GOLD COAST’S TOP 5
- You’ll find the most beautiful beaches in all of Australia, with golden sands as far as the eye can see!
- The Gold Coast offers a huge variety of different activities, both in and around the city. You’ll never get bored!
- Hungry? Thirsty? You’re guaranteed to find a great place to have a drink and chill out close to wherever you are.
- The Gold Coast is also known for its popular, buzzing nightlife… good times to be had!
- The city and its surroundings are a place of fun, discovery, and adventure for everyone.
Study on the Gold Coast
Studying on the Gold Coast will introduce you to a student lifestyle you’ve never experienced!
Besides its beautiful weather all year round, the city offers a wide range of different schools, to make sure each student finds the appropriate course suited to their professional ambitions. If you wish to improve your English, study in a specific industry, or wish to study at a University in order to get a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree, anything is possible!
The Gold Coast has become a popular destination for international students. This is due to the city providing students with the opportunity to study in a wide variety of professional fields while offering the real Australian lifestyle experience – surf early in the morning, go to school or study during the day than enjoying a BBQ with your friends on the beach in the evening! It’s the student life you’ve always dreamed of!
As a student, you’ll get exclusive discounts for lots of different activities, which is perfect as the Gold Coast has many to offer! The city is the destination for fun and excitement in all of Queensland! Water activities, whale watching, surf lessons, sightseeing cruises and so much more are waiting for you! Three theme parks, which can’t be found anywhere else in Australia, are a short distance from the city. As a student, you can get exclusive discounts on tickets for entry and can spend the whole day enjoying the fun and thrilling rides!
Living in the sunny city of the Gold Coast is a great way to experience the best that Australia has to offer. Key highlights:
Work on the GOLD COAST
The Gold Coast is possibly one of the fastest-growing cities in Queensland with a diversified population, a lot of attractions and things to do, a beautiful climate and the combination of amazing work opportunities with the kind of lifestyle few cities have.
There are lots of work opportunities on the Gold Coast, especially in hospitality and tourism. The Gold Coast is possibly one of the most touristic regions in Queensland. Lots of travellers visit each year and come and go from the Coast to experience what it has to offer. You’ll find lots of job vacancies in restaurants, bars and cafes.
It’s always a struggle to get out of bed and go to work, but with a beautiful setting such as the Gold Coast, it won’t be that hard! Students usually get offered flexible contracts by employers to suit their school schedule, which makes it much easier for them to organize their everyday life, juggling between classes and work shifts.
LIVE ON THE GOLD COAST
COST OF LIVING
Great news! The Gold Coast is an affordable city, especially when comparing it to its capital city counterparts like Sydney and Melbourne. However, it’s still recommended that you budget smart with your money. In general, a year in Australia will cost you around the $21,000 mark to cover all living expenses. We’ve listed the average prices (in AUD) for things below.
- Accommodation: $70-$400 per week (depending on your living situation)
- Food/Groceries: $50-$150 per week
- Gas/Electricity: $50 per week
- Public Transport: $10-$40 per week
- Entertainment: $50-$200 per week
- Mobile Phone: $30-$80 per month
- Wireless Internet: $20 -$50 per week
GETTING AROUND
The Gold Coast’s public transport is reliable, and you’ll need it! Getting around on foot isn’t as easy to do in the GC as it is in other city centres, so it’s good to have knowledge about how the system works. Driving is a great option for your daily commute.
Trams
Trams are the way to go if you’re heading to uni. Two of the Gold Coast’s higher education institutions are on the tram line, so you’ll easily be able to get to class. They also run through the party hotspots and some of the best beaches that the Gold Coast has to offer, so you’ll most likely be spending most of your time on trams.
Buses
The bus network in the Gold Coast is reliable and services run frequently, extending all the way down to the border of Queensland and New South Wales. You can get almost everywhere in the city and beyond by bus.
Trains
Trains run frequently throughout the city and can take you to other areas of Queensland with ease. For day-to-day commuting, the buses are probably a better option.
Driving
Driving on the Gold Coast is a fast and easy way to get around. Drivers in Australia diligently follow road rules and there’s plenty of clear signage across the country. Traffic is bearable when compared to larger cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, and parking is easier to come by too. You’ll be sharing some roads with the trams, so it’s best to stay aware of your surroundings at all times and keep an eye out for signage. Driving is an extremely safe and viable option for your commute.
Go Card
A GO card is a reusable travel card that you’ll need to use buses, trains, and trams in the Gold Coast and most areas of Queensland (like Brisbane). You’ll need to buy one of these when you arrive at the GC, which can be done at convenience stores and transport stations throughout the city. You then can add money to the card at the same locations.
Each trip will cost you a certain amount of money that will be deducted from the card when you board and alight from the bus/train/tram. The system is reliable and will keep you moving around the city.
ACCOMMODATION
There are a bunch of options to choose from when deciding where you want to live on the Gold Coast, but we suggest you plan ahead with your accommodation. Where you stay depends on how much you want to spend, and what kind of living arrangement best suits you.
Here at GO STUDY, we’re more than happy to help guide you through the process of picking the best place to live.
Shared apartments
This option can range in price from as little as $70AUD to $250AUD per week, depending on what part of the city you decide to live in. Sharing with other students or workers is a great option for a long-term stay in Australia. Rooms may be available as single or double, or if you travel in a pair, a contained studio apartment may be the best option. Locals will post available rooms on websites such as Gumtree and Flatmates.
Homestays
These are a great way to quickly immerse yourself in Australian culture and get a better grasp on the English language! Host families are carefully selected and are all warm and welcoming. This accommodation could last between four weeks or the entire duration of your course. It’s a very private option, but still, an accessible price, ranging from $110-$270AUD per week. Homestays can be fun, but are usually more than 30 minutes away from the city, which isn’t always ideal for international students.
Hostel
A great short-term solution to living in Australia. Hostels are a safe haven, and won’t break the bank, costing as little as $30AUD a night. They’re generally the place where you’ll start your Australian journey and are a great place to meet people from all over the world. YHA Australia is a great company to book with; contact us for discounted rates!
Residence for international students
As students, some institutions will provide housing for you. It could be a student hall or apartments, but either way, you’ll be able to mix with other students from all over the world. Prices range from reasonable to erring on the more expensive side of things, but if you contact us, we can make sure you’re getting the best price possible.
Best Places to Live on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is one of the most exciting Australian cities to live in; from the sandy beaches to the endless job opportunities. It can be hard to make a decision about where to live, but fear not! We’ve made a guide to some of the most student-friendly suburbs in the area to help you choose.
BROADBEACH
Broadbeach is a vibrant mix of inner-city retail lifestyle and Aussie surf culture. This one-of-a-kind vibe has people flocking from all over the world to visit, and it can be one of the most exciting places to live in Australia. If you need some retail therapy, Broadbeach is the place to do it; between their incredible Pacific Fair shopping centre with over 400 stores and various designer and local boutique brands lining the suburbs, you’ll be able to shop “til you drop”. The area is home to other major attractions, such as gorgeous beaches and the Star Casino, which makes its nightlife remarkable. Young professionals and students populate the area, and you’ll only be 15 minutes from the city centre.
Must do in Broadbeach: Shop ‘til you drop at Pacific Fair shopping centre
SURFERS PARADISE
Surfers Paradise is the party suburb on the Gold Coast. The nightlife is incredible, which draws large crowds of backpackers and young people. There’s an abundance of clubs, pubs and bars, as well as a thriving dining scene, so you’ll never be short of somewhere to go out. If the hustle and bustle of the nightlife get the overwhelming, head down to Surfers Paradise Beach. It’s the perfect spot to learn to surf, take a relaxing swim in the ocean, or simply soak up the sun from the sand. This fun boasting suburb is only 10 minutes away from the Gold Coast’s city centre, so you’ll always be right in the middle of the action and your commute to work and uni will be fast.
Must-do in Surfers Paradise: Experience the best of the Gold Coast’s nightlife along the Surfers Paradise strip.
ROBINA
Robina is a vibrant town with a little bit of everything! Sports, shopping and convenience are all major draw cards for the suburb. The area is perfect for students, as Robina is generally known as the Gold Coast’s “education precinct”. There are plenty of students around as some of the country’s best vocational education institutions and universities call it home. Locals love to boast about the sports culture, which isn’t beach reliant. The area is home to an abundance of golf courses, and rugby grounds and has even hosted the Commonwealth Games. Robina has everything you could want out of an Aussie suburb, but if you’re looking to spend time at the beach, or even in the neighbouring city centre of Brisbane, everything is easily reached by train.
Must do in Robina: Catch a game of rugby at the Cbus Super Stadium
SOUTHPORT
Southport is a vibrant mix of businesses, high-rise apartments and quiet beach suburb streets; perfect to suit any lifestyle you’re after in the land down under. This attributes to the eclectic mix of people in the area, however, the suburb is home to a majority of young professionals and students looking for a slightly cheaper area to live in. Southport is in a convenient location, just five minutes from the nightlife and surfing provided by Surfers Paradise and an easy commute to the neighbouring city centre of Brisbane. The community vibe that the area provides is extremely welcoming to international students. Southport is perfect if you’re looking for a cheap and convenient place to live on the Gold Coast.
Must do in Southport: Get to know the local community with a BBQ at Southport Broadwater Parklands.
MAIN BEACH
Main Beach didn’t get its name by chance. When the area was developing, and to this day, it is known as the beach that surfers enjoy the most on the Gold Coast. Surf culture is huge across the entire city, even across most of Australia, but if you’re a keen surfer, or would love to learn, Main Beach is the place to do it. If you’ve tired yourself out at the beach, you can head to Tedder Avenue for some retail therapy, or if you fancy a drink, the vibrant nightlife of Surfers Paradise is within walking distance from your Main Beach home. Due to the area having a bit of everything from beaches, to shopping, to nightlife, there’s a decent mix of people, which of course includes students. You can have it all in Main Beach.
Must do in Main Beach: Learn to surf at Main Beach.
