Nightlife

It's not as big as some Vegas casinos, but Conrad Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach (tel. 07/5592 8282), has plenty to keep the gambler amused -- 70 gaming tables and 1,300-plus slot machines with roulette, blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, baccarat and minibaccarat, craps, Pai Gow, and sic-bo. The 1,100-seat Jupiter's Theatre stages international musical theater productions, big-name bands, and solo artists, usually for a 3-month run. Then there are the three bars, including an English-style pub. Of the five restaurants, the good-value Food Fantasy buffet is outrageously popular, so be prepared to wait. The casino is open 24 hours. You must be 18 to enter, and smart, casual dress is required.

If you're not a gambler, at 10:30pm they push back the tables at Saks, Marina Mirage, Sea World Drive, Main Beach (tel. 07/5591 2755), and the elegant cafe and wine bar turns into a dance floor for fashionable 20- and 30-somethings. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are the coolest nights to turn up, and there's a live band Sundays but no cover. There's a plethora of nightclubs in Surfers Paradise.