But seriously. Schoolies. It’s actually madness. And for anyone who’s ever been – you know man, ‘cos you were THERE. IT’s not quite as intense as like, ‘Nam or something, but you run the risk of leaving just as shell shocked as a veteran if you don’t know what you’re doing…
{Our family has been to the Gold Coast but not during Schoolies week! That would be so crazy with all of the young ones!! I would highly recommend the theme parks, Movie World Gold Coast Theme Park was one of our favorites. Along with Dreamworld and White Water World}
Plus, woe-betide anyone who actually chooses to stay living on the Gold Coast during those crazy six weeks. I think that perhaps just as much as the Gold Coast (and in particular Surfer’s Paradise) experience a huge boon in trading at the end of the school year thanks to the school leavers of Australia, so too does the rest of Australia with the mass exodus that takes place with the huge amount of sensible people that choose to abandon that drunken, stinky ship called the Gold Coast.
These sensible specimens abandon their homes to allow the seventeen and eighteen year old future leaders of this great country to fling themselves all over the beaches and boulevards of the southern beaches in peace. These kids need to attempt to transition seamlessly into adulthood with a goon bag and to do it with abandon.
The thing is that a lot of these kids that we see on the news and scattered around clinging drunkenly to traffic lights at 4am aren’t the norm, and there are a whole heap of perfectly sensible kids that choose to drink in moderation, and to enjoy the daytime and to go to the beach and to the movies. Yes, parents, it actually happens. For some of those kids, well, they don’t own cars yet, so they consider thinking about Car Hire Gold Coast for their transport around. And they can do that, because they’re not too busy drinking themselves silly with peppermint schnapps for their entire schoolies week.
The Freedom of the Car ::
These kids have the freedom to explore some of the more exciting elements of the Gold Coast including the hinterland and even the theme parks. And they don’t have to fling themselves at the mercy of the bus drivers and public transport operators that make up the Gold Coast public transport system. Not that they’re even that bad at all, really, but nothing compares to the freedom of being able to come and go as you please, and that’s the freedom that a hire car from drivenow.com.au affords you, really.
Consider as well the awesome fact that anyone with a car on the Gold Coast during schoolies is going to be able to rescue mates from parties on the other side of town, thus allowing them the benefit of mates who owe them a whole heap of favours. Cars are pretty much the number one awesome asset to own as a teenager and there’s nothing better than the feeling of jumping behind the wheel.
For parents it can be a bit concerning that there will be alcohol and god knows what else on schoolies, so it’s important than parents discuss safe driving practices with their kids and encourage them to be safe drivers. A big consideration is showboating or showing off, which can happen when a kid has a bunch of their mates in the car and has the music up. Adrenaline and the urge to please kicks in, and then before you know it they’re speeding down a suburban road doing 20km over the speed limit. Far from ideal, especially at schoolies when there’s a hundred times more police populating the Gold Coast than there usually is. I.e. That’s a lot of cops.
So to the schoolies, drive safely if you drive at all, and for parents, teach your kids some good driving habits.
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** Please Note the Blog Post “The Freedom of A Car” was written for New Life on the Road. I have never been to Schoolies, nor have any of my boys but if they were I would rather they did have a car with them so that they could explore more of Gold Coast and surrounding area. We do have a Motorhome as well as a Camper Van, which I will share in more details soon!
I dread having to think about all this stuff in the future. But yes I agree we almost tend to demonize the teenage years and bit. I am choosing to believe my girls will be awesome teenagers 🙂 🙂
Caz Filmer recently posted..Hey there Mum, do you need a night off?
Ah a young person’s big moment in their life when they get their first set of wheels…and as the title of the post epitomizes – Freedom. It’s such a double-edged sword in a way as it can give the parents freedom from the past 16-18 years of commitment to play chauffeur. On the other hand these young folks can not hit the road but it comes with an immense responsibility. That of constant attention to the road, never being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and also having a commitment to the safety of any passengers. Really good post, Lisa! 🙂
Mike recently posted..Getting On An Airplane For The First Time In 20 Years