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Australian coastal city
Photo: Steven Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Gold Coast is a large city along the coast in the southeast corner of the state of Queensland in Australia. The year-round warm weather, theme parks and many beaches just south of Brisbane have made it a popular destination with travellers. Surfers Paradise forms the glitzy hub of tourist activity. Each year thousands of Australian students complete their secondary education by indulging in Schoolies Week by travelling to the Gold Coast for a week of partying.
The most commercialised tourist suburb, with the highest concentration of accommodation and attractions.
The second busiest tourist suburb and quieter than Surfers Paradise. It has a casino, 2 shopping complexes and many restaurants and highrises.
Largely residential area dotted with apartments, popular with families and locals. Convenient to the airport.
The southern end has several high-rise apartments with a small, but popular, shopping and entertainment area.
Numerous highrise apartment buildings, a national park and a small commercial area. The beaches are popular with surfers and families.
An upmarket suburb with high-rises and resorts.
The commercial centre with shops, hospitals, business, industry and government offices.
Includes Paradise Point, Hollywell, Runaway Bay and Labrador which are all largely residential but these contain some of the most wildest theme parks in Australia.
A rural area away from the coast. It begins west of the Pacific Motorway, and consists of mountain ranges covered with rainforest, much of which is national parks.
A sand island 1km off the coast of Labrador, known for its untouched, remote beaches. It is also inaccesable by car and can only be reached via boat.
By train
Queensland Rail runs a train service from Brisbane to Coomera, Helensvale, Nerang and Robina.
By taxi
A taxi fare between the Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise costs around $55 and a sedan limousine is about the same.
By car
All attractions around the Gold Coast are accessible by car, and there are large car parks at the theme parks and other attractions.
By bike
The Gold Coast Oceanway is a 36-km pathway for pedestrians and cyclists linking Point Danger to the Gold Coast Seaway, stretching along most of the city coastline.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Gold Coast · International · OOL
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