Things to do at the Gold Coast Australia

Hey boys and girls.

The Gold Coast in Australia is a beautiful place and has millions of things to do. I have complied a list of activities that you could do for all ages when you get to the GC.

Theme Parks:

Queensland has more theme parks then any other state in Australia. If you are staying in Brisbane City or the Gold Coast it is a short drive to any of them. When you book your ticket to which ever theme park you decide to go to some companies will arrange



Movie World- http://movieworld.com.au/  Cost: $85.00 Movie world is one of the smaller theme parks on the gold coast but in saying alot of their rides are aimed at children. They still have a few thrill rides for the adrenaline junkies. Such as the Superman coaster, the Green Latin Coaster and the Bat Man Ride. They also have a indoor roller coaster which all your family will enjoy the Scobby Doo Coaster. This is a haunted house ride which ends with a roller coaster. This theme park can be really busy but it is also one of the theme parks which you can go to all year round.

Movie World- Gold Coast

Wet n Wild-http://wetnwild.com.au/ Cost: $60.00 Wet n Wild is a water park situated right next door to Movie World. Wet n Wild is by far the best and largest Water park on the Gold Coast. They have a mixture of rides aimed at adults and children.  They also have a wave pool and calypso beach which children and adults can both enjoy. The best time of year to go to this park is in September- March. This is Australia's spring and summer period. To avoid lines go after the school holidays in October to November or February to March.

Wet N Wild Gold Coast

Sea World- http://seaworld.com.au/ Cost: $85.00 Sea World is a marine life based theme park and is located about 10 minutes out of Surfers Paradise. Sea World target market is families and children. Alot of their rides, shows and attractions the whole family can enjoy. You can even get a photo of a seal kissing your cheek if your game. You can arrange to swim with the dolphins or even the sharks. For the adrenaline junkies they do have an older rollercoaster. This theme park you can go to all year round. The quietest time to go would be in February- May as the school children are back at school.

Sea World- Gold Coast Australia

The above 3 parks are owned by the same company and they always have a 3 park pass available. This is alot cheaper then buying the tickets for the parks individually.

Dream World and White Water World- http://www.dreamworld.com.au/ Cost: $95.00 Adults and $75.00 for children. These prices include access to both parks. Dreamworld is by far the best theme park on the Gold Coast for thrill seekers and children. It caters to all ages. They have animal shows, attractions, wiggles world and rides from Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. They also have 7 big thrill rides including the giant drop, cyclone roller coasters, the wipeout just to name a few. But by far the best thrill ride is the tower of terror 2. Which goes from 0 to 160km per hour in a matter of seconds. The best seat in the ride is in the front row. They have a number of shows that happen during the day such as a crocodile feeding show. You can also hold a Kola or feed the Kangaroos.

Dreamworld- Gold Coast

  White Water World http://www.whitewaterworld.com.au/ Is a water park attached to Dreamworld. It is honestly not as large as Wet n Wild but it does have some allright rides and is aimed at children. They have a version of the wave pool that Wet n Wild has and a children's section with small slides. White water world also does cater to thrill seekers by having a few rides that you will want to ride again and again.

White Water World- Gold Coast

Transport to the parks:The best way to get to either Wet n Wild, Dreamworld, White Water World or Movie World is by Bus or Car. If you are staying in Surfers Paradise a taxi will cost you more than $100.00 to get to the theme parks. If you are booking any of the theme parks check if they have a coach service going out to them. The local bus service does have buses that travel out to the theme parks a few times a day. All of these 4 parks have alot of free parking and are located about 30-40 minutes away from Surfers Paradise. Sea World is located about 10 minutes away from Surfers Paradise. They have buses that run from Surfers straight to Sea World all day. Sea World also has alot of free parking and accommodation.


Food at all the theme parks: The food is expensive and not the best tasting. I went to dream world and brought a sushi roll which was $12.00. They all have burgers, fries, chips, pizza ect roughly costing $10.00 plus for a meal. The good thing about the theme parks is that you can bring your own food. If you book in advance you can hire a bbq area at Wet n Wild or a Hut with a refrigerator from either Wet n Wild or White water world. They do allow you to bring your own food into the park but they would prefer if you did not.

Total time you should spend at the theme parks; All of the theme parks open 9am. Most of the rides in each theme park open at 10:00am. You could spend all day at either one of these theme parks. Parks close at 5pm. In summer Wet n Wild shows a dive in movie in its wave pool and closes at 9pm.


Activities/Shows:

Infinity-http://www.infinitygc.com.au/ Adults $25.00 Children $17.00 Infinity is a walk in attraction which is fun for all ages. The best way to describe is that it is like a futuristic maze. It takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour to walk through it. It is located in the heart of Surfers Paradise it is about a 5minute walk from Cavil Avenue. They cheapest way to get tickets is buying them off the infinity website. It something a little different to do on the Gold Coast.

Infinity- Surfers Paradise 

Currumbin Wildlife-http://www.cws.org.au/ Cost: $33.00 Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Currumbin which is about 20-30mins from Surfers Paradise. When you buy a ticket you can also book on to a bus transfer from your hotel or their pick up spot around the area that you are staying in. Here you can see the wildlife of Australia, feed the lorikeets, do a ropes course and go on a segway tour. 8am-5pm. Feeding the lorikeets is something that you do not want to miss. Very fun. Wear long sleeves as they have sharp claws.

Lorikeets at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Honey World- http://www.superbee.com.au/tour-currumbin.php Cost: Free. Honey world is located directly across from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Its worth a look if you are in the area. You get to try all types of different honey for free. Your not missing too much if you don't get to go there but it is free and has some bee keeping shows.


Timezone: Time zone is located in the heart of Surfers in Cavil Avenue. It has an arrange of things to do like a shooting range, mini golf, olden day photo's, bowling, laser force and arcade games. If you want to go to the shooting range book in advance and it also can be quite expensive. 

Q1 sky deck: http://www.skypoint.com.au/ Cost: $21.00 The Q1 sky deck is amazing. It has a bar and a cafe at the top of tower. They also have group tours where you can climb the outside of the Q1 building. The views are beautiful and worth a look. If you would like to climb the Q1 building book in advance.

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View from the Q1 sky deck

Out Back Spectacular: http://outbackspectacular.com.au/ Cost: $90.00 Out back spectacular is a dinner and a show. Really fun and great food. Booking online will get you cheaper deals on tickets. The show goes for 3 hours and includes a 3 course meal. If you want to experience some Australian culture go to the Out Back Spectacular. I would definitely recommend this. Book in advance.

Dracula's: https://draculas6-px.rtrk.com.au/ Cost: $95.00 per person. Dracula's is fantastic. It is also a 3 course dinner and a show. Its starts at about 7pm and goes until late. The best way to describe Dracula's is a vampire cabaret show. No nothing like Twilight, its more of a comedy. They change their shows occasionally also. The best bit apart from the show is dessert. It is a coffin made of chocolate. YUM. I would definitely recommend this show.  Make sure you book in advance.

Dracula's dessert

Websites with cheap deals: The two websites below has vouchers and cheap deals for attractions on the Gold Coast.

http://www.adrenalin.com.au/
http://www.redballoon.com.au/

Beaches-  There are a number of faboulus beaches at the Gold Coast. Surfers Paradise beache is the most popular beach on the Gold Coast. Main beach and the Spit are fantastic beaches.

Hinterland-

Tambourine Mountain Park particularly Cedar Creek Falls is a fantastic place to visit. Its full of hiking trails and waterfalls. The best time to visit is in summer and you can go swimming in the waterfalls.

Cedar Creek Falls- Mt Tambourine

Night Life

Night Club List -http://www.barsandnightclubs.com.au/gold-coast/

Pub Hopping tours: Below are some club hopping tours. These tours take you to some of the main clubs and pubs in surfers paradise. They start at 6pm and go to 12pm which include alcohol, food and club entry.

Plan B tours: http://www.planbpartytours.com.au/ Plan B tours are a lot of fun and a great way to meet other travellers and locals. They play lots of party games. You get given a green sticker if you are single and a red sticker if you are taken.
Wicked Tours:http://www.wickedclubcrawl.com.au/

Shopping: 
Harbor Town- Is a shopping centre full of discounts. ( buses run all day to hour town from Surfers. Roughly about 20mins drive)
Surfers Paradise- Cavil Ave Is shopping mall strip of mildly price shops
Pacific Fair- Is a large shopping centre. Relatively medium priced. (10mins drive from Surfers)

Hope this gives you a better insite into the Gold Coast. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or comments.