Motoring – Gold Coast Jaguar On the road again

ON THE ROAD Again

FROM THE BEACH TO THE HINTERLAND, THERE’S NO DOUBTING THAT THE GOLD COAST HAS SOME OF THE MOST PICTURESQUE DRIVE ROUTES. GRAB THE FAMILY, PACK UP YOUR CAR AND GET BEHIND THE WHEEL FOR A FUN FILLED FAMILY DAY OUT, WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.

Gold Coast Jaguar 96/100 Minnie St, Southport QLD 4215 Phone: (07) 5655 2222

Where: Main Beach to Tamborine Mountain Length: 120km Vehicle: Jaguar F-Pace 21MY

We started our day behind the wheel of the Jaguar F-PACE. With an assertive new exterior, beautifully crafted all-new interior, and latest generation Pivi Pro infotainment, spending the day behind the wheel of the F-PACE is effortless. The new exterior design gives the award-winning F-PACE performance SUV a cleaner, more assured presence, featuring a new sculpted bonnet and enlarged grille featuring Jaguar’s heritage logo-inspired ‘diamond’ detailing.

STOP 1: COFFEE TO GO

What better way to kick off the day than with a coffee at the beach. We got our caffeine fix by stopping at one of our favourite cafés on Tedder Avenue for a takeaway coffee and treat, before pulling up at Narrowneck to enjoy a glimpse of the Gold Coast skyline. Here is where we mapped out our adventure for the day, adding in our next destination to the F-PACE’s Pivi Pro infotainment system. The new F-PACE features an all-new 11.4 inch curved glass HD screen, with enhanced clarity, brightness and functionality. To help drivers access vital information quickly, the F-PACE also features a new 12.3-inch HD Interactive Driver Display with enhanced graphics and a configurable layout which can show full-screen navigation mapping with turn-by-turn instructions, digital dials, media, contact list or infotainment details. Working in conjunction with the optional Headup Display technology, the F-PACE gives you all the information they need with least distraction making your journey more enjoyable.

STOP 2: GOLD COAST MOTOR MUSEUM

107 Kriedeman Road, Upper Coomera, QLD 4209

Adults $20 | Children under 15 are free

Once the caffeine kicked in, and our navigation was ready to go, we made our way to the Gold Coast Highway, heading north on the Pacific Highway and onwards to Upper Coomera. Situated in the picturesque Gold Coast Hinterland and just 10 minutes inland from the M1 and Movie World, we came across the Gold Coast Motor Museum.

There’s more than meets the eye at this destination with a huge selection of cars, motorbikes, horse-drawn buggies, pushbikes and other relics of history including telephones and fashion pieces. Many car museums are one-make museums, but here there’s everything from Holdens to Lamborghinis. Built by Carl and Grant Amor as a tribute to their late father, the museum showcases the siblings’ impressive private collection of 75 cars and bikes.

STOP 3: CURTIS FALLS

Dapsang Dr, Tamborine Mountain QLD 4272

1km Walking Track

Just 20 minutes from the Gold Coast Motor Museum, we head up the mountain towards North Tamborine noting the plentiful signs pointing towards various bushwalks and National Parks. We chose a short stroll through Curtis Falls which is perfect for the whole family. Curtis Falls takes you through a lush eucalypt forest, with a canopy that will astonish you. The falls themselves, (depending on the season), boast an impressive waterfall that flows to the pool below.

STOP 4: ALBERT RIVER WINES

869 Mundoolun Connection Rd, Tamborine QLD 4270

After our time under the canopy, we took a pleasant drive through winding roads to stop for lunch at Albert River Wines. Twisting and turning under the trees the F-Pace was truly in its element, with all-wheel drive and Intelligent Driveline Dynamics providing a predictive driving experience. While others become active only after the car loses traction, the F-Pace system pre-emptively shifts torque to the front wheels to maintain control and composure before grip is lost, so you always feel in control.

Arriving at Albert River Wines, we were greeted by a sweeping drive up through blooming Jacarandas to the restaurant. Albert River Wines is one of the State’s oldest properties and is a venue that captures the essence of 1800’s Queensland architecture. Home to three former Queensland Premiers, the restaurant is located in what was Auchenflower House’s billiard room.

Both the vineyard and the winery are situated high on the hill of the estate, with panoramic views of the Albert River Valley and Tamborine Mountain. The venue is ideal for families with plenty of space for the young ones to run around or enjoy the farm tours on offer, while the adults can sit back and enjoy a quality meal paired with award winning wine.

STOP 5: GALLERY WALK AND FUDGE HEAVEN

After lunch we hopped back in the car and headed to the main strip of Tamborine Mountain for a little postlunch shop at the famous “Gallery Walk”. We welcomed the comfort of the F-PACE’s air-conditioning, cabin air filtration and new design seats with wider cushioning, massage functions and enhanced coverage of the heated and cooling areas. The Gallery Walk is a must visit at Tamborine Mountain and boasts over 70 specialty shops in one block. The street is lined with artisan candy stores, homeware shops, fashion boutiques and local food stores, so there is a literally something for everyone. We took our time wandering along the street, covering both sides of Long Road and picking up plenty of unique treasures.

While we wandered through the shops, we picked up an assortment of treats and cheese platter items for our last stop of the day. We selected an assortment of fudge’s from Fudge Heaven, which we couldn’t recommend more. All of the fudge at Fudge Heaven is made from fresh butter and cream to create that melt in your mouth flavour. They have over 40 flavours to choose from and even have a selection of “Adult Only” flavours.

With our hands full of shopping bags and goodies, we headed back to the F-PACE for our final destination. The F-PACE features up to 793 litres of load space, even with the family loaded in the second row, so even for those seasoned shopaholics the F-PACE perfectly fits your need for space.

STOP 6: HANG GLIDER LAUNCH AND LOOKOUT - PICNIC

294-298 Main Western Rd, Tamborine Mountain QLD 4272

Only five minutes’ drive from the Gallery Walk, is the Hang Glider Launch and Lookout. This is the ultimate picnic spot with views that seemingly go for days. We finished off our adventure with a picnic filled with treats purchased from local businesses. As the day drew to an end, we watched the hang-gliders launch off the side of the mountain and float down to the beautiful scenery below. With our belly’s full and our sight-seeing done for the day, we jumped back in the F-PACE t head for home. After a big day of driving and adventures, it was comforting to know the F-PACE’s driver assist features were there to make the journey even more enjoyable. The driver assist function features autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, driver condition monitoring, adaptive cruise control with queue assist, blind spot monitoring and blind spot assist*. These technologies certainly enhanced the drive by helping removing the stress.

The new F-Pace brings together award-winning design, Jaguar performance and intuitive technologies to make every journey feel extraordinary. Come and test drive today at Gold Coast Jaguar.

F-PACE Pricing: Starting from $83,738 plus on road costs. *Not all features are available on all vehicle models or may only be available as an optional extra or in conjunction with other features. In car features should be used by drivers only when safe to do so. Drivers must ensure they are in full control of the vehicle at all times.