How to Read These
Every day in these plans is the same shape: an area label, morning / afternoon / evening with rough timings, and one meal. They're the plans we build for real bookings, so they're opinionated about timing — start at 8:30 for Springbrook, book Currumbin for a morning slot, have dinner booked for 6:30, not 7:15. Read them as a starting point, then swap days to fit your dates and your people.
Area label, morning / afternoon / evening, and a meal suggestion — that's the whole structure. No "you might like a walk" filler; if it's in the day, it's in the day, and it takes about as long as we say it does. The meals are deliberately simple: one proper sitting-down meal a day, and the rest are honest, good, local.
The coast is 120km long, and the M1 eats time the way motorways do at peak. We've written the travel between places into every day — 25 minutes Tallebudgera to Burleigh, 30 minutes up to Springbrook, 20 minutes Surfers to the airport — so if you follow a day to the letter you'll make everything without rushing. The slack is where the trip lives: an extra coffee, a second swim, an hour on the beach that wasn't on the list.
8:30 for Springbrook, not 10, because by 10 the top of Thin Ridge has a queue and the light is already going. 6:30 for the beach, not 11, because 6:30 is empty and 11 is a crowd. SkyPoint at 4:30, not 2, because 4:30 catches the last light over the city and it closes at 9pm. These are the times a local friend would text you, and that's the point of writing them down.
Weather turns a hinterland day? Move it, but keep it a full day — that's what it's worth. A market day or a show in your window? Check what's on before you lock the dates, and check when to go if you've got flexibility. These plans assume a rental car (see getting around); if you're doing it on buses and the train, days 1, 2 and 3 of the five-day still work, and the winery day becomes a taxi day.
Before you pick a length: find your stay first, because where you base decides how much of each day is driving — and see on a budget for what each day will actually cost. The plans below work from Tallebudgera, Burleigh, or a central base in Southport / Broadbeach; swap the base and the driving times shift by 10–20 minutes, which we've noted where it matters.
The 3-Day
For the long weekend: land at OOL (25 minutes from Surfers), stay in Tallebudgera or Burleigh, and do the coast's three big things — the quiet beaches up north, the hinterland, the city. It's tight but doable, because it's built around travel time, not a checklist. Full area detail is in the areas guide.
Land at OOL and be on the M1 within the hour; Tallebudgera is another 25 minutes past Surfers. Lunch is the first stop — grab something in Tallebudgera itself, then the beach: a proper swim if the water's flat, and the short walk to the cove is worth it either way. After 4:30, drive 10 minutes north to Kirra Point: the walk along the beach is 20 minutes each way, the point itself is free, and the sunset over the headlands is the reason for being up this end of the coast. Eat: dinner back in Burleigh Heads on The Strand (15 minutes) — fish and chips if you want casual, a restaurant if you want proper.
Start at 8:30 to beat Springbrook's crowds — by 9:15 you're at Cave Creek Falls, a flat 30-minute walk through the rainforest to the falls. Then up to Thin Ridge: 300m above sea level, a granite walkway with the whole coast under you, and the 10-minute climb to the top is the easy part. Lunch at the park's café at the top (it's there, it's good, it saves the drive), then 30 minutes down to Currumbin for the wildlife sanctuary. Book the 2:30 slot: feeding the kangaroos and holding the koala are the two that stay with you, and the afternoon animals are calmer anyway. Eat: dinner in Paradise Country, the little town ten minutes away — family-friendly and honest.
If your flight is late (after 6), this is the day; if it's a morning flight, skip to the last paragraph. Morning: coffee in Southport, then The Spit — the 2km boardwalk along the river, flat and easy, and the best half-hour of walking on the coast. Eat: lunch on the Southport esplanade. Then 4:30 at SkyPoint in Q1: 77th floor, 230m up, open until 9pm, and the 4:30 slot catches the last light over the city. It's 20 minutes from there to OOL — you'll be at check-in by 6. Morning flight? 9am beach at Kirra or Tallebudgera, coffee at 10:30, OOL by 11:30, and you're on the plane by 2. No stress either way.
One honest note: this plan is a rental-car plan. On buses and the G:Link you can still do all three days — the city day is the one public transport does best — but the 8:30 Springbrook start and the 2:30 Currumbin slot assume you're driving. Times and fares are in getting around.
The 5-Day
Same first three days as the weekend — that order works — plus a day out, a winery day, and a proper dining night. It's the length most of our guests end up booking, and it's the one where the coast stops feeling like a checklist. Base in Tallebudgera or Burleigh, or a central apartment in Southport / Broadbeach if you'd rather drive less.
Land at OOL, 25 minutes to Surfers, another 25 up to Tallebudgera. Slow lunch in town, then the beach: a proper swim if the water's flat, the short walk to the cove, and the afternoon does itself. After 4:30, Kirra Point: 10 minutes' drive north, 20 minutes' beach walk each way, free, and the sunset over the headlands is the whole point of the north end. Eat: dinner in Burleigh Heads on The Strand — 15 minutes back down, and Burleigh's food end is the reason.
8:30 start to beat the Springbrook crowds — Cave Creek Falls by 9:15, a flat 30-minute rainforest walk, then up to Thin Ridge: 300m up, the granite walkway, the whole coast under you, 10 minutes to the top. Lunch at the park café, 30 minutes down to Currumbin, and the wildlife sanctuary at 2:30: book it before you land, because the good slots go first. Feeding the kangaroos, holding the koala — two hours, and it's one of the days that stays. Eat: dinner in Paradise Country, ten minutes away, and it does a good family-style lunch too if you run late.
Pick one, and give it the whole day — that's the rule, because half a theme park day is a bad theme park day. Movie World (25 minutes south, the biggest, rides plus a proper zoo section), Sea World (Main Beach, marine life, best with kids), Wet'n'Wild (summer only, the water park, open roughly December to April), or Dreamworld (hinterland edge, 35 minutes, the big rides). Arrive at 10:30 or 11 opening and you'll be on the headline rides before the queues build — by 2 you've done 80% of it. Not your people? Brisbane is an hour's drive north: 10am start, Botanic Gardens, lunch on South Bank, back by 7 — a proper day out, not a bus tour. Eat: a late 2pm lunch in the park (or South Bank), and dinner where you're based.
Tweed Heads is 15 minutes north — technically in NSW now, the wine a dollar or two cheaper, no customs drama, just a quick stop at the Tweed River if you want the photo. 10am tasting at Mount Keira Winery (the one to do), a second glass in town, then a late 1:30 lunch on the Tweed Heads waterfront: the river side is quiet, and the late-afternoon light on the water is the good light. 30 minutes back down the coast road and you're on the beach by 5. If your flight leaves tomorrow morning, tonight is your proper dining night: a 6:30 booking, two hours, wine, no rushing — Broadbeach's esplanade is where the coast goes to dress up. Eat: late lunch in Tweed Heads; the long dinner in the evening if the flight allows (or last night, if it doesn't).
Flight after 6? 4:30 at SkyPoint in Q1 for the last light — 77th floor, 230m up, open until 9pm — then a 20-minute drive to OOL and you're at check-in by 6. If your flight is late enough for dinner first, flip the order: dinner at 6, SkyPoint at 7:30 for the night view, flight after 11. Morning flight? 9am beach swim at Kirra, coffee at 10:30, OOL by 11:30, and you've still had the whole coast. Eat: the long dinner tonight if you're flying late; a light 11:30 lunch if you're not — and either way, this is the last proper sitting-down meal, so take it slowly.
Timing tips that matter most at this length: book Currumbin before you land (the morning slots go first), book the winery tasting before you drive (Mount Keira's weekends fill up), and pick your theme park a week out — same-day park tickets sell out in the school holidays. What you're seeing each week on is in what's on, and the honest cost of a five-day version of this is in on a budget.
The Full Week
The full version: all eight areas, the parks, a theme park if you want one (and no guilt if you don't), the wineries, and a proper night or two in the city. It's the length we send first-timers on — seven days is where the coast stops being "we saw the coast" and starts being "we did the coast". Base where the plan suits you; it's written to work from Tallebudgera, Burleigh, or a central apartment.
Land at OOL, be on the M1 within the hour, 25 minutes past Surfers to Tallebudgera. Slow lunch in town, then the cove: a proper swim if the water's flat, the short walk out, and an unhurried afternoon — this day is deliberately light, because the landing day should be. After 4:30, Kirra Point: 10 minutes' drive north, the beach walk, the ice cream at the top, the sunset over the headlands. Eat: dinner in Tallebudgera — there's good food in the town, and 15 minutes back in Burleigh if you want the full selection.
6:30 beach before the crowds — Burleigh Heads is a proper beach with a headland walk, and it's empty at 6:30. Coffee at 9:30, then the Gold Coast Art Gallery at 10:30: short, free, and better than you'd expect from a beach town. The Strand in the afternoon: the Burleigh Markets run most days, weekends are the best, and a slow browse with a coffee is half an hour well spent. Eat: lunch at a café on The Strand; dinner back in Burleigh in the evening — it's the coast's food end, and the evening walk along The Strand is 15 minutes of the best.
8:30 to beat the crowds — Cave Creek Falls by 9:15 (flat 30-minute walk, two-tier falls), then Thin Ridge: 300m up, the granite walkway, the coast under you, 10 minutes to the top. Lunch at the park café, 30 minutes down to Currumbin, sanctuary at 2:30: book the slot before you land, the morning ones go first, and the feeding session is the one to have. Two hours in the sanctuary, 10 minutes to Paradise Country, and the day's done without anyone rushing. Eat: dinner in Paradise Country — or, if you're flying home from this day's plan, a light early lunch at 1 and a slow coffee instead.
Pick one and give it the whole day — Movie World (25 minutes south, the biggest), Sea World (Main Beach, marine life), Wet'n'Wild (summer only, December to April), or Dreamworld (35 minutes, the big rides). Arrive at 10:30 or 11 opening, before the queues build; by 2 you've done 80% of it, and the rest is the second round. Eat: a late lunch at 2 in the park, then the proper night out in Surfers: a rooftop bar on Q1 (77th floor, SkyPoint's next door if you want the view twice), and the clubs on the Northshore if you're staying up late — they run to 3, and a 2am taxi back is $20, not a problem.
Morning on The Spit — the 2km boardwalk along the river, flat and easy, and the quietest 30 minutes on the coast. Lunch at 12:30 on the esplanade, then Southport's fashion street from 2:30 if you want to shop: the street runs along the river, 30 minutes to an hour well spent. 4:30 at SkyPoint for the last light — 230m up, open until 9pm — and that's the day, deliberately nothing after. Eat: dinner on Broadbeach's esplanade in the evening (15 minutes north, where the coast dresses up), or a show at The Star in Surfers if you'd rather watch than dine — it runs proper productions, not dinner theatre.
10am tasting at Mount Keira Winery in Tweed Heads — 15 minutes north, technically NSW, the wine a dollar or two cheaper, the border a quick stop at the Tweed River. A second glass in town, a late 1:30 lunch on the waterfront (quiet river side, good light), 30 minutes back down the coast road. Then the trip's proper dining night: a 6:30 booking, two hours, wine, no rushing — the one meal of the week that's worth the trip on its own, in Broadbeach, Surfers, or a Tallebudgera restaurant if you want it quiet. Eat: late lunch in Tweed Heads; the long dinner in the evening. Weekday winery slots are the easy ones — Thursday is the best day to do this.
9am coffee and a walk on the Coolangatta esplanade — the family end of the coast, quiet at 9am, and Main Beach is there if you want one last swim before you fly. Eat: a light lunch at 11:30. Flight after 4? One last 45-minute swim at Kirra (20 minutes south), then 30 minutes from Coolangatta to OOL — you're at check-in by 5, with the whole coast in your head. Morning flight? OOL by 11:30, and you've had the full week without a single rushed hour. No matter which flight: take the Kirra sunset photo one last time, because you'll want it.
These three plans are starting points, not rules. Swap days to suit your dates, check what's on for shows and markets in your window, when to go if you've got flexibility, getting around for the transport side, and on a budget for what each day costs. Want it fitted exactly to your dates, your group and your budget? That's the concierge service — tell us the dates and we'll build the rest, including the stay it's built around.