Driving from Brisbane to the Gold Coast in a rental car

Which way do you drive from Hendra to the Gold Coast?

The quick way is almost all motorway. OpenStreetMap's car routing from 238 Nudgee Road to Surfers Paradise runs like this:^[1]

1. Nudgee Road to Kingsford Smith Drive, then Southern Cross Way onto the Gateway Motorway (M1) heading south.
2. Over the Brisbane River on the Gateway Bridges and on to where the Gateway meets the Pacific Motorway (M1), about 17 km of Gateway in all.
3. Down the Pacific Motorway for close to 50 km, past Logan and the northern Gold Coast suburbs.
4. Off at the Smith Street Motorway into Southport, then the Gold Coast Highway and Ferny Avenue into Surfers Paradise.

That's about 84 km, which the router estimates at roughly 70 minutes in free-flowing traffic.^[1] Treat that as a floor rather than a promise: the Pacific Motorway carries commuter traffic both ways, and a single crash can add a lot of time. If you're heading further south, to Burleigh Heads or Coolangatta, stay on the M1 instead of taking the Smith Street exit.

Is there a toll between Brisbane and the Gold Coast?

Only if you use the Gateway. Linkt charges cars A$6.02 at the Murarrie toll point on the bridges at the time of writing (October 2026); prices are adjusted every 1 July.^[4] The Pacific Motorway itself has no toll point on Linkt's list, so once you're on the M1 the rest of the drive is free.^[4]

To skip the bridge toll, cross the river in the city instead. With a waypoint on the Story Bridge, OpenStreetMap routes Kingsford Smith Drive, the Story Bridge (Bradfield Highway) and Kangaroo Point to the Pacific Motorway, then the same Smith Street exit: about 85 km in total, a few minutes slower on paper.^[2] The catch is city traffic at peak times, when the bridge and the approaches to the motorway get slow.

In a Rentzy car, a toll we pay for you comes back to you at cost plus A$5. How that works, and how to set your maps app to avoid tolls, is in tolls in Brisbane; the bridge itself is covered in the Gateway Motorway toll.

Where do you park in Surfers Paradise?

The City of Gold Coast runs both the street parking and the big public car park in the centre, and they suit different visits.

For a beach day the car park is the simpler choice. It takes Visa and Mastercard only (no cash), you can pay at the exit lanes, and vehicles over 2.08 metres high can't get in.^[6] Council says its two long-term car parks in Surfers Paradise are each within 500 metres of the beach.^[5] The council car parks page also warns that whole car parks close for major events such as the Gold Coast 500 and Schoolies.^[7]

On the street, read the sign before you walk off. Meters accept cash (not every machine), Visa or Mastercard, or the EasyPark app, and there's no ticket to display. Most metered bays have in-ground sensors that start the clock when you park, and you can't pay again to stay past the time on the sign.^[8] Around the meters, the Central Traffic Area has a three-hour limit from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, applying even on streets with no sign, and moving to another bay inside the area doesn't restart it.^[5]

Can you park and take the tram instead?

Yes. G:link, the Gold Coast light rail, says Helensvale station has a dedicated car park with 400 spaces, and it's also where the light rail meets the Brisbane trains.^[11] By road it's about 70 km from Hendra, mostly the same Gateway and Pacific Motorway route, leaving the M1 before the Smith Street exit.^[3]

From there the tram heads south through Southport, and council describes Surfers Paradise as a major public transport hub.^[5] It's worth considering on event days and summer weekends, when the central car parks fill or close. Plan the tram leg and fares in Translink's journey planner, which council points visitors to for Gold Coast buses, trains and the light rail.^[10]

What should you check on the day?

• Live traffic. QLDTraffic, run by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, maps crashes, congestion, roadworks, flooding and special events, with traffic cameras, and lets you check planned roadworks for a future date and time.^[12]
• Coming back. The northbound M1 is the same road home; leave room if you need to make a Rentzy return time.
• Parking signs at your destination, not just in Surfers Paradise: Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads sit in their own council Traffic Areas with their own limits.^[9]

What do Rentzy's terms mean for a Gold Coast day?