Gold Coast - things to do (family safe)

[Macca]

Just booked a week on the gold coast for January (mainly for me playing golf)
Need some suggestions for things to go see/do with the wife and kids.
Already planning on sea world & maybe zoo (depends how far it is)

[South]

Get the coach to the Zoo, takes an hour and a bit (if memory serves right) from the GC and is well worth the day out.

Wet n Wild is a bit average

Dream world is pretty cool, has heaps to do

Movie world is a bit bland

Casino is crap if you were going to leave the kids at the creche or the like.

[Cal]

Stick to the theme parks; wet n wild, movie world, sea world, dreamworld. Avoid the rest of the GC, from what Im told by the 50 odd people I met in brissy 2 weeks ago, it aint a safe place to be.

[magic1]

Get a sun tan

[Macca]

Get a sun tan

fuuuuuuuuuu

[Torquen]

Lol Tristan!

[mys1]

Ice world!

its this amzing big Freezer with a heap of ice they call snow!

Highlight of my last trip there!

[RICEY]

Ice world!

its this amzing big Freezer with a heap of ice they call snow!

Highlight of my last trip there!

Was Ben Cousins there?

I know weak joke.

[adrenalin]

Was Ben Cousins there?

I know weak joke.

isnt he the owner ?

[monk_13]

Take the kids up to Tambourine Mtn on the weekend and feed them up on fudge and then head off to the treetop walk up there.

If you have family/friends over there palm the kids off for a night and take the Mrs to draculas, Great food and an awesome show!

[hako]

Dreamworld.

Drive down to Bondi.

Hinterland (might be boring for kids)

Australia Zoo.

Go to the top of Q1?

I'm out of G rated ideas.

[mys1]

Bondi Is in Sydney Champ?

[SircatmaN]

Stick to the theme parks; wet n wild, movie world, sea world, dreamworld. Avoid the rest of the GC, from what Im told by the 50 odd people I met in brissy 2 weeks ago, it aint a safe place to be.

Its safer than Perth. Those 50 people are from Brisbane, they hate Gold Coast because they get the beach and Brissy gets houses on stilts.

I goto Brissy and Gold Coast atleast once a year to visit family. I find Sea World is pretty boring and can be seen in half a day. Dreamworld and White water world (the new water park next door) are awesome, Movie world was alot better. Last time I went I went in some stunt car show they are doing that replaces the old Police academy show. We paid extra and they drifted us around the set and got us up and drove on 2 wheels and all sorts, was worth the money for sure.
Wet and wild was pretty good but the ques were ridiculous.
Depending on how old the kids are Draculas haunted house is pretty good and if you can make it (I doubt with kids) the Draculas dinner and show is good.
Lots of mini golf places and stuff around Gold Coast aswell, its the sort of place you can just walk around really and find plenty to do. You'll have a ball.

[Macca]

Got kicked out of draculaa last time we were there, don't think they like rangas

[TJ]

Hollywoods!

[Fukushima]

There is a bombed go kart track across the freeway from movie world

Better karts than you can hire here, i weighed 10kg more than anyone else on the track and was six seconds quicker.

[Macca]

There is a bombed go kart track across the freeway from movie world

Better karts than you can hire here, i weighed 10kg more than anyone else on the track and was six seconds quicker.

That is because all the rest were 8yr old kids

[cplagz]

How old are your kids Steve?

I'd recommend Dracula's for an entertaining night out.
The wildlife park down at Currumbin isn't bad.
Theme parks as others have said. Don't bother with the "Australian Outback Spectacular", it's designed for asian tourists.
Tamborine Mt is a great drive and then you have the quaint little town on the hill, plenty of decent places to eat. Treetop walk is good and there's a "dinosaur rock" place just near it.
Cavill Ave is the shopping district with all the high end fashion brands down towards surfers and then you have Marina Mirage up near Southport (next to the Versace hotel) which has some more shops if that's your thing.
The Natural Bridge is quite spectacular to see and they also do evening tours to look at the glow worms out there.

If you got any q's about specific places hit me up.

Are you flying direct to Coolangatta? If you are flying to Brisbane it's a 40-1.5hr transfer depending on traffic LOL.

[KAL SPL]

Draculas and Zorb
Go cart track was awsome !

[Macca]

How old are your kids Steve?

I'd recommend Dracula's for an entertaining night out.
The wildlife park down at Currumbin isn't bad.
Theme parks as others have said. Don't bother with the "Australian Outback Spectacular", it's designed for asian tourists.
Tamborine Mt is a great drive and then you have the quaint little town on the hill, plenty of decent places to eat. Treetop walk is good and there's a "dinosaur rock" place just near it.
Cavill Ave is the shopping district with all the high end fashion brands down towards surfers and then you have Marina Mirage up near Southport (next to the Versace hotel) which has some more shops if that's your thing.
The Natural Bridge is quite spectacular to see and they also do evening tours to look at the glow worms out there.

If you got any q's about specific places hit me up.

Are you flying direct to Coolangatta? If you are flying to Brisbane it's a 40-1.5hr transfer depending on traffic LOL.

Flying to brisbane as it was the only "direct" flight i could get, Kids are 6 and 18mths and 5hrs on a plane is enough for me. Hire car so not doing transfer.

[cplagz]

Flying to brisbane as it was the only "direct" flight i could get, Kids are 6 and 18mths and 5hrs on a plane is enough for me. Hire car so not doing transfer.

Will still take you an hour+ then. Check if the car has an e-tag for the toll bridge as that's the quickest route to the GC from the airport.

[nang3]

get a babysitter for the kids, 5 hour spa package for the mrs and head out to Hollywoods by yourself !!!!

[Macca]

get a babysitter for the kids, 5 hour spa package for the mrs and head out to Hollywoods by yourself !!!!

pfft save money, make wife stay at hotel with kids and go to hollywood's!

[Jumanji]

Harbour town is good also.

[confuzion]

Take cplagz onto The Giant Drop in dreamworld, he loves that shit :)

[Breno]

Australia Zoo is in the sunshine coast Hinterland, Beerwah, other side of Brisbane. but worth the trip. sunny coast is better anyway.
Dreamworld is the pick of the parks, easily...

maybe try Alma Park Zoo?

[nang3]

pfft save money, make wife stay at hotel with kids and go to hollywood's!

that was my original idea, but my mrs suggested the spa to placate the wife when he comes home 12 hours late stinking of coke, hookers, cubans and booze hahaha