The Gold Coast is a vibrant region and city located southeast of Brisbane, Queensland. It’s famous for its stunning beaches, lively nightlife, and a Vegas-like entertainment scene, offering everything from world-class casinos to captivating shows. In addition to its entertainment options, the Gold Coast is a hub for outdoor activities, including surfing, theme parks, and nature reserves, making it a destination that appeals to all types of visitors.
How to get to the Gold Coast from Newcastle
The Greyhound buses connect Sydney to Brisbane three times a day in both directions, with stops in all major cities along the route, including Newcastle and the Gold Coast. However, my experience was quite nerve-wracking, as all buses were fully booked for the next six days! I had to make three separate segmented bookings, which would have resulted in several hours of waiting in different cities along the way. Fortunately, the driver of my first segment informed me that some passengers with reservations hadn’t shown up, allowing me to stay on the bus all the way through to my destination.
One frustrating aspect of the Greyhound service is that, once you have the Whimit national pass, you can book any bus without penalties for not showing up. This leads to a lot of no-shows, making it difficult for others to secure seats, especially during busy travel periods.
Gold Coast
It is what it is – a city full of glitter, like a smaller cousin of Las Vegas. The key difference is the presence of beautiful sandy beaches instead of a desert backdrop, and a network of almost Venetian-style manmade canals (with sharks in them!) along which the rich and famous have their luxurious mansions.
After just one day, I felt somewhat stranded in this city. Once again, I realized that while Greyhound buses are convenient for traveling between major cities, they are useless for exploring the beautiful surroundings of Australian cities. The Gold Coast, like many others, is bordered by apparantly gorgeous tropical national parks. But, as before, it’s extremely difficult to reach them without a private car. This time, I couldn’t even find a tour operator offering transport to the parks, as the entertainment offer is focused entirely on the city and the beach.
Reflecting on my time in Australia, I came to the decision to do things differently in New Zealand, my next destination. Although I dread renting a car when traveling alone in a strange land, I realized that I would not fully enjoy if kept limiting myself to intercity busses. At the time of writing this, I am five days into New Zealand anf I’m having a blast with the freedom my rental car provides. It was easily one of the best decisions I’ve made recently. If I ever return to Australia, I’ll definitely do the same and I can only recommend it to anyone reading this and deciding to visit Australia for the first time.
Things to do around the Gold Coast :
- Relax on iconic beaches like Surfers Paradise and Burleigh Heads.
- Take a scenic canal cruise to explore the city’s Venetian-style waterways.
- Visit SkyPoint Observation Deck for views all over the Gold Coast from the top of the Q1 Tower.
- Spend a day at the theme parks, such as Sea World, Dreamworld, or Movie World.
- Hike in nearby national parks like Springbrook or Lamington (if you have transport).
