🦜How to get from Brisbane to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
A getting-there guide from GoThere Brisbane, the free live journey planner for South East Queensland.
Can you get there without a car?
🟢 Yes, all the way
Yes, the whole way on a flat 50c fare. Train to Helensvale, then the G:link tram to Broadbeach South, then 700 bus from Broadbeach South, stops outside the sanctuary (~30 min).
The short answer
- 1🚆Train to Helensvale, then the G:link tram to Broadbeach South
- 2🚌700 bus from Broadbeach South, stops outside the sanctuary (~30 min)
The journey, end to end
- Brisbane
🚆Train to Helensvale, then the G:link tram to Broadbeach South
- Change 1
🚌700 bus from Broadbeach South, stops outside the sanctuary (~30 min)
- Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
2 legs, 1 change. Dashed lines are the parts that aren't public transport.
The Gold Coast's wildlife sanctuary, and the third of Queensland's big three koala parks alongside Lone Pine and Australia Zoo.
What is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary?
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary sits on the southern Gold Coast, inland from Currumbin Beach. It began in the 1940s as a bloke feeding wild lorikeets on his flower farm, and the twice-daily lorikeet feed is still the thing it is known for.
It is run by the National Trust of Queensland as a not-for-profit, and it doubles as a wildlife hospital, so a decent share of what you pay goes into treating injured animals rather than into a corporate park.
Why go, and what to see
The lorikeet feeding
Morning and afternoon, wild rainbow lorikeets that come and go as they please
Koala and wildlife hospital
One of the busiest in the country, with a public viewing window
Free-flight bird show
Raptors and parrots over the amphitheatre
Currumbin Beach and the Alley
A short hop away, and a gentler beach than most on the coast
Every way to get there, compared
Including the ones that aren't public transport, because pretending the car doesn't exist helps nobody.
🚆 Public transport, 1 change
Our pick- 🚆Train to Helensvale, then the G:link tram to Broadbeach South
- 🚌700 bus from Broadbeach South, stops outside the sanctuary (~30 min)
Time
About 2¼ hr from Central
Cost
50c each way
Best for
Cheapest by a distance, and no parking to find
🚗 Drive
- 🚗97 km from the city centre, about 65 min in normal traffic
Time
about 65 min
Cost
Fuel and parking
Best for
Carrying gear, odd hours, or several people splitting the cost
Usually quicker than the train, and that is worth being honest about. What it costs you is parking, tolls and driving home tired.
The connecting service, as it actually runs
Straight from the timetable data, not from a brochure. The days it runs and the last service back are the two things that decide whether a day trip works.
🚌 Route 700, Broadbeach South down the coast
Runs seven daysFirst
~4:05 am
Last
~3:50 am
Weekday trips
117
Midday
~10 min
Planning the day around it
- 🌅 Earliest connection out is around 4:05 am, so an early start is possible.
- 🌙 The last one is around 3:50 am. That, not closing time, is when your day ends.
- ⏳ Which leaves a window of about 23 hours between the first service out and the last one back, before you subtract the travelling at each end.
Work backwards from the last service rather than forwards from breakfast. Missing it here is a taxi fare, not a short wait.
Scheduled times on a typical weekday, counted one way and timed at Burleigh Heads station, so the gaps are the ones you would actually wait. Check the live board before you go.
When to go
Time your arrival around a lorikeet feed, since it is the reason to come and it only happens twice a day. Cooler months are easier going for the walking.
Last service home →
Check your cut-off before you go, not after.
Anything disrupted? →
Live delays and closures across the network.
See it on the map →
The route drawn across South East Queensland.
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Getting to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: quick answers
How do you get to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary by public transport?+
Gold Coast line to Varsity Lakes or the tram to Broadbeach South, then the 700 bus down the coast, which stops close to the sanctuary entrance. It is a long trip from Brisbane, a bit over two hours, but the whole thing is a flat 50 cents.
How do you get from Brisbane to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary without a car?+
Train to Helensvale, then the G:link tram to Broadbeach South, then 700 bus from Broadbeach South, stops outside the sanctuary (~30 min). Allow about 2¼ hr from Central station. Every leg on the TransLink network is a flat 50 cent fare.
How long does it take to get to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary from Brisbane?+
About 2¼ hr from Central, door to platform to door, depending on how the connection lands. The planner on this page works it out from where you actually are rather than from the city centre.
How much does it cost to get to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary?+
A flat 50 cents each way on the TransLink network, however far you travel.
What time is the last service back from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary?+
It changes by day and by line, and it is the thing that catches people out on a long day trip. Check the last service home tool before you head out so you know your cut-off rather than guessing at the end of the day.