Australia’s Gold Coast
Originally posted June 13, 2014
In September 2013, I visited the Gold Coast, Australia area. This was actually my second time in the area having visited a few friends there a year earlier and stayed at the Hilton property. While there, the Queensland Tourist Board invited myself and a few others to see some of the areas’ attractions. It was lovely!
Here are some things you should know about this Australian vacation area:
Airport Name
Gold Coast Airport (Coolangata Airport) (OOL) – One of the coolest airport codes I think. The alternate/nearby airport is Brisbane (BNE).
The entrance to the Gold Coast Airport.
Airlines Serving The Coolangata Airport (OOL)
Air New Zealand (NZ), D7, Jetstar Airways (JQ), Qantas (QF), Regional Express Airlines (ZL), Tiger Airways (TR) and Virgin Australia (VA).
A Pacific Blue Boeing 737-800 (2013 photo :-)) is seen at the hard stand in Gold Coast Airport. This airline is now Virgin Australia.
Your best bet to get here from the U.S. and Canada is to fly into Brisbane (BNE) or Sydney or Melbourne then take a local flight.
Airport Tip
The airport is small and very easy to navigate. Arrivals and departure are on the same ground level and at the time of this writing, there are no jetways. Check your schedules on passrider.com.
Airport Lounges
Qantas Club and Virgin Australia Lounge ; additional information
Airport To The City
The best way is to take the local bus into Surfers’ Paradise where most of the hotels are located. A tourist shuttle and taxi service are also available; additional information. Of course there’s also ride sharing as well as taxis and private services.
The Local bus to Surfers Paradise.
There’s also the Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle which will take you to your particular hotel.
The Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle takes you to the hotels in the Surfers Paradise Area.
Currency
Australian Dollar (AUD)
Language
English with a really cool accent. Sometimes you may have to listen intently.
Visa and Health Requirements
If you are a U.S. citizen and citizens from select other countries, a visa is required. Use this link to check for other citizenship. For some countries, you can apply and pay for this visa online. It’s called an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). Some airlines do have the capability to do this application when you check-in as well. Here is some additional information from the U.S. State Department including visa and health requirements.
Accommodations
There are several hotels in this area as its a tourist destination. All the excitement occur in the Surfers Paradise area.
You can use this hand map to book hotels.
The inlet at Surfers Paradise
Things To Do in Gold Coast
You may use my partnership with Viator to book tours. I’ve also listed some of the attractions I visited when I was there to give you an idea.
Jet Boating
While there I used Paradise Jet Boating. This is the wildest ride I’ve ever had. I have no pictures of the event as you cannot take anything with you out there. It’s just you and the boat. It’s like a roller coaster on water.
Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk
Here you get to walk through the rain forest on a skywalk. After which you continue by walking along a nature trail.
Warner Brothers Movie World
This is a theme park with rides based on Warner Brothers Movies. This includes Superman, which is a very wild, but cool ride. Green Lantern is also another ride.
Surfers Paradise has some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Not mention the roar of the surf breaking on the white sand beach.
Please leave a comment below about your own experiences and tips.
Comments 10
My wife and I have non-reved to Australia almost every year for the past 20 years. We usually fly from LAX to BNE (Brisbane) non-stop, on Qantas. So far, we have never had a problem with getting a seat on the LAX – BNE flight, but we try to avoid flying during the Australian school holidays. You can catch the train from the BNE airport all the way to the Gold Coast, with plenty of stops to disembark along the way. If you were trying to get to Surfer’s Paradise, you could take the train to the Helensvale stop, then catch a cab or bus to the beach. Total travel time from the Brisbane airport to Surfer’s Paradise would be about 2 hours.
Author
Hi Griz,
Great tip indeed. Thank you.
I guess that one is not so heavily traveled; everyone wants to get to Sydney and forget that you can just do OA to get down there and the Northeastern coast of Australia is really very beautiful.
Griz what months do you find the best to down under flying non rev? thanks Jerry
My wife and I have non-reved to Australia almost every year for the past 20 years. We usually fly from LAX to BNE (Brisbane) non-stop, on Qantas. So far, we have never had a problem with getting a seat on the LAX – BNE flight, but we try to avoid flying during the Australian school holidays. You can catch the train from the BNE airport all the way to the Gold Coast, with plenty of stops to disembark along the way. If you were trying to get to Surfer’s Paradise, you could take the train to the Helensvale stop, then catch a cab or bus to the beach. Total travel time from the Brisbane airport to Surfer’s Paradise would be about 2 hours.
Hi Griz,
Great tip indeed. Thank you.
I guess that one is not so heavily traveled; everyone wants to get to Sydney and forget that you can just do OA to get down there and the Northeastern coast of Australia is really very beautiful.
sPENT 38 DAYS THERE, COULD NOT SEE IT ALL PLUS THE SOFT SAND MADE IT A GREAT TRIP. BROUGHT WIFE AND DAUGHTER BACK FOR A 21 DAY TRIP. LOVE IT AND FRIEND MADE THERE ARE FRIENDS FOR LIFE.
Author
Hi William,
Wonderful! Thank you for your comment.
It is a great area with lots to explore. It’s a bit pricey so I can’t stay long whenever I go :-).
Kerwin
http://www.Passrider.com
http://www.FB.com/Passrider
sPENT 38 DAYS THERE, COULD NOT SEE IT ALL PLUS THE SOFT SAND MADE IT A GREAT TRIP. BROUGHT WIFE AND DAUGHTER BACK FOR A 21 DAY TRIP. LOVE IT AND FRIEND MADE THERE ARE FRIENDS FOR LIFE.