GC Trip - DIY style

I'd better put everything in 1 page, so u might want to read the story first before reading the tips as I kept on dropping tips and hints in all those entries.

Prelude

Day 1 : 13 June 2009 (Sat)

Day 2 : 14 June 2009 (Sun)

Day 3 : 15 June 2009 (Mon)

Day 4 : 16 June 2009 (Tue)

Day 5 : 17 June 2009 (Wed)

Day 6 to 8 : 18 - 20 June 2009 (Thu - Sat)

******NEWLY ADDED***********

Clothing for winter : GC winter is not that cold. As you can see from my pictures, we just had our long sleeve on during the day. However night can be quite chilly. So make sure you bring a jacket.

Jeans jacket is just fine. No need all those thermal type..

Closed shoe like sneakers & boots are advisable

Socks compulsory

Beanies or snow cap also needed

Thin gloves for the little ones, their fingers are too tiny to handle the chilly weather

********************************

Janji manis dah jadik payau...so here goes the tips for GC trip DIY-way or my way...

I wasted almost 10 years thinking that I can't afford overseas holiday. It seems so out of reach until my SIL went for Europe trip. When she came back, she mentioned about MAS offer to Brisbane in June'09. So we decided, what the heck..just go !! That was in Nov'08..so we got 6mths to 'menabung ayam', plan and proceed with all the bookings.

I'll show you how I did it step by step.

First and foremost,

1. 
   
   Subscribe to broadband - u gonna spend a lot of time surfing and searching
2. 
   
   Install Google Earth(GE) - very important to locate hotel & places and map for self-drive trip
3. 
   
   Set the rough budget - we're lucky coz the exc. rate only 2.4 in early 2009, it was 2.7 when we were there. Now i think more than 3.0 (Money changer yg ok, kat MValley : Wawasan, seblah KFC and SF Coffee tu, area Sg Wang pun ok, byk kedai.. just compare jek)

Paling penting...silalah rajin godek en Gugel dan stalk segala blog & fotopages org2 yg penah pegi sana sbb kat situ lah dapat tips, do's and donts yg lagi bagus. Contoh dia blog aku ni lah wakakaka...Part ni aku nak termuntah siriyes, esp nak tunggu FP load pergh cabaran...sbbnya aku terjah segala blog org dulu before plan itinerary aku...you'll get the idea to guide you...itinerary ni pada aku penting but always allow flexibility

WEATHER / LOCAL INFORMATION

Start with some info of the places that you want to go : the weather, local holidays, big sales :P bla bla

Summer - December to February

Autumn - March to May

Winter - June to August

Spring - September to November

We're lucky coz the cheap flight that we got was in winter (13 - 21 June). No snow in GC, but it can be wet and chilly. So avoid early winter as they normally hit by flood. 3 weeks before our trip Surfers Paradise was closed for public and there's a death case due to strong wind. I would not plan my trip in summer as their sunlight can be very damaging, even in winter, we almost got burned by their midday sun. As usual, each season got its own pro and cons, winter means u gonna need jacket and socks which will be a burden to ur luggage while summer with kids can be less enjoyable coz kids tend to get cranky when they sweat and hot. So plan your timing carefully. btw, I managed to catch mid-year aka winter sale..marbeles. Someone will update on how it looks like in spring :)

FLIGHT

Bila dh bajet nak pegi bila tu, rajin2kan diri book tiket masa sale, based on trend, AA will announce 1st followed by MAS. Sometimes MAS fare much2 cheaper than AA, dah la inclusive of meal + free 1st 20kg. MAS has no direct flight to GC Airport (Coolangatta), only AA flies direct to GC. MAS flight to Brisbane will transit in Sydney for 1.5hr, nampak mcm lama tapi by the time korang clear the security, u got enough time just to browse thru kedai2 dlm airport tu je.

Takpun ko belasah jek beli tiket masa zero fare or offer gila murahan pastu baru google info tpt tuh hahaha lagi thrill..Flight tickets to Brisbane x 6 = RM 9k++ (I know it's not cheap, but still cheaper than their normal rate)

ACCOMMODATION

As our group comprised 3 adults and 3 kids we had no choice but to rent bigger place instead of hotel. This part really cracked me up coz everybody recommended places they have stayed before. And there's load of hotels when you google. Information overloaded. That's when GE came to my rescue, bila dpt rate yg ok, we zoomed to the place tgk exact location of the hotel. Guiding principle hahaha lama dah aku nak guna ayat ni..o ok sorry distracted jap :

• 
  
  we wanted to stay close to the centre of GC i.e. Cavill Avenue. Walking distance so we need not to drive to town and suffer the parking fee. We focused on hotels around Surfers suburb (Broadbench and Broadwater area oso ok tapi gotta drive klu nak gi area yg happening kat Surfers tu)

• 
  
  must be self-contained (furnished) - coz I need to prepare breakfast and snack to tapau while getting the real food. Kids won't understand 'pkl 5 kita gi makan' or 'blom jumpa kedai yg boleh order makan'. When they're hungry the ARE hungry.

• 
  
  Same for Brisbane city, self-contained, walking distance to town (+ free loop shuttle) and cheap (sgt mahal woo rent a place kat sini) - I won't recommend our rented place :(

If you are going in lesser number without kids then I would suggest to get a room instead of apartment which definitely will cost u more. Places which I think are good in terms of location and rate : Islander, Promenade.

Sites to help you with the accommodation:

http://www.goldcoastinfolink.com/ (can choose based on location or type of accommodation)

http://www.wotif.com/

GC : Surfer's Mayfair self-contained 3-rooms apartment x 5D4N = AUD750

Brisbane : Centrepoint self-contained 3-rooms apartment x 3D2N = AUD330 (not recommended)

TRANSPORT

By the time you booked your accomodation, I'm sure you already had the idea on whether it's gonna be self-drive trip or public transport. We decided to rent a car as we planned to carry 2 strollers and it will cost us more if we were to use the public transport. So leceh, imagine if it rains or your kids buat perangai and to drag the strollers (and shopping bags!!) in & out of bus. No thank you..

I googled all the car rental sites, both international and local only to realise that we can't rent a car but an MPV !! Car max passenger = 5. I would advise you to rent from the top 5 car rental co. Try not to use local, not to say bad things but after reading all reviews I wouldn't trust my credit card to be handled by them. The longer the rental period, it gets cheaper. You can rent and return at 2 different places. I think it's best to opt for full-tank instead of petrol voucher, you just need to fill-up before returning it.

Oh..it's right-hand driving with good road condition and signboard. Strict rules - seat belt, child seat, speeding. So be careful, if you were caught they will send the ticket to the car rental company and they will charge to your CC plus admin fee.

Get the best price from them

Congregator site : http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au/

Hertz

Thrifty

Europcar

Budget

Avis

We rented from Hertz KL, visited their booth during MATTA Fair in March and got special rate. Pickup point : GC office and Return point : Brisbane Airport.

Oww..almost forgot, airport transfer. Since we landed in Brisbane, like 80km away from GC and it's midnight, we took shuttle from http://www.con-x-ion.com/

Car rent from Hertz x 7 days = AUD550 - via web..the best rate AUD650 - 700

Airport Transfer Brisbane to GC x 5 = AUD170

For those who wanted to use public transport can check this site or from Viator ambik pakej based on your need. Seshuai utk bujang2an or couple berdua2an or those dgn anak2 yg dh besar, tapi kalau ramai baik rent jek. Renting a small car is not a bad idea as it's quite cheap and you get the freedom to plan your journey.

GugelEarth allows you to print the direction. It is almost 100% accurate unless there's a recent road closure, else just follow the direction. Aku siap dpt direction sampai depan pintu rumah kawan aku. I loiikeee BTW...korang tau kan cemana nak pakai menatang GE ni kan ? Direction dia siap ada jarak so ko bajet je la, aku siap soh Man trip meter wakakak dah ala2 treasure hunt gitu..agak2 mcm jauh melampau go & start over again tapi based on our exp. Google map + signboard = perfect record.

Tapi klu ko buat utk M'sia punya location aku rasa memang sesat barat. Masa gi KK, awal2 aku buang direction yg aku print lps compare map kat airport and true enuff abg kete sewa ckp sape yg pakai GPS memang sesat hahaha

PLACES TO GO

There are a LOTTTTTTTTTs of places TO GO and things TO DO in GC, some only applicable during certain seasons but what is GC trip if not for its theme parks. Mak nak muntah nyah baca segala benda just to decide park mana worth to go. In the end we decided to pick top 3 i.e. Movie World, Dream World and Sea World.

These parks have few passes which offered discounted entry fee. I would recommend the 2 park Escape Pass (2 parks in 3 days) for MW and SW. That will save you a few hundreds RM if you go in bigger group. There are 2 water parks which I think should be skipped as it is just a grandiose version of Sunway Lagoon. Balik main kat Bukit Gambang lagi bagus..

Our plan : 1 day 1 park 1Malaysia. And that was exactly what we did. But it also depends on your group, some may just want to tour the place without trying the rides, yg x de anak would skip kid's zone. So it might not take 1 day for you.

Some of things worth to do in GC provided you have time & $$$

Theme parks

Whale watching

Jungle tracking

Glitter worm

Catch crab

Beach surfing

Aquaduck

Q-Deck viewing

Currumbin

dan lagi dan lagi

Dream World entry fee x 5 x 50%(staff rebate) = AUD 150

2 Park Escape Pass x 5 = AUD507

In Brisbane, the only place that we had to pay was Lone Pine Sanctuary. Lupa dah baper AUD15 kot

PLACES TO VISIT IN BRISBANE

Queen St

Museum & Library

Lone Pine Sanctuary

Any of you friend's house coz there's a few Uni There (Zuki's there)

A lot more

Or if you got enuff time you can go up north to Sunshine Coast..where else..Australia Zoo managed by the late Steve Irwin's family...crikeeeeeeeyyy

PASSPORT / VISA

Tak guna korang buat mende2 kat atas kalau tak buat yang ni. So pastikan passport2 anda masih panjang jangkahayatnya, jgn kira masa beli tiket kira expiry masa nak travel, maklum la now tiket flight leh beli awal setahun..tak gitu ?...so make sure more than 6 months before expiry.

Anak-anak yang belum ada passport tu leh la gi buat, 1/2 price aje. Jgn buat dekat Pusat Bandar. Gi yg Putrajaya or Subang Terminal.

Citer visa pulak, ni takyah nak apply awal sgt, we applied our like 2 weeks before departure via Australian Embassy (SIL yg rajin nak pi buat) or just do it online at, it's called Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). AUD 20 each. Print the damn stuff and attach to your passport. Very Very Super Important hokeh !!

HOW TO PACK ITEM'S TO BE DECLARED

Custom requirement do's and don'ts + barang2 yang kena declare : Leh check sini...aku bwk benda2 ni sbb aku kan duk apartment. If you plan to buy your meals throughout your stay then tak yah risau, sedia je lah duitnya.

Not OK : Dairy stuffs (termasuk coklat Cadbury ye), Milo, Nescafe 3in1 (other brands as well), beras, seeds (sup bunjut), buah-buahan (sbb seeds jugak)

OK : Maggi, sos cili (sana fish&chip tadak sos babe), susu formula, sambal ikan bilis, serunding (pack nicely lah)

50-50 : Campbell's soup, Maggi kari. Tgk hari..klu mood depa ok lepas else dush!! dlm dustbin

I brought : Maggi Tomyam 5's, Indomee 5's, Cambell's powder, Kimball Chilli sauce, Pediasure 900g, McD sachets of salt+pepper, perencah nasi goreng adabi. No worries lah, there's supermarket everywhere to buy anything you need : Coles & Woolworth (i love their green-bag esp the insulated one). We made few trips to buy groceries & fruits.

I've prepared and separated all those stuffs in 1 luggage, so I don't have to open beg baju-bajan. If you bring any 'declarable' item, the moment you Q-up to check your luggage, inform the officer that you have something to declare. He will lead your to a counter. That way, you won't need to use the scanner orrr being sniffed by that humongous dog.

Careful for parents : Do not put any fruits (esp. banana) in your kid's bag prior to traveling, the smell will stay for a few days and the dog will definitely grab it and you'll be asked to open up your luggage there and then..not me, read it from other people's blog.

The kiasu-ness in me made me put my stuffs in zipper bag and labeled. I even have a checklist of item to declare which I gave to the officer. None of my stuffs was thrown.

MEDICATION

If you need to bring prescribed medication (esp for kids), make sure you get a support letter and new supply (unopened) from your doctor. Each medication should be clearly prescribed in the letter and the label on the bottles should carry your kid's name. I put everything in 1 zipper bag, labeled as 'Prescribed Medication - Haniff', 'Over the counter medication'. Over kah aku ? Malas nak bergaduh ngan depa la..they're the strictest officer when it comes to foodstuffs.

SOUVENIRS

Wajib beli adalah binatang kecil ala2 sepit dlm bentuk biri-biri, kangaroo, koala & wombat. Sesuai utk diberi kepada seisi pejabat. Utk keluarga plak boleh la beli boomerang, ada yg utk hiasan and ada yg boleh terbang, harga ikut size. Fridge magnet sgt byk ada yg 3 for 10, 5 for 10, so pandai2la pilih. Sapa suka makan Nougat pun leh la beli tapi klu beg berat beli kat Langkawi pun murah. Lain2..mmmmm wallet/purse kulit kangaroo.

Mana nak beli ?

Kedai owned by Malaysian - Royal Gift Shop kat Surfer's Boulevard, Kalau jumpa restoran Maharan1, kedai ni area2 situ la, opposite. T-shirt2 dia antara yg lawa la kat sini and binatang2 kecik tu pun mmmg x leh lwn harga kedai ni. AUD2 je kot for 1 pack. Harga dia bagi diskaun lagi, bargain jek. We bought most of our souvenirs from this shop...the whole row of shops dekat area situ mmg owned by Malaysian including few restaurants. Islander Hotel area sini so kalau nak makan & shop mmg convenient.

Carrara Market - not much to buy but worth to go and browse.

Lain2 souvenir adalah dari theme park...mabuk weh, sib baik bila tgk harga laju jek kepala aku convert jadik RM, so insap la sikit kan hahaha. Theme park aku rasa berbaloi beli keychain, cantik...harga pun chanteekkk dlm AUD8. Dan juga shopping bagnya @ AUD2, dan juga fridge magnetnya dan juga hahahaha

Rabu malam ada night market along Surfers beachfront, mostly local made crafts. Nice but damn expensive.

SHOPPING

We went to 2 outlets. Harbour Town in GC and DFO in Brisbane.

Harbour Town go for : Canterbury, Esprit, POLO, Pumpkin Patch, Crabtree & Evelyn, beachwear (Roxy, Billabong, Rip Curl, Quicksilver). Nike & Adidas were not that interesting. Tourist discount card is not that good so don't bother..

DFO : Corelle, Pyrex, Visions (all super cheap), the same beachwear brand

We skipped 1 shopping complex, Pacific, yg very close to town due to time factor. Some said perfume oso worth to buy, me donno.

MAKAN ??

Halal food is everywhere, you can always find one in every ceruk, even surau available in shopping areas. Get the list for makan places from http://www.zabihah.com/

Almost all Nando's in Brisbane and GC are halal except the one in GC town itself. We were told by the staff that their chicken is halal but they cook it with ham. We had our meals from Ali Baba Kebab, Aspa Kebab, Maharani, Ballady middle east (yg kami makan sakan tu). In between we bought fish&chip + hot choc from any shops that kami rasa tak was-was. Penting tu...

I think, by now Sea World and Movie World had already imposed rule that no outside food is allowed into the park except baby food. Masa kami pegi depa baru announce jek.

Apalagi apalagi ?

Mak pengsan dulu ye nyah....gedebuk !!