A Let’s Go Mum family, Destination Gold Coast and Jetstar Australia partnership feature

We’ve just returned home from a theme park holiday on Australia’s Gold Coast with Destination Gold Coast and Jetstar Australia, and we had an amazing time together!

The Gold Coast is one Australia’s favourite family holiday destinations for good reason – there’s so many fun things to do there!

In addition to being home to some of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, the Gold Coast also offers great entertainment, shopping and food. This makes it perfect for every family member – from toddlers to teenagers, parents to grandparents, the Gold Coast is a fantastic holiday getaway for all.

Fly Jetstar Australia to the Gold Coast & maximise your fun!

We flew Jetstar Australia to the Gold Coast, and it couldn’t have been quicker – or easier!

Getting the family to the Gold Coast is cheaper than ever thanks to Jetstar Australia. They offer direct flights to the Gold Coast with their low fares every day. As an added bonus, there are frequent Jetstar Australia airfare sales that make a Gold Coast holiday even more affordable for families.

Flying Jetstar Australia to the Gold Coast means you can do so much more in a much shorter amount of time. You can be at the Gold Coast in a matter of a couple of hours instead of a couple of days road-trip from the eastern cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Plus, with my action-packed 3 day itinerary, you can make the most of your time – and fit in as much of that Gold Coast family fun (and sun!) as possible.

The Big 3 Gold Coast theme parks

The highlight of our most recent Gold Coast trip for was exploring one of the Big 3 theme parks each day, so in this feature I’ll tell you the highlights of each park, and then list our 3 (and 5 day extension) itineraries.

The Gold Coast is Australia’s undisputed theme park central and plays host to the three biggest theme parks in Australia – Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World.

All three of these theme parks cater to all ages, and are in the business of pure, old fashioned family fun. Each one is geared to give your family the best time away together, ever!

Only have a few days to getaway? Follow our 3 day theme park itinerary!

A Gold Coast theme park a day is the perfect recipe to have a great time together and make some very special family memories, but you don’t need a whole week or even two weeks to visit some of the best theme parks in Australia, and have a great time.

Gold Coast theme parks with kids planning list!

Here’s my list of holiday essentials to ensure your Gold Coast trip goes as smooth as silk!

• Book your Jetstar Australia flights – sign up to Jetstar Australia emails to receive the latest Gold Coast flight discounts and sales.
• Book your departure airport parking if needed – airports often have mailing lists with seasonal specials too!
• Book your accommodation – we stayed at and highly recommend both the Main Beach Tourist Park and Sea World Resort
• Book your hire car – we drove an Avis rent a car – don’t forget to include enough room for your suitcases and any baby seats or booster seats in your hire car booking if needed.
• Buy your theme park tickets online before you go so that you can enter the parks without queuing – Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World are the three major theme parks on the Gold Coast.
• Download the Village Roadshow park app to take advantage of the virtual queue system at Movie World and Sea World so that you can go straight to the front of the queue (once per ride) on several of the popular big rides.

Gold Coast essential packing list – don’t forget!

• Swimsuits
• Sunscreen
• Hats
• Comfortable shoes
• A light jumper or jacket in winter

Three theme parks in three days – our 3-day itinerary!

Having fun on the Gold Coast is as easy as 1-2-3 with our Gold Coast 3 day theme park itinerary. Use it to do all three top Gold Coast theme parks in just three days (with a visit to the Australian Outback Spectacular too!).

Day 1: Dreamworld

9:00am Fly Jetstar Australia into the Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta (or Brisbane Airport) on a morning flight and pick up your hire car. Load the bags and the kids and drive to Dreamworld. You should be at your first theme park within the hour!

10:00am Arrive at Dreamworld – use your pre-purchased online tickets to be barcode-scanned into the park.

Dreamworld is famous for…

Rides, and lots of them, with a dedicated small children ride area. Dreamworks Popular characters appear for free photo selfie sessions around the park. There is a huge fairy themed, tiger, motor racing and LEGO shop, a dedicated native animal zoo walk through area and fun shows to watch.

How much time do you need to see Dreamworld?

Give yourself the entire day to fully explore this theme park.

Don’t miss…

For families with teenagers & thrill seekers: the Steel Taipan roller coaster – this 1.2km long triple launch roller coaster will have you racing back to do it all again.
For families with small children: ABC Kids World has lots of little kid rides that will delight.
For all ages: Tiger Island – the Tiger Island show is an amazing way to see tigers close-up performing natural behaviours such as swimming and leaping that will have the whole family gasping in wonder!

4pm Dreamworld closes. Drive to your villa accommodation at Main Beach Tourist Park. Drop by the supermarket on the way to grab some supplies for breakfast and dinner. Have a rest or swim in the resort pool before heading out to dinner just a five minute walk away at the Southport Yacht Club, or drive five minutes away to one of the masses of fantastic family friendly restaurants in Surfers Paradise – don’t forget to take a walk on the night-lit famous sandy beach!

Watch our day at Dreamworld video

Watch the video of our day at Dreamworld here!

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

Day 2: Warner Bros. Movie World

Sunrise Swim, surf or take a stroll along gorgeous Main Beach just across the road from Main Beach Tourist Park for a great start to your day on the Gold Coast!

8:00am Cook breakfast or have breakfast at one of the cafes around Surfer’s Paradise.

9:00am Drive to Warner Bros. Movie World in Oxenford. The park opens at 9:30am and the rides start at 10am.

9:30am Arrive at Movie World – use your pre-purchased online tickets to be barcode-scanned into the park.

Movie World is famous for…

Being known as Hollywood on the Gold Coast, with themed areas and rides, many DC Comics themed. There are several large thrill rides and a dedicated ride world for small children. There is a stunt car show at set times each day, a 4D theatre, and several character shows throughout the day with numerous character appearances for photos and a main street parade.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks app

Use the Village Roadshow Theme Parks app to take advantage of the virtual queue system at Movie World (and Sea World) that you can use to go straight to the front of the ride queue on several of the popular big rides. You can only book one ride at a time. Aim to use this mostly in the first half of the day on the major thrill rides with the biggest queues like DC Rivals, Superman Escape and Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster. These rides tend to exhaust their virtual queue allocation by around lunch time. Alternatively, you can wait for your turn in line, or purchase an Express Pass/VIP pass at the photo booth at the gate to skip to the front of the ride queues. These can sell out, so don’t leave it until it’s too late.

Ride photos

Ride photos are a must to capture great candid family pics! Pick up a photo wrist band bar code (free) to scan any ride photos taken during rides. At the end of the day, you can pick and choose which photos you’d like to buy at the photo booth, or purchase a Fast Photo $50 all digital photo download package for ride photos at both Movie World and Sea World (we did this and it’s great value as you can end up with several really fun ride photos like the one above taken on the Spooky Coaster!)

How much time do you need to see Movie World?

Give yourself the entire day to fully explore this theme park.

Don’t miss…

For teenager families & thrill seekers: DC Rivals, Superman Escape, Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster and the Batwing – these super thrilling rides will have your heart in your mouth!
For families with small children: WB Kids World with a Mini Driving school, and more fun rides for the smallest thrill-seeker! You’ll also find the smaller but still exciting Road Runner Coaster
For all ages: The Stunt Car show and Scoob 4D movie theatre (several times daily) and Mainstreet character parade (at 3:30pm) are absolute must-sees during your visit.

5:30pm Movie World closes.

Suggested option one: Sea World Resort, Main Beach

5:30pm Drive to your accommodation at Sea World Resort, Main Beach to check in. Perhaps have a pre-dinner swim in the resort pool and let the kids play on the Sponge Bob Square Pants splash pad. Have dinner at the resort’s family-friendly Shoreline Restaurant. It not only has every kid-friendly meal you can think of such as spaghetti, nuggets and chips, it also features live music for mum and dad, plus face-painting for the kids!

Suggested option two: Australian Outback Spectacular Heartland show

6:10pm Go to the Australian Outback Spectacular Heartland show. The whole family will love this unique family-friendly dinner show that tells a great Aussie outback story. An experience featuring a stunning light show with real animals – including horses, dogs and cattle. Everyone gets a free cowboy hat too! Enjoy pre-show drinks, live country music entertainment and photo opportunities with the animal stars of the show! Read more about the show in our feature here.

9:30pm After the show ends, drive to your accommodation at Sea World Resort, Main Beach.

Watch our day at Movie World video

Watch the video of our day at Movie World here!

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

Day 3: Sea World

8:00am Enjoy the huge selection at the buffet breakfast in the Sea World Resort at the Shoreline restaurant

9:15am Check out of the Sea World Resort

9:30am Exit the resort to directly access Sea World via a door located near Reception, scanning your pre-purchased online digital ticket as you go. Walk up the ramp and straight into Sea World. It doesn’t get more convenient than that! You will find yourself near the Dolphin arena and Castaway Bay water play area. The park opens at 9:30am and the rides start at 10am.

Sea World is famous for…

Its sea animal shows and enclosures. There are also several large thrill rides and a dedicated ride world for small children. There are sea animal displays, extra animal experiences available to purchase, and a stunt show at two set times each day. There are several walk through aquariums, a water play area, and climbing structures for the more energetic kids. New feature rides are currently under construction, so stay tuned!

Village Roadshow Theme Parks app

Use the Village Roadshow Theme Parks app to take advantage of the virtual queue system at Sea World (and Movie World – the two parks are owned by the same company) that you can use to go straight to the front of the ride queue on the popular big rides. You can only book one ride at a time. Alternatively, you can purchase an Express Pass/VIP pass to skip to the front of the ride queues, or just wait your turn in line.

Ride photos

You can also use your Movie World photo wrist band at Sea World to scan any ride photos taken during rides.

How much time do you need to see Sea World?

Give yourself the entire day to fully explore this theme park.

Don’t miss…

For families with teenagers & thrill seekers: the Storm and Jet Rescue Coasters, and the Vortex will spin you into another dimension!
For families with small children: Nickelodeon World has a carousel, mini roller coaster and several more fun rides for little ones.
For all ages: The seal and dolphin shows are an absolute must-see, and the stunt show is also great fun. For $9 you can purchase a cup of fish to feed to the rays at set times. See the penguins who currently (September 2022) have a huge fluffy baby, neon-lit jelly fish, resident polar bears and the incredible underwater world of Shark Bay. Book a dolphin experience for life-changing memories – we’ll never forget ours!

5:00pm Sea World closes. Return to the Sea World Resort to pick up your bags and car and drive back to the airport to drop off your hire car and catch your Jetstar Australia evening flight home.

Add these two days for a 5 day Gold Coast theme park itinerary:

Day 4: Consider visiting Paradise Country – described as an authentic Australian farm experience with wildlife presentations and koala experiences available. See Shaun’s Aussie Adventure Show (Meet and Greets available), the Stock Horse Arena and Billy Tea Show. Stockman Show. There are also pony rides. Operating hours are 10am-3pm.

Day 5: Consider visiting one (or both!) of the Gold Coast water parks – Wet N’ Wild (year round – 10am-5pm or 4pm in the colder months) or WhiteWater World (WhiteWater World is a seasonal theme park closed for winter, reopening September 10 2022. Opening times vary 10am-4pm/5pm).

Gold Coast family accommodation

Whilst on the Gold Coast we were hosted by two outstanding family accommodation options.

Main Beach Tourist Park

Main Beach Tourist Park is an incredible Gold Coast holiday park located right across the road from Main Beach, next door to Surfers Paradise! You can read all about our stay at Main Beach Tourist Park in our feature article here.

Sea World Resort

The Sea World Resort is the famous family themed accommodation resort with direct access to the Sea World theme park! You can read all about our stay at the Sea World Resort in our feature article here.

Even more fun Gold Coast attractions and activities

Of course, the Gold Coast isn’t just about Australia’s biggest and best collection of theme parks. There’s so much more to do and see!

No trip to the Gold Coast would be complete without a visit to one of the many stunning white sandy beaches. There are multiple fun attractions all over the Gold Coast, with lots located in and around Surfers Paradise. Don’t forget to snap a photo under the iconic Surfers Paradise sign while you’re there!

Seasonal whale watching cruises always seem to find a whale or ten to see, and Sea World run their very own whale watching cruises so that you only have to walk out of your accommodation and onto the boat!

The Gold Coast has some of the best shopping in Australia with several massive shopping malls like the huge Pacific Fair, Robina Town Centre and Harbour Town outlet shopping centre.

Getting to the Gold Coast

How long does it take to fly to the Gold Coast?

It’s faster than you think to fly to the Gold Coast, or alternatively to Brisbane.

To get to the Gold Coast Airport of Coolangatta is a 2 hour flight from Melbourne Airport, 1 hour and 20 minutes from Sydney Airport and 1 and a half hours from Canberra Airport.

To fly to Brisbane Airport is a 2 hour and 10 minute flight from Melbourne Airport, 1 hour and 30 minutes from Sydney Airport and 1 hour and 40 minutes from Canberra Airport.

So you’ll be arriving in the Gold Coast in no time!

Car Hire at Brisbane or Coolangatta Airports

There are numerous car hire companies available at both the Coolangatta Airport and Brisbane Airport, with competitive rates. We drove an Avis hire car from Brisbane Airport, and it was one of the closest hire car stations to the main airport terminal. The hire car was quick and easy to both pick up and drop off with a petrol station located next door to the airport to top up the fuel tank – everything went without a hitch.

How long does it take to get from the Coolangatta Airport to the theme parks?

It takes around 35 minutes to drive to the Coomera (Dreamworld) and Oxenford (Movie World) theme parks from Coolangatta Airport, and around 45 minutes to drive there from Brisbane Airport.

It takes around 30 minutes to drive from the Coomera/Oxenford theme parks to Sea World Gold Coast at Main Beach. It takes around 40 minutes to drive from Coolangatta Airport or one hour from Brisbane Airport to Sea World.

It’s time to book your Gold Coast family holiday and go have some fun!

So, there you have it! You can book for the Christmas school holidays now – but really, there’s no time like the present to fly to the Gold Coast.

Book now for your next Jetstar Australia Gold Coast holiday with the kids. It’s a great way to reconnect and spend time laughing and having fun together. The memories you make will be absolutely priceless – ours certainly are.

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Destination Gold Coast and Jetstar Australia for this Gold Coast visit

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Read our Gold Coast theme park holiday guide here

Main Beach Tourist Park

A Gold Coast Tourist Park, Main Beach Tourist Park has so much going for it.

The location is perfect – five minute’s drive away from Surfers Paradise, Sea World, and just across the road lies one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Main Beach stretches for miles, right up to Surfers Paradise Beach in one direction, and seemingly to wild, uninhabited beach in the other, right along the Spit Peninsular. As if that wasn’t enough, this cabin and caravan park itself is beautiful.

The surrounding Gold Coast tower blocks let you know that you are in one of the most in-demand areas in Australia. This prime real-estate is the last place you’d expect to find a beautiful holiday park. Yet here you can stay in a luxurious villa cabin or bring your own motorhome or caravan.

A resort swimming pool, games room and playground

Main Beach Tourist Park is packed full of features for a great family holiday.

There’s a beautiful resort swimming pool protected from the sun by shade sails and surrounded by pool lounges. This makes it a great place to pass a lazy afternoon.

A fun kid’s playground and barbeque camp kitchen are also located just outside of the pool area.

There’s a big games room on site with a pool table, and enough claw machines and video games to keep the kids more than happy! You’ll find lots of tourist information brochures in the games room too, for even more holiday inspiration!

Park amenities

Main Beach Tourist Park has modern clean amenities, including a central toilets, showers and laundry building.

Dotted around the park you’ll find numerous barbeque areas and camp kitchens with attached dining areas.

Our family villa

Our luxurious villa slept up to six people and had everything we needed including all bedding, towels, bathroom amenities, kitchen accessories and a full-sized fridge. The whole cabin was spotlessly clean and beautifully presented.

The spacious lounge had two large sofas, a full dining setting and Foxtel TV.

There was a main bedroom was spacious with bedside tables and a large, mirrored wardrobe for clothes. Beautifully fashioned towels decorated the bed upon arrival and was a lovely surprise.

The second bedroom had four bunk beds for the kids and contained another mirrored wardrobe for clothes storage.

A modern bathroom had a separate shower and vanity, and also contained cleaning items. The toilet was located separately from the bathroom, off the hall.

Outside there was a large balcony featuring a BBQ and another dining table looking out towards the beach.

At night the sound of the waves gently lull you to sleep. There’s no doubting that you are at the Gold Coast when you stay at the Main Beach Tourist Park!

A Gold Coast caravan park with a difference

Main Beach Tourist Park is a great accommodation option for both road trips to the Gold Coast, or visitors flying in like us. It has a large range of accommodation options from singles right up to large multi-generational families.

There’s plenty of room to spread out, be comfortable and yet be close to all the Gold Coast attractions – which is everything you need for a great family holiday on the Gold Coast!

To find out more about Main Beach Tourist Park, go to their official website here.

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Destination Gold Coast, Main Beach Tourist Park and Jetstar Australia for this Gold Coast visit

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Read our Gold Coast theme park holiday guide here

A dinner show like no other!

A family trip to Queensland’s Gold Coast is the perfect time to visit the Australian Outback Spectacular!

We recently experienced the Australian Outback Spectacular for the very first time and found it to be a wonderful family show that we’re still talking about!

The Australian Outback Spectacular is a live show like no other. A unique entertainment-packed pre-show followed by a wonderfully entertaining dinner show suitable for the whole family.

A whole new show – Australia’s Heartland

The latest new show, Australian Outback Spectacular’s Heartland tells a captivating tale of an outback community, and how they band together in the hard times and the good.

The story is told with an immersive mixture of light and sound projections and exciting live action. Courage, comradery, fun and romance of the Australian Outback all comes to the fore in this timeless tale of wonder!

Pre-show fun in the Outback

The pre-show entertainment begins an hour and fifteen minutes before showtime, and it’s well worth arriving in good time to enjoy the complete Outback experience!

The fun begins upon arrival as your tickets are scanned at the front entrance and you are issued with your very own cowboy hat!

Entering the pre-show entertainment arena may have you wondering if you’ve somehow been transported to a fair dinkum outback Aussie pub!

Bazza’s Pub is filled with excited chatter. Horse stables line one side, a cattle dog sits on a barrel on the other. Standing atop a horse carriage, a lovely country and western singer croons out the country classics whilst cowboy-hatted folk line the bar. Families sit at tables, the kids slurp their coloured slushies, whilst mum and dad enjoy a beer or wine.

This is a really fun place to be, and an essential part of the Australian Outback Experience!

People of all ages are here to see the show.

During the pre-show entertainment some unique family photo opportunities are possible too. Everyone wants a photo with the stars of the show – the horses and cattle dog! Your photos can be taken during the pre-show period, purchased and delivered to your table during the show.

This is only the start of the Outback Spectacular experience…

Outback Spectacular – the dinner show – Heartland

With the showtime announcement it’s time for everyone to file into the stadium and be directed to their seats.

The show’s “stage” is a soft dirt arena with a huge high tech electronic screen as a backdrop.

Long, bar-like wooden dining benches allow you to sit comfortably to eat dinner whilst facing the arena front-on to enjoy the show.

The lights dip, and the first dinner course is served as the show begins. It really is spectacular!

The enchanting Heartland story is told through gripping, romantic and thrilling scenes. Scene after scene amazes and delights! Vehicles, horse stunts and so much more. This is no boring theatre show, but a series of scene changes of the most fascinating and electrifying kind. It’s edge-of-the-seat excitment whilst savouring a delicious three course meal – what a marvelous combination!

Table service during the show is attentive and seamless. Drinks are topped up and meal courses are whipped away and replaced with the next delectable course at a time appropriate to the show. All culminating in a scrumptious dessert whipped up especially for Heartland!

An Australian show for all Aussie age groups

Young and old all enjoy the Outback Spectacular. The show is clearly an all ages show with a lot of appeal.

Older folk clap and sing along as they recognise much of the Australiana soundtrack. Children’s eyes grow wide with excitement at the appearance of livestock thundering into the arena. Young couples sit closely together, swept up with the romance of it all. Friends and family all gasp at the thrills of the stunts, and at the pure spectacle of this amazing live show!

As dessert is served the show draws to its dramatic close. The audience are encouraged to join in, swaying back and forth in wonder and holding their smart phone torches high in unison – what an amazing experience the Australian Outback Spectacular show has been!

We absolutely loved our night at the Australian Outback Spectacular – from the pre-show entertainment to the show itself, this really was a wonderful Gold Coast family night to remember!

Show information

How long is the Australian Outback Spectacular?

The Outback Spectacular show runs for one hour and forty five minutes.

When is the Australian Outback Spectacular?

There are mainly evening shows and some Sunday matinees. It’s best to check the official 2022 show calendar here for the correct times and dates.

Where do I get tickets for the Australian Outback Spectacular?

Get your tickets for the Outback Spectacular at the Village Roadshow Theme Parks website here.

Where is the Australian Outback Spectacular located?

The Australian Outback Spectacular address is off the Pacific Motorway at Oxenford on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

How do I get to the Gold Coast of Australia?

You can fly Jetstar Australia direct to the Gold Coast. They offer cheap flights to the Gold Coast with their low flight fares everyday. Check out the latest Jetstar Australia airfare sales here

Where should I stay on the Gold Coast when seeing the Australian Outback Spectacular?

The Sea World Resort offers Outback Spectacular discounts and a shuttle bus to the Australian Outback Spectacular. Sea World Resort is the famous family themed accommodation resort with direct access to the Sea World theme park! You can read all about our stay at the Sea World Resort in our feature article here.

To find out more about the Australian Outback Spectacular, go to their official website here.

The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Destination Gold Coast, The Australian Outback Spectacular and Jetstar Australia for this Gold Coast visit

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Surfers Paradise is overflowing with family entertainment and fun – but what activities should you choose to spend your hard-earned holiday dollars on – particularly if your holiday stay is only for a few days?

Check out this list of the best Gold Coast family fun activities. Several of these activities are short and sweet, so if your family is super-energetic you can probably fit most of them into just a few days. Best of all, everything is within walking distance of all the big Surfers Paradise hotels.

So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the Let’s Go Mum! top 10 Surfers Paradise Gold Coast attractions and activities for families!

1. Ripley’s Believe it or Not

A must-see for families, Ripley’s Believe it Or Not is a fascinating museum of the remarkable, unusual and sometimes even macabre. Situated right in the centre of Surfers, here you can see genuine artefacts, historical recreations, gory tortures, optical illusions, and even the odd shrunken head or two! With a laser room for the kids to try-out their spy creeping skills, and even a disco room to bust-a-move, the whole family is going to really love navigating the windy, intriguing passages of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Take a virtual walk-through with our video here

More info and current prices can be found at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Ripley’s Believe it or Not

2. Surfers Paradise Beach

If you visit Surfers Paradise and don’t take the kids to the beach – well, you really haven’t been to Surfers Paradise! The sand is pristine white, groomed every morning. The surf, whilst sometimes rough, is crystal clear blue. During whale season you can often watch Humpback Whales leaping and flapping about off-shore. Buy buckets and spades for the kids from any of the beach shops along Cavill Avenue, grab your swimsuits and head for the iconic Surfers Paradise beach arch sign. The beach is straight-ahead, and stretches for miles! An hour will do, or better-still, give yourself a morning or afternoon to play, swim, eat and chill on the scattered bench-lounges along the boardwalk – it’s the best Surfers Paradise family entertainment around!

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Surfers Paradise Beach

3. Aquaduck Safaris

This hour long land and water tour in an amphibious bus is a fabulous family activity, and it leaves right from the centre of Surfers Paradise. The kids will love boarding this enormous duck bus which tours through Surfers Paradise, along the Esplanade and makes its way to the Broadwater. Here it summarily plunges right on in to the waterway to become a boat! Every child gets to steer the Aquaduck, which they just adore, and makes for a brilliant photo moment! During the cruise you get to sticky-beak at rows of millionaire’s water-front homes. Eventually you once-again emerge out of the water via a boat ramp, and voila – you’re in a bus again to take you back to Surfers Paradise! You can see our YouTube video of the Aquaduck going from water to land here. This experience is easy to fit in to any schedule, and heaps of fun to boot. Tours depart regularly from 10am to 5:30pm. Departure location: 36 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise

Book your Aquaduck Tour here

More info and current prices can be found at the Aquaduck website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Aquaduck Safaris

4. The Night Markets

The Night Markets are held three times a week – Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, open from 4pm to 9pm – so you really have no excuse to miss them! Strung along the beach esplanade, overlapping the Surfers Paradise beach arch sign, you’ll find all kinds of souvenirs, snacks and knick-knacks for sale. But it’s not the market stalls that you come for – even though they are great. It’s the fabulous atmosphere. Here’s a short video clip to give you a taste of the Night Markets – buskers play, tourists and locals mingle and the Surfers Paradise Beach waves tumble and roar in the background, lit up bright as day. What’s not to love about the Surfers Paradise Night Markets?!

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to the Night Markets

5. Surfers Paradise Timezone

Upstairs from Cavill Mall in the middle of Surfers Paradise you’ll find the largest Timezone fun-parlour in Australia. It’s absolutely massive, chock-full of Dogems, video games, mini golf and indoor entertainment of all types – most ages are going to find something really fun here, and you can spend quite a lot of time having a go of everything. Timezone is the perfect activity for a rainy day or evening out with the family in Surfers Paradise.  Here’s a walkthrough video to show you just how big it is!

More info and current prices can be found at the Timezone website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Timezone

6. Skypoint Q1 Observation Deck

At the top of the Q1 building, 77 Floors high above the Gold Coast you’ll find a an observation floor with amazing views up and down the Gold Coast. Board the super-fast lift to get to Skypoint – check out our video of the fun lift-ride here! At the top there’s a great relaxed atmosphere, with bands playing, a café and bar and a small theatre with videos all about Surfers Paradise playing. A great time to go is just prior to sunset so you get the best of both views – day and night. You can even do a climb up the spire outside (additional cost) if you are over 13 years of age.
Skypoint is around six minutes walk from the Surfers Paradise beach sign, and a great way to fill in an hour or two.

Book your Skypoint Climb Experience here!

Book your Skypoint Observation Deck Tickets here!

More info and current prices can be found at the Skypoint website here

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Skypoint

7. Cavill Mall

The Cavill Mall is the true centre of Surfers Paradise. This is where you’ll find the crowds at any given time of day or night. Buskers put on great displays of magic, music, acrobatics and more. Restaurants line the way, along with gaudy boutiques, souvenir stores and tour guides touting their specials (don’t buy them – they’re usually an attempt to get you out to look at Time-Share condos or some-such). Running along one side of Cavill Mall is the Paradise Centre, an indoor shopping mall with some great boutiques. Downstairs you’ll find a full-sized Woolworths supermarket – this is the best value place around to stock up on your holiday grocery needs, or just grab a barbeque chicken for dinner! You haven’t soaked up the Surfers atmosphere until you sit down on one of the benches in Cavill Mall and people-watch. Here’s a little video clip of Cavill Mall at night.

Google Map location – Click here for walking directions to Cavill Mall

8. Helicopter Flight and Ultimate Jetboat Ride Combo

Take a walk on the wild side with a helicopter flight and jetboat ride combination for a wild day out! Family friendly, kids aged 5 up can do this too!

During your combo you’ll experience a:

• 10-minutes helicopter flight experience along the stunning Gold Coast coastline
• 55-minute jetboat adventure through Gold Coast Broadwater

Book your helicopter and jetboat combo experience here

Book just a Gold Coast helicopter flight here

9. Jet Ski Island Safari Tours on the Gold Coast

Located in Surfers Paradise, this cool experience has your driving your own jetski, and you can carry a child on the back from age 7 yrs up! Two people per jet ski.

10. Go Whale or Dolphin Watching (Seasonal)

The Gold Coast is a whale watching centre from the months of June to November. Being out on the ocean off Surfers Paradise is incredible – you get to see whales and dolphins frolicking, and it’s so beautiful to look back at the high rises of Surfers as a background against whales leaping!

Here are two Gold Coast whale watching boat tour options for you:

Book your Whale Watching adventure with Spirit of Gold Coast Whale Watching here

or

Book your Whale Watching adventure with Kokomo Cruises here

Still looking for Gold Coast fun? Don’t forget the famous theme parks, a short drive away.

Bonus ideas! Gold Coast theme parks

The top three family theme parks are Dreamworld, Movie World which are twenty minutes drive away, and Sea World which is just ten minutes drive from Surfers Paradise.

Of course there are many more great Surfers Paradise and Gold Coast attractions for families in addition to the ones we’ve listed here – but these are our top-ten picks – we hope your family has an absolutely fantastic Queensland holiday!

Have you visited any of these attractions? Perhaps you’ve had a great family experience elsewhere in Surfers Paradise? We’d love to know! Tell us about it in the comments below…

All opinions are our own – Let’s Go Mum! were invited guests of Ripleys Believe It Or Not, Aquaduck, Whales in Paradise and Skypoint.

The post Surfers Paradise ten best family holiday activities appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Is Soul really the best hotel on the Gold Coast?

There are a lot of great resorts up and down Queensland’s Gold Coast, but few have both luxury and location nailed. Soul is a very popular five-star Gold Coast hotel for the super-rich from all around the world. The main entrance looks like something out of Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous – Maserati’s, stretch-Mercedes and Ferraris of Soul’s affluent guests abound.

Some guests live there, some are on holiday – some even stay for several months over winter. The lifts are full of supermarket deliveries to the rooms of Dubai nationals taking time-out from the heat of the Emirates in Summer, and the odd nanny escorting children down to the pool for a swim. People-watching is just part of the fascinating experience of staying at Soul!

The best accommodation location in Surfers Paradise

Soul is widely recognised as the best-located luxury apartments in Surfers Paradise – and for good reason – it’s smack-bang in the centre of Surfers Paradise, and directly opposite the beach front. This makes for unparalleled convenience, and absolute ocean views.

Walk out of the Soul hotel’s front doors, and you’ll find yourself across the road from the world’s most beautiful beaches – Surfers Paradise beach – famous for it’s clean white sands and crystal-blue rolling waves. Take the kids for a splash in the sea under the careful watch of the Gold Coast life-saving club, or just go for a stroll along the beautiful esplanade – also home of the fascinating Night Markets three times a week.

If you plan on taking the kids to a theme park during your visit to Queensland, Sea World is just five minutes drive up the road. Dreamworld and Movie World are only about twenty minutes drive away, too.

The iconic Surfers Paradise metal archway sign and busy pedestrian Cavill Avenue are right next door – home of touristy shopping, cheap foot-massages and family entertainment – everything you need for a fun, relaxed holiday – and at Soul, you’re staying in the centre  of it all.

Our two-bedroom Soul Apartment

Staying at Soul apartments is everything you would expect from a five star hotel. Full digital security access, with tags or cards for doors and elevators. Stylish, expensive décor with immaculately maintained interiors and exteriors.

Each apartment features a spacious open-plan lounge and dining area, and is elegantly furnished throughout. Marble-topped tables, plush cushions, glass and mirrors complete the modern luxury look and feel of these apartments. Floor-to-ceiling windows monopolise that fabulous Gold Coast view.

Even though this is Queensland, it still gets cool in the evenings in winter. The apartment has reverse-cycle climate control to keep things at the right temperature, no matter what time of year it is.

The apartment layout and space gives a family of four plenty of room for togetherness, or alone time too! The lounges are super-comfy, and a great spot to settle down when you’ve all dropped from Gold Coast too-much-fun-exhaustion and just need some quiet-time to watch a family movie together.

There is a plethora of modern appliances throughout the apartment too. Stero systems, flat screen TVs in each room, a bluetooth DVD player, and well-optioned Foxtel Pay TV too.

The bedrooms

We stayed in a two bedroom apartment, however Soul three bedroom apartments are also available for larger families.

Our master bedroom was huge, with a king-sized bed, direct access to the main balcony and a spacious en-suite.

The en-suite vanity has two basins. The shower is oversized, strong and hot. It also features a deep spa bath tub with a glass window overlooking the master bedroom, and then on, out to the balcony and view beyond.