Travelling to Dreamworld using Public Transport

by Maria
(Hobart)

Can we travel to Dreamworld using public transport in the Gold Coast?

We will be staying at Broadbeach. How long does it take to travel from Broadbeach to Dreamworld?

If this is not a good option, what should we expect to pay for a theme park shuttle or transfer bus that picks us up from our accommodation for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids?

Annie answers
Yes, you can use public transport to go from Broadbeach to Dreamworld and return. Bus is the only option from Broadbeach as there are no train stations in or near Broadbeach.

Dreamworld is at Coomera which is in the northern part of the Gold Coast on the M1 motorway which heads to Brisbane. By car it takes about 30 to 35 minutes depending upon the traffic. By bus it takes longer as you have to stop to pick up other people!

There are two main buses that service Broadbeach and go to the Gold Coast theme parks MovieWorld, Wet n Wild and Dreamworld. They are TX1 which travels from Tweed Heads in the south to the theme parks and TX2 which travels from Burleigh Heads to the theme parks.

Depending upon where you are in Broadbeach - you will have to go the bus stop which is closest to you on their route. Both these theme park express buses travel up the Gold Coast Highway with various stops along the way. These buses will not pick you up from your accommodation!

These public buses cost about $12AUD per adult and $6AUD per child for a daily ticket which will get you there and back. The buses go pretty regularly during the morning to get you to the theme park and take between 40 to 50 minutes. There are other ticket options depending upon what other travel you need to do in the Gold Coast, check out the link below for the travel planner and you can find more options (it is a bit complicated to try to cover it here).

I have never tried these buses from Broadbeach, so I am not sure how busy they get in the mornings and if you may have to wait to get on one because they are full, so make sure you leave plenty of time just in case. Unfortunately, you cannot book your spot on them like a shuttle bus.


Check the timetables and bus stops on Journey Planner for Public Transport in Brisbane and Gold Coast - make sure if you use it that you select All Available Services otherwise it doesn't work for the Gold Coast. If you put in your exact accommodation details you may have to increase or decrease the walking distance to get it to work, but it should give you the closest bus stop details. Unfortunately it isn't the best or easiest of planners to use, but it is all we have!

If this isn't going to work for you because your accommodation is not close to a bus stop you can check out some of the other popular options for Gold Coast theme park transfers and they are to use one of the special theme park buses or to hire a car and drive yourself.

As a comparison for the public bus services Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle will pick you up from your accommodation (but not private residences) and take you and bring you back from Dreamworld for a family of 2 adults and 2 children for about $53 AUD based on July 2010 prices.

This is just one of the options, there are many more which you can check out in the transport section. You can even combine "transport passes" to include picking you up from the airport on arrival.

I hope this helps, if you have any more questions, please use the comment section below and I will answer them as.

Have fun and hope to see you on the Gold Coast sometime soon.

Annie from Gold Coast Australia Travel Tips

Please note all prices shown in Australian Dollars (AUD) and are subject to change. They are only provided as a guide. Please check all terms and conditions before booking.