Study in the Gold Coast

With year-round sunshine and gorgeous white-sandy beaches, it's no wonder our campus on the Gold Coast has got everyone talking!

A location shot near the Australian Pacific College Gold Coast Campus

Gold Coast lifestyle and culture

Located two minutes from the beach with a beautiful wrap-around balcony for you to sit back and relax between classes, our Gold Coast campus is the perfect way for you to enjoy Australia's beautiful laid-back lifestyle and excellent quality of life.

Famous as one of Australia's premier holiday destinations, the Gold Coast is also the country's sixth largest city. Best known for its fantastic world-classes surf beaches, beach lifestyle, nightlife and rainforest hinterland, it is a vibrant place to live and study.

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Gold Coast climate

The Gold Coast has a comfortable subtropical climate with warm or hot weather nearly all year round. The average maximum daily temperature throughout the year is around 25°C with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year.

In summer (December - February), maximum temperatures are around 30°C, and there are often thunderstorms and heavy rain. Winter (June - August) is generally mild, sunny and dry, with average temperatures around 17°C. Mornings can be quite cold, down to 6°C.

Spring (September - November) and Autumn (March - May) have average temperatures of around 15-25°C. Days are warm and sunny, the evenings are pleasant and the nights are cool.

Gold Coast campuses

With year-round sunshine and gorgeous white-sandy beaches, it's no wonder our brand new campus on the Gold Coast has got everyone talking!

Located two minutes from the beach with a beautiful wrap-around balcony for you to sit back and relax between classes, our Gold Coast campus is the perfect way for you to enjoy Australia's beautiful laid-back lifestyle and excellent quality of life.

Address

Level 3, 9 Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

Get Directions

Hours

Operating hours: 8.30 AM - 7:30 PM (Monday - Friday)

Public Transport Options

  • Bus to Surfers Paradise
  • Tram/Light Rail to Cavill Avenue

Transport options

The Gold Coast public transport system means you don’t need a car to get around, with light rail/tram, trains and buses. 

Public transport is the cheapest way to get around. Taxis are also available, but they are expensive in comparison with other forms of public transport. 

Full time students can apply through Translink for student discounts for public transport. 

The cheapest way to travel by public transport is to buy an Go Card. You can add credit to these cards and then you don’t have to worry about not having enough cash to catch public transport. You can add extra credit online or through a retail outlet. Just remember to always tap on and tap off or you will be charged extra.

Visit the Go Cards website.

The Gold Coast's light rail stations are unique to any other tram station in Australia. Known as G:link, the Light Rail tram system's first stop is at the Gold Coast University Hospital and connects commuting passengers to 16 stations across 13 kilometres, through Southport, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, with the bus network at safe interchanges. There's also Stage 2 in the pipeline which will join Parkwood and Helensvale to the line.

Information courtesy of Gold Coast Australia.

The Train on the Gold Coast begins at Varsity Lakes Station and finishes up on the Gold Coast at Ormeau Station. It continues its journey up to the Brisbane CBD and terminates at Brisbane Domestic Airport. The trip between the Gold Coast and Brisbane takes around 1 hour to complete. 

Information courtesy of Gold Coast Australia.

The bus system will get around to most Gold Coast suburbs, with the majority of bus routes taking you to the train stations, major shopping centres and some attractions.

While the outer suburbs have regular bus services, they are not as common as those that journey along the Gold Coast Highway.

Information courtesy of Gold Coast Australia.

For easy and convenient door-to-door service, Con-X-ion provides direct airport shuttle services from the Gold Coast airport.

Alternatively we offer an airport transfer service. Our friendly driver will be waiting for you, holding a sign with your name, at the meeting point. You will be safely taken from the airport to your homestay or other accommodation - you will be well cared for from the moment you arrive in Australia! If you are interested in booking an airport transfer please contact us for more information.

Student accommodation

A variety of high standard student accommodation is available to suit different budgets and needs. Students can opt to live in university accommodation or with an Australian family. Shared accommodation with other students is also common and popular.

We can provide students with help in finding accommodation and understanding lease and tenancy conditions. Temporary accommodation can be arranged before you leave home allowing you time on arrival to consider where and how you would like to be accommodated in the longer term. Student notice boards and newspapers often advertise rooms, apartments and houses for rent.for more information visit our Student Accommodation page.

Student jobs

The Gold Coast offers many part-time and casual employment opportunities for international students.

If you want to work while you study, you need to understand your rights and responsibilities to ensure you protect yourself and comply with your visa requirements.

The number of hours you can work on a Student Visa can be subject to change. You can check the latest rules on the Australian Government's Immigration website for Student Visas (subclass 500) and other types of visas.

The flexible hours and large number of opportunities in these industries make these ideal for students:

  • Retail - including supermarkets, department stores, boutiques
  • Hospitality - cafes, bars, restaurants, delivery
  • Farming and fruit-picking - seasonal work
  • Services – childcare, aged care and cleaning
  • Administration and clerical work
  • Tutoring

Find out more on the Study Australia website.

In Australia, the best way to look for part-time or casual work are through job listing sites such as:

Find out more about finding part-time or casual work whilst you study on the Study Australia website.

Both Australian Pacific College and our sister school English Unlimited have a Job Club. 

We care about your experience in Australia and understand that finding a job in another country can be scary and difficult, so we want to help you. 

Job Club aims to assist students seeking part-time or casual work by helping with your Curriculum Vitae (CV), helpful information and tips for job applications. 

Find out more about Job Club.