KEY POINTS:
Q.My friends and I are students going overseas together for the first time in January. We are going to Surfers Paradise in Australia and are quite poor! How can we keep costs down? We are interested in visiting a theme park, but have transport issues and have rented an apartment in town to avoid bus fares. Food will be a major expense and we're thinking of eating in as much as possible... do you have any other ideas to help us please? - Tonia
A. The Gold Coast is great place for people on all types of budgets.
Getting around: You don't necessarily need a car as hotel shuttles and regular bus services go to most of the major attractions. A rental car is handy if you want to go into the Hinterlands behind the Gold Coast. It's often cheaper to get a shuttle to Surfers than rent a car.
Make sure you buy a Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle Freedom Pass before you leave home. The Freedom Pass is reasonably priced at NZ$111 per adult for seven days and includes door to door transfers from Coolangatta to your Gold Coast accommodation as well as unlimited theme park transfers with Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle, and unlimited use of the Surfside Buslines network on the Gold Coast. You can purchase three-, five-, seven, 10- and 14-day passes. Not only do they offer convenience and reliable transportation but they are great value for money.
Entertainment: You can have fun without doing too much damage to your wallet.
I recommend you buy a Three-Park Superpass to get unlimited access to the Gold Coast's greatest theme parks. The Super Pass offers unlimited entry for 14 days to Sea World, Warner Bros Movie World and Wet'n'Wild Water World all year round. Visit any park any day in any order within 14 days.
Then there are the surf beaches which are fabulous and free. Can't afford to go para-sailing? Then catch a coffee at one of the waterfront cafes on the marina and watch other people doing it - you'll get most of the thrills without getting wet.
Eating on the Gold Coast: There are lots of shopping areas with places to buy food and lots of al fresco dining restaurants.
There are more than 500 restaurants on the Gold Coast giving you the opportunity to sample food from around the world with specialties, including Seafood, Modern Australian, Japanese, French and Italian.
Check out the Dining Out Guide (and other tourist freebies) for special meal deals. Some places even offer half price meals before the 7pm "dining rush hour" so look out for these.
For the budget conscious, you can generally get a great meal at the local surf club for under $15 per person.
Want something wonderful to eat without breaking the budget? Wander down to Albert Avenue at Broadbeach and have a gourmet-glutton experience at MBD delicatessen cafe, where a Mars Bar cheesecake will cost you only $7.50.
Shopping: With all the money you've saved, drop in at Harbour Town for discount shopping. You won't find elegance here, but you will discover china from Villeroy and Boch, Elle Macpherson's Bendon knickers, Lisa Ho fashions and Oroton crystal.
*Ramona McCambridge, owner/operator, House of Travel Ponsonby
-Detours, HoS
