Car Rental > Queensland > Grandpas Guide to Renting a Car in Gold Coast

Good day kiddos! Your favorite Grandpa is back again. I’m excited to share with you about my adventures in the Gold Coast.I have here some medications ready, if ever my excitement goes off limit..naahhh..just kidding. Your gramps Ben is still as lively as a hopping kangaroo!

 

So, before we get lost, let me tell you first the place we are visiting today, Gold Coast. 

 

Gold Coast is a city in the Australian state of Queensland. It is the second most populous city in the state and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is also the most populous non-capital city in the country.

 

The Gold Coast has a reputation of a major tourist destination because of its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, nightlife and, last but not the least, its rainforest hinterland.

 

Because of these beautiful attractions, Gold Coast offers some of the best scenic drives in the country. Among of these routes are the Great Ocean Road, the Snowy Mountains Highway, the Tasmanian West Coast and the Adelaide Hills.

 

So what are you waiting for? Get up that couch, rent a nice car, and be ready to drive the Gold Coast.

 

First, rent a car.

 

To find a nice car, log in to vroomvroomvroom.com.au and compare the car rental rates of prestigious car rental companies and book a car that will be perfect for your budget.

 

Your Grandpa here has suggestions of scenic routes that can keep you occupied for an hour, half a day, or even the whole day. Depends on your mood on which route to take.  If you don’t have the whole day, then you can skip some of the places that I’ve listed here. But if you decide to sit behind the wheel the whole day ―even though tiring― you will be greatly rewarded by the beauty that will surely overwhelm you in these scenic routes. And guess what, you’ll be driving in more asphalts that you can imagine. *chuckling*

 

Before we start the trip here are some tips.

 

If you complete the roundtrip, you’ll see as much as you can of the Gold Coast on one tank of fuel, but you can do individual sections of the route if you’re not planning to drive all day.

 

Even though you’ll never be more than ten minutes away from a town on any part of the route, it is still advisable for you to bring water.

 

Mobile phones won’t work on some parts of the route, especially in the mountains around the NSW border and Mount Tamborine.

 

And, you won’t find much traffic on the back roads, but you should still look out for cars and speeding motorbikes ―the routes are popular scenic drives. 

 

1. Gold Coast Scenic Drive

Take the ultimate Gold Coast scenic drive in a roundtrip.

 

You can start anywhere you like. But we’ll assume that your trip starts at Surfers Paradise because that’s where most people are staying on holidays.

 

From the Gold Coast Highway, head north and you’ll be in awed with the enchanting Main Beach and along the edge of the marvelous Broadwater through Southport, Labrador and Runaway Bay.

 

You’ll be able to see yachts cruising and seagulls gliding above the waters. If you leave on a Saturday morning, expect for a bit of traffic. After passing the Runaway Bay, you’ll see signs to Sanctuary Cove ―a prestige Golf Course development and a boutique shopping Village― where you can have a look around the area.

 

After the Cove, you’ll see signs to the Pacific Highway and Brisbane. If you’re already on the Pacific Highway, look out for the left hand exit to Mount Tamborine when you get past Dreamworld. Take the route and it will lead you out past an area of acreages and then up the mountain to Tamborine Village. Head over to North Tamborine and you’ll se signs pointing to various bushwalks and National Parks. You can also take short strolls around the mountain and see stunning rainforests.

 

After the short stop, you can now head over to Eagle Heights and back down the mountain to Nerang.

 

 

Once in Nerang, find the Pacific Highway and head south until you see the turn to Mudgeeraba. Drive through Mudgeeraba and follow the signs to Springbrook. Watch out for signs because the road has plenty of sharp corners, narrow curved wooden bridges, and hairpins.

 

The road up the mountain to Springbrook is safe, but there’s nothing wrong if you’ll take it slow. But if you’re more of a daredevil, add a bit of horsepower under the bonnet and you will definitely think that you’re in heaven.

 

There are plenty of lookouts and little shops in Springbrook that will surely interest you. But when you’ve looked out to your heart’s content, you can head back the way you came. Go through the section where the road splits in two and then take the next left. In a bout five to ten minutes of curves, you’ll end up at a T intersection. Turn left and head towards Numinbah Valley and Natural Arch where you can chill for a while and grab something to eat.

 

After a short rest, continue heading south through the valley and then take the right hadn turn to Natural Arch where you can take a short bushwalk and absorb the beauty of the surroundings.

 

After the short walk, head back to the road that goes through the valley, turn left, and follow the signs to Murwillumbah. You’ll cross the NSW/Qld border at a mountain pass about five to ten minutes down the road. And I assure you that the view is magnificent. Continue to Murwillumbah and treat yourself to an amazing changing of scenery which begins in temperate rainforest and heads down through farmlands, pretty valleys, charming towns, and ends up in sugarcane fields. If you’re into cold beverage, follow the signs to the center of Murwillumbah and find a pub.

 

 

If you want to get back to the Gold Coast, you’ll have two options. The first option: if you’re out of time and can’t bear another curve, follow the signs to the freeway and travel back to Coolangatta at 110km/hr along a new and fairly scenic motoway.

 

But if you still have plenty of time and ready to take another bracing drive, head back out the way you came into Murwillumbah, go across the bridge to where you have turned right after coming through from the Numinbah Valley and keep going straight ahead and follow the signs to Currumbim.

 

You’ll drive through cane fields for about ten minutes and then you’ll head back up into and over the mountains on the border through banana plantations and rainforest, with incredible views across the Tweed Valley all the way to Mount Warning. Keep following the winding road for about 15-25 minutes until you arrive at Currumbim Creek road. Then, turn right and follow the creek all the way back to the traffic lights at the Pacific Highway. Turn right and follow the signs to the airport and Coolangatta.

Coolangatta back to Surfers Paradise

 

Coolangatta shares the state border with Tweed Heads and is a great place for an afternoon ice cream. Follow the road along the coastline and you’ll pass and see for 15 minutes, some of the most famous surf breaks in the world ―including Kirra Beach, Snapper Rocks, Greenmount and Duranbah.

 

2. O’Reilly’s and Lamington National Park

If you’re after a shorter drive yet still up for beautiful sceneries, take the route through O’Reilly’s and Lamington National Park via Canungra.

 

The whole roundtrip will only take 3 hours if you don’t stop, but I’m sure you’ll want to stop. *chuckling*

 

You can have a shorter drive yet still witness some historic areas of the Gold Coast. Lamington National Park is waiting for you. There are some bushy mountain corners for 40 kilometers, but it’s a good road so you can take is as fast or slow as you like, as long as it doesn’t exceed the speed limits. 

 

Once again, our starting point is in Surfers Paradise. Follow the signs to Nerang and then Hinze Dam. 5 minutes out of Nerang, and before you see a turn to Mt. Tamborine, on the right side you’ll see a route to Canungara, take it.

 

The road is quite boring for a bit until you get to a historic river mill on your right hand side and then the turn to Henri Roberts Drive which leads up Mount Tamborine on your right. If you want to go up the mountain, take the turn. If not, then just follow the road and keep going southwest to Canungra.

 

The road will lead you alongside hills and dales and past a few rivers and wineries ―all of which are quite scenic. After a few minutes, you’ll be driving through a more rugged hilly section which makes up the Canungra Army Base Military Training Area. 

 

You’ll see big signs everywhere saying that you shouldn’t go bushwalking off the road or you might get shot. Remember to follow signs.

 

After about 10 minutes and passing the Canungra Army Barracks, which are at an intersection, turn right and keep following the signs to Canungra ―which is now only a few kilometers west. Before arriving at the town, you’ll see signs for a historic tunnel, which looks like a hole in a hill and is not really worth getting out of the car.

 

Once in town, take a look around some cute cafés, a small park and a large tudor style pub which is popular with bikers ―people who likes winding roads. Not the gang people who likes to shoot at people.

 

After looking around, follow the road that the pub is on. You’ll see signs to “O’Reilly’s” ―a guesthouse at the top of the mountains in Lamington National Park. After about 15 minutes of heading through a pleasant little valley, you’ll start driving over cattle grids and you’ll quickly find yourself on one of the best drivers’ roads in Queensland ―a 50 kilometer road, winding, smooth, full of single-lane hairpin bend and blind corners with splendid views in all sides. You might think that the road is a little intimidating. But guess what, in this road, you’ll only face danger if you’re driving with your eyes closed.

 

Once you get to the top, you’ll be in a totally different climate and landscape to the rest of Gold Coast. The area is greener and the trees are totally taller.

 

3. Eagleby Wetland Reserve

Are you an avi-tourist? Visit Gold Coast’s Eagleby Wetland Reserve.

 

Eagleby Wetland Reserve is a reclaimed wetland around a water treatment plant on the Albert River. It’s located between the Logan and Albert Rivers.

 

The Wetlands feature varied bird habitats such as melaleuca and brackish swamps, freshwater lakes, woodlands, cane fields and open grassland. In the Reserve, you can also see about 203 Australian native bird species, including 17 of the 24 Australian Raptors, and almost half of the bird species found in Queensland.