The coastal city of the Gold Coast is a major tourist destination in Australia, mostly known for its surfing beaches, its iconic skyline near the ocean, its nightlife, and its theme parks. It has a lot to offer, but you may want a short break from the vibrant city during your stay. Gold Coast which is a coastal city in Queensland, Australia is a beautiful destination by itself, however, there are many day trips from Gold Coast that take you to the most exotic places in Australia.
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Five Popular Day Trips From Gold Coast, Australia
Here are five popular day trips from the Gold Coast that will make you love this region in Australia even more.
1.Byron Bay
Byron Bay is a must-see for all the visitors making a road trip on Australia’s East Coast. It’s exciting to be able to visit this iconic destination for a day trip from Gold Coast as it’s less than 100 kilometres away, to the south.
The atmosphere is entirely different down there. It’s all about the beach and the surf, but a lot more relaxed. Byron Bay is famous for its lighthouse. It’s a great walk up there with beautiful views at sunset.
Byron Bay also offers excellent snorkelling with turtles and scuba diving just a short boat trip away from the beach. If you’re visiting Byron Bay in winter, you could have a fantastic dive with the impressive but placid Grey Nurse Sharks.
2.Brisbane
The capital of the Sunshine State is one hour away from the Gold Coast, to the north this time. And you can also reach it by public transport if that’s easier for you: the Gold Coast Railway line will take you to the heart of Brisbane City in less than 1.5 hours, and you can sit down and relax on the way.
Brisbane makes a great day trip from the Gold Coast to visit some museums, like QAGOMA Indigenous Arts Display or the City Hall. To visit the city, you can enjoy a free boat tour on the Brisbane River on a CityCat (the red ferries) and ride a bike along the river for only $2 with the CityCycle. If you feel more adventurous, why not trying outdoor rock climbing on the iconic Kangaroo Point cliffs, kayaking on the river or walking on top of the River bridge?
A visit to Brisbane City can also be an opportunity to enjoy vibrant restaurants in South Bank, West End, Riverside or New Farm and visit the famous XXXX Brewery in Milton.
3.Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park is a day trip that will please nature-lovers less than 50 kilometres away from the Gold Coast City. It’s fantastic to have such a beautiful rainforest located so close to the beach and major cities. There are many hikes to do in Springbrook National Park, so you’ll need to make choices if you’re there only for one day.
The Twin Falls Circuit (4 km) and the Natural Bridge Circuit (1 km) are a great combo. You’ll also have opportunities to stop at a few lookouts on the side of the road, including the Best of All Lookout.
If you’re visiting during a hot and humid day, try to stay when it gets dark so you can spot the glow worms in the Natural Bridge cave. Or you may prefer the easier option to see the Glow Worms during the day in the nearby Tamborine National Park, also one hour away from the City of Gold Coast.
4.The Tweed Coast
Fingal Head Beach and Dreamtime Beach – named Australia’s third best beach in 2018! – are two lovely places to explore just outside the Gold Coast area. You can walk from one to the other via the beautiful headland. Make sure to have a look at the Giant Causeway on Fingal Head Beachside. The rocks and the agitated water between the headland and Cook Island are fascinating.
It’s not the Great Barrier Reef, but Cook Island is undoubtedly an amazing plan B if you don’t have the time or the budget to go more north for an adventure on a coral reef. Cook Island is reputed for being a turtle cleaning station, so you’ll likely see a few during your scuba diving or snorkelling session there.
If you don’t want to go underwater, there are a few areas on the Tweed Coast where you can hire kayaks or SUP to explore the calm estuaries or adventure on the ocean side.
While you’re around, you should be able to spot the funny shaped Mount Warning, famous for receiving the first sun rays of Australia’s mainland. Although Aboriginal people ask visitors not to climb their sacred site, it’s a popular hike that most people do at night to catch the sunrise up there.
5.Stradbroke Island
There aren’t many places that will serve you the full Australian cliché as well as Stradbroke Island. It will take you one hour to drive to Cleveland to catch a ferry that will bring you to “Straddie”, as the locals call it, in 40 minutes. You can take your car on the boat or use the buses once on the island that are conveniently aligned with the ferry timetable.
The short walk at Point Lookout offers magnificent views of the ocean and an opportunity to spot wildlife such as kangaroos on the path, turtle in the gorge and dolphins, manta rays, or whales (depending on the season) a bit further in the ocean. An Australian cliché wouldn’t be perfect without the long pristine beaches and some 4WD on it.
If you prefer to enjoy the beach in a more natural setting, Cylinder Beach is a great one to pick if you want to surf or go on another coastal walk. A short boat ride will take you to great sites where you can snorkel or scuba dive with manta rays during summer. You’ll also find nearby a restaurant with excellent sea views.
If you’re still on the island for sunset, head to Amity Point. It’s not often that you can get such a beautiful sunset on the water on Australia’s East Coast. Dolphins and pelicans often visit at that time.
Gold Coast Tourism
How To Get To Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia
Are you planning a holiday on the Gold Coast? Then, you can book your flights right here. You can book a flight through TripAdvisor or Agoda or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline.
Where to stay in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
If you are planning to visit the Gold Coast, and wondering about where to stay in Gold Coast then we have it covered here.
You can book your hotel in right here through TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Agoda or Makemytrip or Priceline and get awesome deals and savings.
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Tours/Activities available in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
There is much to see and experience on the Gold Coast. You can book the best and recommended Gold Coast tours and Gold Coast attractions right here.
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Driving around Gold Coast
Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia is 66 kilometres from Brisbane. If you are looking at getting the best deals on car rental in Gold Coast, Australia look no further. You can rent a car in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia to explore and experience amazing Gold Coast, and in and around areas and embark on a road trip of exploration and discovery of Gold Coast area, Australia.
Have you been to Gold Coast? Which is your favourite place out there in Gold Coast?
Check out some of our Australia related posts:
Places You Just Can’t Miss In NSW
The Best Of Sydney
Day Trips from Perth, Australia
Budget Friendly Travel Guide to Sydney
A Road Trip from Sydney to Brisbane
Best Road Trips in the NSW Area
14 Awesome Places Along the Great Ocean Road
Brisbane – A Wishlist of Things to Do
Day Trips from Cairns
Day Trips from Melbourne, Australia
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Australia is one of my dream countries and actually not too hard to reach from Japan, especially the Gold Coast. These day trips seem so amazing, especially the national park that I want to book right away. But Australia is really quite expensive, right?
Australia is high on my bucket list, thank you for the guide. Hope I get to use it one day!
We are really, really hoping to hit Australia next February so this is most helpful. The corals look surreal.
It’s really sad that people keep ignoring the Aboriginal people and hiking Mount Warning. The government won’t do anything about it?
Australia is one beautiful place and i definitely want to go to brisbane for sure. This post has great places to take a day trip . bookmarking for future. thanks for sharing.
Australia is one beautiful place and i definitely want to go to brisbane for sure.This post has great places to take a day trip . Bookmarking for future. Thanks much for sharing.
Sailed into Brisbane from New Caledonia a number of years ago and had the opportunity to get a small taste of what the Gold Coast has to offer in and around Brisbane for a week. Your post inspires me to return and have a full meal.
I’ve never been to Australia, so all of these day trips sound great! Diving surrounded by sea turtles is a dream of mine. 🙂 Byron Bay with the waves, the clouds and the mountains in the distance looks amazing as well!
First of all, I have to say, the first photo of Bayron Bay immediately caught my eye! Incredibly beautiful photo!
Secondly, as I am more into natural settings, Cylinder Beach and scuba dive with manta rays during sounds like a perfect fit to my preferences.
Oh your post just made me miss my home country of Australia so much right now. I went to Byron Bay years ago on a road trip and I just loved it so much. Your picture and details reminded me why I fell in love with the place.
A very useful guide. I especially liked the Springbrook National Park, definitely a place to check out. But I’d like to do all five trips when we finally visit Queensland.
We’ve never been to Australia and would love to visit one day! There are so many things to see and do, even on just one coast! Thank you for these useful informations, we’ll certainly keep your post for when we plan to visit!
There is never any shortage of places to go in Australia! The Gold Coast is such a stunning place as well with so many different towns and stretches of beautiful coastlines. I like the sound of the Tweed Coast very much!
Australia is on my list and the Gold Coast is certainly a destination to keep in mind with its Springbrook National Park, scuba diving, Stradbroke Island, and of course Brisbane!
This is the trip you that will make your day fun and exciting, it will surely give you a satisfying experience that you never forget.