General Information | Activities & Attractions>>


Climate
The subtropical Gold Coast has bright, sunny days (300 of them a year!). It's quite warm in summer and mild in winter and there is really no 'bad' time to visit. Seasons in Australia are the reverse of North America and Europe.

Summer is December to February (20-30°C), Autumn (fall) March to May (15-25°C), Winter June to August (11 -22°C), and Spring September to November (15-25°C).


Car rental
Rental cars are freely available on the Gold Coast from Budget, Avis, Hertz, Thrifty, Europcar, Redback Car and several smaller operators. Vehicles are generally no more than eight months old, with automatic transmission and air-conditioning. Renters have to be 21 or older and hold a current driver's licence. An international license is not necessary.

Credit cards
All banks have automated teller machines (ATMs) accessible 24-hours a day, generally outside the branch or in the foyer. Check with your card issuer that your charge or account-linked credit card can be used in this way, and at which bank as none accept every brand of card. Be warned, cash snatching is not uncommon so be conscious of the people around you and avoid ATMs in dark or seemingly deserted places.

Driving information
Australians drive on the left, which can be disconcerting for visitors used to driving on the right side of the road. Roads are generally good and major routes well signposted. Speed limits and distances are expressed in kilometres and vary substantially from 50 kph in residential and heavy traffic areas to 110 kph on freeways. Drink driving is a serious offence and heavily policed. The legal limit of .05% is quite low - roughly equivalent to two small glasses of wine in the first hour and one an hour thereafter for men, less for women.

Medical services
Australian health care professionals are highly trained and medical services are among the best in the world. Visitors from the UK, New Zealand and Finland are entitled to free or heavily subsidised medical and hospital care under reciprocal national health care agreements with the taxpayer funded Medicare organisation.

All other visitors should take out travel insurance when visiting Australia. Several Australian-based travel insurers have special cover for visitors which are very much less expensive than travel cover sold in the US, for instance. Major hotels have doctors on-call.

Rail services
Queensland Rail>> provides numerous daily services between Brisbane and the
Gold Coast. Trains run at regular intervals from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Bus connections to Surfers Paradise are available from the Helensvale and Robina stations. Phone the Trans Info Hotline on 13 1230 for up to date information on train and bus services. Bus connections are also available from Nerang Railway Station to Surfers Paradise.

Telephone Transinfo on 13 12 30 for route and ticket information.

Restaurants
The Gold Coast is home to a dazzling array of places to eat. From relaxed beach cafes to elegant restaurants, there's something to tease every taste and every budget. You can pick up a restaurant guide from concierge or local information centres on arrival, or ask the locals where they like to eat!

Shopping
Resort shopping villages, variety-packed centres, designer boutiques, elegant arcades plus art and craft markets can all be found on the Gold Coast. Visit activities & attractions for more info>>

Taxes
A 10% Goods and Services Tax applies to most purchases. This tax is refundable to visitors with purchases in excess of $300 per store made within 30 days before departing Australia and applies only to goods visitors take with them as hand luggage. Please call 1300 363 263 or visit www.customs.gov.au for further information.

Taxi Service
Regent Taxis provides door to door transport to the public throughout the Gold Coast region and have been doing so for 60 years. Drivers are easily identified in company uniform and a fully decaled vehicle.

The Gold Coast City’s largest taxi fleet is Regent Taxis. Phone 131 008 for bookings
or visit www.regenttaxis.com.au for more information.

Travellers cheques
Travellers cheques, especially in foreign currencies, are generally NOT accepted EXCEPT by hotels and big stores and tourist shops. These display a `travellers cheques welcome' sign. Cash your cheques at a bank or Bureau de Change to ensure you have enough spending money. The same holds true for foreign currency,
which is not generally accepted by Australian businesses and shops.

Tipping
No service charge applies in Australia. Tipping is not mandatory but a tip in restaurants and hotel bars is optional for exceptional service.



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