Qld man charged over 'child abduction'

A Gold Coast man has been charged with abducting his grandson after a member of the public helped rescue the two-year-old boy.

The toddler went missing from a Mudgeeraba property in a red four-wheel drive on Tuesday afternoon, sparking an abduction alert and a public appeal.

The boy had been listening to music in the car with his grandfather before his mother noticed him missing.

However, he was found safe and well at nearby Coolangatta on Wednesday morning.

The boy's young mother said a member of the public followed the 4WD and called police.

She initially thought the pair had gone for a drive to a park but raised the alarm when they didn't return by nightfall.

"They are going to take him to hospital to assess him to make sure nothing happened and he will be returned by police," she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

"(We are) very, very relieved."

Late on Wednesday police charged a 43-year-old man with one count each of abducting of a child under 16 and failing to ensure a child was in a child restraint.

He is expected to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday.