i have a yearly pass to the zoo & have had for the last few years

1. prob almost 2 hrs from surfers to beerwah - depends where in surfers you are & the traffic but definately take the gateway

2. beerwah is the closest town tho not much there - depends if you want to stay near the beach then id either try mooloolaba or even golden beach/caloundra both about the same time from beerwah - or if you want a mountain holiday stay up at maleny or montville

3. 5mins into beerwah - about 1/2 hour to the other places

4. depends on how into everything you are - with all the changes there & seeing all the things you may need two days - i have been there so many times & have yet to go into the wetlands area - there is a main show in th crocoseum plus other shows at enclosures like elephant feeding

5.contact the zoo to send out some info - they even have a travel agent there now that may help with accomodation - you can take your own food in & there are nice places for picnics inside or their food section is great with a huge selection - get there early so you dont have park too far away

have fun!