Gold Coast Travel Guide

Family friendly Gold Coast travel guide.

Australia's Gold Coast has a lot to offer families, from beautiful clean beaches, fantastic theme parks, great night life and shopping and plenty more to keep both the kids and adults entertained. This page contains information on the Gold Coast that may be of value to families including a list of facts and some family friendly advice. The page also includes a Gold Coast map, links to the theme parks, videos of the Gold Coast and some of the services available, car hire, shopping and links to accommodation services. There are plenty of resorts on the Gold Coast that provide specifically for families and all are listed on the accommodation page. Once you have found a resort you like you can visit the web site for that resort to find more details about rooms, meals, accommodation prices and activities.

Gold Coast Map

Click here to view Gold Coast map

Gold Coast Facts

Population: over 400,000

Climate: The Gold Coast is subtropical - over 300 days of sunshine per year. Average summer high is 29 degrees with the average summer low at 19 degrees. The winter high is 21 degrees and the winter low is 9 degrees.

Transport: Plenty of taxis and local buses available as well as private buses. If you need to hire a car you will have no trouble finding a car hire place, but stick to the well known companies (Avis, Hertz, Budget etc).

Theme Parks: Movie World, Sea World, Dreamworld, Wet'n'Wild.

Activities: Shopping, markets, casino, bungy jumping, rainforest walks, theme parks, wildlife parks, beaches…

Surfing: Plenty of surf beaches to choose from. There are 35 patrolled beaches along the Gold Coast. Some beaches can be dangerous so make sure it is patrolled and only swim between the flags.

Sun: The summer sun can get very hot especially between 10am and 2 pm. Cover up and make sure you use sun protection.

Markets: Gold Coast is famous for its markets where you're sure to pick up a bargain. The Surfers Paradise market is on every Friday evening at Broadbeach on the first and third Sunday of each month and at Coolangatta beach on the second Sunday of the month. Carrara Markets is situated a few kilometers west of the Pacific Fair shopping complex and is open every Saturday and Sunday.

Medical: Hospitals are located at the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads.

Nightlife: Plenty of nightclubs available in both Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, and Conrad Jupiters Casino is open 24 hrs a day.

Electricity: 240v at 50Hz.

Visa/Passport: Visas are required to all visitors travelling to Australia except for New Zealand passport holders.

Theme Parks

A trip to the Gold Coast is not complete unless you do the theme parks – especially if you have kids. You have a choice of Movie World, Sea World, Dreamworld or Wet 'n' Wild.

The parks usually open at 10am and close around 5 p.m. For Movie World, Sea World and Dreamworld, the cost is $64 / adult and $42 / child (3-13 years incl). Wet 'n' Wild charges $42 / adult and $28 for kids.

You can get a three park superpass, which gives you unlimited entry to Movieworld, Sea World and Wet N Wild for 14 days. The cost is $170 / adult and $112 / child (3-13 years incl). 2 day passes are also available. These prices may change so check with the park in question.

A day at the theme parks can be a taxing time for the kids (and adults). Plan a day off between parks. Try to avoid the school holidays (which isn't always possible for families) as the theme parks can get very crowded and it's no fun when you have to queue for everything. Avoid public holidays and always take a Saturday over a Sunday.

For more information you can visit the theme parks web sites:
Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and Dreamworld.

Or book tickets online:
Super Pass, Movie World, Sea World, Wet N Wild Water World, Dreamworld.

Getting There

Qantas, Virgin Blue and Jetstar fly directly to Coolangatta and Brisbane. This competition has brought about some very cheap airfares.

You will need to book early to secure these cheaper airfares especially if you plan to travel in the school holidays.

Prices to Coolangatta are usually more than to Brisbane, and with this and the larger number of flights to Brisbane, it may be worth while flying to Brisbane and hiring a car to drive down to the Gold Coast. Work out the price differences and allow around $50 a day for a car, and it may end up a cheaper alternative, especially when you take into account your transfers to and from the airport and theme parks.

You can check the airlines web sites: Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar.

Webjet is a new service that allows you to compare flights and prices from each airline. Click here to visit the Webjet site

Accommodation

There is plenty of family friendly accommodation available on the Gold Coast. You can choose from 5 star luxury resort to basic apartment accommodation.

Check our Gold Coast accommodation page for a listing of the family friendly resorts and hotels available.

Booking accommodation online is now the norm, with most resorts offering an online booking facility. There are also numerous online travel companies where you can check resort facilities and accommodation types, check for availability and price, and book your holiday using a credit card.

Quickbeds, operated by Flight centre, offers both year round and last minute accommodation with an easy to use search facility.

Res Online is another service that offers an easy availability and price check at hundreds of resorts and hotels.

For discount accommodation check the Hotel Club site and Rates To Go for last minute discount accommodation.

Transport

Everything is easily accessible in the Gold Coast. Trips to the theme parks can be arranged through your hotel, with a pick up at the door and your choice of return times. Local buses run regularly around the Gold Coast and there are plenty of taxis available. You can probably walk to most shopping centres and malls if you are staying in Surfers or Broadbeach. The disadvantage of pre booking travel to the theme parks is the weather. You can't cancel if you wake up and find it's raining. There are plenty of car hire companies available, some good, some not so good. Stick to the better known ones and shop around for the best deal. Some offer special discounts through motoring associations, travel agencies, credit card companies, airlines, discount books, licensed clubs and other sources.

Web Car Hire offers a service that compares the available options from some of the leading car rental companies. Click here for more information.

Budget is renowned for meticulously maintained vehicles and the absolute best in service; Budget offers a wide range of cars, 4WDs, and minibuses, as well as Australia's largest fleet of trucks and commercial vehicles.

Videos

click here to view the list of Gold Coast videos

Links

Gold Coast Accommodation
Gold Coast Discount Accommodation
Gold Coast Tours & Attractions
Brisbane Accommodation
Brisbane Tours & Attractions

Popular Family Resorts

Paradise Resort
Sea World Resort
Turtle Beach
Couran Cove