Tallebudgera Creek is a calm, tidal creek at Palm Beach on the southern Gold Coast, where families swim, picnic and paddle beside a park with a playground, toilets and showers. It runs out to the Pacific just south of Burleigh Headland, and locals call it Tally.
The water is sheltered and clear, with Burleigh Heads National Park on one side and Tallebudgera Beach on the other. It is free to visit, and the surf beach is around the corner.
Swimming at Tallebudgera Creek
The main swimming spot is the creek beside Tallebudgera Creek Park, on the south-eastern side of the Gold Coast Highway bridge. Swim in the patrolled area between the red and yellow flags.
Neptune Royal Lifesaving Club patrols from Tower 17, mainly between the highway bridge and the creek mouth. Patrols run from 8 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays, from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May. They can close for dangerous swimming conditions or maintenance works, so look for the flags before you get in.
Murlong Park, on Murlong Crescent, has a netted enclosure where children can play in the sand or swim.
Tallebudgera Creek is one of the swimming spots the City of Gold Coast tests for water quality, with predictions updated every 4 hours on its recreational water quality page. Council’s advice for rivers, lakes and estuaries is to avoid swimming for at least 3 days after heavy rain.
Tallebudgera Creek Park: playground and picnics
Tallebudgera Creek Park is on the Gold Coast Highway, on the south-eastern side of the creek bridge. It has a small kids’ playground, a picnic shelter, a barbecue and tables, plus toilets, a Changing Places facility, a drinking fountain, outdoor beach showers and a footpath and boardwalk towards Tallebudgera Beach.
The accessible toilet meets Disability Discrimination Act standards, and connecting pathways run through the parkland. Dogs are not allowed on the foreshore or in the playground.
The car park is shared with the Gold Coast Recreation Precinct and Custard Cafe, so a coffee is close if you want one.
Paddling and Murlong Park
Murlong Park, on Murlong Crescent, has barbecues, picnic tables, a picnic shelter, drinking fountains, outdoor showers, a small playground with a swing set and a climbing structure with a slide, and public toilets at the eastern end near the boat ramp. The ramp has a floating walkway.
The flat water suits stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking. If you are on a board or kayak, give way to boats using the waterway. Bring your own board or kayak, and check ahead if you want to hire one.
The beach next door: Tallebudgera Beach
Tallebudgera Beach sits at the northern end of Palm Beach, where the creek meets the sea. Lifeguards patrol Tower 16, near Tallebudgera Surf Club, from 8 am to 5 pm every day all year, and you should swim between the red and yellow flags. The park in front of the surf club has toilets, barbecues, tables, shelters, playgrounds and beach showers, and the park alongside the creek has toilets and a playground.
At the creek beach, beach wheelchairs and matting are available through Neptune Royal Lifesaving Club every day from September to May, 8 am to 5 pm, and on weekends from May to August. The matting is beside Tower 17.
Upstream: Schuster Park and the Tallebudgera Valley
The creek is about 27 km long. It rises on the Springbrook plateau and runs down through the semi-rural Tallebudgera Valley, which locals call Tally Valley. Its headwaters are in Springbrook National Park.
Schuster Park, at 506 Schusters Road, Tallebudgera, is the creek-side stop in the valley. It has a jungle-themed playground (best for ages 4 and up, with a smaller one for younger children), picnic shelters, barbecues, drinking fountains, a toilet block with a disability toilet, a boat ramp and a small sandy beach on the creek where kids can splash. Cars enter from Heather Street, and the park is open daily from 6 am.
Camping at the creek
Tallebudgera Creek Tourist Park, at 1544 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach, has powered and unpowered sites, drive-through sites and cabins. It has a netted swimming area in the creek and a patrolled surf beach about 300 metres away. Book through its Experience Gold Coast listing.
Is Tallebudgera Creek dog friendly?
Partly. Dogs must be on a leash in the parks, and they are not allowed on the Tallebudgera Creek Park foreshore, in any children’s playground or around the creek swimming areas. Dogs are prohibited within 200 metres of flagged swimming areas. There is an off-leash area next to the training wall at the northern end of Tallebudgera Beach, and Schuster Park has a signed off-leash area, but dogs are banned from its playground and the peninsula nature reserve.
Planning your visit
- How long: a morning or afternoon covers a swim, a picnic and a play at the park.
- Best time: weekdays, or early on weekends and public holidays when the parking bays fill quickly. Swim when the creek or beach is patrolled.
- Cost: free. Camping is extra.
- What to bring: sunscreen, a hat, towels and a picnic. Bring your own paddleboard or kayak, and mosquito repellent if you are heading upstream to Schuster Park.
- Accessibility: Tallebudgera Creek Park has an accessible toilet and a Changing Places facility, and the lifesavers at Tower 17 have beach wheelchairs and matting (see the beach section above for the months).
Getting there and parking
By car, Tallebudgera Creek Park is on the Gold Coast Highway at Palm Beach, just south of the creek bridge. It is about 90 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, about 75 minutes by car, and about 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise.
There are plenty of non-metered parking bays beside Tallebudgera Creek Park, and more at Tallebudgera Surf Club and along Murlong Crescent, which is free. They fill quickly on weekends and public holidays, so get in early. Check the parking signs and line markings before you head to the water.
Translink bus route 700 runs along the Gold Coast Highway and stops at “Gold Coast Hwy at Tallebudgera Tourist Park, Palm Beach”. Plan your trip with the Translink Journey Planner.
More detail is on council’s Tallebudgera Creek Park page and Tallebudgera Creek beach page. Details can change, so check before you go.
Nearby
- Burleigh Heads National Park – the headland across the creek, with walking tracks.
- Burleigh Heads Beach – the surf beach on the other side of the headland.
- Currumbin Rock Pools – a freshwater swim in the Currumbin Valley.
- Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary – a wildlife day out a short drive down the coast.
- David Fleay Wildlife Park – Australian animals at West Burleigh.
- Things to do on the Gold Coast – more ideas for the rest of the day.
Browse more lakes and rivers and swimming spots.
Quick answers
Can you swim in Tallebudgera Creek?
Yes. The patrolled swimming area is beside Tallebudgera Creek Park, between the red and yellow flags, and Murlong Park has a netted enclosure for children. Tidal currents can be strong, so keep a close eye on kids.
Is Tallebudgera Creek patrolled?
Neptune Royal Lifesaving Club patrols the creek from Tower 17, 8 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May. Lifeguards patrol Tallebudgera Beach next door from 8 am to 5 pm every day all year.
Is parking free at Tallebudgera Creek?
Yes. There are non-metered bays beside Tallebudgera Creek Park and free parking along Murlong Crescent. Both fill quickly on weekends and public holidays.
Are dogs allowed at Tallebudgera Creek?
On a leash, yes, but not on the Tallebudgera Creek Park foreshore, in the playgrounds or around the swimming areas. There is an off-leash area at the northern end of Tallebudgera Beach.
Does Tallebudgera Creek have toilets and a playground?
Yes. Tallebudgera Creek Park has toilets, a Changing Places facility, showers and a small kids’ playground, and Murlong Park has toilets and a playground too.
How far is Tallebudgera Creek from Brisbane?
About 90 km by road from the Brisbane CBD, about 75 minutes by car.
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