Eye in the Sky: Oystercove Promenade as My Luxurious Homebase in Queensland

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.

Girlie’s house is located in a quiet neighborhood called Oyster Promenade that’s a few strides away from a lake. And wouldn't anyone want to visit a place named Lake Serenity, Calmwater Crescent, Mandolin Avenue or Windchimes Way? Lake water drains to Coombabah Lake to the east. At any time of the day, you hardly see people walking on the streets. If there are any, you would hear their footsteps.

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.

The house is an epitome of modern suburban living. You could relax and watch television in the living room – or start belting out songs on her videoke. My favorite place is the kitchen because of its specially-designed marble table. With 3 bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a garage, a backyard spruced up with lemons and a garden at the front yard, the place is fit for a queen. Or a king for that matter. All this space for a single person!

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!