1. It is advisable to do Gold Coast first, then Sydney and then Melbourne as your last stop, for the following reasons
- Gold Coast is warmer than the other 2 cities, so it will be easier to get accustomed to the climate, especially when you are coming from Gulf during your summer
- To get over the jetlag as ideally the stay in Gold Coast would be longer than Sydney or Melbourne, as Sydney and Melbourne are shorter stays, you may miss out on some important activities in Sydney and Melbourne in case you are jetlagged.
- As you would know Melbourne is the shopping paradise of Australia and it is always better to fill in the shopping bags at the end of the tour so that you do not have to carry them while touring the other cities.
2. Avoid being out on Friday and Saturday nights as it is a weekend time and the locals will be enjoying their weekend
3. Avoid visiting the Theme Parks on the weekends - Saturday and Sunday, as again it’s the weekend in Australia, so a lot of locals will be visiting the Theme Parks on the weekends as the schools and office are closed on these two days.
4. It is better to buy groceries from the supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths and not from the Convenience Stores, as the Convenience Stores could be a lot more expensive.
5. Surfers Paradise have a Beachfront Night Market on every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 4pm to 9pm where you can buy small handmade items
6. The Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) enables you to claim a refund, subject to certain conditions, of the goods and services tax (GST) that you pay on goods you buy in Australia. To claim a refund you must spend $300 (GST inclusive) or more in the one store and retain your invoices. Carry the goods on board the aircraft and present them along with your original tax invoice, passport and international boarding pass to a Customs and Border Protection Officer at a TRS facility. The refund only applies to goods you take with you as hand luggage onto the aircraft when you leave Australia. It does not apply to services or goods consumed or partly consumed in Australia, such as chocolate or perfume. However, unlike other tourist shopping schemes, most of the goods, such as clothing and cameras, can be used in Australia before departure.
7. You will be given an Incoming Passenger Card before you arrive in Australia. This is a legal document. You must tick YES on your card to declare if you are carrying food, plant material or animal products. You can take these declared items with you to the clearance point where they will be assessed by a Security officer. Alternatively, you may dispose of food, plant material or animal products on arrival in the quarantine bins located in the airport terminal. On arrival your baggage may be assessed by x-ray, detector dog or inspected by a Security officer. If you fail to declare or dispose of any security risk items, or make a false declaration, you could be fined or prosecuted. You will not be penalised if all items are declared, even if they are not allowed into Australia.
8. You can collect the Outgoing Passenger Card from our Lawand Lounge on the Gold Coast so you can fill these out at your convenience before heading to the airport.
9. When renting a car, rent a very high roof car as it will be difficult to park underneath the hotel car park. Also for high roof cars the car rental companies will not cover the insurance in case of damage caused to the back or top of the high roof car
