Gold Coast Travel Forum

My family and I (3 adults & twin boys ages 13 = 5 members) will be visiting to Gold Coast on 11/03/2007 via Singapore Airline and will arrive in Brisbane airport at 19.35 on the same day.

We have booked & confirmed to stay in Santana Holiday Resort, Monte Carlo Ave, Surfers Paradise from 11/3/2007 to 17/3/2007. We have a total of 7 nights and would like you to suggest on what we should do while we're there.

Can anyone tell me the best way to transfer from Brisbane Airport to our Resort?
What would you suggest whether to travel by train, taxi or coach? I wish to know the following:-
i. All charges/fares, if to travel by train, taxi or coach
ii. If we were to travel by train
a) Where shall we stop at?
b) Is there a direct train to our Resort, or
c) Do we need to take another transport to travel from station to our Resort?

We intend to hire/rent a private car & to travel on our own. Please recommend good/reliable/ reasonable car rental companies.
i. Is Malaysian driving license be permitted/valid in Gold Coast, Australia?
ii. Any further application/document to be needed/signed up/obtained from the Authority?
iii. If yes, the name of the Authority.
We would like to visit the following and wish to know the entrance fees/ time of visiting :
i) Australia Zoo,
ii) Great Barrier Reef,
iii) Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary,
iv) Ripley or Wax Museum
v)

Thanks & regards
Mdm. WK Yong

Hi, I can't answer all your questions, but I will do my best to try and answer some of your questions.
If you are hiring a car, it is an easy drive from the airport, give yourself an hour to get there, it is a four lane highway most of the way.

You can catch a train from the airport, you will need to change trains at one of the stations in town, and transfer to the Gold Coast/Robina line. Then you will get off at either Helensvale or Nerang Stations, and catch a taxi or bus/coach from there. You can also book a coach that will pick you up from the airport and drop you at your resort, not cheap, it was about $33 a person two years ago, a limo cost $200 two years ago too, that would just fit 5 in it.
Google for the fees and times to many of the attractions, but Australia Zoo is a 2-3 hour drive each way (so a 6 hour round trip) from Surfers Paradise (it is on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, the Gold Coast is an hour's drive South of Brisbane)
The Great Barrier Reef starts near a town called Mackay which is about a 5-8 hour drive away, and continues up to around Cairns which is a 2 - 3 day drive away.
You will be staying within easy reach (a few kilometres) of Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary, Ripley's Believe it or not, Movie World, Dreamworld and many great tourist destinations.

Hope this helps... I am a native Gold Coast person, but haven't been "home" for two years, which is why I can't help with costs, but most of the information can be found online .. Try googling RACQ (Royal Automobile Club QLD) for information about driving licenses, and Queensland Rail for train info.
Yellow pages Australia, and look up Gold Coast Airport Transfers for coach information from airport to resort.
Have fun, it is an awesome place!

Hi, I can't answer all your questions, but I will do my best to try and answer some of your questions.
If you are hiring a car, it is an easy drive from the airport, give yourself an hour to get there, it is a four lane highway most of the way.

You can catch a train from the airport, you will need to change trains at one of the stations in town, and transfer to the Gold Coast/Robina line. Then you will get off at either Helensvale or Nerang Stations, and catch a taxi or bus/coach from there. You can also book a coach that will pick you up from the airport and drop you at your resort, not cheap, it was about $33 a person two years ago, a limo cost $200 two years ago too, that would just fit 5 in it.
Google for the fees and times to many of the attractions, but Australia Zoo is a 2-3 hour drive each way (so a 6 hour round trip) from Surfers Paradise (it is on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, the Gold Coast is an hour's drive South of Brisbane)
The Great Barrier Reef starts near a town called Mackay which is about a 5-8 hour drive away, and continues up to around Cairns which is a 2 - 3 day drive away.
You will be staying within easy reach (a few kilometres) of Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary, Ripley's Believe it or not, Movie World, Dreamworld and many great tourist destinations.

Hope this helps... I am a native Gold Coast person, but haven't been "home" for two years, which is why I can't help with costs, but most of the information can be found online .. Try googling RACQ (Royal Automobile Club QLD) for information about driving licenses, and Queensland Rail for train info.
Yellow pages Australia, and look up Gold Coast Airport Transfers for coach information from airport to resort.
Have fun, it is an awesome place!

Hi, I can't answer all your questions, but I will do my best to try and answer some of your questions.
If you are hiring a car, it is an easy drive from the airport, give yourself an hour to get there, it is a four lane highway most of the way.

You can catch a train from the airport, you will need to change trains at one of the stations in town, and transfer to the Gold Coast/Robina line. Then you will get off at either Helensvale or Nerang Stations, and catch a taxi or bus/coach from there. You can also book a coach that will pick you up from the airport and drop you at your resort, not cheap, it was about $33 a person two years ago, a limo cost $200 two years ago too, that would just fit 5 in it.
Google for the fees and times to many of the attractions, but Australia Zoo is a 2-3 hour drive each way (so a 6 hour round trip) from Surfers Paradise (it is on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, the Gold Coast is an hour's drive South of Brisbane)
The Great Barrier Reef starts near a town called Mackay which is about a 5-8 hour drive away, and continues up to around Cairns which is a 2 - 3 day drive away.
You will be staying within easy reach (a few kilometres) of Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary, Ripley's Believe it or not, Movie World, Dreamworld and many great tourist destinations.

Hope this helps... I am a native Gold Coast person, but haven't been "home" for two years, which is why I can't help with costs, but most of the information can be found online .. Try googling RACQ (Royal Automobile Club QLD) for information about driving licenses, and Queensland Rail for train info.
Yellow pages Australia, and look up Gold Coast Airport Transfers for coach information from airport to resort.
Have fun, it is an awesome place!

Hi, I can't answer all your questions, but I will do my best to try and answer some of your questions.
If you are hiring a car, it is an easy drive from the airport, give yourself an hour to get there, it is a four lane highway most of the way.

You can catch a train from the airport, you will need to change trains at one of the stations in town, and transfer to the Gold Coast/Robina line. Then you will get off at either Helensvale or Nerang Stations, and catch a taxi or bus/coach from there. You can also book a coach that will pick you up from the airport and drop you at your resort, not cheap, it was about $33 a person two years ago, a limo cost $200 two years ago too, that would just fit 5 in it.
Google for the fees and times to many of the attractions, but Australia Zoo is a 2-3 hour drive each way (so a 6 hour round trip) from Surfers Paradise (it is on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, the Gold Coast is an hour's drive South of Brisbane)
The Great Barrier Reef starts near a town called Mackay which is about a 5-8 hour drive away, and continues up to around Cairns which is a 2 - 3 day drive away.
You will be staying within easy reach (a few kilometres) of Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary, Ripley's Believe it or not, Movie World, Dreamworld and many great tourist destinations.

Hope this helps... I am a native Gold Coast person, but haven't been "home" for two years, which is why I can't help with costs, but most of the information can be found online .. Try googling RACQ (Royal Automobile Club QLD) for information about driving licenses, and Queensland Rail for train info.
Yellow pages Australia, and look up Gold Coast Airport Transfers for coach information from airport to resort.
Have fun, it is an awesome place!

sorry, I have no idea why my mail repeated itself 4 times when I pressed the submit button only once.. I have been having trouble accessing this site for about a day now. apologies, but I think the gremlins are in the machine

sorry, I have no idea why my mail repeated itself 4 times when I pressed the submit button only once.. I have been having trouble accessing this site for about a day now. apologies, but I think the gremlins are in the machine

Hope I will be able to answer a few questions for you. If you choose to travel to the Gold Coast by train here are a few tips. Once you have cleared customs make your outisde the airport terminal and over to the train station at the airport. (Quite easy to do as it is designed for travellers with luggage)You will have to get off at either Central or Roma Street and transfer to the Gold Coast line and make your way to either Robina or Helensvale. You will then need to get a taxi to your hotel - it could cost in the proximity of about $50 AUD?? The one advantage about driving to the Gold Coast that eveing is the peak hour traffic will have subsided and the roads are very well signposted, it is an easy drive even after dark as the roads are excellent. It should take about 1.5 to 2 hours once you get the hire car. A few car hire companies are Avis, Budget and Hertz. All will have booths in the airport terminal and will supply you with good maps too. You could also contact the resort and see if they have any suggestions regarding transportation to the Godl Coast(they should be able to give you good advice regarding prices and timetables etc for buses/trains)

With regards to visiting theme parks etc. Australia Zoo is about 3 to 4 hours drive from the Gold Coast on the Sunshine coast. Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary is about 25 minutes drive south from Surfers Paradise on the main highway you won't miss it. Your teenage children will love Wet'n'Wild, Dreamworld, Movie World and SeaWorld. (In some cases you can buy a three day pass for these parks at a reasonable rate) There should be ads. in hotels and tourist information shops. They are all within about 30 minutes drive of Surfers norhtbound. When shopping in supermarkets some of the theme parks have coupons printed on the back of the dockets with special deals for cheaper entry. Two of our supermarkets for food etc is Woolworths and Coles. Ripleys is in the Cavill Mall (heart of Surfers) it is lovely to walk around surfers at night but be careful on the weekends as it can get busy and a little lively at night. For shopping, a visit to Pacific Fair should be considered (about 15 minutes drive south from Surfers). The Barrier Reef is in North Queensland and may be a little too adventerous given you only have seven days here.

Unfortunately, I am unable to help with your other questions about drivers licesces etc. You could look on the RACQ's web page (Royal Automobile Club Queensland) for guidelines or maybe drop them an e-mail. the above mentioned car hire firms will also be able to assist but I imagine you will need something organised before you arrive here.

Hope this information has been of some help. Have a wonderful holiday in Queensland and remember to wear sunscreen as it is still a little warm here at present and you can easily get burnt from 10 am til 3 pm. Swim between the flags at the beach and you will have a brilliant time. Best wishes

sorry, I have no idea why my mail repeated itself 4 times when I pressed the submit button only once.. I have been having trouble accessing this site for about a day now. apologies, but I think the gremlins are in the machine

Your Malaysian License is valid for up to 3 months residency, so you'll be fine. Nothing else required. Since you're hiring a car anyway, i'd recommend hiring one at the airport ( the main car rental companies have reps)and driving to your apartment. The roads have good signage, and your apartment is on a main road, so you should be fine. You go through a toll booth after the Gateway Bridge so change some money at the airport. There are ATMs and a Travelex booth that are handy. Be in the "CHANGE GIVEN" lane. Cars are $2.50 Aus.
Apart from the previous advice, I would recommend a drive into the hinterland for mountain views of the Gold Coast. Enjoy your visit.

as there are 5 of you traveling, i would recommend hiring a car from the start for all your getting around.
a few things to consider when hiring a car....
spend these next few days checking on the net for car hire places from brisbane. * we have hired from a smaller company off the airport site and found the company to be cheaper, reliable and clean. the big companies such as avis etc pay plenty to have offices at the airport so their rates have to be higher to you. the other companies give you a free telephone number to call when you arrive. after your call, say 5 minutes, they come in a van and pick you up and take you to their nearby office for the paperwork and then you're off. i am not sure if this will work for you as you're coming into the airport in the evening. check with each company. i'm sorry but i cannot recall the name of the company we used as it was a while ago.
* check that you have unlimited/good mileage allowance for your rental car.
* there is usually a premium for collision waiver damage(cwd) so that if an accident occurs your excess drops from A$1000 to A$300 (just rough amounts mentioned). check the fine print of your travel insurance papers as this is sometimes covered in your insurance so you'll save some money (about A$11/day or more)
some rental car sites to look at(have not used these, just found on google so look for others yourself)
http://www.bargainwheels.com.au/car_rental_brisbane_airport.htm
http://www.airportrentacar.com.au/brisbane.htm
http://www.redspotrentals.com.au/v2/
i) australia zoo and iii) currumbin are worth visiting
iv) ripley's is in surfers itself
ii) the great barrier reef is quite far away - not driving distance and certainly not reachable within your 200-250 km/day allowance in your rental car.
have a great trip.

Train would be the cheapest.
If you are tired and you have loads of bags take the Coachtrans.
Adult is about $11 one way door to door.

sorry my oops..
Coachtrans does not go from Airport to Gold Coast.
The number you need to call is The Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle phone: 07 5574 5111

I can give you a couple of day trips to do from the Gold Coast. There is Lamington National Park where you can feed wild birdsand that is in the Gold Coast Hinterland as is Springbrook National Park and Tamborine Mountains.
At Tambourine Mountains there is a winery with a gloworm cave as an added attraction. The fee was 7.50 in May last year. The Great Barrier Reef starts at Bundaberg but that will be 5 hour drive from where you are staying and then it is a 1 hour boat ride to the reef at a cost of $155.00 per adult.
The resort you are staying should have maps and places of interest brochures. If not go to the information centre.
Australia Zoo is worth the drive and offers a full day out. Hope this helps a little and like all the other people say check with RACQ as they can give you prices to every major attraction on the coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine coast.