Best and cheapest way to travel the gold coast, Australia

[JonRach]

Hi,

 

We are going to Australia in Janurary on a tight budget and are moving from Melbourn to Brisbane and then flying out from the Gold Coast Airport, what is the best and chepest way to travel and what is worth seeing and not. 

 

For Travellers That are Driving: If anyone is in Melbourne between the dates of 3rd of Jan to the 6th and leaving to go Sydney or is in Sydney between the dates of  9th to the 14th Jan and is driving towards Brisbane or traveling the Gold Coast we would like to possibly hitch a ride. We would pay contribution towards petrol and other costs. (Please Message if you could Help)

 

Many Thanks!!

 

 

Jon and Rach   

[Betty Austin-Ware]

Public transportation is cheapest.  Look at websites for Brisbane and the Coral Coast and

plan carefully.  If you will go to the Queensland Tourist Bureau in Melbourne you will find

more brochures on attractions than you can carry.  That's the best way as only you know

what you'll have seen in the Melbourne area.  A lot of attractions are similar, i.e. wildlife parks,

museums, etc., with Queensland having the good beaches. 

[Sue Gough Henly]

You've picked the busiest and most expensive time of year to travel in Australia, at the heart of the Australian school and university summer vacation and when most families head to the beach for their annual holidays.

The cheapest way to get between Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast is generally via low cost airlines such as Jetstar and Tiger, and sometimes Virgin but this is the peak travel period and people will have booked flights long in advance.

In order to see more of the country, you could try rail or bus.

It is difficult for me to tell you what is worth seeing since I don't know what your tastes are.  The Australian coastline between Melbourne and the Gold Coast is stunning and one of the country's greatest assets.  It can, however, be difficult to access if you don't have a car.  The coastal highway between Melbourne and Sydney and Sydney and the Gold Coast is convoluted and not the most direct route and, sadly, often doesn't actually go along the coast. You need to be able to drive down branch roads to access iconic beach communities which are the essence of this type of road trip. Byron Bay, for instance, is an iconic beach town, which will be very crowded at this time of year.  You can read my article about it in the New York Times here (www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/travel/far-out-east-in-australia.html?pa...).  The Gold Coast is a high rise jungle with dozens of theme parks...sort of a cross between Waikiki and Disneyland...lots of glitz and fun if you are into that sort of thing.  There are loads of free or cheap things to do in Sydney so long as you stay out of the tourist ghettos like Darling Harbour and The Rocks. There stunning walks through National Parks all around the harbour and Sydney has more than 70 harbour and ocean beaches that can offer you a wide diversity of beach experiences if you have difficulty in accessing the coastline between Melbourne and Sydney. You can also take a day trip down to Royal National Park, south of Sydney, the second oldest national park in the world that offers stunning walks, great beaches and indigenous culture.  Melbourne is also on the bay with bayside beaches but it's major local interest is its hipster laneway (alleyway) culture chock block full of cafes, bars, local design shops and edgy art galleries.  To get some more ideas you can download my app AUSTRALIA: Where to Go for an insider's guide to the best places and most authentic experiences Down Under.  It is actually free on Dec 21 and 22 on the iTunes store. http://sutromedia.com/apps/AUSTRALIA_Where_to_Go.

Have fun and good luck!

best

Sue Gough Henly