Don't be a tourist, be a traveler, world in motion
EnglishUSDNewsletterWimup Videos ↗
Plan a trip
Gold Coast, Australia, top 10 things to do (Wimup travel guide)
Top 10OceaniaAustralia

Top 10 Things To Do on the Gold Coast

Country
Australia
Best months
Mar · Apr · Sep · Oct
Population
691,230 (2025)
Language
English
Budget / day
A$140–260
Quick answer

The best things to do on the Gold Coast are the Superbank at Snapper Rocks, the headland walk at Burleigh Head National Park, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, one theme park day at Warner Bros. Movie World, and the Springbrook rainforest an hour inland. Give the coast four days, add a fifth for the hinterland, and travel in autumn (March to May) or spring (September to November).

The Gold Coast is a 70 km strip of surf with a rainforest behind it, and the two are half an hour apart. Below are the ten experiences worth your time, plus the beach to pick for the kind of trip you are having, the theme parks that justify a full day, and the hinterland tracks most visitors never drive up to.

The 10 best things to do on the Gold Coast

Watch the Superbank run at Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast, Australia
1

Watch the Superbank run at Snapper Rocks

Surf break· Snapper Rocks Road, Coolangatta QLD 4225

The Superbank is the sandbank that made the southern Gold Coast famous: a two-kilometre run from Snapper Rocks through Rainbow Bay and Greenmount to Kirra, held together by sand pumped north from the Tweed. On a good swell the ride is one of the longest in the country. Walk out to Point Danger first for the view down both coastlines.

Time1–2 hrs
CostFree
Best atDawn
TipThe point gets crowded, the beach beside it does not
Map↗ Website
Walk the headland in Burleigh Head National Park, Gold Coast, Australia
2

Walk the headland in Burleigh Head National Park

National park· Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220

A basalt headland covered in rainforest and pandanus, with tracks that loop from the beach around to Tallebudgera Creek. The ocean-side path is short enough to do before breakfast and high enough to spot humpbacks between June and October. Time it for late afternoon and finish in the Burleigh restaurants below.

Time1 hr
CostFree
Best atLate afternoon
TipWhale season runs June to October
Map↗ Website
Meet the wildlife at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast, Australia
3

Meet the wildlife at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Wildlife· 28 Tomewin Street, Currumbin QLD 4223

It started as one man feeding wild rainbow lorikeets in his garden and is now a 27-hectare sanctuary run as a not-for-profit, with koalas, a wildlife hospital and the same lorikeet feed twice a day. The animals are native and the setting is bushland rather than enclosure after enclosure. Go early: the birds are loudest and the paths empty.

Time3–4 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipThe lorikeet feeding is the set piece, check the day’s times on arrival
Map↗ Website
Warner Bros. Movie World, Gold Coast, Australia (Wimup)
4

Give one full day to Warner Bros. Movie World

Theme park· Pacific Motorway, Oxenford QLD 4210

The Gold Coast has four major parks within twenty minutes of each other, and this is the one to pick for a single day. The coaster line-up is the reason: DC Rivals HyperCoaster runs the longest drop of any hypercoaster in the southern hemisphere. Buy ahead, arrive at opening, and ride the far end of the park first.

TimeFull day
CostTicketed
Best atWeekday
TipClosed on Christmas Day and Anzac Day
Map↗ Website
5

Take the lift to SkyPoint at the top of Q1

Viewpoint· Level 77, Q1 Building, 9 Hamilton Avenue, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

The observation deck sits 230 metres up on the 77th floor of Q1, reached by a lift that takes under a minute. From it the whole shape of the city makes sense: the beach running dead straight to the border, the canals behind it, the hinterland ranges in the west. Come for sunset and stay while the strip lights up.

Time1 hr
CostTicketed
Best atSunset
TipThe rooftop climb is booked separately from deck entry
Map↗ Website
Stand under Natural Bridge in Springbrook National Park, Gold Coast, Australia
6

Stand under Natural Bridge in Springbrook National Park

Waterfall· Nerang Murwillumbah Road, Springbrook QLD 4213

A creek that has worn through the roof of a basalt cave and now drops into it through a hole in the rock, with the pool below lit by daylight coming down the shaft. The circuit is about a kilometre and takes under an hour. After dark the cave ceiling carries a glow worm colony, which is why the car park fills at dusk.

Time1 hr
CostFree
Best atAfter dusk for glow worms
TipGlow worms need darkness, so keep torches and flashes off in the cave
Map↗ Website
See the collection at HOTA Gallery, Gold Coast, Australia
7

See the collection at HOTA Gallery

Gallery· 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

Home of the Arts is the largest public gallery in Australia outside a capital city, a stack of pink and green faceted boxes on the Nerang River with a rooftop bar on top. The permanent collection is free and the touring shows are ticketed. The grounds are the other half: parkland, an outdoor stage and a swimming lake.

Time2 hrs
CostFree entry
Best atWeekend
TipTake the lift to the rooftop for the river view
Map↗ Website
Cross the canopy on O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk, Gold Coast, Australia
8

Cross the canopy on O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk

Rainforest· Lamington National Park Road, Green Mountains QLD 4275

Nine suspension bridges strung through the canopy of Lamington National Park, up to sixteen metres above the forest floor, with a ladder at the far end climbing thirty metres up inside a strangler fig. This is World Heritage Gondwana rainforest, and the birdlife is why people come back. The road up from Canungra is narrow.

Time1–2 hrs
CostFree
Best atMid-morning
TipFill the tank in Canungra, there is no fuel on the mountain
Map↗ Website
9

Eat and hear a band at Miami Marketta

Street food· Hillcrest Parade, Miami QLD 4220

A warehouse a block back from the highway, filled with street food stalls, string lights and a stage that books touring acts as well as local ones. It runs as a night market on set evenings and as a ticketed venue the rest of the time, which is worth checking before you turn up. Eat from three stalls and stay for the band.

Time2–3 hrs
CostFree entry to the night market
Best atFriday night
TipCheck the schedule first, the room is ticketed on gig nights
Map↗ Website
Walk Burleigh with Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
10

Walk Burleigh with Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre

Culture· 1711 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220

The only Aboriginal cultural centre on the Gold Coast, owned and run by the local Aboriginal community, at the foot of the headland the Yugambeh people call Jellurgal. The centre is free and small; the reason to come is the guided walk, which takes the same path as everyone else and tells you what you are looking at. Book ahead.

Time1–2 hrs
CostFree centre
Best atMorning
TipGuided walks run to a set timetable, book ahead
Map↗ Website

7 of the 10, mapped

Gold Coast · 7 spots
AllParksWildlifeWaterfallsFree

Gold Coast travel FAQ

How many days do you need on the Gold Coast?+
Four days covers it: two on the beach and in the southern villages, one theme park day, and one inland for Springbrook or Lamington. Add a fifth if you want Byron Bay or Brisbane as well, and a sixth if you are travelling with children who will want a second park.
When is the best time to visit the Gold Coast?+
Autumn (March to May) and spring (September to November) are the pick: warm water, daytime highs in the mid twenties and less humidity than summer. July is the coolest month at around 20°C and the driest stretch of the year, which suits walking. February is the wettest month. Humpbacks pass offshore between June and October.
Do you need a car on the Gold Coast?+
Not for the coastal strip. The G:link tram runs from Helensvale through Surfers Paradise to Broadbeach South, and buses cover the rest, including the theme parks and the airport, all on one go card. You do need a car, or a tour, for the hinterland: Springbrook, Lamington and Tamborine Mountain are not served by public transport.
Which part of the Gold Coast should you stay in?+
Burleigh Heads for a beach village with the best restaurants, Broadbeach if you want the tram and dinner without a car, Surfers Paradise for the cheapest central beds and the nightlife, and Coolangatta if you are here to surf or arriving late at the airport. Palm Beach and Nobby Beach are the quieter alternatives to all four.
Is the Gold Coast worth visiting if you are not into theme parks?+
Yes. The parks are a day of a longer trip rather than the trip itself. What holds up without them is the coastline, the walking tracks on the headlands, the rainforest and waterfalls half an hour inland, and a dining strip between Broadbeach and Currumbin that is among the best in the country outside the capitals.
Where to swim

Best beaches on the Gold Coast

Ten stretches of sand, from the Superbank in the south to the Spit in the north.
Burleigh Heads BeachBurleigh Heads

Burleigh Heads Beach

Surf · Patrolled

The one most locals name first. A right-hand point break off the headland, a patrolled stretch of sand, and a grassy hill above that fills with picnic rugs from four.

Map
Currumbin AlleyCurrumbin

Currumbin Alley

Beginner surf · Creek

Where Currumbin Creek meets the sea, which makes it the calmest water on the coast and the place every local learns to surf. Paddleboards on the creek side.

Map
Rainbow BayCoolangatta

Rainbow Bay

Swimming · Sheltered

The sheltered corner between Snapper Rocks and Greenmount, north-facing and protected from the southerly. Good swimming and a front-row seat on the Superbank.

Map
Kirra BeachKirra

Kirra Beach

Surf · Park

The far end of the Superbank and a legendary barrel when the sand lines up. Between swells it is a quiet beach with a park and a good fish and chip run.

Map
Coolangatta

Greenmount Beach

Family · Patrolled

A shallow, gently shelving arc tucked behind Greenmount Point, patrolled and close to everything in Coolangatta. The pick if you are travelling with small children.

Map
Coolangatta BeachCoolangatta

Coolangatta Beach

Swimming · Town beach

The border town beach, wide and north-facing, with the shops and the airport both a few minutes away. It is the least high-rise stretch of the coast and it feels it.

Map
Mermaid Beach

Mermaid Beach

Quiet · Long stretch

Two kilometres of sand backed by Hedges Avenue and almost nothing else, so it stays empty while Broadbeach fills up two minutes north.

Map
BroadbeachBroadbeach

Broadbeach

Patrolled · Restaurants

A patrolled beach with a proper town behind it: restaurants, the casino, parkland and the southern end of the tram line. The best balance of sand and dinner on the coast.

Map
Surfers Paradise BeachSurfers Paradise

Surfers Paradise Beach

Patrolled · Central

The postcard: three kilometres of sand under a wall of towers, lifeguards along most of it, and the highest concentration of everything on the coast. Busy is the point.

Map
Main Beach and the SpitMain Beach

Main Beach and the Spit

Walks · Broadwater

The northern end, where the beach runs out to the Seaway wall past Sea World. Quieter sand, a track along the Broadwater, and calm water behind the spit.

Map
The big four, and two more

Theme parks on the Gold Coast

Every major park sits within twenty minutes of the motorway north of Surfers Paradise.
Oxenford

Warner Bros. Movie World

Coasters · Full day

The coaster park, and the one to choose if you only have a day. DC Rivals HyperCoaster is the headline ride, with stunt shows and a parade filling the middle of the day.

Map↗ Website
DreamworldCoomera

Dreamworld

Rides · Wildlife

The largest of the parks by area, mixing thrill rides with an Australian wildlife precinct and a tiger exhibit. Best for a group that will not agree on one kind of ride.

Map↗ Website
Sea WorldMain Beach

Sea World

Marine · Rides

Marine park on the Spit, with rides at one end and rescue and rehabilitation work at the other. The only one of the four you can reach without leaving the coastal strip.

Map↗ Website
Wet’n’WildOxenford

Wet’n’Wild

Water park

Water park next door to Movie World, built around big slides and a wave pool. The hot-day answer, and the one park where turning up at opening matters most.

Map↗ Website
Coomera

WhiteWater World

Water park

The second water park, beside Dreamworld and usually sold on a joint ticket with it. Smaller than Wet’n’Wild and easier with young children.

Map↗ Website
Oxenford

Paradise Country

Farm show · Half day

A working farm show rather than a ride park: sheep shearing, whip cracking, billy tea and koalas, on the same stretch of motorway as the big two.

Map↗ Website
Where the coast eats

Best restaurants on the Gold Coast

Nine kitchens, most of them south of Broadbeach, where the coast’s cooking has moved.
Burleigh Heads

Rick Shores

Pan-Asian · Beachfront

Pan-Asian cooking on the sand at Burleigh, close enough that spray reaches the windows. The Moreton Bay bug roll is the dish the coast is known for.

Map↗ Website
Burleigh Heads

Restaurant Labart

Modern Australian · Set menu

A small room a block back from Burleigh beach doing a set menu built on local produce. Among the highest rated kitchens on the coast, and booked well ahead.

Map↗ Website
Broadbeach

Kiyomi

Japanese · Fine dining

Japanese cooking at The Star, and the highest scoring kitchen on the coast in the most recent awards. Sit at the counter if you want to watch the grill work.

Map↗ Website
Nobby Beach

Hellenika

Greek · Dinner

Greek cooking at Nobby Beach that has outlasted every trend on this coast: charred octopus, slow-baked lamb, and a room that runs loud from about seven.

Map↗ Website
Burleigh Heads

The Tropic

Seafood · Mediterranean

The upstairs half of the Burleigh Pavilion, a Mediterranean take on Australian seafood with the beach filling the windows. The dressier of the two rooms in the building.

Map↗ Website
Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Pavilion

Beachfront · Long lunch

The beachfront bar and dining room below The Tropic, built for long lunches that run into the afternoon. Walk-ins only for the bar, which is how it stays full.

Map↗ Website
Surfers Paradise

Yamagen

Japanese · Robata

The Japanese restaurant inside QT at Surfers Paradise, dark and theatrical, with a robata grill and a sake list to match. The strip’s best dinner that is not on a beach.

Map↗ Website
Mermaid Beach

Etsu Izakaya

Izakaya · Sharing

A compact izakaya doing sharing plates, skewers and sashimi to a room that fills fast. The kind of place locals book on a Tuesday.

Map
Mermaid Beach

Bonita Bonita

Mexican · Small plates

Mexican cooking in a small tiled room on the highway side of Mermaid Beach, run by chef Morgan Walsh. Tacos, mezcal and no bookings for two.

Map
After dark

Best bars and live music on the Gold Coast

Surf-town breweries, a whisky bar in Currumbin and the warehouse that books the bands.
Miami

Miami Marketta

Live music · Street food

Street food stalls and a live stage in a converted warehouse, running as a night market on set evenings and as a ticketed music room the rest of the week.

Map↗ Website
Currumbin

Balter Brewing

Brewery · Taproom

The Currumbin brewery founded by a group of professional surfers, with a taproom, a beer garden and live music on the weekend. The XPA is the one everybody drinks.

Map↗ Website
Black Hops BrewingBurleigh Heads

Black Hops Brewing

Brewery · Food trucks

An industrial-estate taproom in Burleigh Heads with food trucks parked outside on weekends. Small, loud and the least polished room on this list, which is the appeal.

Map↗ Website
Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Brewing

Brewery · Tours

The coast’s longest-running independent brewery, with a taphouse open to the public at the end of the week and brewery tours alongside it.

Map↗ Website
Currumbin

The Cambus Wallace

Cocktails · Whisky

A dark nautical bar in Currumbin built around whisky, aged spirits and small plates, named after a ship wrecked off the coast. Go early or expect to wait.

Map↗ Website
Burleigh Heads

Justin Lane

Rooftop · Pizza

Pizza downstairs and the Gold Coast’s first rooftop bar upstairs, opened in 2011 and still the busiest roof in Burleigh. Beach views from the front booths.

Map↗ Website
Burleigh Heads

The Loose Moose

Dive bar · Late

A back-alley dive bar off the laneway beside Justin Lane, with a short drinks list and no interest in a view. The late stop after dinner in Burleigh.

Map
Nobby Beach

Sueño Rooftop

Rooftop · Cocktails

A Latin American rooftop from the Rick Shores team, above the Oxley precinct at Nobby Beach. Cocktails, small plates and the best sunset seats south of Broadbeach.

Map
Inland from the sand

The hinterland and the wildlife

Waterfalls, rock pools and rainforest, all of it within an hour of the beach.
Purling Brook FallsSpringbrook

Purling Brook Falls

Waterfall · 4 km circuit

The tallest waterfall in Springbrook National Park, dropping 106 metres off the plateau. The circuit is about four kilometres return over a suspension bridge.

Map↗ Website
Springbrook

Best of All Lookout

Lookout · Short walk

A short boardwalk through Antarctic beech to a platform on the southern rim of the Springbrook plateau, looking into New South Wales. Ten minutes each way.

Map↗ Website
Beechmont

Binna Burra

Rainforest · Trailhead

The eastern entrance to Lamington National Park, and the trailhead for some of the longest rainforest walks in south-east Queensland. Quieter than the other side.

Map↗ Website
Currumbin Valley

Cougal Cascades

Creek walk · Easy

A creek running over rock shelves in the Mount Cougal section of Springbrook, reached by an easy walk past an old timber mill. Half an hour inland.

Map↗ Website
Currumbin Rock PoolsCurrumbin Valley

Currumbin Rock Pools

Swimming · Free

Freshwater swimming holes on the creek in the valley behind the coast, with boulders to jump from and shade to sit in. Free, and full by mid-morning.

Map
Tallebudgera CreekBurleigh Heads

Tallebudgera Creek

Swimming · Sheltered

Clear, flat water between Burleigh and Palm Beach, sheltered from the surf and shallow enough to wade across at low tide. The calmest swim on the coastal strip.

Map
David Fleay Wildlife ParkWest Burleigh

David Fleay Wildlife Park

Wildlife · Boardwalks

A quiet state-run park in the wetlands at West Burleigh, named for the biologist who first bred a platypus in captivity. Native species only, on boardwalks.

Map↗ Website
Coombabah

Coombabah Lakelands

Wetland · Kangaroos

A conservation area of wetland and eucalypt forest north of Southport, with boardwalks and a resident mob of kangaroos that grazes in the open late in the day.

Map↗ Website
Where to stay

Gold Coast neighbourhoods

The coast is a string of villages under one name. Pick the one that matches your trip.
Burleigh HeadsCentral coast

Burleigh Heads

Surf · Dining

A national park, a point break and a restaurant strip inside five minutes of each other. The coast’s best base if you want to walk to dinner and surf before breakfast.

Map
BroadbeachCentral coast

Broadbeach

Tram · Restaurants

Patrolled beach, parkland, the casino and the southern end of the tram, with more restaurants per block than anywhere else on the coast. The easiest base without a car.

Map
Surfers ParadiseCentral coast

Surfers Paradise

Nightlife · Central

The high-rise core: beach, towers, the Q1 lift and the nightlife. Loud, central and cheaper than the villages either side of it.

Map
CoolangattaSouthern coast

Coolangatta

Surf · Low-rise

The border town at the southern tip, next to the airport and the Superbank, with low-rise streets and the best swimming beaches on the coast.

Map
Palm BeachSouthern coast

Palm Beach

Local · Cafes

A long residential beach that has quietly filled with bakeries, wine bars and small kitchens. Between Burleigh and Currumbin, and cheaper than both.

Map
CurrumbinSouthern coast

Currumbin

Creek · Breweries

The creek, the Alley and the wildlife sanctuary, plus two of the coast's best breweries in the industrial pocket behind them. Family territory with a late drink in it.

Map
Central coast

Nobby Beach and Mermaid

Dining · Quiet sand

Two low-key beach villages either side of the highway, with the coast’s densest run of good dinner rooms and rooftops and none of the crowds.

Map
Northern coast

Main Beach

Broadwater · Marina

The northern end, between the Broadwater and the ocean, with the Spit’s walking tracks, Sea World and the marina precinct. Calm, and the pick for a boat-based trip.

Map
Out of town

Best day trips from the Gold Coast

Two state capitals’ worth of coastline within ninety minutes, plus a volcanic caldera.
Byron BaySouth

Byron Bay

1 hr · New South Wales

An hour south across the border: the lighthouse walk to the mainland's most easterly point, a long town beach and the Sunday markets. Leave early; car parks fill.

Map
BrisbaneNorth

Brisbane

1 hr · By train

The state capital, an hour north and reachable without a car: the Gold Coast line runs into Central. South Bank, the galleries and the river ferries fill a day.

Map
Inland

Tamborine Mountain

45 min · Hinterland

A plateau of rainforest walks, wineries and the Gallery Walk shopping strip, about forty-five minutes inland. Curtis Falls is the short walk everyone does.

Map
South

Tweed Valley and Murwillumbah

1 hr · New South Wales

The caldera of an ancient volcano, with Wollumbin standing in the middle of it and art and produce in the valley below. Under an hour from Coolangatta.

Map
Inland

Scenic Rim

1 hr · Farm country

The farm country west of the hinterland, around Canungra and Beechmont: distilleries, farm gates and the road up to Lamington. Best as a slow driving day.

Map
North

North Stradbroke Island

2.5 hrs · Ferry

A sand island off Cleveland, reached by ferry from the bay side of Brisbane. Gorge walk, surf beaches and whales offshore. A long day, so start at dawn.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events on the Gold Coast (2026)

Time your trip around the coast’s biggest dates.
Jan

Magic Millions Carnival

Two weeks of thoroughbred sales and racing at Bundall, ending with a raceday on the beach at Surfers Paradise.

Apr

Gold Coast Film Festival

Screenings across the coast, including outdoor sessions on the sand, with a focus on Australian features and shorts.

May

Blues on Broadbeach

Four days of free blues and roots on outdoor stages through Broadbeach, with the pubs running their own line-ups.

Jun

Cooly Rocks On

Rock and roll, classic cars and mid-century everything, filling the streets of Coolangatta and Kirra for five days.

Jul

Gold Coast Marathon

A flat, fast course along the coastal strip from Southport, with a half marathon and shorter distances over the same weekend.

Aug

Pacific Airshow Gold Coast

Three days of formation flying over the beach at Surfers Paradise, watched from the sand for free or from ticketed grandstands.

Sep

SWELL Sculpture Festival

More than sixty large-scale works installed along Currumbin Beach for ten days, free to walk through at any hour.

Oct/Nov

Gold Coast 500

Supercars racing a street circuit through Surfers Paradise, with the track laid out along the beachfront and concerts each night.

Getting around

Gold Coast transport & airports

How to arrive, and how to move without a car.
OOL

Gold Coast Airport

At Coolangatta on the border, about half an hour from Surfers Paradise. There is no rail link: the 777 bus runs to the Broadbeach South tram interchange.

Map↗ Website
BNE

Brisbane Airport

The larger airport, about 100 km north, and worth checking for international fares. Airtrain runs onto the Gold Coast line; change to the tram at Helensvale.

Map↗ Website
Tram

G:link tram

One 20 km line with nineteen stations, from Helensvale through Southport and Surfers Paradise to Broadbeach South. Tap on with a go card or a contactless card.

Map↗ Website
Rail

Trains and buses

The Gold Coast line runs from Brisbane to Varsity Lakes, meeting the tram at Helensvale. One go card covers trains, trams and buses across South East Queensland.

Map↗ Website
Traditional food

Must-try dishes on the Gold Coast, Australia

The seafood first, then the sweets and the native produce.
Mud crab, Gold Coast (Wimup travel guide)

Mud crab

Caught in the estuaries up and down this coast, cooked whole and eaten with your hands. Order it chilli.

King prawns, Gold Coast (Wimup travel guide)

King prawns

Sold off the trawlers at the Broadwater co-ops and eaten cold with lemon. Peak season is the warm months.

Lamington, Gold Coast (Wimup travel guide)

Lamington

Sponge dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, named for a governor of Queensland. A recipe ran in 1900.

Macadamia, Gold Coast (Wimup travel guide)

Macadamia

A native of the rainforests of south-east Queensland, sold for decades as the Queensland nut.

Mango, Gold Coast (Wimup travel guide)

Mango

Queensland summer in one fruit, in the shops from November. The first tray of the season is a news story.

Moreton Bay bug

A flat, slipper-shaped shellfish with all its meat in the tail, usually split and grilled.

Spanner crab

A bright red Queensland crab with spanner-shaped claws that moves forwards. The meat is sweet.

Barramundi

The northern Australian fish on every menu here, firm-fleshed and served skin-on with the crackle crisp.

Gold Coast fact sheet

The Gold Coast at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Australia
Region
Queensland
Population
691,230 (2025)
Founded
City proclaimed 1959 · Yugambeh country long before
Nickname
The Goldie
Language
English
Currency
Australian dollar (A$)
Time zone
AEST · UTC+10
Calling code
+61 7
Airports
OOL · BNE
Power
230V · Type I
Emergency
000
Ideal length
4–5 days
Getting around
Tram, buses & walking
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • The city runs about 70 km of coastline, from Snapper Rocks on the border to the Spit, with more than twenty named beaches.
  • The Superbank is partly built by hand. Sand pumped north from the Tweed feeds a bank that carries a single ride of about two kilometres.
  • The name is younger than the city. This was the Town of South Coast until 1958, and it was proclaimed a city in 1959.
  • Q1 was the tallest residential tower in the world when it opened in 2005. The SkyPoint deck sits at 230 metres.
  • The Yugambeh people have lived across these river valleys for tens of thousands of years. Jellurgal is their name for the Burleigh headland.

Headed to the Gold Coast?

Get our one-page Gold Coast cheat sheet plus a fresh destination every Thursday.

Photo credits (10)