2-3 days. Before departure, I loaded 20 AUD onto it.
7-10 Slowly got up, went to the airport, caught the 11:00 flight to Gold Coast, arriving at 13:30. There is a bus from Gold Coast airport to the city; just wait for bus 702 outside the terminal. The cash fare is 7.9 AUD, but with the card it's only 4.42 AUD—much cheaper. I checked into the hotel at 15:30. I booked a high-rise sea-view apartment in a resort by Surfers Paradise beach in the city center. Entering the 10th-floor room, the balcony faced the sea directly—very ideal. It had an electric stove, induction cooktop, refrigerator, and a full set of kitchenware, making it cheap to cook my own meals. There were even parrots on the balcony, haha, wild ones, so cute. After putting down my things, I strolled around the neighborhood. My hotel was right in the commercial area, extremely lively, with lights shining all night long, and luxury brands gathered downstairs. I went to the supermarket to buy rice, oil, salt, milk, ice cream, vegetables, etc., then came back to lie on the sofa and watch TV. After that, I climbed into bed and slept—truly relaxed.
7-11 The Gold Coast is composed of a stretch of about 42 kilometers of high-quality, continuously arranged beaches. Because the sand is rich in silica, it appears golden under the sun, hence the name Gold Coast. The weather on the day I arrived wasn't great—overcast, occasionally with the sun peeking through the clouds. The next morning, the weather was the same, but that was fine—I could sit on the beach for a long time without sunscreen. After a hearty breakfast, I went downstairs to walk along the beach, took off my shoes and carried them, wandered on the sand, and sat down when tired. I sat there all morning, seeing the sun for only a few minutes, but many students and surfers came and went in front of me. At noon, I returned to the hotel to look at brochures and decided to go see the glowworms that evening for 75 AUD, take a 4WD into the rainforest the next morning for 85 AUD, and go whale watching in the afternoon for 85 AUD. After booking, the travel agency faxed me the itinerary; the front desk charged 0.20 AUD—not expensive, right?
In the evening, I waited for the car to pick me up at the hotel entrance on time. A small car arrived with two Taiwanese guys, students working part-time as tour guides' assistants. Since my hotel was in the city center and the bus couldn't stop easily, they took me to the bus stop at the foot of the mountain. Transferring to the bus, the guide was also Taiwanese—a staff member from Natural Bridge National Park, specifically in charge of Chinese-speaking groups. Entering the park area, I noticed there were no streetlights on either side, and the bus lights were turned off. The guide explained that if there were streetlights, it would artificially split the forest in half, and animals wouldn't dare cross that boundary. Turning off the bus lights prevented attracting light-seeking animals. On the way, he humorously shared knowledge about glowworms. The glowworms we were going to see that night are found only in Australia and a few places in New Zealand. In Australia, they can only be seen at Natural Bridge National Park. These glowworms are different from the typical flying fireflies that flash green light; they are actually the larval stage of a worm called a glowworm, which hatches from an egg. They need dark, damp, oxygen-rich environments and emit a steady blue-green light to lure other insects. They produce silk threads like curtains; when an insect flies into them, it gets stuck and becomes a meal. After 6-9 months, the worm pupates and transforms into an insect resembling a mosquito. Strangely, this adult has no mouth and cannot eat; after mating, it dies within a few days. How? Don't get the wrong idea—it starves to death!
At the entrance, the guide handed out flashlights for walking, which could only be pointed downward because strong light can kill the glowworms. Each guide led only 10 people, entering the pitch-black rainforest path towards the glowworm cave in small groups. It was raining that day, and the rainforest was dense and muggy. It's said that on rainy days, there are more glowworms and they glow brighter. Along the way, we identified some tropical plants and saw sparse clusters of glowworms. Eventually, we heard the sound of a waterfall and entered a cave. Turning off the flashlights and letting our eyes adjust to the darkness, the sight overhead was unforgettable. The tiny blue-green lights were more romantic than starlight. No flash allowed; I tried to take photos, but the light was too dim. The guide said you'd need a tripod and a 20-second exposure—alas, I managed a handheld 5-second exposure, leaving only a blurry photo. So I'll have to borrow a few pictures from the internet.
Truly fascinating creatures, and nature's survival is cruel. I returned to the hotel at after 10 PM and quickly rested so as not to affect the next day's itinerary.
Complete Collection of Solo Australia
Solo Australia Part 27: Shopping
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1885842.html
Solo Australia Part 26: Wandering Around
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1885841.html
Solo Australia Part 25: Sydney Taronga Zoo
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1885160.html
Solo Australia Part 24: Paddington Market
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1885838.html
Solo Australia Part 23: Sydney Bondi Beach
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884686.html
Solo Australia Part 22: Sydney Rocks Market
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884684.html
Solo Australia Part 21: Wollongong
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884683.html
Solo Australia Part 20: Sydney Blue Mountains
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884682.html
Solo Australia Part 19: Gold Coast Sunrise, Koalas, Q1 Building
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884681.html
Solo Australia Part 18: Gold Coast Movie World
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1885391.html
Solo Australia Part 17: Gold Coast Sea World
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884680.html
Solo Australia Part 16: Brisbane, Capital of Queensland
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/brisbane323/1884679.html
Solo Australia Part 15: Gold Coast Whale Watching
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884678.html
Solo Australia Part 14: Gold Coast Rainforest 4WD
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884677.html
Solo Australia Part 13: Gold Coast Glowworm Cave
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884676.html
Solo Australia Part 12: Port Stephens Dolphin Watching
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884675.html
Solo Australia Part 11: Melbourne City
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1884672.html
Solo Australia Part 10: Melbourne Gold Panning
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1885390.html
Solo Australia Part 9: Melbourne Great Ocean Road
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1884671.html
Solo Australia Part 8: Melbourne Phillip Island
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1884670.html
Solo Australia Part 7: Canberra
http://you.ctrip.com/place/canberra321.html
Solo Australia Part 6: Parks, Market, Zoo
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1885275.html
Solo Australia Part 5: Sydney City
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884668.html
Solo Australia Part 4: Integration
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884667.html
Solo Australia Part 3: Transportation & Communication
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884875.html
Solo Australia Part 2: Arrival
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884873.html
Solo Australia Part 1: Preparation
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884664.html
