Life in Gold Coast

Known for its residents’ youthful outlook and an abundance of sport and leisure facilities — some natural, some man-made, from Surfers Paradise to theme parks — Gold Coast is an ever-growing city.

Queensland’s stunning natural landscape offers plenty of places for daytrips or holidays, such as the mountain ranges and rainforest of the Gold Coast Hinterland, a largely rural area away from the coast.

Australia is renowned for its quality of life, sunny climate and work-life balance, and as a result draws thousands of expats from around the globe each year.

Culture and Leisure

Hedonism takes center stage in Gold Coast. This is the destination of choice for many visitors from across Australia and all over the world, who come for the beautiful beaches, perfect surfing conditions, sunshine and nightlife.

There is a huge range of recreational activities, from jet skiing to skydiving, go-karting to kayaking, bush walks to surfing.

For those visiting and living in Gold Coast, the city hosts several annual festivals. There is an annual film festival; Bleach, which takes place over three weeks and features street parties, art, dance and theater; while the Gold Coast Multicultural Festival reflects the city’s diverse population. The Gold Coast City Gallery hosts more than 20 local, national and international exhibitions each year in three spaces.

Sports are an integral part of Gold Coast life. Many of the surf clubs along the coast host a variety of swimming and athletic events as well as surf carnivals. Professional sports teams compete in the National Rugby League as well as Australian rules football and basketball.

Motor racing is one of the most well-established sports in the area, with the Gold Coast 600 a major event on the sporting calendar since the 1950s. The region will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games; new facilities and venues are under construction and the games will be centered on Carrara Stadium.

Transportation in Gold Coast

The Gold Coast Light Rail, or G:Link as it’s known, is the fastest and most convenient way of traveling around and links the most densely populated districts of the city. The service covers a 13 km route from the Gold Coast University Hospital to Broadbeach South, passing Surfers Paradise, Southport, Main Beach and Griffith University along the way.

Surfside Buslines provide buses around the Gold Coast and stops are located on most main roads. Buses run 24 hours a day, but are more frequent in the daytime. The Gold Coast Airport, also known as Coolangatta Airport, is in Coolangatta, to the south of the city. It handles around 3.5 million passengers per year with frequent connections from major Australian cities and some international flights to New Zealand and Asia.

Education in Gold Coast

Education is an important consideration for expats planning to make a new life with their family. Gold Coast is home to dozens of public and private schools, many built relatively recently to cater for the booming population.

Griffith University and Bond University are both located on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast area is home to Australia’s largest ‘Schoolies’ celebration, a three-week graduation festival celebrated by Year 12 school leavers from every corner of Australia.