Whether you have a layover, overnight sleepover or you are just quickly passing through, our Gold Coast Airport Guide is a great place to start planning your visit. Here, you’ll find information on services and facilities available inside the airport – including details about airport lounges, WiFi, mobile charging points, lockers, 24-hour food options, nearby hotels, and everything in between.
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Don’t even try, it is not worth loosing a night hoping that you will manage to stay in.
– Martin
OOL Airport Overview
To help you plan your layover or overnight sleepover, here is a quick run-down about what to expect during your time at Gold Coast Airport.
What to Expect
The Gold Coast Airport (Code: OOL) is a haven of convenience, with its modest and relaxed single terminal. It offers a diverse range of shopping and dining options, along with amenities like luggage storage, massage chairs, duty-free shops, and free WiFi, all designed to make your time here as comfortable as possible. For those seeking an even more luxurious airport experience, the airport’s airline lounges are a perfect retreat. For detailed information on their locations, rates, and access, please refer to our Airport Lounges section.
Sleeping in Gold Coast Airport
As the airport closes at night, sleeping is not permitted inside the terminal nor on airport property after 11:00 PM. There are hotels near the airport, some of which provide free airport shuttles! See our Airport Hotels section below for more info, or read some traveller airport reviews for more tips.
To help us keep this guide up-to-date, you can add or update information or write a review to submit airport tips and photos. You can also visit the airport’s website for current information. For more airport information, continue scrolling down to explore more in our Gold Coast Airport Guide.
In this guide we may refer to locations as “landside” and “airside”. Landside is the public area of the terminal located in the non-secure zone, before security. Airside is the secure area of the terminal that you must reach by going through security.
Airport Hours
The airport is open from 4:30 AM until the last flight of the day has cleared. Overnight stays are not permitted on airport property, and the airport terminal is locked down for security reasons from 11:00 PM to 4:30 AM.
Airport Sleeper Policy
The airport is open from 4:30 AM – 11:00 PM. Overnight stays are not permitted on airport property, and the airport terminal is locked down for security reasons from 11:00 PM – 4:30 AM.
Rest & Relaxation Zones
There are no dedicated sleeping areas, quiet areas or rest zones. If this information has changed, click here to update this guide.
Airport Hotels
If sleeping in the airport sounds like a nightmare, there are hotels near Gold Coast Airport:
- Rydges Gold Coast Airport – Located 56 steps from the domestic terminal or a 3-minute walk from the international terminal. » Check Rates
- La Costa Motel – Free airport shuttle is available upon request. » Check Rates
- Gold Coast Airport Motel – Located 300m from the terminal. No airport shuttle. The hotel says a taxi is approx. $10. » Check Rates
For more options, visit Tripadvisor to see a list of hotels near Gold Coast Airport that can be sorted by price, distance, traveller rating and popularity.
Airport Lounges
Pay-per-use, Single Visit Passes & Lounge Memberships
Regardless of what class of service you are flying, there are lounges that you can enter by paying at the door or through a lounge membership program (i.e. Qantas Club or Virgin Australia). Visit the individual lounge page for more details about the lounge itself and learn how to gain access with just an economy class ticket!
- Qantas Club – Location: Airside. Showers are available. Lounge Access: Lounge membership programs.
- Virgin Australia Lounge – Location: Airside, Domestic Departures, adjacent to Gates 1 and 2. Showers are available. Lounge Access: Pay at the Door with proof of Virgin Australia Airlines ticket • Lounge membership programs.
Related Pages: Gold Coast Airport Lounges
Drinking Water
A reader tells us that drinking water fountains with filtered water are located near restrooms on the airside. (May 2024)
Food & Drinks
Food concessions throughout the airport operate with varying schedules. At the time of this update, there are no 24-hour dining options. Food options include: Aromas • Blackstone Bar & Lounge • Coffee and Co. • Hungry Jacks • Krispy Kreme • Liv-Eat • NRG Express • The Coast Cafe and Bar • Red Rooster • Roll’d • Zoom.
Luggage Storage & Lockers
Single-use lockers are available for rent in a self-service facility at the airport. Rates are per 24-hour period (in $AUD): $10 (small) • $12 (medium) • $14 (large). Location: Opposite the car rental office towards the front of the central walkway from the main parking lot. Hours: Open 24 hours.
Mobile Charging
A few readers tell us that power outlets can be found in these locations: domestic arrivals directly across the Hertz stand. There are PowerPoints and USB ports on the domestic airside near gates 12, between gates 14-15, inside Hungry Jack’s, and inside Paradox Cafe.
Showers
Freshen up with a shower before your flight. Showers are available in the Qantas and Virgin Australia Lounges. [ see Airport Lounges above ]
WiFi / Internet
Free WiFi is available at Gold Coast Airport. Internet kiosks are also available for a fee.
More Airport Information
ATMs / Cash Machines – Need cash? ATMs operated by Travelex are available. A few machines dispense foreign currency (New Zealand Dollars, Australian Dollars and Japanese Yen). Fees may apply, so check your bank’s fee schedule and daily withdrawal limit if you are travelling internationally. You may also want to notify your bank of your travel plans. Locations: three Landside and three Airside.
Baby Care Facilities – Parents Rooms are available throughout the airport. There are also a limited number of free-to-use strollers at the check-in counters.
Baggage Services – Baggage wrapping & weighing, online visa application, travel items for sale, and limited business services are available at the SmarteCarte Baggage Services kiosk. Location: near Check-In.
Currency Exchange – Two Travelex foreign exchange kiosks serve the airport (Landside, International Arrivals • Airside, Departures Lounge). In addition, Travelex ATMs dispense NZD, AUD and Japanese Yen from locations throughout the airport. Hours: Open year-round for all arriving and departing flights.
Duty-Free & Shopping – Duty-free shopping and a selection of shops are available.
Entertainment – Coffee and Co. may have live band performances. Schedule varies.
Information Desk – Got a question about your travel plans in the area? Gold Coast Tourist Centre may be of assistance. Location: across from the car rental counters.
Luggage Wrapping – Yes, see “Baggage Services” above.
Massage Chairs – Massage chairs are available throughout the airport for a small fee.
Pharmacy – Location: Airside, Domestic departures. Hours: 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM (Daily).
SIM Cards – A reader tells us you can purchase Telsim cards from the newsagency at the baggage collection. (January 2023)
Bus
TransLink bus line 760 runs every 30 minutes and links the airport to Varsity Lakes train station, where frequent train service is available to/from Brisbane. TransLink bus line 777 runs daily, every 15 minutes from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM, to Broadbeach South tram station, where connections can be made to other bus lines or G: trams for Surfers Paradise and Southport. Try a Go Card or Go Explore integrated travel cards for discounted and convenient travel on public transportation.
Car Rentals
The following car rental agencies are available on-site: Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Redspot and Thrifty.
Hotel Shuttles
At the time of this update, we found only one hotel offering an airport shuttle service: La Costa Motel.
See also Airport Hotels above.
Shuttles
SkyBus Gold Coast Airport Shuttle connects OOL airport to the Gold Coast’s most popular tourist locations. The service is available for all flights, seven days a week. For more information, visit the SkyBus website.
Taxi
A taxi rank is located outside at the southern end of the terminal.
Train
Frequent trains run from Brisbane Central to Varsity Lakes Station with a connection to Surfside Bus 760, which stops at Gold Coast Airport. For more information, visit the Translink website.
Last updated: 2024-08-26
This guide is for informational purposes only to assist with your planning. All information, including rates and hours, is subject to change at any time without notice. The information in this airport guide is based on information collected and/or received from the airports, lounges, hotels, transportation providers, and their websites. We are not representatives of any of the above-mentioned service providers. To report errors or to add/update any items mentioned in the guide: update the airport guide or write a review.