The Search for Coffee and Inspiration

A well-crafted piece of writing is like a delicious cup of coffee. It takes you on a journey of discovery. The first taste never disappoints. Subtle flavours emerge as you sip away, hints of chocolate, delicate nutty tones woven through the blend. You reach the end ready to take on the day, a few minutes older, with fresh insights and perhaps the desire to do something new. Craving just one more taste.

 But the best thing about coffee I have discovered is its ability to enhance creativity. As a fledgling writer, my mission to conquer the world one word at a time has been accompanied by another pursuit in recent months. Finding the perfect Gold Coast café with fabulous coffee and a dash of inspiration where I can hone my skills.

 First up was Bumbles, nestled on the banks of the Nerang River at Budds Beach. A few gear changes along the Gold Coast Highway transported me to the land of quaint décor, with several sumptuous cakes on offer to accompany my latte. I visited this lovely café several times but felt a little out of place alone aspiring to become the next Laura Hillenbrand. Wading back to my car during a ferocious Queensland tropical downpour after my last visit, I concluded that while my creative literary progress had been limited, Bumbles remains a great choice for group hangouts.

 Next stop - Blackboard at Varsity Lakes. This entrepreneurial venture arguably helped propel the Gold Coast café culture into contention with the other cities in our nation. It offers flavourful fresh food (cronouts anyone?!) and house roasted coffee beans. Blackboard would have served up all the ingredients of my writing and caffeine-delivery venue of choice, if not for my inability to keep my elbows in line during moments of inspired furious typing. The slightly snug indoor table options often led to the imminent danger of wearing my lunch and therefore my search didn’t end at Blackboard. With so much going for it, Blackboard is recommended for compact iPad warriors over other space-loving MacBook Pro perfectionists.

 Onwards to Elk, discovered moments from the ocean on Chelsea Avenue, Broadbeach. Elk brings a heavenly combination of incredible food and friendly wait staff providing top-notch service within its peaceful atmosphere. Every menu choice is a taste bud stimulating winner.  Their peanut butter chocolate thick shakes are delicious and worth every kilometre I have to run to counteract their clothes-shrinking effects after indulging. In all of its perfection Elk doesn’t try too hard. Perching on your industrial metal chair your eyes are drawn to the peeling paint of the feature wall, greens and neutral creams haphazardly blended together with an elk mural casually stuck on top. It works so well I want to commission their interior designer instantly. Along with many other loyal patrons, my favourite Sunday brunch destination is a three-letter word and an elusive North American animal. Elk. But it wasn’t my writing ‘promised land’, the place where words effortlessly flow onto the page, seamlessly bypassing brain-hand communication.

 My search ground to a halt.  Weeks later I visited a new establishment in Surfers Paradise without even a thought that it could be my writing mecca. Maybe we stumble on things when we have let go of an idea. I had found it. Paradox.

 High warehouse ceilings, geometrical colourful shapes, retro vibes and sunshine streaming in through floor to ceiling glass welcomed me. Paradox offers the choice of a spacious outdoor deck table or the orange padded seats of an indoor booth. A British inspired menu is accompanied by enthusiastic baristas who keep me well fed while I blend unobtrusively into the background typing away. My eardrums are serenaded by a jazz and blues soundtrack that can be effortlessly tuned into or let fade out of consciousness. Paradox.  An inspiring place to write, while munching on a gourmet sanga and maybe even a hazelnut cookie. Positioned amongst a collection of shops and restaurants in the newly renovated ticket hall of the Transit Centre, ‘The 4217’ complex, my search had ended where countless journeys had begun.

Published by Blank GC in December 2015 http://blankgc.com.au/the-search-for-coffee-and-inspiration/