School's out, let the fun begin

Get ready, Gold Coast ... here come the schoolies.

Today is the last day of school for the class of 2007 and we can expect school leavers to begin arriving at Surfers Paradise this afternoon.

This year, 11,522 of the expected 30,000 schoolies have already pre-registered online to get their official Schoolies pass, which allows them into the fenced entertainment area and tent on the beach at Surfers.

For this year's event, Surfers Paradise Marketing has implemented a host of initiatives, including the fenced-off area, which CEO Richard Holliday said would keep schoolies safe. "Our first priority is safety," he said.

"The fenced-off area on the beach area and the bar-coded wristband will certainly keep schoolies together with other schoolies.

"If they haven't got a wristband, they can get one at the information booth on The Esplanade."

A lot of school leavers will also have a first this year when they have to hit the polling booth for the federal election on the final Saturday of Schoolies for Queenslanders, November 24, which is also the first day of the NSW Schoolies Week.

"The Australian Electoral Commission has asked me to remind people who have enrolled to vote that they should vote before they come to Schoolies, or on the Saturday," said Mr Holliday.

"There is a polling booth right in the heart of Surfers Paradise -- shop G33, Piazza on the Boulevard, on
Surfers Paradise Boulevard."

He said this was one of the best places for interstate voters to go, as well as booths at 2453 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach, or shop T005, 56 Scarborough Street, Southport.

Mr Holliday said that although only 11,000 school leavers had registered for the Schoolies area, he believed everything would run smoothly.

"Not every schoolie will want to participate in the entertainment on the beach," he said.

"A lot of those other people will register when they get there during the week.

"We are trying to encourage people to register though.

"I am not worried. I have a great team who have spent a lot of time organising the week but I am anxiously wishing to deliver a successful Schoolies."

Coombabah High School student Igor Shkrumleyak was yesterday relaxing on the beach before his school's graduation ceremony and wondering how Schoolies was going to shape up for he and his mates.

"We are staying at the Q1," he said. "There's three of us in our apartment but there's about 15 of us in other rooms.

"I'm excited about making new friends too.

"All the security seems pretty tight this year so that's good."