Gold Coast getaway guide — the whole coast, car optional
Updated: 2 days ago
Planning a trip? See our rooms from $125/night.
This Gold Coast getaway guide starts in Miami, not Surfers. Burleigh Gold Coast Motel puts you 200m from Burleigh Beach, G:link on our corner, and rooms from $125 a night. Tram north for Broadbeach and Surfers. Two stops south, then bus 700 for Coolangatta. Hinterland and the theme parks are easier with a car.
Book the room first. Then pick the days.
Gold Coast getaway guide from Miami
We're at 1908–1910 Gold Coast Highway, corner of Christine Avenue. Address suburb is Miami. The sand 200m down Sixth Avenue is the north end of Burleigh Beach — not James Street, not the headland.
G:link and bus 765 stop at the Christine Avenue stop on our corner. 50-cent Translink fares with a go card or contactless. G:link times at Christine Avenue.
G:link runs north to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Southport and Helensvale, and south to Burleigh Heads. It does not reach Coolangatta, the airport, or HOTA.
Walk it
No ticket needed for the close stuff.
Burleigh Beach — 200m down Sixth Avenue, about a two-minute walk
Paddock Bakery — 150m. Wood-fired sourdough; start here
North Burleigh Lookout — this end of the beach, at Little Burleigh. Sunrise or sunset, usually quiet
Miami Marketta — street food and live bands, Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm
Aldi — across the road
James Street, Justins Park and Burleigh Head National Park are south — Oceanway or two tram stops (Second Avenue, then Burleigh Heads). Do not treat them as a walk from the door.
Burleigh Hill and Tumgun Lookout sit at that southern end. Humpbacks pass close to shore from June to early November.
Light Years is on the highway toward the village if you want pan-Asian share plates without getting on the tram.
Ride it: the tram, north
Stay on G:link from our corner.
Nobby Beach — a compact restaurant strip on the highway
Broadbeach South — Pacific Fair, The Star, Kurrawa Beach. Change here if you are going further north
Surfers Paradise — SkyPoint on Q1 if you want the view. Time it for late arvo if you can
HOTA — ride to Surfers Paradise, then walk the Green Bridge (about 20 minutes). Free gallery entry. It is the wet-weather option
Broadwater Parklands, Southport — water play, playgrounds, calm swimming
Main Beach and The Spit — Federation Walk is undeveloped coastal bushland between Sea World and the Seaway
Head south
Route 700 now runs Tweed Heads to Stockland Burleigh Heads, connecting with the tram at Burleigh Heads. It does not stop at Miami One and it does not run north of Burleigh Heads.
Without a car: G:link two stops south to Burleigh Heads, then 700 toward Coolangatta and Tweed Heads.
Route 777 is Gold Coast Airport ↔ Stockland Burleigh Heads only. Do not treat it as a Coolangatta bus.
Drive times from here, if you have the car: Tallebudgera Creek about 6 minutes (flat, sheltered swim); Palm Beach Parklands about 10; Currumbin Alley about 12; Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary about 12; Snapper Rocks and Point Danger about 30. Elephant Rock is the steep steps above the Currumbin surf club — most people drive past it.
Cooly Rocks On is the June week that fills Coolangatta. Same advice: book Burleigh first.
The hinterland
About 45 minutes inland the coast disappears.
Natural Bridge, Springbrook National Park — a short rainforest loop to a waterfall through a basalt cave. Early for parking, or after dark for glow worms.
Purling Brook Falls, Springbrook — walk the circuit clockwise so the climb out is the gentler side.
Tamborine Mountain — Gallery Walk is galleries, bakeries and fudge. Weekdays if you can.
Both hinterland runs need a car. No car? Day-tour operators pick up from Broadbeach.
Theme parks
Easier to drive than to bus. Free parking here — one permit per room, no height restriction, subject to availability — so the car can sit still between park days.
Sea World, Main Beach — about 30 minutes; the park on the beach side of the motorway
Warner Bros. Movie World, Oxenford — about 35 minutes
Dreamworld, Coomera — about 40 minutes
Wet'n'Wild, Oxenford — about 35 minutes; seasonal hours
David Fleay Wildlife Park at West Burleigh is a shorter inland run — platypus and koalas without the theme-park queues.
See theme park accommodation and the Sea World guide.
Beaches, by what you actually want
Sunrise, fewer people — North Burleigh, 200m
Flat, kid-friendly water — Tallebudgera Creek
Learning to surf — Currumbin Alley
Watching people who can surf — Burleigh Point (south, two tram stops) or Snapper Rocks
Patrolled and central — Kurrawa, Broadbeach, G:link north
Nothing but dunes — Federation Walk, The Spit
Eat and drink
Start at Paddock Bakery. Granddad Jack's, Precinct Brewing Co, Roji Cat Beer Bar and the Miami Tavern are a short walk in Miami / North Burleigh. James Street is the village strip two tram stops south — cafes, wine bars, boutiques.
Miami Marketta is Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm if you want stalls and a band. Burleigh Market is Saturday morning at Burleigh Heads State School on West Burleigh Road.
Stay, sip and savour if you want the food days spelled out.
Free
Sunrise on North Burleigh beach
The Oceanway, in either direction, as far as you like
Oceanview and Rainforest circuits through Burleigh Head National Park
Whale watching from Tumgun Lookout, June to November
HOTA gallery and rooftop
Broadwater Parklands water play
Federation Walk Coastal Reserve
Sunset on Burleigh Hill, with supplies from the Aldi across the road from us
When to come
June to August — whale season, mild days, empty beaches and the lowest rates of the year. The best-kept secret on this coast.
March to May — warm water, warm nights, easy restaurant bookings.
September to November — jacarandas, the tail of whale season, and water warming up again.
December to February — hot, humid, busy. Book early and swim early.
Midweek beats weekend in every one of those. Better rates, quieter beaches, and you can walk into restaurants that need a fortnight's notice on a Saturday.
Your getaway base
Burleigh Gold Coast Motel is 36 rooms from $125 a night. Private ensuite, air conditioning, flat-screen TV with free-to-air channels, free Wi-Fi, microwave, bar fridge, kettle, hair dryer and iron. Outdoor pool all year. Coin laundry. Reception 9am–7:30pm. Late arrival if you call ahead.
Double — sleeps 2 — from $125/night
Triple — sleeps 3 — from $165/night — ground-floor triples on request
Quad — sleeps 4 — from $185/night
Family — sleeps 5 — from $195/night
Interconnecting — sleeps 5–6 — from $295/night — two bathrooms
Rates current as of June 2026. Confirm live availability when booking. There is no lift. Upper floors are stairs only.
4.7 stars on Google. Virgin Australia named us best budget-friendly accommodation in Burleigh Heads — an editorial pick in their Where to Stay guide, not a paid listing.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do the Gold Coast without a car?
Most of it, yes. G:link from the Christine Avenue stop on our corner runs Helensvale to Burleigh Heads. 50 cents a trip. You will want a car for the hinterland, and it is easier for the theme parks. Beaches, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Southport and Main Beach are on the tram.
How far is the motel from the beach?
200m to the sand at the north end of Burleigh Beach — about a two-minute walk down Sixth Avenue. Burleigh Heads village and the headland are south, along the Oceanway or two tram stops.
How do I get to Coolangatta without a car?
G:link two stops south to Burleigh Heads, then bus 700 toward Coolangatta. Do not treat 777 as that bus — it is the Gold Coast Airport service.
What's the best free thing to do on the Gold Coast?
The Burleigh headland walk. Between June and early November you will often see whales from it. HOTA's gallery in Bundall is the wet-weather second.
When is the cheapest time to visit the Gold Coast?
Winter weekdays, June to August, outside Queensland school holidays. Mild weather, whales, and the lowest rates we charge all year.
The longer local list lives on See & Do. This page is the getaway version: where to base, how to move, what to skip.
Book Direct — Best Rates
Phone: (07) 5576 3211 · Email: info@burleighmotel.com.au · Location: 1908–1910 Gold Coast Highway, Miami QLD 4220
The whole coast. Sleep in Miami.
