| Day | Date | Focus | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 13 Jun | Arrival + Drive to Gold Coast | Airbnb, Tweed Heads West |
| 2 | Sun 14 Jun | TreeTop Challenge + BBQ Dinner | Airbnb, Tweed Heads West |
| 3 | Mon 15 Jun | Sea World | Airbnb, Tweed Heads West |
| 4 | Tue 16 Jun | Paradise Country + Outlets + Surfers Paradise | Airbnb, Tweed Heads West |
| 5 | Wed 17 Jun | Movie World / Dreamworld (choose 1) | Airbnb, Tweed Heads West |
| 6 | Thu 18 Jun | Catch a Crab → Brisbane | Hotel Indigo Brisbane |
| 7 | Fri 19 Jun | Strawberry Picking + Australia Zoo | Hotel Indigo Brisbane |
| 8 | Sat 20 Jun | Farmer's Market + South Bank + Shopping | Hotel Indigo Brisbane |
| 9 | Sun 21 Jun | Brisbane → Departure | — |
Transport: ✈️ Flight + 🚗 Car
Morning
Afternoon/Evening
💡 Relaxing start — long travel day. Don't overplan. Kids will be tired from flights.
⚠️ Tolls: M1 motorway to Gold Coast has electronic tolls. Confirm with East Coast Car Rentals if e-tag is included or if you need a visitor pass (~$0.50–$1.50 per toll point). Brisbane→Gold Coast typically $5–8 total in tolls.
💡 Food near Airbnb: Tweed Heads has Tweed City Shopping Centre (Woolworths, cafes, food court). For dinner, try Coolangatta strip — 10 min drive, lots of family restaurants along Marine Parade. Bubble tea: Sharetea at Pacific Fair (~20 min) or Chatime at Robina Town Centre (~15 min).
Transport: 🚗 Car
Tamborine Mountain adventure day (~45 min drive)
Evening
💡 Juniors Course runs weekends + QLD school holidays — Sunday works. Book ahead (call for the session); for midweek it's by request only. Check weather — outdoor courses can close in storms.
⚠️ Costs: Tamborine ~$300 (2A+2C: TreeTop ~$250 + Glow Worms $46).
Transport: 🚗 Car
Full Day
💡 Best winter theme park — penguins are a highlight. Book show times on arrival.
⚠️ Costs: Sea World tickets ~$89/adult, $79/child online. Parking: $20/car. Book at seaworld.com.au
Transport: 🚗 Car
Morning
Afternoon
💡 Relaxed, low-energy day. Let kids play at the foreshore playground — they'll love it and may want to come back daily (lesson from Sydney: if kids love a spot, just let them have it).
💡 Playgrounds: Surfers Paradise foreshore has multiple playgrounds along the esplanade. Broadwater Parklands (Southport, 15 min) is another massive free playground with water play — great backup spot.
⚠️ Costs: Paradise Country ~$40/adult, $30/child (2A+2C ~$140). Harbour Town & Surfers Paradise: free.
Transport: 🚗 Car
Choose ONE theme park:
Option A — Warner Bros. Movie World:
Option B — Dreamworld:
💡 Either park: arrive at opening (10am) for shortest queues, leave by 3–4pm to avoid fatigue. Pack snacks — park food is $15–20 per meal.
⚠️ Costs: Either park ~$89/adult, $79/child online (save ~$20 vs gate). Parking: $20/car. Book at movieworld.com.au or dreamworld.com.au
💡 Rainy backup: If weather turns, swap to Timezone Surfers Paradise (arcade, 60min play card ~$35 AUD) or Pacific Fair Shopping Centre (indoor, huge, has play area).
Transport: 🚗 Car
Morning
Afternoon/Evening
💡 Catch a Crab is a morning tour (done ~12–1pm), leaving the afternoon to drive up and check in. Optional 1-hr seafood lunch add-on before you head off.
⚠️ Costs: Catch a Crab tour only ~$95/adult, $70/child (2A+2C ~$330). Optional lunch extra. Book at catchacrab.com.au
⚠️ Hotel parking: Hotel Indigo Brisbane — nearby paid parking is ~$17.50 AUD/24hrs, 2 min walk from hotel (not directly downstairs). Budget ~$53 for 3 nights. Free option: Spring Hill residential streets (just north of hotel, 5-10 min walk) — often unrestricted parking evenings/weekends. Check signage for resident-only zones.
💡 Dinner near hotel: Turbot St is walkable to Queen Street Mall. Try Eat Street Northshore (night markets, Fri–Sun only — you'll be there Fri & Sat!) or Howard Smith Wharves (waterfront dining, stunning evening spot under Story Bridge).
Transport: 🚗 Car
Morning
Afternoon
💡 Both stops are north of Brisbane and on the way to each other. Do strawberries early (~1 hr) so you reach Australia Zoo by late morning — it closes 5pm, and the Crocoseum show is the highlight (check show time on arrival).
💡 Strawberry picking is weather-dependent — call ahead to confirm it's open (lesson learned from Sydney trip).
⚠️ Costs: Australia Zoo ~$74.95/adult, $49.95/child (Family 2A+2C ~$226). Strawberries: pay per punnet (~$5–8).
💡 Eat Street Northshore: Tonight is Friday — Eat Street night markets are open! Container-park food market on the river. ~$3 entry/adult, kids free. Great for families. 4pm-10pm. 10 min drive from hotel.
Transport: 🚗 Car + 🚢 CityCat
Morning
Afternoon
💡 CityCat is a great way to see the city from the river — use go card or contactless (~$3.50/adult per trip).
💡 South Bank playgrounds: Riverside Green playground and the Aquativity water play area are both free and excellent. Kids will want to stay — plan 1-2 hrs. Streets Beach has lifeguards, safe for kids.
💡 Eat Street Northshore: Tonight is Saturday — Eat Street night markets are open! Container-park food market on the river. ~$3 entry/adult, kids free. Great for families. 4pm-10pm. 10 min drive from hotel.
💡 Rainy backup: Queensland Museum + SparkLab (free) at South Bank, or LEGO Certified Store at Queen Street Mall — kids love it.
Transport: 🚗 Car → ✈️ Flight
Work backwards from flight time:
| Time | Activity | Transport |
|---|---|---|
| ~9:00am | Easy breakfast at hotel | — |
| ~10:00am | Optional: Queensland Museum + SparkLab (free, South Bank) | 🚗 |
| ~1:00pm | Light lunch | — |
| ~2:30pm | Drive to East Coast Car Rentals, Hendra | 🚗 ~20 min |
| ~3:00pm | Return rental car (drop-off by 4:00 PM) | — |
| ~3:30pm | Shuttle to Brisbane Airport | 🚐 |
| ~4:00pm | Airport check-in (90 min before) | — |
| 18:10 | SQ-266 BNE→SIN ✈️ | — |
Return flights:
⚠️ Car return MUST be by 4:00 PM. Don't cut it close — allow buffer for traffic. Return process at East Coast is quick — just park, hand in keys, shuttle to terminal.
💡 Last-minute shopping: DFO Brisbane (outlet mall) is near the airport if you have time. Or grab snacks at Brisbane Airport — international terminal has decent options.
Car rental for entire trip: East Coast Car Rentals, Toyota Corolla Hybrid
| Item | Cost (approx) |
|---|---|
| Dreamworld (2A + 2C, online) | $336 |
| Sea World (2A + 2C, online) | $336 |
| Movie World (2A + 2C, online) | $336 |
| Currumbin Wildlife (2A + 2C) | $190 |
| Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (2A + 2C) | $152 |
| Tamborine Mountain day — TreeTop + Glow Worms (2A + 2C) | ~$300 |
| Paradise Country (2A + 2C) | ~$140 |
| Australia Zoo (2A + 2C family) | ~$226 |
| Catch a Crab tour, tour only (2A + 2C) | ~$330 |
| Theme park parking (4 days × $20) | $80 |
| Hotel Indigo parking (3 nights × $17.50) | $53 |
| Tolls (Gold Coast↔Brisbane, ~4 trips) | $25–35 |
| Strawberry picking | $15–25 |
| CityCat ferry (family) | $14 |
| Attractions + transport subtotal | ~$1,540–1,560 |
Excludes: car rental, flights, accommodation, food, shopping. Food budget: ~$80–120/day for family of 4 (mix of eating out + self-catering at Airbnb). Coffee ~$5 AUD, bubble tea ~$8 AUD.
All free. Great fallback plans or just a quick detour when kids need to burn energy.
Gold Coast area (Days 1–6):
Brisbane area (Days 7–9):