Please wear closed-in shoes and comfortable clothing. Bring some additional spending money to purchase any extras along the way. For tours during the day, we suggest you bring a jacket, water bottle, hat, and sunscreen. For evening tours, we suggest a warm jacket and water bottle.

Southern Cross Tours are suitable for all ages. All tours include a leisurely guided walk, so as long as the guest can walk or can be carried during the guided walk they can join the tour. Kids love the rainforest and the information and stories we share on the region and its wildlife. We have car seats for infants to 8 year olds. Just let us know at the time of booking.

We pick up from a selection of Hotels and Apartments on the Gold Coast between Broadbeach and Southport. Some tours have additional  Pickup locations . If you are at a private address please let us know by dropping us an email or giving us a call and we can advise your closest pickup location. Suburbs south of Burleigh Heads including Palm Beach, Tweed Heads, and Coolangatta are in our pickup area but please check with us first before booking as it depends on the tour and the day you wish to join us for the tour.

Yes we certainly do.

• Mt Tamborine Morning Tour – Helensvale Train Station
• Evening Rainforest & Glowworm Experience – Helensvale Train Station
• Natural Bridge & Springbrook Tour – Nerang Train Station
• Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s & Vineyard – Nerang Training Station

Accommodation pick up and drop off is included in your tour price.

We will confirm this after your booking. Feel free to send through an email or give us a call to let us know what day you want to tour and where you’re staying and we will send back all the information you need. Generally, tour pick ups start around 30 mins. prior to the tour start time.

• By Car: If you have your own car you can drive down to the Gold Coast and we can arrange the best pick up point for you. The drive from Brisbane is around 35 minutes.
• By Train or Bus: Your best bet is to catch the train to Helensvale or Nerang Train Station depending which tour you are taking. As soon as you walk off the train our vehicle will be out the front. Drop us an email and let us know the day you are planning and we will send you a link to the train timetable. After the tour we can drop you back at the station or we can take you into Surfers Paradise to check out what it has to offer.

We carry big umbrellas in all our vehicles so if it does rain we can keep you covered and dry all day. We have waterproofed our tour and the last thing we want is for you to be uncomfortable or unhappy.

When checking the weather forecast be aware that during the course of the day, we travel through 3 x forecast Regions, not just the Gold Coast Region. Being a sub-tropical climate, a forecast of a possible shower means that it might shower for ten minutes in one part of the whole Gold Coast region. When it does it can still be 28 degrees.

• Due to the altitudes of the mountains and the coastal winds etc, we can sometimes have 3 seasons in a day.
• All vehicles have access to smartphones and are aware of the weather at all times.
  Rainforests would not be what they are if it didn’t rain so we may encounter the odd shower but this will not stop us from doing the tour. Our number one motto with the rain is “If it didn’t rain we would not have Rainforests.” 
• We have been doing these tours for a long time and we want to ensure that you enjoy the day in all weather so you can go home knowing that it was a day well spent.

Southern Cross has a fleet of 16-seat Mercedes Benz vehicles. They are comfortable and spacious with reclining seats and it is comfortable to stand inside the vehicle when taking your seat.

Yes, we provide baby seats for 18 months to 8 years. If you have a new born baby please feel free to bring your capsule with you.

On each tour we include light refreshments and you are welcome to purchase a meal at any one of our stops along the way. Just ask your tour guide.

We have a gluten free option for the light refreshments on all tours. Please advise us when you make a booking.

Southern Cross Tours are not suitable for people who require the use of wheelchairs. Unfortunately, we are unable to store walking frames, wheelchairs or other mobility aids on the coach.

For full details on the accessibility of our tours please visit our access statement.

Each one of our tours does include some walking and navigating stairs. Some of the walks are over uneven ground with some staircases also uneven in nature. If you are unsure or would like some more information, please feel free to give us a call to discuss which one of our tours might best suit your individual needs.

Waterfalls are featured on 3 of our tours:

• Mt Tamborine Morning Tour
• Natural Bridge & Springbrook Tour
• Evening Rainforest & Glow Worm Experience

We visit 3 different National Parks on our tours.

• Tamborine National Park  –Mt Tamborine Morning Tour & Evening Rainforest & Glow Worm Experience.
• Springbrook National Park –Natural Bridge & Springbrook Tour.
• Lamington National Park –Lamington, O’Reilly’s and Vineyard Tour.

Yes, absolutely your service dog can come on tour. Please let our team know at the time of booking.
For more information visit our accessibility page or  Phone 07 5574 5041.

Yes, there certainly is. The longest you will be in the vehicle at any stage will be 1 hour. However, if you need to go just let your tour guide know.

Unfortunately the vehicle has limited storage space so luggage can not be taken on tour.
Please note there is no luggage/pram/stroller storage on the bus.

Unfortunately the vehicle has limited storage space that will not allow for a pram or stroller. 

Southern Cross Tours is available for charter from both Gold Coast and Brisbane. We can guarantee a quality product, not just a bus tour. We have a range of exclusive itineraries for you to choose from. 

Southern Cross Tours is an award-winning tourism business offering nature-based tours since 1994. The standard of tours we operate on this platform was the basis for delivering quality day tours to people that want to explore the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Southern Cross Tours is COVID Safe. Our tours operate under the highest levels of health and safety practices and in accordance with industry and QLD Health guidelines.

Please note our cancellation policies below. 

• PUBLIC TOURS

Full refund is permitted for cancellations received more than 48 hours prior to departure.

Cancellations received within 48 hours of tour departure will attract a 100% cancellation fee (including no-shows)

Reschedule is permitted for request received more than 24 hours prior to departure.

No changes are permitted within 24 hours of departure.

• GROUPS/PRIVATE TOURS            

Full Refund available if notified 5 days prior to tour date

Cancellation/reduction in pax 2 – 4 days prior to tour departure time – 50% OF FARE.

Reschedule of tour permitted free of charge up to 24 Hours prior. Cancellation/reduction in pax inside 48 hours or no show – 100% OF FARE

No changes are permitted within 24 hours of departure.

PAYMENT TERMS

All bookings require full pre-payment, which must be received a minimum of 7 days prior to departure.

For group bookings (8+ pax) and private charters 50% deposit at time of booking. Balance payable 7 days prior to departure.

If a Credit account has been approved, your company will be invoiced every 14 days, with payment required within 7 days from the date of invoice.

There is so much to do on the Gold Coast! We have a group of great friends who are all family owned businesses and offer exceptional experiences. Head to our Partners Page.

Each tour duration is listed on the relevant tour landing page. Tour durations are approximate and are based on tour time departing from and returning to Aquaduck booking office Shop 34, Circle on Cavill, Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise. Start time is based on Aquaduck booking office pick up. Hotel pick up may be prior to, or after this time.

Any person under the age of 16yrs must be accompanied by an adult 18+.