Gold Coast, Australia Travel Guide | Things To Do in Gold Coast

Australia's hub for surfers and all-round fun seekers

With its famous beaches and surf breaks, theme parks and national parks, ‘Goldie’ is deservedly one of Australia’s favourite holiday playgrounds. Ride waves or rollercoasters, trek to waterfalls or shopping malls, relax on the sand or by a poolside bar. The Gold Coast has your holiday covered.

Explore famous beach-lined Surfers Paradise and catch breaks at Currumbin, Burleigh Heads and Greenmount. Have a day (or three) of wild family fun at Sea World, Wet ‘n’ Wild, and Warner Bros. Movie World. Hit popular precincts Broadbeach and Main Beach for shopping, restaurants and resorts. Or retreat into the lush hinterland and explore Tamborine Mountain, Springbrook National National Park and Currumbin Valley.

Take the family, gather the gang, or enjoy it all to yourself. Go for gold.

Things to do: Gold Coast

Beach resorts

Peppers Broadbeach is in the heart of Broadbeach, the Gold Coast's fine dining hotspot with over 100 alfresco restaurants offering diverse cuisines. With a waterpark, ice-rink and kids club all under one roof, Paradise Resort is the ultimate in family accommodation on the Gold Coast. Nirvana by the Sea, south of the Gold Coast at Kirra Beach, specialises in opulent accommodation for couples. The units are themed 'life spaces', capturing panoramic views of Queensland’s most famous beach.
National parks

The Gold Coast’s national parks are just as stunning as its beaches, with some incredible walkways. The Natural Bridge Rainforest Circuit at Springbrook National Park is a natural rock formation whose thousands of glow worms make it most spectacular at night. At Tamborine Mountain (apart from the many boutique restaurants and wineries) is the Rainforest Skywalk – a 300m-long bridge across the rainforest canopy, allowing you to experience it at treetop level, 30m high.
Surfing, SUP, sailing

The Gold Coast is home to over 57km of coastline with countless surf breaks. The sand is clean and golden and most beaches are patrolled by surf lifesavers. Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) is becoming increasing popular as a sport because it’s almost too fun to be categorised as exercise. If you’re a newbie, you can sign up for lessons. If you want to ride the waves like a top surfer, this is the most idyllic location to get schooled; try Get Wet Surf School. For fun on the high seas, grab a group of friends or your family and learn how to sail on a cruise out to Stradbroke Island.
Theme parks

The Gold is Australia’s theme park capital, home to Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, Wet ‘n’ Wild, Paradise Country and Australian Outback Spectacular. Save yourself time and cash and buy your passes online: 'unlimited' passes are worth the higher price. There are various ticket combos you can buy ahead of time that get you into selected theme parks. And offers to bundle your accommodation with your entry tickets. Avoid traffic and parking woes and catch the local bus to any of the parks.
Whale watching

Don't miss your chance to see these magnificent mammals leaping, splashing and migrating along the coast between June and November. There are some 25,000 viewing opportunities along the busy shoreline. Companies like Spirit of Gold Coast and Whales in Paradise run catamaran tours along the coast to get you up close and personal with the migrating humpbacks.

Airport information

Gold Coast Airport (OOL)

Distance to Surfers Paradise 20km

Taxi A taxi will take around 30 minutes to Surfers Paradise and cost around AUD $75.

Rideshare The rideshare pick-up point is outside Departures, at the northern end of the terminal.

Bus Translink bus route 777 runs around every 15 minutes from the airport to Broadbeach South station, where you can pick up a G:link tram to Surfers Paradise. The journey takes around an hour, and the adult fare is about AUD $6.

When to go

The Gold Coast has great weather year-round. There's an average of 245 days a year of fine and sunny weather. In summer (December–February), daytime temperatures are generally in the mid 20°C range. Temperatures in the hinterland are cooler, especially in winter, at around 16°C.

The highest rainfall occurs between January and March where hot days are often followed by tropical storms.

Summer is the best time to enjoy the Gold Coast’s beautiful beaches and fun-filled theme parks. To see the humpback whale migration, visit between June and October.

Getting around

Bus operators TransLink and Surfside offer services that run along the coast as and beyond. There’s also an after-midnight service called NightLink, that runs on Friday and Saturday nights. The G:link light rail runs from Southport to Broadbeach. Expeditions to the hinterland require a hire car, tour or taxi.