Welcome to Bilinga, the thirteenth stop on my Books By The Beach tour!
Bilinga is close to the Queensland/New South Wales border to the west and has the Pacific Ocean to the east.
The word ‘Bilinga’ is derived from the word ‘Bilinba’, meaning ‘bats’. The name was adopted in 1918 as a place name for Crown lands north of Coolangatta.
Bilinga was located on the Nerang-Tweed Railway line and, after the Crown Land auctions, a rail siding was approved for the site in 1919. By 1923 the nucleus of settlement had formed when Percy Henzel opened a general store near the rail siding.
By the late 1920s, the new coastal motor road improved access to the area for holiday makers and residents.
The drowning of a man on Bilinga Beach in 1937 led to the establishment of the Bilinga Surf Lifesaving Club in 1938.
The Gold Coast Airport is located in Bilinga. Despite being situated in Bilinga and across the border into Tweed Heads West, New South Wales, the airport is also known as Coolangatta, presumably because Coolangatta is better known than Bilinga.
In this post I will be sharing with you about Asha’s Story Part One, the second installment in the Paid To Dance series.
Inspired by a true story, Paid To Dance: Asha’s Story Part One tells of one young woman’s experience working as an exotic dancer in Brisbane, Australia. After a shaky transition into the workforce, eighteen-year-old Asha Graham takes a job at The Runway, a prestigious gentlemen’s club in Brisbane City. During the first two years of a five year journey, Asha’s life is changed in a number of ways, as she learns the ropes and adapts to the often harsh conditions of her chosen profession.
PLEASE NOTE: At the end of this video there is information about purchasing the Paid To Dance books on Amazon/Kindle. My books are not currently available on Amazon/Kindle. Instead you can download a free PDF of the first chapter HERE:
Paid To Dance: Asha’s Story Part One- Chapter One
I hope you have enjoyed your time here in Bilinga with me. Only two more stops to go! See you next time at Kirra Beach!
Kate Kelsen 