Affordable couples adventures Gold Coast — new tram, new bars, whale season
Updated: Sep 18
Something changed on this stretch of coast in August. The G:link tram now runs the whole way from Helensvale to Burleigh Heads, and the Christine Avenue stop is on our corner. That means affordable couples adventures Gold Coast new tram, new bars, whale season, now cost about as much as the fare, which is 50 cents. Dinner at Nobby Beach, a bistro at Mermaid, a walk on the headland at Burleigh — all of it without a car park, a hire car, or a designated driver.
Doubles from $125/night when you book direct. Burleigh Beach is 200m down Sixth Avenue, about a two-minute walk.
What's actually new: the tram reaches Burleigh
Passenger services on the southern extension started on 9 August 2026. It's a 6.7km run from Broadbeach South with eight new stations: Mermaid Beach, Mermaid Beach South, Nobby Beach, Miami North, Miami, Christine Avenue, Second Avenue and Burleigh Heads. The whole line is now 27 stations, Helensvale to Burleigh.
Two things that matter if you're here as a couple:
You're in the middle of it. Christine Avenue is our corner. Nobby and Mermaid are a few minutes north, Burleigh Heads a few minutes south.
The fare is 50 cents a trip with a go card or contactless tap on. Two of you, out and back, costs two dollars.
Leave the car in our lot (one permit per room, subject to availability) and put the money toward dinner.
Affordable couples adventures Gold Coast — a stop-by-stop night out
The new stations opened onto strips that were already good and have been getting better all year. Here's what's worth the ride, north to south.
Nobby Beach
La Vie on Chairlift Avenue is a small wine bar and cafe run by three French mates. Crêpes, charcuterie boards, European wine, and the kind of room you end up sitting in for three hours. Book if it's a Friday.
Mermaid Beach
Bistro Margaux at 2215 Gold Coast Highway opened in August from the Lars Bar & Grill team — escargots, French onion soup, steak frites, and a wine list that takes itself a little seriously in a good way. A few doors along at 2241, Salty's is the opposite mood: a big beer garden, wood-fired pizza, room for a crowd, open from 5:30am if you want breakfast instead.
Burleigh Heads
SHŌTŌ at 1730 Gold Coast Highway is the dark little Japanese bar in the old Kin space — yakitori, robata skewers, smoky cocktails. On James Street, May's Vietnamese Coffee at number 47 does four coffee bases and four cold-foam toppers, so sixteen combinations if you're feeling methodical. Then there's the James Street standards: Rick Shores if you're spending, The Tropic if you're not, Nightjar for a late one.
Miami — from the front door
You don't need the tram for these. Blend Greenness opened at 5/1916 Gold Coast Highway, a few doors from us, doing rice bowls, katsu sandos and wonton noodle soup. ACE'S Coffee landed at Miami One (Shop 5/1934) in August, from the pair behind Skull & Bones — New York-style focaccias and cinnamon buns. Paddock Bakery is 150m if you want the classic.
Miami Marketta is open Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm, free entry, undercover, with live music on the Cargo Stage. Global street food, no bookings needed for a table of two.
The free half of the weekend
Walk the headland
Burleigh Head National Park is about 2km from us, roughly a 25-minute walk along the Oceanway. Ocean on one side, rainforest on the other, no entry fee. Go early — it's quieter and cooler before nine.
Watch for whales
The Gold Coast has the longest whale season in the country, running from about late May to early November. September and October are the southern leg, when mothers and calves travel back down and hug the coast — which is exactly why people stand on the headland in spring with a coffee going cold in their hand. You don't need a boat. Tumgun Lookout and the cliffs above the point do the job.
Sunset at Burleigh Hill
Grassy lookout above the beach, and come late arvo it fills with locals doing the same thing you're about to. Grab a picnic from Aldi across the road or Coles (~300m) and take the rug. Still the cheapest good night on the Coast.
The mural trail
The Miami-to-Burleigh street art trail is free and permanent — dozens of large-scale works between Miami, Nobby Beach and Burleigh Heads, and it's an easy hour or two on foot. Surface Festival has the map.
Spring dates worth booking around
Three of the biggest ones on the southern Gold Coast calendar land in the next few weeks, and our rooms tend to go 4–6 weeks out for them.
SWELL Sculpture Festival — 11 to 20 September, Currumbin Beach. More than 100 large-scale works along a 1.5km beach walkway from Currumbin Alley to Flat Rock, free to walk, with guided twilight walks, live music and artist talks. About 15 minutes south, or take the 700 from Miami One (~300m).
BLEACH Festival — 1 to 11 October. Moved to spring for the first time in its 15 years, with a full HOTA precinct takeover, a free opening concert, and SIX60 with Sub Tribe on the outdoor stage on Saturday 3 October. Lakeside food trucks running late.
Groundwater Country Music Festival — 16 to 18 October, Broadbeach. Free, across multiple outdoor stages, and now a straight tram ride north.
Still worth doing: learn to surf together
Kirra is about fifteen minutes south and holds one of the best right-handers on the coast. Local surf schools run beginner lessons for couples — figure on $60 to $80 each for a couple of hours with board and rashie included. No experience needed. Most people come out grinning and already talking about the next one.
A clean room at the tram stop
We're a family-run 36-room motel on the Gold Coast Highway in Miami, on the Christine Avenue corner, between Burleigh Heads and Miami Beach. Doubles from $125/night.
Every room has a private ensuite, air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with free-to-air channels, microwave, bar fridge, electric kettle, free Wi-Fi, fresh linen and towels, and free toiletries. On site there's an outdoor pool that's open all year and free for guests, free parking (subject to availability), a coin laundry, and reception from 9am to 7:30pm.
Road-facing rooms have double-glazed windows available on request — worth asking for with the highway and the tram line out the front.
4.7 stars on Google, and named Best Budget-Friendly Accommodation in Burleigh Heads in the Virgin Australia Where to Stay guide. Book direct and there are no platform fees and no resort fees.
For the slower, more date-night version of this trip, see our romantic getaway in Burleigh Heads guide, or the free things to do in Burleigh list.
Getting around without a car
G:link and bus 765 — Christine Avenue stop on our corner. North to Nobby, Mermaid, Broadbeach, Surfers, Southport and Helensvale (Airtrain change for Brisbane Airport). South to Second Avenue and Burleigh Heads.
Bus 700 — Miami One (~300m). Gold Coast Highway; south toward Currumbin and Coolangatta.
Route 777 — Gold Coast Airport, about 25 minutes, from Miami One. Not a night-out bus.
Fares — 50 cents a trip with a go card or contactless.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Christine Avenue tram stop open?
Yes. The Christine Avenue stop is on our corner, and passenger services on the Broadbeach-to-Burleigh extension started on 9 August 2026. G:link runs north to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Southport and Helensvale, and south to Second Avenue and Burleigh Heads. Bus 765 uses the same corner stop. Routes 700 and 777 stop at Miami One (~300m). Fares are 50 cents with a go card or contactless.
How far is the motel from Burleigh Beach?
200m — about a two-minute walk. Straight down Sixth Avenue and you're on the sand.
What can couples do near the motel without a car?
Burleigh Beach is 200m. Burleigh Head National Park is about 2km along the Oceanway. Miami Marketta runs Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm. The tram from our corner reaches Nobby Beach, Mermaid Beach, Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach for 50 cents a trip.
When is whale season on the Gold Coast?
Roughly late May to early November. September and October are the southern migration, when mothers and calves travel close to shore — good odds from the Burleigh headland without paying for a boat.
Is there road or tram noise near the motel?
The Gold Coast Highway runs past us and the tram now runs on Christine Avenue. Road-facing rooms have double-glazed windows available on request — ask when you book, or at reception.
Book Direct — Best Rates
Phone: (07) 5576 3211 Email: info@burleighmotel.com.au Location: 1908–1910 Gold Coast Highway, Miami QLD 4220 (corner of Christine Avenue)
Sunsets, whales, 50-cent fares — and a tram stop on our corner.
