Queensland Schoolies Dates

Schoolies Week is held at the end of November. It usually spreads over three weeks due to some states and schools finishing their school semesters at different times.Queensland school leavers celebrate schoolies first in week 1, with NSW and Victoria then being spread over the following 2 weeks.

Some private schools finish their semester at different times and may hold their Schoolies festivities at different times

Schoolies flock to a variety of locations throughout Australia and overseas. The overwhelming majority of schoolies choosing to stay on the Gold Coast, Qld. Other popular destinations include the Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay.

SCHOOLIES DATES 2023

Schoolies run over a 3-week period in 2023, from November 18th to December 10th. Generally, the first week is for Queensland school leavers and the 2nd and 3rd weeks are for New South Wales and Victorian schoolies.

SCHOOLIES DATES 2023

Queensland Schoolies Dates 2023

• 18th November 2023 til the 25th November 2023 for Qld students

New South Wales Schoolies Dates 2023

It runs over 2 weeks, with most NSW schoolies choosing to stay in Queensland for only 1 week.

• 25th November 2023 til 3rd December 2023 for NSW students
• 2nd December 2023 til 10th December 2023 for NSW students

Victoria Schoolies Dates 2023

It runs over 2 weeks, with most Victorian Schoolies choosing to stay in Queensland for only 1 week:

• 25th November 2022 til 3rd December 2023 for Victorian students
• 2nd December 2023 til 10th December 2023 for Victorian students

WHERE SCHOOLIES STAY

Queensland’s official Schoolies celebrations are based on the Gold Coast.

Most Schoolies stay in units in Surfers Paradise. There are also many Schoolies that choose to stay in Broadbeach, which is only 10 minutes from Surfers (or miss out on booking Surfers Paradise accommodation). It is sometimes a lot cheaper for Schoolies to stay in other suburbs such as Southport, Mermaid Beach, Miami or Burleigh. The Light Rail travels from Southport through Surfers Paradise and down to Broadbeach. The bus network also provides easy transport for partygoers in other suburbs.

Some unit blocks will not allow Schoolies to stay or have strict regulations. Accommodation providers are not allowed to have special rules for Schoolies only and instead must implement the same rules that would apply to any other customer. All major hi-rises have additional security, and restrictions on the number of people allowed in units to try to keep festivities under control. Management will kick Schoolies out if they attempt to break any of their rules, and a room bond will be kept if any damage to the unit occurs.

Some Schoolies choose to go to other destinations, such as Airlie Beach and Yeppoon.

GETTING TO SURFERS PARADISE FROM THE AIRPORT

Public transport has improved on the Gold Coast in recent years. Interstate arrivals will either land at Coolangatta Airport or Brisbane Airport.

While Coolangatta Airport is closer to Surfers Paradise, it doesn’t have the convenience of a train network like Brisbane does. The cheapest transfer option would be to jump on a bus for the 30-minute or so bus ride into Surfers Paradise. Alternatively, a taxi or Uber would be relatively affordable.

If landing at Brisbane Airport, you can catch a combination of train and light rail to arrive in Surfers Paradise. The train departs Brisbane Airport regularly, and you would then transfer onto the light rail at the Helensvale Train Station. The light rail goes directly through Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach so you’re assured of a short walk to your accommodation.

WHAT TO DO: SCHOOLIES ACTIVITIES

Schoolies Week is full of organised activities. There are fenced-off Schoolies Only access areas on the beach where most of the activities take place during the day and night.

Apart from that, a lot of Schoolies take advantage of the Gold Coast’s amazing tourist attractions, such as:

• Relax on the beach. The Gold Coast has some of the world’s best beaches and is a great recovery option after a big night out.
• Theme Parks: Dreamworld, Sea World, Movie World, Wet n Wild
• Bowling: There is a Strike bowling alley in Surfers Paradise that is open til late at night
• Timezone: There is a massive Timezone in Surfers Paradise, full of arcade games and other games
• Nightclubs: For those over 18, there are heaps of clubs on the Gold Coast, as well as organised pub crawls and tours.