The Gold Coast is a 40km stretch of coastline running from Tweed Heads on the NSW/Queensland border, to Yatala on the southern fringe of Brisbane . The majority of hotels, apartments and beachside activates are centred around Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, while the Hinterland mountains, approximately 15km west of the ocean, offer spectacular scenery, rainforests and wildlife. The area is home to around 400,000 residents, making it Australia 's seventh largest (and fastest growing) city.
Airports
The Gold Coast is serviced by the Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta, 25km south of Surfers Paradise, and Brisbane International Airport, around 100km north of Surfers Paradise. The coast is reachable by road from all directions except east.
Attractions
As Australia's most popular family destination, The Gold Coast has a number of popular theme parks including Sea World, Dreamworld, Movie World and Wet n' Wild, and hundreds of other attractions to keep kids and parents amused for the length of the school holidays. There's an international standard golf course on every corner and more waterways than Venice . There are dozens of printed publications in every hotel and apartment which list all the things to do - everything from mini-golf, ice skating and bungee jumping to gondola rides, wine tours and the finest of fine dining.
Dining
Surfers Paradise is home to dozens of fantastic cheap little Korean and Japanese restaurants, Main Beach has enough great gourmet restaurants to keep you fed at a different establishment every night for a month. Broadbeach has a burgeoning restaurant scene and there are cafes and surf clubs right up and down the coast.
Shopping
Whenever they find a large vacant piece of land or reclaimed swamp on the Gold Coast, they either build a waterfront housing estate or a giant shopping centre. There's lots of them and you can buy anything from a million dollar Tiffany's ring to a ten dollar T-Shirt.
Getting around
If you just want to lay on a beach you won't have to worry too much about transport, but if you want to see the mountains and theme parks on your own terms and time schedule it's much easier to get around if you have a car. Lots of local car rental companies have cheap weekly deals so don't think that you have to book with a multi-national firm (although it might be wise in peak periods to ensure availability). If you're stuck without a car there are plenty of busses to take you to the main attractions.
Weather
Sunny.
Beaches
There's 40km of them to choose, but if you're not used to the surf, or it's been a while since you've been to the beach, make sure you only swim or surf at a patrolled beach between the flags because waves can be more powerful than they look. Don't swim in the Broadwater or the Nerang River unless you want to be eaten by a shark. The most dangerous thing about the ocean beaches is probably sunburn, so make sure you cover up.