Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast road trip: Distance & driving time

Distances and driving times from the Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast depend on which towns you’re going from and heading to. But from Surfers Paradise to Caloundra, it’s 170km, taking about 1h59m.

The drive from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast connects two of Queensland’s most popular coastal strips. The Gold Coast is just to the south of Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast just to the north. Both are made up of several different towns and vibes, and the driving distance from the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast largely depends on where you start and finish. After, all if you’re going from the Gold Coast to Noosa, it helps to know where on the Gold Coast you’re setting off from.

Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast driving times

For the purposes of comparing driving times, let’s use two popular resort areas at either end of each coast.

So, from the Gold Coast it’s Surfers Paradise in the north and Coolangatta in the south. For the Sunshine Coast, it’s Caloundra in the south and Noosa in the north.

Best day trips from the Gold Coast – 7 ways to improve your stay

The Gold Coast is a destination in its own right, but there are several excellent day trips you can do while using it as a base.

Deluxe Tamborine Mountain winery tour – with gourmet lunch.
Full day Springbrook National Park tour – with waterfalls and bush tucker tasting.
Snorkelling with turtles at Cook Island.
Evening glowworm-viewing experience – with guided stargazing.
Lady Elliot Island day trip – with glass bottom boat & guided Great Barrier Reef snorkelling tour.
Hopping between microbreweries – with lunch included.
Northern Rivers fruit & distillery tour – with Tropical Fruit World and Husk Distillers.

The Pumicestone Passage at Golden Beach, Caloundra, Queensland. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast drive: Distances from Coolangatta

The distance from Coolangatta to Caloundra by car is 196km. This makes for a driving time of around two hours and 15 minutes, give or take a little depending on Brisbane traffic.

From Coolangatta to Noosa, the distance by car is 240km. Expect a driving time of around two hours and 46 minutes.

Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast road trip: Distances from Surfers Paradise

From Surfers Paradise to Noosa, it’s a distance of 214km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 30 minutes.

And from Surfers Paradise to Caloundra, it’s a significantly shorter drive. The distance from Surfers Paradise to Caloundra by car is 170km, with a driving time of around one hour and 59 minutes.

All of these driving times are based on the shortest possible route, which is mainly along the Pacific Motorway towards Brisbane, then along the Bruce Highway.

12 fantastic Sunshine Coast experiences to book now

Taste coffee and ginger, do rainforest walks, and visit the best lookouts on a highlight-packed hinterland tour.
Take a serene Noosa Everglades cruise along the mirror-like waterways – or canoe through the Everglades.
Learn to surf at a Sunshine Coast surf school – or try paddleboarding instead.
Combine sight-seeing and thrills on a fast boat tour.
Go e-mountain biking on the downhill trails of Tewantin National Park.
Kayak with dolphins as part of a beach 4WD tour.
Explore the Sunshine Coast from above on a seaplane flight.
Take an indigenous cultural tour – with bush tucker tasting.
Visit the region’s best craft breweries and distilleries on a drinks tasting tour.
Go jetskiing through the gorgeous Pumicestone Passage.
Taste wines, cheeses and chocolates on a hinterland food tour.
Watch migrating humpbacks on a whale-watching cruise.