In Search for a Sign of Life - From Oyster Cove to Monterey Keys (Gold Coast)

After exploring Oyster Cove's quiet community, there was nothing much to do - and I didn't fly all the way to Australia to watch television. It was time to move further away from this idyll. Girlie told me that whenever her mom would visit, she would take a leisurely walk to the nearest shopping village in Monterey Keys. Helensvale (the suburb) has four localities: Oyster Cove, River Links, Coombabah Lake and Monterey Keys.

On a dead and lazy afternoon, I needed to see a "sign of life" and a shopping centre should be the answer to that.

I locked the doors behind me and tried to remember the directions given to me earlier by Girlie: "Just follow the highway. At some point, there's a detour after the bridge, to a residential area. Go straight ahead until you reach the shops." With a hint of an Australian accent, I had to be obedient. Yes, ma'am.

Helensvale Road was wide  and spotless, but mostly deserted. Very few vehicles drive by so even on mid-afternoon, the place felt eerie. Were there walking dead, I'd hoped not. I wouldn't run because it was too hot to do so. Clean and intermittently breezy (there were lakes nearby), I could almost enjoy my leisurely stride. The shoulder of the road was as big as the highway, and the inner lane was lined by tall shrubs of Gumamela (Hibiscus rosa sinensis). The ecosystem in this corner of the world was so healthy, anything could grow here, I thought. Heck, even their grass bore orchid-looking flowers (see below).

Further on, I came into another lake, Saltwater Creek, an intrinsic feature of the geography of Gold Coast which is punctuated by a series of canals. It's like Venice - but spread far across the lands. I finally saw a man walking his dog. He greeted me with an ebullient, "G'day, mate!" Typical. People in Australia don't have qualms greeting strangers. Everyone I met greeted me like we're next-door buddies, an observation that rings true all over the Gold Coast.

After walking past the bridge, I took a detour, moving away from the highway; a narrow fenced-in lane that eventually lead to Lakeshore Drive (a street) in a residential village with manicured lawns and gorgeous modern homes. Like Oyster Cove, there's hardly a sign of life. No sound from these houses either. This lassitude needed to be shaken off. Sigh.

I looked at my watch and was surprised that I had been walking for almost 45 minutes already. I had a feeling that at the end of the lane was the shopping village. Then I saw a group of 9, 10 year olds on their way home from school. Since I was at the other side of the lane, I moved on without changing pace. Then, one of the kids shouted, "Hey, mister, are you lost?" Did I look lost? I didn't think so. But I was grateful for this act of hospitality. "No, I'm not. I'm on my way to the shop. This way, right?" Innocent faces nodded in unison, then they waved goodbye. Everyone in Queensland was nothing but charming and personable; a far cry from what I was expecting, based on my travels everywhere.

Five minutes later, I crossed the road and finally found Monterey Keys Shopping Village. Was it a holiday? There were 2 or 3 cars at the parking lot, and I didn't see people shopping. Indeed, at first glance, the whole shopping arcade looked deserted. But this was the Australian suburb and, as I've learned, this was business as usual.

To my surprise, the complex is an integrated commercial centre: a 24-hour fitness Jetts; a dentist, a medical clinic, an Indian restaurant, a physiotherapist, a florist, an interior designer, a bakery, a real estate office, a liquor store, a pharmacy, a hairdresser, take-away food; all these were services available at this seemingly desolate shopping village.

If I seemed culture-shocked, there was more surprise later. A pleasant one! But that's for another post.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Flower of tall blades of grass.

A field of Gumamelas along the highway.

Gumamelas bloom along Helensvale Drive.

Monterey Keys' The Peninsula with their own pontoons.

Saltwater Creek isn't fit for swimming. The signs say so. It teems with algae.

First sign of life.

From the highway, I had to detour here to get to Lakeshore Drive.

Manicured lawns at The Peninsula's Lakeshore Drive.

Sheetal, a fine dining Indian restaurant. 

No one at the shops.

Map that follows my trail (the brown lane) from Oyster Cove to Monterey Keys.

Aerial view of Gold Coasts canals. That's a lot of lakes! This photo only courtesy of wikipedia's Toksave.

Home Alone at the Promenade - An Oyster Cove Exploration

I've always thought it was a sin not to explore the surroundings of a place I'm visiting, regardless of how seemingly droll or uninteresting it is. So - a day after visiting Southport (Gold Coast's CBD), with Girlie going to work, I opted to stay home so I could explore Oyster Cove Promenade, a community in the suburb of Helensvale.

Oyster Cove, you see, is one of the four localities of the Helensvale suburb; the three others are River Links, Coombabah Lake and Monterey Keys (the closest from Oyster Cove).

But droll it wasn't, and it was far from being uninteresting too. If you're weaned on the rancorous vibe of a city like Metro Manila, this place won't probably suit you. There's hardly a soul in sight, you could spend a good part of the day left to your own devices.

Personally, I couldn't wait to explore the area. Once Girlie drove away, I walked around the very quiet neighborhood. Well appointed homes beside the lake grace the area. RV vans were on sight. And instead of cars, yachts were a common fixture at every lawns. How's that for a residential facade? Only in Helensvale.

Girlie's rose bush which I started watering on a daily basis.

Helensvale's integrated communities are well planned, but the shops are a bit distant from most residences. You have to ring a taxi if you require one as there aren't any plying the mostly-deserted roads. Every household needs a car. While roaming around, I came to a gated community, the Serenity Shores which has 24-hour security and surveillance cameras.

With a man-made body of water dotting almost every cranny, there's always a quiet spot for when you need to gather your thoughts; an pensive corner to breathe the air and smell the flowers... so what do you need a park for? Having said that, the place is spotless - not a litter in sight. Unfortunately, you shall bask on an acute sense of isolation, as though you slept through a catastrophic event that dissipated most of the world's population - and you're its only survivor.

But if that were the case, you can be sure, you wouldn't mind being marooned in a place like Oyster Cove Promenade.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

This small strip of land with a slide  is the community's playground set beside the placid lake.

The roundabout

"Quiet" is an understatement for these very clean streets.

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!

Killer floor!

A surplus of throw pillows big and small.

Gorgeous kitchen, my favorite part of the house.