Coolangatta flights and travel guide

In 1770, Captain Cook navigated along this part of the Gold Coast and named Point Danger and Mount Warning. In 1846, one ship - the Coolangatta - didn't heed the warnings and sank, but it gave the town its name.

In the intervening couple of centuries, Coolangatta has become a popular resort town and each year families take cheap flights to Coolangatta to revel in the glorious climate - about 300 sunny days per year - and laze on the beautiful beaches (Coolangatta and Greenmount are patrolled every day, year round).

Coolangatta is the most southerly town in Queensland and forms a twin town with Tweed Heads in New South Wales. If one stands at Point Danger, the headland where the Captain Cook memorial lighthouse stands, they'll be in two states at the same time. Or, save it for New year's Eve and watch two sets of fireworks - one hour apart (New South Wales observes Daylight Saving Time but Queensland does not).

As well as family fun on the beaches, things to do include surfing (Snapper Rocks is a great point break) and fishing (Snapper Rocks is a draw for fishermen too, there for the bream, dart and taylor). Diving with the sharks on Cook Island is a must-do and whale watching is popular between June and November.

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Coolangatta climate

The sun shines almost every day of the year. The climate is humid subtropical, cooler inland than on the coast. The range of temperatures in spring (September to November) is 15-25 degrees, climbing to 28 or so in summer (December to February), slipping to between 16 and 26 degrees in autumn (March to May) and down to 11-21 degrees in Winter (June to August).

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When to fly to Coolangatta

Peak Season: 

October through March is, in general, peak season in Coolangatta. This takes in the school holidays and Christmas, New Year's Eve and, depending when it falls, Easter (March or April). Whale watchers will visit between June and November. 

Off Season: 

April through September is low season, however whale-watching season runs from June to November.

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Getting into town Coolangatta

There are lots of options for getting to Coolangatta from the airport. Gold Coast Airport has a Transport and Information Desk outside International Arrivals and there are several car-rental companies represented at the airport. Shuttle buses and taxis are also options for the short trip to Coolangatta.

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Getting around Coolangatta

Car is the easiest option for getting around, but Surfside Buslines operates a good, inexpensive service throughout the Gold Coast, 24 hours per day.

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Coolangatta insider information

• Coolangatta is an excellent starting point for the theme parks in the GC area. 
• On the second Sunday of every month, local handicrafts are on sale along the beachfront. 
• Off Tweed Heads (Coolangatta's twin town), Nine Mile Reef is known by the locals as a "sharky" spot. Wobbegongs, blind sharks, bronze whalers, leopard sharks (in summertime) grey nurse sharks (in wintertime) all swim around here. 
• Surfers Paradise lies between Coolangatta and Southport. It has been the magnet for surfers for many years.

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Coolangatta airports

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