Experiencing the Q1

Little later we headed down the foyer and began to promenade the streets of Gold Coast and came up to Q1 in Surfers Pradise — the tallest residential structure in the world. Q1 stands for Queensland number 1. Across the road from this gigantic tower is The Watermark Hotel. The colours of the exterior walls are really nice and catches the designers eye! Very elegant use of colour palette. Pastel, soothing yet catchy with a great balance of the colour wheel. I’ve to say the person that choose these colours obviously understands the concept of the harmonious colours very well. Couldn’t help myself, took a few photos as one does

In a few seconds we were flying up the Q1 like a bullet off the musket of a long barrelled smoking gun. The staff at the reception explained a few things about the Q1 Tower unlike the generally less-friendly staff at Sydney’s AMP tower. The lower observation deck on the Q1 is on level 77. About 320 meters from the ground floor. The lift took less 50 seconds to get up there! Some crafty piece of engineering that is. And the Queenslanders are proud of it the staff did mention it would take about 48 seconds to reach up there and it certainly wasn’t a second longer. No ear popping, no floatiness or jerky ride. Once out of the lift you are greeted again by the staff at the lower observation deck and then the view engulfs you like wild bush-fire. We lost count of time looking at the views from every possible angle, photographing, and walking through the upper observation desk where the tower is open to the elements of nature. Scary, fun, enthralling!

The next three hours went in a jiffy. We watched the sunset as Gold Coast put on its evening dress. The sun set in the western mountain ranges and the lights in the city came on one by one. This is a must see if you go up the Q1. An experience to remember. There is a café up there that serve a decent little selection of finger food and drinks. We were about 320 meters up in air, 699 kilometers away from Sydney and basking in the twilight seeing cloud turn colour in the setting sun and and spotting occasional chopper flying past in the azure firmament below, we were seated higher up than the flight path.