Getting Around the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is a long, linear city strung along the coast, and how you get around depends a lot on where you're staying and what you want to see. The good news for visitors is that public transport is cheap, frequent along the main beach strip, and easy to pay for. The tram and bus network covers the tourist heartland well, taxis and ride-hailing fill the gaps, and the airport sits at the southern end of the coast with straightforward connections north.
Public Transport and Ticketing
Translink is the body responsible for all trains, buses, ferries and trams in South East Queensland, including regional urban buses. Its website and app let you plan a journey with full navigation and real-time updates, and Apple Maps and Google Maps offer a similar experience.
Fares are remarkably simple: a flat fare applies to any journey regardless of mode or distance, with a limit of three transfers. The one exception is an Airtrain journey to or from Brisbane Airport, which costs considerably more and offers a discount if you book online. Check the Translink website for other discounted fares. Travelling without a valid fare can result in a fine.
There are three ways to pay:
- Contactless credit or debit card. Mastercard and Visa are accepted, including cards held in a digital wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your fare is deducted as you touch on and touch off each mode of transport. Trains and trams have fare gates or distinctive pink validators to touch before you board and after you alight; buses and ferries have validators to touch as you board and alight. Failing to touch off results in a fixed fare.
- Go card. Available at train station ticket counters, busway and tram fare machines, and selected newsagents and convenience stores. The card requires a deposit, and you top it up with travel credit at the same locations, including train station fare machines. There is a maximum travel credit you can load. Refunding the deposit and remaining credit can be a hassle: if you last topped up with cash it can be processed at Brisbane Airport and selected newsagents and convenience stores, but if you last topped up by credit or debit card it can only be processed via an Australian bank account transfer.
- Paper ticket. Available at train station ticket counters and fare machines, and at busway and tram fare machines.
Trains
Interurban rail services run between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with connecting tram services at Helensvale. Queensland Rail trains from Brisbane stop at Coomera, Helensvale, Nerang and Robina, running roughly half-hourly from early morning until around midnight daily and taking just over an hour from Brisbane Central to Helensvale, Nerang and Robina. Trains can get crowded at peak times, but it's unusual to have to stand. At Helensvale the tram connects onward to Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, while buses connect Nerang and Robina to Surfers Paradise, Coolangatta and into northern New South Wales.
From interstate, NSW TrainLink runs trains from Sydney with bus connections at Casino for services direct to Surfers Paradise or Tweed Heads. Be warned that this is a slow and expensive option, and you should set aside a whole day for the trip.
Trams
The G:Link light rail is the main form of public transport along the Gold Coast. The L1 route runs from Helensvale Station via Gold Coast University Hospital, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach South to Burleigh Heads. Trams run every 15 minutes or less from 5am until midnight on weekdays, and around the clock on weekends. A planned extension south to the NSW border via Gold Coast Airport has been axed, with bus rapid transit proposed instead.
Buses
Surfside Buslines provides the supplementary public transport network along the Gold Coast, with stops on most main roads. Buses run 24 hours a day but are more frequent during the daytime. All the main tourist attractions are serviced by bus, and frequency up and down the coast between Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise is very good — at least every half hour. For other routes, and especially for the theme parks, it's best to check the timetable in advance.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are available, but expect to wait up to an hour or more on busy nights. A taxi fare between Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise costs around $55, and a sedan limousine is about the same. Stretch limousines are another option for groups of more than four, at roughly $100–110. Uber and DiDi ride-hailing are available and are generally cheaper and faster than taxis.
Walking and Cycling
The Gold Coast Oceanway is a 36-km shared pathway for pedestrians and cyclists linking Point Danger to the Gold Coast Seaway, stretching along most of the city coastline. It can be a little crowded with pedestrians in parts. Beyond the Oceanway, the beachfront strips of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach and Burleigh are pleasant to explore on foot, though the city's length means walking alone won't get you everywhere.
Driving and Car Hire
All attractions around the Gold Coast are accessible by car, and there are large car parks at the theme parks and other attractions. Parking meters are found in the busiest streets of Surfers Paradise, Southport and Burleigh Heads, but free parking can usually be found a few blocks away. Paid parking areas in Surfers Paradise and Southport, operated by shopping centres and the city council, charge around $1 per hour; the largest is the Bruce Bishop Car Park adjacent to the transit centre.
The Gold Coast doesn't suffer from the same congestion as Brisbane, largely because it has several business centres. The morning peak is 07:00–08:30 and the afternoon peak is 15:30–17:00. Roads to avoid at these times include Bundall Road, Southport-Nerang Road, the Gold Coast Highway at Surfers Paradise, and the Pacific Motorway between Nerang and Palm Beach.
Most car rental dealers are in the main business district of the suburb, between the Gold Coast Highway and Surfers Paradise Boulevard. Most major companies allow one-way hires, and local operators such as Costless Car Rental, Brian's Auto Centre and East Coast Car Rentals may offer competitive pricing. While most companies hire to drivers aged 25 and over, some all-age rental companies hire to younger drivers over 18 with an additional surcharge — check with your provider beforehand if you're under 25 to avoid delays.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Gold Coast Airport (OOL), widely known as Coolangatta Airport even though it sits in Bilinga, is a fairly small terminal handling frequent connections from major Australian cities and some international flights from New Zealand and Asia. It may be unique in the world in that, because it straddles the NSW and Queensland borders, you land in one state and arrive in another. It is not a 24-hour airport and closes at night, so don't plan on spending the night there before an early morning flight. It's around a 30-minute drive to Surfers Paradise.
Your options from Gold Coast Airport:
- Bus 777 runs every 15 minutes, connecting the airport to the southernmost tram station at Burleigh Heads, from where you can easily transfer onward to Surfers Paradise.
- Public transport to Brisbane City: take bus 470 to Varsity Lakes railway station and transfer to the Varsity Lakes line. The bus picks up and drops off inside the terminal complex. Total travel time is about two hours.
- Airport transfer shuttles operate door to door between the airport and accommodation along the coast, and are a popular alternative to taxis at around $21 per person.
- Taxis and ride-hailing are available, with a taxi to Surfers Paradise costing around $55.
Brisbane Airport (BNE) is used by many overseas visitors because it is larger, served by more international carriers, and has direct flights to many Australian cities. However, transport onward to the Gold Coast is more tedious and inconvenient. Options include:
- Rental car — an 80-minute drive along the Gateway and Pacific Motorway, and the most viable option.
- Direct airport transfer — about 1 hour 40 minutes, with drop-off at your accommodation, fares from $40 to $50.
- Train with a car transfer package.
- Train with a connecting local bus at Nerang or Robina.
- Train with a connecting local tram at Helensvale.
Note that an Airtrain journey to or from Brisbane Airport is the one trip that doesn't fall under the flat fare, so budget accordingly and look for the online booking discount.