The best things to do on the Gold Coast are its patrolled surf beaches, calm creek and lagoon swimming spots, two big wildlife parks and the rainforest waterfalls of Springbrook, and most of them are within an hour’s drive of Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise itself is about 65 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD.
This guide picks 14 places worth your day, each linked to a full post with parking, facilities and what to bring. It then covers getting around on the G:link light rail, beach safety, the best time to go and what to do when it rains.
Best beaches on the Gold Coast
Council counts a 52-kilometre coastline, with more than 50 km of cycle and walking paths along the foreshore. These five are the beaches and coastal parks to start with.
1. Surfers Paradise Beach
The beach most people picture, backed by the high-rises. Lifeguards patrol Towers 34, 35 and 36 from 8 am to 5 pm every day of the year, and the park behind the sand has toilets, picnic tables, a lookout and a fitness station.
The G:link stops at Cavill Avenue station, and Cavill Avenue’s pedestrian mall runs down to the beach. Read more in Surfers Paradise Beach.
2. Broadbeach
Broadbeach is a patrolled beach with a beachfront park that suits families. Pratten Park has what council calls the Gold Coast’s first all-abilities playground, fully fenced, with a hill slide, a flying fox and a harnessed seat. A second playground at the southern end has a pedal-powered monorail and a pirate ship.
There are toilets, showers, barbecues and picnic shelters, and an off-leash dog area at the southern end of the park. Kurrawa Towers 27 and 28 are patrolled from 8 am to 5 pm every day of the year, and the G:link stops at Broadbeach North and Broadbeach South. See Broadbeach.
3. Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Heads Beach is patrolled at Tower 18 from 8 am to 5 pm every day of the year, with Justins Park behind it for a playground, barbecues, toilets, showers and weekend markets. The headland surf break is for experienced surfers only. Parking at the surf club is limited, so read the signs on nearby streets.
The Oceanway links the beachfront to Burleigh Head National Park, where the Oceanview Walk takes about 30 minutes one way. The G:link runs all the way to Burleigh Heads station. Details are in Burleigh Heads Beach and Burleigh Heads National Park.
4. Coolangatta and Kirra
Coolangatta Beach faces north, so council describes it as more sheltered from the main east to southeast swell, and it suits beginner and intermediate surfers. Tower 3 is patrolled from 8 am to 5 pm every day of the year. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.
A few minutes north, Kirra is known for the Kirra Point break, which produces a long, hollow, barrelling wave in big swell and is for experienced surfers. Tower 4 is patrolled from 8 am to 5 pm every day of the year. Both beaches have parkland with toilets, barbecues, tables, shade structures and showers, and the Oceanway runs along the sand. Council notes you may see dolphins and migrating whales from the beach on sunny winter days.
Read more about Coolangatta, Kirra Beach and Rainbow Bay.
5. The Spit
North of Main Beach, The Spit has 30 hectares of parkland at Doug Jennings Park, with plenty of shade, picnic shelters and tables, beach showers, drinking fountains with dog bowls, a pathway around the park and the Seaway Kiosk, which has a large deck overlooking the park. The neighbouring Federation Walk Coastal Reserve adds about 60 hectares of dune bushland and nearly three kilometres of shoreline, with tracks for walking, birdwatching, running and bike riding.
Council’s beach page shows the current status of the ocean beach, so check it before you plan a swim. Sea World is also on The Spit. The Spit, Gold Coast has the walks and parking.
Swimming spots and water play
If the surf is too much for your kids, the Gold Coast has plenty of calmer places to swim.
6. Tallebudgera Creek
A calm tidal creek at Palm Beach, with parkland that has toilets, tables, shade structures and showers, and a small playground at the creek park. The creek is patrolled from Tower 17, 8 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays, from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May. Tallebudgera Beach next door is patrolled from Tower 16 every day of the year, and there is an off-leash dog area at the northern end of that beach.
The creek is one of the sites council tests for water quality. See Tallebudgera Creek.
7. Southport Broadwater Parklands
This waterfront park in Southport has the Rockpools water play area, with cool-water fountains, a creek bed and marine-themed play equipment, and lifeguards on duty. Opening hours change by month and by day of the week, so check council’s page for your date. There are three playgrounds (Peninsula Playground for all ages, Adventure Play for younger children and Washington Waters for older children), a netted swimming enclosure that is not patrolled, electric barbecues in shaded shelters and four cafes.
The Broadwater Parklands G:link station is the stop for the park. On the Southport waterfront at Marine Parade, Gold Coast Aqua Park is an inflatable water park for swimmers aged 5 and over. The full guide is Southport Broadwater Parklands.
8. Evandale Parklands
Behind HOTA in Surfers Paradise, the parklands have Evandale Lake, an enclosed swimming lagoon, plus a fully fenced playground under shade sails, shaded picnic areas with barbecues, outdoor showers and free fitness stations. The public toilets are closed at night, and dogs are not allowed in the playground or the swimming enclosure. See Evandale Parklands.
9. Currumbin Rock Pools
A creek swimming spot in Currumbin Valley, 10 to 15 minutes from Currumbin Beach, with toilets, barbecues, a picnic shelter and a cafe across the road. It is one of the 25 swim sites council tests, with a water-quality prediction updated every four hours (see the beach safety section below). Read Currumbin Rock Pools before you go.
Wildlife parks and farm shows
10. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
A not-for-profit wildlife park at 28 Tomewin Street, Currumbin, with koalas, kangaroos, capybaras, ring-tailed lemurs and crocodiles. It is open 9 am to 4 pm daily, with last admission at 3:30 pm, and it closes on 25 April and 25 December. Lorikeet feeding at 8 am and 4 pm is free to watch, with no booking or entry ticket needed. Entry to the rest of the park is ticketed. See Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
11. David Fleay Wildlife Park
A smaller, quieter wildlife park on Loman Lane in West Burleigh, where Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers care for the animals. You walk through rainforest and bushland, and the park is the place to see the shy bridled nailtail wallaby. There is a birds-of-prey show called Fleays in Flight, a cafe, a picnic area and a car park, and the park is suitable for wheelchairs and prams. Read David Fleay Wildlife Park.
12. Paradise Country
A farm and wildlife attraction at Oxenford, between Warner Bros. Movie World and Australian Outback Spectacular. You can meet kangaroos, watch stockmen and their dogs round up sheep, see a stock horse show and a show in the shearing shed, and eat at the Farmhouse Restaurant. There is a car park, a picnic area and public toilets. See Paradise Country.
Hinterland and gardens
13. Springbrook National Park
The Springbrook Plateau is about 55 minutes by car from Surfers Paradise and is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. Purling Brook Falls drops 100 metres into a rainforest valley. A 300 metre walk from the Tallanbana picnic area leads to the top of Twin Falls, and a longer circuit passes behind the waterfalls. Goomoolahra has a 250 metre return walk to a waterfall and two lookouts.
Natural Bridge, in the western part of the park, is a 1 kilometre circuit to a rock arch with a resident glow-worm colony after dark. Swimming in the creek and cave is prohibited there, because part of Cave Creek is a Restricted Access Area. Plan your day with Springbrook National Park and Natural Bridge, Springbrook, and browse more national parks.
14. Gold Coast Regional Botanical Gardens
The gardens at 230 Ashmore Road, Benowa, are about a 10 minute drive from central Surfers Paradise. They are open from 5 am to 7 pm every day of the year, and entry is free. There is a boardwalk, a playground, a large off-leash dog area (dogs are banned around the central lake and the playground), and the Friends Centre sells coffee and tea from 9 am to 3 pm every day, weather permitting. See Gold Coast Regional Botanical Gardens.
Gold Coast theme parks
The big theme parks have their own operators and ticket pages. Dreamworld and WhiteWater World are at Coomera, Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet’n’Wild are at Oxenford, and Sea World is at Main Beach on The Spit. Experience Gold Coast lists them all, and each park’s website has current hours and prices. Browse more theme parks on Explore SEQ.
Getting around the Gold Coast by G:link and bus
The G:link light rail runs on route L1, Helensvale / Burleigh Heads, with stops at Broadwater Parklands, Cavill Avenue and Broadbeach North and South along the way. An extension of 6.7 km added eight stations between Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads: Mermaid Beach, Mermaid Beach South, Nobby Beach, Miami North, Miami, Christine Avenue, Second Avenue and Burleigh Heads.
- From Brisbane: the T5 train line between Bowen Hills and Varsity Lakes shares Helensvale station with the G:link, so you can change there without a car.
- Paying: you can use a go card or tap on with a contactless debit or credit card. Translink lists a flat 50 cent fare on its services, regardless of distance (Airtrain is excluded), so check the fare page before you travel.
- Buses: route 705 runs from Broadbeach South station through Surfers Paradise and Main Beach to Sea World. Route 700 runs between Tweed Heads and Burleigh Heads and stops at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and at Burleigh Heads station. For the theme parks, Experience Gold Coast suggests the G:link to Helensvale and then the TX7 bus.
- Driving: Springbrook is about 55 minutes from Surfers Paradise, and Currumbin Rock Pools about 40 minutes. Beach parking is often limited or metered, and council asks you to check parking signs and line markings before you leave the car.
Plan your trip with the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30. Bringing the kids a long way? 10 Tips for Surviving Long Car Trips With Kids helps.
Beach safety on the Gold Coast
These rules come from City of Gold Coast’s beach safety page and its beach and swimming enclosure pages.
- Swim between the red and yellow flags at a patrolled beach. No flags means no swim.
- Check the patrol times. Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, Coolangatta, Kirra and Tallebudgera Beach are patrolled every day of the year, but some towers, such as Tallebudgera Creek, are patrolled only on weekends and public holidays or in the warmer months. A patrol can close when conditions are dangerous.
- Keep children within arm’s reach. Never swim at night, or after eating or drinking alcohol.
- Caught in a rip? Stay calm, raise one arm and float. Do not swim against the current.
- Helping someone else: alert a lifeguard, or call 000 if there is none. Do not go into the water yourself.
- Dogs are not allowed within 200 metres of the flags. No surfing between the flags.
- Avoid steep sand scarps on the beach, because they can collapse.
- Swimming enclosures such as the one at Broadwater Parklands are not patrolled by lifeguards.
Best time to visit the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast has a humid subtropical climate. Summer days (December to February) average about 28 to 29 degrees, and winter days (June to August) about 21 to 22 degrees.
Summer is the hot beach season, but the wet season runs from December to March, and February is the wettest month. The driest months are July to September, which makes winter and early spring good for the wildlife parks, Springbrook and coastal walks. Some lifeguard patrols are seasonal, so check the dates for the spot you want (Tallebudgera Creek runs from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May).
Browse more Gold Coast day trips and beaches.
Rainy-day things to do on the Gold Coast
- HOTA, Home of the Arts: a gallery at 135 Bundall Road with five levels of displays and artworks, including a Children’s Gallery on Level 1. Check HOTA’s website for current exhibitions and opening hours.
- Timezone: on Level 1 of Paradise Centre in Cavill Mall, with over 300 arcade games, laser tag, ten-pin bowling and 12 holes of glow-in-the-dark mini golf.
- iFLY Indoor Skydiving: an indoor wind tunnel at 3084 Surfers Paradise Boulevard. Children can fly from age 3, with no upper age limit.
- Ripley’s Believe It or Not!: 15 themed galleries of about 350 artefacts in Cavill Mall.
Browse more indoor days out.
More day trips from the Gold Coast
- Hinze Dam – a lake and parkland at Advancetown, in the Gold Coast hinterland.
- Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk – a canopy walk in the hills behind the coast.
- Pottsville and Cabarita Beach – quieter beaches just over the border in Northern NSW.
- Things to Do on the Sunshine Coast – the other big holiday coast, north of Brisbane.
Quick answers
What are the best things to do on the Gold Coast?
Swim and surf at a patrolled beach such as Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads or Coolangatta, meet koalas at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, walk to the waterfalls at Springbrook National Park and let the kids splash at Broadwater Parklands.
Where can kids swim safely on the Gold Coast?
Between the red and yellow flags at a patrolled beach, in the calm water of Tallebudgera Creek when it is patrolled, in the enclosed lagoon at Evandale Parklands or at the Rockpools water play area, where lifeguards are on duty. The netted enclosure at Broadwater Parklands is not patrolled, so watch children closely.
Can you get around the Gold Coast without a car?
Yes, along the coast. The G:link light rail runs from Helensvale to Burleigh Heads, buses fill the gaps, and the T5 train from Brisbane meets the G:link at Helensvale. Plan trips with the Translink Journey Planner.
What is the best time of year to visit the Gold Coast?
For hot beach days, December to February, though the wet season runs from December to March. The driest months are July to September, when winter days are around 21 to 22 degrees.
What can you do on the Gold Coast when it rains?
Try HOTA Gallery, Timezone, iFLY or Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, all in or near Surfers Paradise.
Where can I take my dog on the Gold Coast?
Dogs are not allowed within 200 metres of the flags, and they are banned from Coolangatta Beach. Gold Coast Regional Botanical Gardens, Pratten Park at Broadbeach and the northern end of Tallebudgera Beach have signed off-leash areas, and council’s rule elsewhere is dogs on a leash unless a sign says otherwise.
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