Gold Coast and surrounds

Why come here

• 57 km of patrolled surf beach — from Surfers Paradise's high-rise strip to the world-class point breaks at Burleigh and Snapper Rocks.
• Australia's cluster of major theme parks, all within 20 minutes of each other: Warner Bros. Movie World, Dreamworld, Sea World and Wet'n'Wild.
• The Scenic Rim and the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage area start half an hour inland — Springbrook's waterfalls and Lamington's tree-top walk.
• Natural Bridge's glow-worm cave, which is genuinely unlike anything else on the east coast.
• It is easy: its own international airport, one road along the coast, and everything signposted.

Gold Coast and surrounds

Everything on this map is a day trip or a short hop from Gold Coast — the way Tourism Australia itself organises the country, around a gateway city and the destinations it opens up.

Things to do

1. Walk the Burleigh Head headland at dawn

   A short national park loop over the point, through pandanus and past the surfers below. Dolphins most mornings, whales from June to October.

2. Learn to surf

   The Gold Coast is where most Australians learn. The beach breaks at Currumbin, Kirra and Surfers are forgiving; the points at Snapper and Burleigh are for later.

3. Spend a day at the theme parks

   Movie World, Dreamworld, Sea World and Wet'n'Wild are all within 20 minutes. Multi-park passes are worth it from two parks upward.

4. See the glow worms at Natural Bridge

   A rock arch in Springbrook National Park with a waterfall falling through it and a glow-worm colony in the cave behind. Go after dark, on a guided walk.

5. Drive the Scenic Rim

   Rainforest, volcanic peaks and farm-gate food an hour inland. The Lamington tree-top walk and Purling Brook Falls are the two set-pieces.

6. Kayak or paddleboard the Broadwater

   The sheltered water behind the Spit — calm, shallow and the easiest way onto the water with children.

7. Watch the whales

   Humpbacks pass close to the coast between June and October; boats leave from the Broadwater and the headlands work almost as well from land.

8. Eat your way through Burleigh and Miami

   The southern strip has quietly become the coast's food centre — breweries, bakeries and beachfront restaurants, all walkable.

Where to base yourself

• Surfers Paradise

  The high-rise centre — the busiest beach, the nightlife and the most accommodation.

• Broadbeach

  A short tram south — calmer, better restaurants, and still directly on the sand.

• Burleigh Heads

  The one locals rate: a national park headland, a world-class point break, and the best cafés on the coast.

• Coolangatta & Snapper Rocks

  The southern end by the airport — Superbank, one of the longest sand-bottom waves in the world.

• Tamborine Mountain & the Scenic Rim

  Half an hour inland — rainforest walks, wineries and cool nights, for a hinterland stay.

4 days in Gold Coast

1. Day 1

   Beach and orientation

   Morning swim at Surfers or Broadbeach, walk the Burleigh headland late afternoon for the whales and the light, dinner in Burleigh.

2. Day 2

   Theme park day

   Pick one or two — Movie World and Wet'n'Wild are neighbours, Sea World is on the Spit. Get there at opening; the queues build fast after 11.

3. Day 3

   The hinterland

   Drive up to Springbrook for Purling Brook Falls and the Best of All Lookout, lunch at Tamborine Mountain, and come back down for the Natural Bridge glow worms after dark.

4. Day 4

   Surf and the southern end

   A surf lesson at Currumbin or Kirra, then Coolangatta and Snapper Rocks — the point that produced most of Australia's world champions. Finish at Rainbow Bay for sunset.

Eat & drink

The Gold Coast's food has moved decisively south. Burleigh Heads and Miami now carry the coast — beachfront restaurants, a serious brewery scene and the state's best run of breakfast cafés — while Broadbeach handles the more formal end and Surfers Paradise remains what it has always been. Inland, the Scenic Rim has become a genuine farm-gate destination: cheese, cool-climate wine and paddock-to-plate restaurants within an hour of the beach.

• Burleigh Heads & James Street — The coast's best concentration of cafés, bakeries and beachfront dinner spots.
• Miami Marketta — A street-food warehouse with live music, Wednesday to Saturday nights.
• Broadbeach's Oracle Boulevard — The more formal restaurants, a tram stop from Surfers.
• Scenic Rim farm gates — Cheese makers, distilleries and paddock-to-plate kitchens an hour inland — worth building the hinterland day around.

Getting there & around

Getting there. Gold Coast Airport (OOL) at Coolangatta has international flights from New Zealand and Asia plus domestic services from every capital, and sits at the southern end of the beaches. Brisbane Airport is an hour north. The G:link light rail runs the length of the coastal strip from Helensvale to Broadbeach.

Getting around. The G:link tram plus buses cover the coastal strip well enough that you can skip a car if you are staying beachside. You need one for the Scenic Rim, Springbrook and Lamington — the hinterland roads are narrow, winding and worth driving slowly.