We took the kids to the Gold Coast and Brisbane during the June school holidays. I planned the trip beforehand and turned it into a full 9-day itinerary with an interactive map. But that was just a plan.
This is what we actually did, day by day.
June weather: It was just a little cold, so a jacket helped at night. We didn’t swim in the sea or pool, but we probably could have.
Day 1: Arrival and Drive to the Gold Coast
After arriving at Brisbane Airport, we notified the rental car company through a web form, and they picked us up to collect the car. East Coast Car Rentals is still our recommended rental company.
We stayed in Tweed Heads West for 5 nights because we rented a huge Airbnb house that fit three families. Each family had 2 kids. It was a nice choice because we were all excited about the villa and its very own creek, with canoes and stand-up paddleboards.
There’s also a sauna, a Jacuzzi, a BBQ that we didn’t use.. and basically a huge house to play hide and seek.
Day 2: TreeTop Challenge
We booked the TreeTop Challenge at Tamborine Mountain. They have a junior course for the young ones and another for teenagers and adults. I went with my 11-year-old, and it was the best activity we did. It wasn’t too hard (OK, I didn’t go for the hardest black route), and it had the longest zip line, stretching across a river!
Highly recommended if your kids love this kind of adventure. Due to a lack of time, we skipped the glow worm cave (it’s just an artificial cave, by the way).
Day 3: Canoeing & Shopping
We spent the morning using the canoes provided by the Airbnb. These were fun outdoor activities.
I also tried stand-up paddleboarding for the first time and, surprisingly and fortunately, didn’t fall into the water!
We spent the rest of the day at Harbour Town Premium Outlets.
Day 4: Sea World
Sea World is supposedly the most popular theme park there. But it turned out to be mundane. Compared with the theme parks we frequent in Japan and China, don’t set your expectations too high.
I’m just glad that we didn’t buy the bundle ticket that included the other theme parks.
Day 5: Currumbin Zoo
In place of theme parks, we went to the zoo instead. The zoo wasn’t bad. It was quite big, with many different sections.
And we went to the nearby beach, which turned out to be the nicest beach we visited. If you’re going to the zoo, spend some time at this beach in the evening and catch the sunset.
Day 6: We Didn’t Catch a Crab
Our initial plan was to go to this place near our Airbnb to catch a crab. But after thinking about it, we decided not to spend the money or wake up that early for an activity that might disappoint us.
I think going to the beach and playing in the sand is probably fun enough for the kids.
And so we took our time checking out of the Airbnb. We went to Broadwater Parklands for the playground, had lunch at Charis Seafoods while catching the pelican feeding show at 1:30 pm, then finally headed to The Spit Dog Beach for more playing in the sand.
It’s a great plan for the day without paid activities. 😂
After that, we drove to Brisbane and stayed at Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre.
Day 7: Steve Irwin Australia Zoo
This was the second zoo of the trip, but since we had many kids with us, it was still a great visit.
It’s also quite far, around a 1.5-hour drive north of Brisbane city.
Day 8: Brisbane City & Bluey’s World
We started the day walking around Queen Street Mall.
My 6-year-old has been watching Bluey, which is a good children’s show because it teaches better values (compared with rescue missions like Paw Patrol).
What surprised me was that my 11-year-old also wanted to go!
And so I was dragged to Bluey’s World.
I’m not the kind of adult who loves interactive tours. But the kids loved it very much. If you have kids, it’s highly recommended. Note that an adult must accompany the kids.
We also took the CityCat ferry. You can simply tap on and off with a credit card, and it costs just $0.50! We took it from South Bank all the way to Bluey’s World, which was a nice 45-minute ferry ride.
Day 9: City Hall Clock Tower
We visited the clock tower in the morning. You have to make a reservation. It’s a nice guided tour for a very small group in each time slot.
Our last stop was the South Bank Parklands for the playground and a walk across the Brisbane River.
Turns out Brisbane does have a pretty nice riverfront city view.