Dip your toe in summers past

Get Up & Go's guest blogger - The Global Goddess talks retro

 

 

 

Summer has always meant something magical to someone like me who grew up in country Queensland, several hundred kilometres west of the beach. Every December, my parents would cram the four of us kids into the back of the Kingswood – a spectacular gold with green vinyl seats upon which we sat with no seat belts – we simply stuck to the spot in which we were plonked. Those same seats were freezing cold on young bums in winter, and you didn’t dare complain back in 1970 – it was all part of the experience. We also packed our blue budgie – Popeye – and one of my sisters always carried a packet of Cheezels which sent the bird ballistic as he had quite a penchant for salt.

 

In the front along the bench seat sat mum, dad and me, the youngest child relegated to the worst spot and also because I suffered car sickness. The potent combination of mum’s cheap perfume, the screeching budgie, the distinct lack of air-conditioning, and dad cursing at all the city traffic ensured I was always sick. And out we’d all pile on the hot roadside for a few minutes to regroup before continuing on towards destination dysfunctional and Coolangatta.

 

I mention this all now because of the growing tourism trend which harks back to the retro era. With all the you-beaut high rises and five-star resorts in the world, I, and many others, find ourselves increasingly grasping for glimpses of our childhood beach holidays. Those were the days of Coppertone tanning lotion, blue bottle stings and watermelon slices on the beach. I love the new movement towards retro swimwear and found myself recently purchasing a pair which reminded me of my mum, aunty and nana, all sitting on their fold up chairs against the rock at Greenmount Beach. We used to call that giant rock “mum’s rock” because that’s where we’d find her all summer.

 

 

And it seems I am not alone. On the Gold Coast, QT Hotel in Surfers Paradise (above) attempts to capture that essence of childhood summers with its fun and flirty retro interior design. There’s splashes of orange everywhere and an old car parked out the front with a surfboard on top. The next generation of Meter Maids still stroll the streets in their skimpy bikinis but they can have that sliver of gold. Me, I’m bottling my childhood in my new bathing suit and basking in the golden memories it delivers.

The Global Goddess is a travel, dating and sex blog targeted at strong, smart, sexy and spiritual women (and the great men who love us!). Follow her adventures at www.theglobalgoddess.com