Since Monday 7 September 2026, the route 700 bus no longer goes north to Broadbeach South and the route 777 airport bus ends at Stockland Burleigh Heads, so for the rest of the trip you change to the G:link tram at Burleigh Heads. Translink also started a new route 701 and renamed the late night 700 as route 70.
Five bus stop closures on the Gold Coast outside the Gold Coast 500 area are in force or coming up before December, and each has an alternative stop listed by Translink. The longest are in Pimpama, where route 724 stops are affected until Friday 27 November and Gainsborough Drive and Sarabah Way stops are closed until 6 December.
The G:link’s L1 line runs between Helensvale and Burleigh Heads with 27 stations, and the whole trip took 63 minutes on the first of the five sample trips in Translink’s timetable for Monday 19 October 2026. Eight of the stations are new with the extension of the line south to Burleigh Heads, and Translink changed local bus routes to match on Monday 7 September 2026.
Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 is open: the Government said the first passengers would board at Burleigh Heads from 6am on Sunday 9 August 2026, and John Holland reported that day that passengers were travelling. The G:link now runs from Helensvale to Burleigh Heads. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says some finishing works may still be needed after the start of passenger services.
Most Gold Coast lifeguard towers are patrolled between 8am and 5pm every day all year round, but a set of towers only open for part of the year. In mid-October the towers that open “every day from September to April” are on, while those that start “between November and April” are not on that schedule yet, although the City also lists them as patrolled during school holidays. Always swim between the red and yellow flags, and if there are no flags, do not swim.
The public transport route from Gold Coast Airport to Surfers Paradise is the route 777 bus to Burleigh Heads station, then the G:link tram north. Since Monday 7 September 2026, the 777 no longer goes as far as Broadbeach South station: it runs as a limited-stop express between the airport and Stockland Burleigh Heads, and the tram extension carries the rest of the trip.
The City of Gold Coast’s Alex Black car park in Burleigh Heads costs $3.20 an hour or $9.20 for the day, and you pay between 9am and 7pm every day of the week, including public holidays (Anzac Day is the exception). Parking is available 24 hours a day and is free outside those paid times. Prices on this page are as of October 2026, taken from the City’s car park page.
City of Gold Coast parking meters take cash or Visa and Mastercard cards, and you can also pay with the EasyPark app. Cash is not accepted at every meter, and the City does not accept American Express. Your parking time starts when your car stops in the space, because most metered areas use in-ground sensors, and you do not need to display a receipt.