Mermaid Waters

Boasting waterways with names such as Rumrunner Lake and Lake Wonderland, it's easy to see the appeal of Mermaid Waters, a canal community which sits at the elbow of Mermaid Beach.

Australian surveyor John Oxley first came to the area in 1823 and gave it its name after the cutter ship Mermaid on which he travelled. Primarily a residential suburb, it's worth a wander here to check out the luxury homes situated along the canals and lakes. There's a wide range of Asian and European restaurants in this area, which offers easy access to nearby Mermaid Beach.

The Mermaid Waters Hotel is a bit of an accommodation icon around these parts which is also home to a range of apartments, resorts and backpackers. In the Gold Coast fairytale, where Surfers Paradise would be cast as Cinderella, if there was to be a Little Mermaid, then Mermaid Waters would most certainly fit the bill.