Oystercove Promenade in Helensvale would be home for the next several
days so I made sure I had an inkling what to expect. Before even arriving, I
googled the place and found stubs of articles about it. Not much really. From
all indications, the dynamics of travel would be very different here from what
I am used to. The map shows a gorgeously shaped set of land property surrounded
by lakes, man-made and otherwise.
Helensvale is a suburb of
Gold Coast built in the 80s at the fringes of the coast, and duly designed as
the first integrated community
development in the region. As of 2011,
it had a population close to 16,000.
Though the official Gold Coast Suburb
Guide says that it is well serviced with buses which link with the rail
station, in reality, public transport
is almost non-existent, at least in Helensvale area. This means that if you reside here, a car is essential. The place
itself isn't tourist-friendly. You have to have someone drive you around or you
can rent a car to check out the area. There are shopping centers spread around
– Target, K-Mart, Woolworth, and Harbour Town Shopping Centre – but you can’t
walk from most residential units in Helensvale to areas of interest.
While decidedly posh, security of the area is patchy. I've seen a police car pass by once, but most times, the silence and acquired serenity are mostly a superficial veneer and, thus deceptive. In fact, my friend’s house was burglarized once. In Windaroo, a suburb of Logan City (located between Brisbane and Gold Coast), a Pinoy household was burglarized thrice! How's that for a world record? There are gated communities with 24-hour security, but Oystercove isn't one of them. The point here is, even developed countries aren't immune to petty crime so it's always best to prepare for such eventualities.
Helensvale community. Wouldn't you want to explore this beauty? |
These days, she has installed motion sensor detectors around the house (when you move within its range, the sensor flickers),
with webcams, double locks and other security accouterments added.
On cursory, you would realize that this was more luxurious than many
hotels I've been in. And “beautiful”
doesn't even give it justice. It is cozy and homey. In fact, I could stay here
forever.
To be honest, I almost never stay in other people’s house, but once upon a
time, when I was an innocent soul and didn't know much about the world, Girlie and I traveled all over England. If
there’s a single person I’d love to share a house with, it would be Girlie.
That she agreed to invite me over, take me in, cook my meals like the perfect host, drive me around, and share her wonderful new world – it was indeed my privilege to be there. And I can't wait to be back to water her rose bush (though a gardener comes over once every 2 weeks to trim the hedges.)
Oystercove Promenade, as
mentioned earlier, would be home for my adventures in Queensland. Isn't this the perfect home base for that?
This is the Eye in the Sky!
Killer floor! |
A surplus of throw pillows big and small. |
Gorgeous kitchen, my favorite part of the house. |
2 comments:
Nice interiors in promenade - fit for royalty !
Thank you, Ramakrishnan. :) My friend's place is beautiful.
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