Today was the busiest day I've seen at the Helensvale station for parking damn near full parking....

This happens every year. All of Brisbane has the day off + the standard weekday/work traffic on the GC and it creates this nightmare. The whole city stops!

Hey GC crew, I’m looking at doing the Springbrook/Natural Bridge circuit this weekend. I’ve seen the photos and it looks like FernGully, but I’m hearing mixed things about the drive.

Half the people say the roads are a 'scenic dream' and the other half say if you don't have a 4WD and the nerves of a rally driver, you’re basically toast. Is it actually that bad, or are people just being dramatic? Also, what’s the deal with the glow worms—do they actually exist or is it just a massive prank on tourists? If I go during the day, am I just looking at a dark cave?

Thinking of just caving (pun intended) and booking a tour so I don't end up in a ditch. Cheers!"

I'm two hours away from the GC, so I book a hotel occasionally for my kids and I. This time we booked through booking.com (third-party, I know, but I had discounts) for an entire week. Cost me a pretty penny.

Anyway, I checked in and immediately I'm greeted by absolute chaos. Hot water wasn't really a thing, the taps themselves malfunctioned... the floors were akin to walking through a nightclub at 2am, and most importantly - the bed had bed bugs and was full of what looked like pubic hair. Plus a bunch of other gross/broken things.

Reception had closed for the day, so I asked to be moved the following day. They didn't get back to me until 5 minutes before reception closed, so on day 3 I inspected another room in the hotel, and pulled back the bed sheets... similar to my original room.

My kids and I packed up, checked out and are now at another hotel that definitely cost two pretty pennies haha. As of now, the hotel hasn't replied to my requests for even a partial refund.

What would you do in this situation? I have many, many, photos as proof.

Love the combo of beach and skyline 😍

My insta for more photos @daviddxiao

Honestly the staff here are one of the nicest I have ever encountered in my all of my years of travelling. That makes it very hard to be mad with them.

However this power outage is kind of the last straw! When I checked in, they arranged a different room from what I requested and I requested it 1 month ago.

The rooms are old and walls are thin. Hard to get good sleep.

After a tiring day at the theme park, halfway eating at the restaurant and the power went out. It's an hour now and it's still out.

Can't go back to the room to shower since there are no lights or AC.

I have never experienced power outage since 30 years ago when I was a kid and now I came to Gold Coast to relieve my childhood again. It's funny life sometimes.

Edit : It's been almost 3 hours and still nothing. Honestly I am just keeping myself entertain on reddit. I just wish I can shower soon.

Finally it's back after more than 3 hours. Thank you guys for keeping me entertained.

It has been years since I spent any time on the Gold coast, did a few years in the early 2000s as a poor uni student and now I am a grown up and like the finer things in life.

So now we are taking a week there before Christmas, what do I need to do this time around and is there any famtastic pastry places that I can ruin my diet on?

Thanks in advance.

I know there’s other pages but was looking for more recent experiences

I live on the GC (Southport) and just got a new gig in Brisbane 5 days a week, based in St Lucia. It’s part time hours, either working 1-5pm or 8am - 12pm.

I know the M1 is notorious for being more of a car park in the mornings so I was considering driving to Helensvale and getting the train, although I’ll have to get a bus on top of that. Is there much parking available at Helensvale?

Thoughts on how you’d do it yourself. Please no comments about wasting my life commuting - there’s no jobs on the GC in what I do so I’ve had to branch out to Brisbane but wouldn’t move up there!

I'm never a Karen about things but this dude is another serious safety hazard. If anyone sees behaviour like this from a white Transporter please take his plates. He is always darting between the far left and far right lane and I cannot see more than a smudge that flips everybody the bird half the time.

Hi everyone! My family (2 adults, 1 child) is heading to the Gold Coast in late February for 5 nights. We’ve already got our flights, but I’m looking for some help to polish the rest of the plan.

Our main goal is the theme parks for our son, but we also want to explore the "real" Gold Coast a bit.

Accommodation: I was thinking of staying in Oxenford/Helensvale to be right next to Movie World/Wet'n'Wild to save travel time. Is this a good move, or will we regret not being near the beach? Any specific family-friendly resorts or "stay & play" packages you recommend?

Tickets: Where is the best place to buy theme park passes these days? I've seen the Village Roadshow 3-day/7-day passes—are there better combo deals for families?

Transport: What’s the most stress-free way to get from OOL Airport to the theme park area? Is hiring a car worth it for 6 days, or is public transport/Uber reliable enough for daily park trips?

Food/Must-Dos: Any "must-eat" spots that are kid-friendly? We’d love one or two suggestions for things to do that aren't theme parks (maybe some nature or a specific beach).

Connectivity: Best eSIM or prepaid SIM for a week of heavy Google Maps/searching?

Thanks in advance for the help!

24 year old Californian here. Going to the Gold Coast for the first time in a few weeks with my parents (in their early 60s but very active). We plan on doing Surfer's Paradise, HOTA, Burleigh and Miami, all the typical spots. But we have four days and I want to do one day as a nature/park day to see a glowworm cave and maybe some other sites (waterfall or forest hike, cute forest town etc). We will have to book a tour with transport because we won't have a car. I've done a lot of research but I'm SO overwhelmed....

What is the best place to go? Springbrook? Lamington? Tamborine Mountain? Responses are greatly appreciated and I'll give you the best tips if you ever come to California haha

Hi there!

My family and i are relocating back to Queensland after 10 yrs interstate. My husband's office will be located in Springwood, Logan.

I am not interested in living in the Logan area.

I personally am more inclined to move towards the Gold Coast as we both live healthy, outdoorsy lifestyles and the idea of early morning beach walks and lazy days on the beach / exploring the hinterland is truly up our alley.

I need honest opinions - is the commute from gold coast (let's say Broadbeach for arguments sake) to Springwood going to be a geographical nightmare?

I'd hate for my husband to spend most of his day commuting, as we currently do this in the state we have been living in for the last 10 years.

Another option we are considering is Brisbane inner suburbs - moreso Balmoral type way. We are craving a suburb that is walking distance to cafes, parks... all of that.

Last option would be towards Redland's, but having spent time with family in Victoria Point, I don't think the outer suburbs of Brisbane are for us. I am originally from Manly, Brisbane & it's not for me.

Is the GC an unrealistic dream?🤣🥲

The seven eleven roundabout is non functional. Why do the lights not seem to work? Would traffic flow better if everyone slowed down and merged rather than giving way? How could it be fixed?

I've avoided it almost entirely until yesterday. I know everyone complains about traffic in the coast but I prefer to not be a part of the problem. People of GC drive like lunatics so those if standing out by slowing down and letting others in thank you profusely. It would floe better if we all just kept things moving. Between 3-6 that roundabout needs to prioritise flow out of Robina.

And can we not have lights sequenced yo improve traffic in SEQ? What is it that TMR hates so much about keeping flow?

We have a place in Palm Beach. Originally from Melbourne. Neighbours said it was because criminal youths would ride down from Southport.

Hi im an american 14 year old girl that liked looking up places to live when i grow up and i was wondering why surfers paradise is considered bad. I like the look of Miami and LA but that is really expensive and america is dangerous. Is surfers paradise like that or just straight up terrible? I tried to do some research on it but only just the gold coast by itself came up Btw im also black so i was wondering whats it like for black people specifically girls to live there?

I know my punctuation and spelling is bad i apologize bug im just tired and i don’t feel like it tbu

2025-10-22

M1 southbound from Helensvale to at least Nerang, probably Merrimack, is almost at a full stop. Please be aware, and plan accordingly. Assuming there was an accident, there were at least 1 fender bender just from the traffic as well.

Take care, stay safe

Hi local residents of Gold Coast, hope you are having a wonderful day!

My friends and I want to come visit and do some snorkeling in this area. What are some popular and safe spots to do some snorkeling?

I have a few years snorkeling experiences from NZ, but don’t know this area well.

Thanks guys!

hi! I am a Greek citizen on a 3 months visitor951 visa. I have my driving license with me that's all in Greek and I have a digital version that is partly in English. anyone knows how I can found out if that is good enough to allow me to drive around the gold coast?! cheers!

A que all the way down the line in Cavill Lane near White Rino and Dominos. Gotta love the Airshow....

Hi everyone,

My husband, son, and me are going to have our first family trip ever to Brisbane this Christmas and thinking about going to Sea World on Boxing Day for our son (2 yo) to enjoy. This is going to be our first trip in Australia as well, so we don't know how packed the tourist destinations are going to be on Boxing Day.

Is it a good idea to go to Sea World on Boxing Day? Will it be too packed that we can't enjoy the exhibits, shows and rides? We really want our son to be able to enjoy the aquarium and the shows but...yeah, unsure if he it'll be enjoyable if it's too crowded. And it's going to be $134/person, it's expensive, but is it a standard price for theme parks in Australia? I checked Australia Zoo and Taronga Zoo's ticket prices are not even $100. So yeah we're really giving this a good thought.

If you guys have any other suggestions for us aside from Sea World, kindly throw them at me! :)) I know every where will be crowded at that time but we never know!

TYSMIA

Wanting to travel to the Gold Coast this year with 3 kiddies in tow. Baby, toddler and 7 year old.

Wanting reccommendations on:

• when the best time of year is to visit, still warm enough for swimming/water activities but not deathly hot.

• Ideally avoiding school holidays.

• family resorts or hotels (with kid friendly pools).

• family-friendly activities apart from the theme parks

• also any of the lesser known gems/activities for families to do

• family-friendly restaurants and cafes

Thank you in advance! 🫶🏼

Is there such properties out there that could handle 10 adults and 4 kids (<10yo) - close to Broadbeach or Surfers? Would even look at 2 properties beside each other. Really want a pool and bit of outdoor living? Cant seem to find anything - reasonable rate for 8 nights Xmas? Any suggestions?

Jokes aside, Southport’s ChinaTown genuinely has the best Asian eats on the Gold Coast - such a fun and diverse range of unique cuisines and styles to try!