The Gold Coast boasts 40km of pristine sandy beaches and is located 70km south of the Queenslands capital Brisbane and 947km north of the New South Wales capital Sydney. It has an estimated population of 480,000 and is the seventh largest city in Australia.
It is also Australia’s favorite tourist destination with a favorable climate, diversity of attractions, sophisticated nightlife and restaurants, safe environment and world-class resorts. Inland from the Gold Coast there are three magnificent national parks: Springbrook, Lamington and Tamborine, which feature beautiful rainforests, picnic areas, nature walks and spectacular viewpoints.
Climate:
Gold Coast has a comfortable subtropical climate with an average of 20 years.
Summer – December to February – 20-28 degrees C.
Autumn – March – May – 15-25 degrees C.
Winter – June – August – 11-21 degrees C.
Spring – September to November – 15-25 degrees C.
Attractions:
One of the Gold Coasts biggest draws are its natural attractions, which include 40km of golden sandy beaches, eco-tourism throughout the hinterland and national parks, onshore and offshore fishing, diving and sailing. There are also two wildlife parks located at Currumbin and Burliegh. The Hinterland is also popular for its growing wine industry and vineyards.
Adventure attractions include motorcycle tours, parasailing, skydiving, hot air ballooning, jet skis, motor boats, helicopter tours, go-karting and motor racing.
Four theme parks provide hours and hours, if not days, of entertainment value with something for everyone. The four theme parks are Movie World, Wet ‘n’ Wild, Sea World and Dreamworld, located between Southport and Coomera. Dreamworld is also the home of Big Brother in Australia.
Night life:
The Gold Coast is popular for its famous nightclubs located on Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue, where you can party until the wee hours of the morning. There are also two world-class nightclubs located in Broadbeach, as well as a large casino and convention center.
Dining room:
Main Beach and Broadbeach are popular for their main streets lined with quality restaurants catering to all tastes in a relaxing atmosphere.
Accommodation:
On the Gold Coast there are over 13,000 rooms available from Coolangatta to Hope Island, including motels, guest houses, apartments and hotels. The resorts are first class and the big names include Palazzo Versace, Marriot, Sheraton Mirage, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, Conrad Jupiters and Sofitel. Most of these are centrally located in Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, and Main Beach, and most have water or inland views.
Choosing the right accommodation for you depends on the budget, the number of people and what you would like to be close to.
Transport:
You can fly into Gold Coast Airport (30 minutes from Surfers) or Brisbane Airport (50 minutes from Surfers) and transport from there can be by taxi, rental, bus or limousine. Buses run on a regular schedule throughout the area and a train runs from Robina to Brisbane.
Big events:
The Indy Championship is one of the main events on the calendar, as well as the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show, the Magic Millions Horse Racing Carnival, the Schoolies Festival and the Surf Carnivals.