Australia Travel Forum

Hi! I'm planning to travel to Australia soon.
wHICH is the best place to stay around Gold Coast
cOOLAngGATTA/ SOUTH PORT, MAIN beach / currumbin? which is the closest to the attractions/ airport?

which are the best towns to visit in Tasmania beside Hobart?

Are there any late nite ferries between melboune to tasmania?

thanks !

Sorry I can't help with Tasmania.

However I have spent many weekends at the Gold Coast.

We have stayed in Coolangatta and it has a more relaxed feel than Surfers Paradise. If you are only after a beach holiday with a little bit of shopping then Cool/Tweed Heads is your best bet. They are also nice and close to the airport.

I have never stayed at Main Beach or South Port.

Currumbin is more toward the southern end of the Gold Coast and would give you a similar vacation to Coolangatta although the main tourist attraction - the Currumbin bird sanctuary is very good. Worth seeing.

We tend to stay at Broadbeach or Surfer's Paradise to be in the middle of the shopping, near the casino, near Cavill Avenue and within a short drive to SeaWorld. Dreamworld, Wet n Wild and Movie World are quite a drive further north (probably 20mins maybe??). There is public transport. Very few people stay up near those attractions. Most either stay in the Surfer's area or in Brisbane and just travel.

I hope that has been of some help.
Have a great trip.

I can't help with Gold Coast! ;o)

The Spirit of Tasmania is an overnight ferry which sails nightly at 8pm, arriving at Devonport, Tasmania at 7am the next morning. Occasionally it also sails at 9pm. See the website for more schedule details: http://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/

Regarding places to visit, Tasmania has loads of gorgeous towns to visit. What exactly are you interested in? If it's history, then you simply must vist Port Arthur (about 100km from Hobart). www.portarthur.org.au/

Richmond is another gorgeous little village to visit, and it can be done easily from Hobart (about 25km away). It's a tourist town with quaint little shops and cafes and it's most famous landmark - Australia's oldest bridge. www.richmondvillage.com.au

Strahan, which is down south on the coast is a lovely historic town too. http://www.tasmaniavisitorsguide.com.au/strahan.php

And if you can, you simply must view Wineglass Bay.

Palm Beach is a wonderful Gold Coast location. It is quite unique in that it is a beach strip bordered by estuaries both north (Tallebudgera) and south (Currumbin). In the heart of the Gold Coast, within easy driving distance of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Coolloongatta and northern NSW, it nonetheless retains a less commercialised, more peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.
The beach is beautiful, surf is excellent and the fishing, particularly in winter, is great.
We usually stay in the Royal Palm resort, 973 Gold Coast Highway, with stunning views (particularly at night!) north towards Surfers Paradise and south towards Coolloongatta.

My favourite accommodation is only a couple of minutes from Coolangatta airport. -
http://www.pelicansandstugun.com.au/
Pelican Sands is right on the beach front at Tugan Beach. When we used to live just south of the border and my parents came to visit from Sydney, they used to stay there and we joined them. The beach is spectacular and quite often void of people early in the morning or late at night. These appartments have car parking and the bus stops right outside to take you into Surfers. It's also close to Currumbin Bird Sanctuary. Sunrise from the balcony is awesome and if you like to see planes taking off & landing, the balcony on the other side is just right.

I highly recommend this accommodation :o)

Cheers, Ann.

Addition to Tasmania:

I think the centre of Launceston is also lovely.

Apart from that it is just pure nature.

Hard to know what appeals to you. If you intend visiting Queensland I would give the Gold Coast a miss and go to the Sunshine Coast just over an hours drive north of Brisbane, places like Noosa Heads and other beach areas are very good, take a day trip to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, visit Steve Irwins Australian Zoo, and much more.

Tasmania is a small island the main cities being Hobart and Launceston, I believe Hobart offers more being one of the oldest places in Australia, and has some outstanding buildings, also the convict prison is an hour drive from the city. You can drive to Wineglass Bay in an hour or over to the West Coast and Strahan within 3 hours where there are world heritage pristine forest, and the Queenstown rail, boat cruise on the Gordon River etc.

Suggest you check out VT pages .

Good Luck,
Mike