Getting to the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is approximately 80 kms south of Brisbane and 950 kms north of Sydney.

Getting To The Gold Coast By Bus/Coach

There are a number of coach services that pass through the Gold Coast. There are regular services from Brisbane, Byron Bay, Sydney and other major centres. There are bus transit centres in Coolangatta, Surfers Paradise and Southport. Travel time from Brisbane is around 1½ hours and from Sydney, an express coach service takes around 14 hours.

Getting To The Gold Coast By Train

The Gold Coast is connected by rail to Brisbane’s Roma Street and Central stations. The closest railway stations servicing the Gold Coast include Nerang, Helensvale and Robina – there are connecting shuttle bus services available from the station to Surfers Paradise and other Gold Coast centres. Airtrain also operates regular rail services from Brisbane Airport to the Gold Coast which take approximately 90 minutes.

Due to a difference in the gauge of the railway between New South Wales and Queensland, there are no Interstate direct rail links to the Gold Coast. Trains depart daily from Sydney and terminate at Murwillumbah (around 30 mins south of Coolangatta).

Getting To The Gold Coast By Air

The Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta is serviced by domestic and international flights. Most services are one-class, but many also offer business class travel. There are regular daily domestic flights from Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide & there are connecting flights to all other Australian cities. The trip from Sydney takes around 1 hour 25 minutes, around 2 hours 15 minutes from Melbourne & around 2 hours and 10 minutes from Adelaide.

International flights arrive from Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin, Palmerston North & Christchurch in New Zealand. There are also flights arriving on the Gold Coast via Cairns from Japan (Osaka, Nagoya &Fukuoka), Taipei, Hong Kong & Singapore. Brisbane’s International Airport also provides links with the USA and Europe.

Self Drive

The major route from Sydney to the Gold Coast is via the Pacific H’way which is currently undergoing major upgrades and conditions vary. Use the following table to plan your trip and ensure that you “stop, revive, survive” every 2 hours.

Related Links:

• Gold Coast Accommodation – A comprehensive guide to accommodation on Australia’s Gold Coast including hotels, motels, resorts, self-contained apartments and holiday units.
• Gold Coast Visitor Information – This section of the website provides general visitor and tourist information about the Gold Coast including links to more information.
• Gold Coast History – A brief look at the Gold Coast’s colourful history from a no go zone in 1874 to a popular vacation resort area of international standards today.
• Public & School holiday dates – An accurate and up to date ready reference for dates of Public and School Holidays/vacations in Australia.

Natural Bridge (Arch) – Springbrook National Park

Natural Bridge is one of the most popular parts of 2954ha Springbrook National Park.

Natural Bridge (also called Natural Arch) nestles in the scenic Numinbah Valley near the Queensland-New South Wales border. See the picturesque rock formation, stroll through the subtropical rainforest and have a bush picnic. Underneath the bridge lives a colony of glowworms, tiny stars in the dark.

Natural Bridge is about an hour’s drive from the Gold Coast or two from Brisbane. In a day you can also visit more of Springbrook National Park and Lamington National Park, or cross the border to New South Wales parks.

Together, these parks are the heart of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves (Australia) World Heritage Area. Tamborine National Park is also close.

Sheltered in a subtropical rainforest, Natural Bridge receives 1500mm of rain during the hot, humid summer. Winter days are often clear, crisp and sunny. Can be cool any time.

Related Links:

• Gold Coast Accommodation – A comprehensive guide to accommodation on Australia’s Gold Coast including hotels, motels, resorts, self-contained apartments and holiday units.
• Gold Coast Visitor Information – This section of the website provides general visitor and tourist information about the Gold Coast including links to more information.
• Gold Coast Regional Information – Regional information about the main towns situated on the Gold Coast as well as information on the Gold Coast hinterland.
• Gold Coast Things To Do – A user-friendly guide to theme parks including Dreamworld and Movieworld as well as tours, activities and other things to do on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Gold Coast History

The Gold Coast has become one of Australia’s most popular holiday playgrounds, a long way from the days when Captain Cook passed the coast in 1770 and named Point Danger and Mount Warning. The Gold Coast region was first put up for sale in 1874 when it was little more than a picturesque collection of lagoons and mangrove swamps with rivers and creeks meandering their way out to the ocean at Southport. By 1884, the Gold Coast was already becoming a popular holiday destination and Cobb & Co. started running regular coach services from Brisbane to the developing Gold Coast region. Further strimulation to the area’s development occurred in 1889 when a rail link between the Gold Coast and Beenleigh was completed. The rail link was removed 65 years later in 1964.

James Cavill was instrumental in the growth of the region when he built the Surfers Paradise Hotel in the early 1920s. He purchased the land in Elston (now known as Surfers Paradise) in 1923 for a princely sum of £40 (about $200). A bridge replaced the old horse ferry crossing the Nerang River in 1925 and in an effort to attract the more mobile and lucrative holiday market, the town of Elston (previously known as Meyers Ferry) was renamed “Surfers Paradise” in 1933 after the hotel Cavill had built 10 years earlier.

Property prices began rising sharply after WWII as there was an involuntary moratorium on the development and would-be developers could see an opportunity to cash in on a Post War boom. The greater region was given its modern moniker in the early 1950s when a journalist discussing the rising property values metaphorically referred to the area as the “Gold Coast”. The ensuing development boom of the 1950s saw a rush to build large beachfront holiday apartments to support the now rapidly growing tourist market. By the 1960s the beachfront had all but been completely developed and the urbanisation of the surrounding farms and wetlands began.

Gold Coast Aboriginal History

The Gold Coast region was known to local Aborigines as “Umbigumbi” and “Kurrungul”. The traditional borders of the Gombemberri people of the Gold Coast extended from the Tweed River in the south along the Coomera River to Numinbah Valley. Some historians estimate that Aborigines have been coming to the Gold Coast for over 10,000 years. They came to the Gold Coast from Bundjalung, south of the Tweed River, and from as far north as Maryborough in the north. They would visit the Gold Coast for festivals and tribal ceremonies, fishing, subtropical fruits and bush tucker and to harvest a special hardwood that they used to make boomerangs.

Related Links:

• Gold Coast Visitor Information – This section of the website provides general visitor and tourist information about the Gold Coast including links to more information.

Gold Coast Entertainment & Nightlife

From themed sports bars to alternative venues beating out the funky house and disco classics, the Gold Coast’s thriving Club scene has something for everyone. There are countless bars, restaurants and nightclubs with quality bands and DJs performing across the Gold Coast. For those not so into the music scene, there are Cigar Lounges, cabaret clubs and hotels/pubs with pool tables. You’ll also be happy with the great range of tap beers, fine wines and cocktails available at reasonable prices.

Surfers Paradise is the Gold Coast’s main bar and nightclub precinct with a number of establishments along with Orchid and Cavill Avenues.

Gold Coast Nightlife Directory

Capitol Bar & Lounge

The Capitol is a place where creative and free spirits meet in an environment where the quality of design, music, dishes and beverages, and guests rule. Long before lounging proved to be the latest trend in New York, relaxing in high quality and above all surprising environment has been pivotal at the Capitol.

Melbas Restaurant, Cocktail Bar & Nightclub

Dance with the hottest crowd in town on the large dance floor and podiums, or maybe a game of pool is more your style. With its large bars spanning the entire length of the club and stunning waitresses ensuring you are looked after, you are guaranteed fast and efficient service.

The Clock Hotel

There is always something happening so come along and have some fun. Come and see all the major sports events live on the big screen or have a flutter on the live daily races in our new TAB and upmarket sports lounge.

Related Links:

• Gold Coast Restaurants – An overview of the Gold Coast’s culinary delights, including links and contact details for the best restaurants in the region.

Gold Coast Real Estate

The Gold Coast property market has become one of Australia’s fastest developing markets with new developments occurring all the time and some of the more established properties along the coast exchanging for record prices. For those that are attracted to the action of a city, but like to balance it with lifestyle, the Gold Coast is high on the list of preferred places to live. Browse through our directory below for the latest property sales, rentals and holiday accommodation.

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• Chevron First National – Surrounded by an array of properties from luxury waterfront homes and duplexes to a wide variety of residential and investment properties.
• Gold Coast Property Centre – Our Sales and Display Office. Located right in the busy heart of Surfers Paradise, the office attracts a wide range of people every day.
  
• Gold Coast Prestige Real Estate – The premier online luxury real estate service on Australia’s famous Gold Coast.
  
• Raine & Horne – Broadbeach – Located in a high profile location between the major banks at the entrance to Niecon Plaza.
  
• Mona Kennedy Realty – Your first choice for the highest quality realty within Australia’s premier lifestyle address – The Gold Coast.
  
• Realty on Main – Specialising in lifestyle investments in and around Main Beach on the Gold Coast of Australia.
• Ray White Surfers Paradise – Services all aspects of real estate, including residential unit and house sales, prestige homes, commercial sales and leasing and property management.

Related Links:

• Gold Coast Accommodation – A comprehensive guide to accommodation on Australia’s Gold Coast including hotels, motels, resorts, self-contained apartments and holiday units.
• Surfers Paradise Accommodation – The heart of the famous Gold Coast coastal strip. A major business and leisure centre providing a range of accommodation options.

Gold Coast Weather & Climate

The Gold Coast has a sub-tropical climate with plenty of sunshine year-round (in fact an average of 300 days a year).

Summer temperatures range from 19 to 29 degrees Celsius (66 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit).

Winter temperatures range from an average of 9 to 21 degrees Celsius (48 to 69 degrees Fahrenheit) – it’s no wonder the Gold Coast is Australia’s favourite playground.

Historical Rainfall & Temperature Averages

• Average temperatures are in Celcius.
• Rainfall amounts are in millimetres. 25 millimetres is approximately equal to 1 inch.
• A rainy day is counted if rainfall exceeds 0.2mm.

Suitable Clothing, What to Wear

Easy resort wear and lightweight clothing are suitable attire for the Gold Coast’s sub-tropical climate. You may need a jacket or pullover in the evening. If you’re planning on doing any bushwalking through the National Parks, then a sturdy pair of comfortable hiking shoes is a must and if you’re going to be spending a bit of time on the beach, then sun-protective clothing, a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen will save you from getting too much sun – refer to the section about Gold Coast Sun and Beach Safety for more information.

For more information concerning Gold Coast weather, visit these websites:

• The Bureau of Meteorolgy Weather Site – The most up to date and comprehensive weather site for Australia. Includes forecasts and comprehensive historical climate data.
• Gold Coast Fishing and Tide Information – A guide to fishing on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Includes information aon good places to fish both on the coast and in the hinterland.