Visiting The Gold Coast – The Surfer’s Paradise

Gold Coast – The Surfer’s Paradise

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A coastal city in the southeast Queensland state of Australia, Gold Coast is home to around 3 million people. Surfing is one of the main interests here. Both locals and tourists take a serious interest in surfing here. 35 kilometres of its golden sand beaches puts it as one of the most popular beach holiday destinations in Australia. Over two million tourists visit Gold Coast annually.

Best Season to visit Gold Coast

Gold Coast is open all around the year. You can expect clear-sky winters, crisp autumn mornings and golden and vibrant summers. When you have close to 300 days of sunshine a year, formal seasons become less apparent. Temperatures are much cooler in rural areas and the hinterland all through the year.

The peak seasons are mainly summer (December to February) and autumn (March to May).

Highlights (Special Things to Do in Gold Coast)

Adrenaline-pumping rides, exotic animals and endless number of waterslides will help cool you off here. Gold Coast holidays have a full range of interactive entertainment to offer, be it big dazzling theme parks or small yet hilariously quirky museums.

• Let your hair loose at one the many theme parks dotting Gold Coast. Gold Coast is home to some of the largest and best theme parks in the world.
• You can Cuddle a koala, feed a flock of rainbow lorikeets or even swim with the dolphins – do much more at the wild parks and aquariums nearby.
• Revisit history, at some of the city’s oldest and most renowned attractions.
• Watch Whales.
• Experience the bio-diverse city and the largest subtropical rainforest in Australia, at the natural parks and attractions around the city.
• Sample the city’s stunning walking tracks that come with incredible lookouts.
• Learn how beer is brewed and taste one of the region’s finest wines at a local vineyard.
• Rejuvenate and unwind at one of Gold Coast’s award-winning spas or wellness retreats.
• Indulge in sports and recreational activities, from surfing to sky diving.

Hotspots of Gold Coast

You can check out these popular places to visit in Gold Coast.

• Surfers Paradise: Surfers Paradise is the signature high-rise settlement emerging out of the commercial centre of the Gold Coast.

• Surfer’s Paradise Beach: Three-kilometre long strip of golden sands between Surfers Paradise and the Pacific Ocean is a picture perfect location that mesmerizes millions every year.
• SkyPoint Climb: This is the highest external building walk in Australia. Feel a sense of achievement when you stand on a 270 meter high with the sun shimmering around you with a 360 degree view of golden sands, lush green tropical mountains and the Gold Coast skyline.
• Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!: Get overwhelmed by hundreds of incredible exhibits, rare stories, mystery and magic, incredible deceptions, interactive games and astounding movies.
• Movie Stunt Experience: Be an action hero, choosing whether to break through windows, commando-style or fly around by being suspended on wires or jump from buildings or even be lit on fire.
• Slingshot Gold Coast: Holding 2 people at a time, with a video camera attached to capture the riders’ reactions, the Slingshot catapults you 80 meters up in the air.
• Jetboat Extreme: Spin and slide across the sea in a custom-built, twin-jet-powered, turbo-charged jet boat.

• Coolangatta

• Coolangatta Beach: Known for its slow pace and laid back lifestyle, it is the southernmost beach in Queensland.
• Snapper Rocks: Snapper Rocks is a small rocky ridge that is famous for the Superbank, the start of the large sand bank.
• Kirra Beach: The small rocky headland Kirra Point, is known as one of the world’s leading surf breaks. This surf break is known for producing high quality waves.
• Gold Coast Skydive: You get to jump off a plane at 12,000 feet above the ground; free-fall for roughly 40 seconds before opening the parachute to take in the mesmerising beauty of Gold Coast, and finally landing on to the warm sand of Kirra Beach.

• Southport

• The Rockpools: A water theme park for all age groups, the Rockpools that comes with a coastal theme has a creek bed and an array of pools that mimic coastal tides.

• Burleigh Heads

• Burleigh Heads Beach: Simply Burleigh to locals, it sits like a pause, between Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta to the north and south respectively. It’s a charming punctuation mark along the Gold Coast and absolutely a place to stop and take notice.

• Springbrook

• Natural Bridge: Natural Bridge at Springbrook National Park is the most uncommon geological feature created by water flowing through the roof of a basalt cave for millions of years. It is home to an enchanting colony of glow-worms, which can be seen after sunset.

• Mermaid Beach

• Putt Putt Golf: Play golf in one of the three unbelievably themed 18 Hole Courses with themes like the Jungle Trail, Waterways Cove or the Fun Run. Navigate through bizarre animals, conquer motorised obstacles and cruise along a water filled putting adventure.

• Currumbin

• Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: More than 1,400 native Australian animals on display here in a natural bush land and rainforest landscape. The Sanctuary offers a world of discovery through enthralling wildlife shows, night safari and an interactive science activity zone.

Shopping in Gold Coast

Offering a shopping experience like no other, the Gold Coast has a range of options from department stores and discount traders to boutiques and specialty shops, markets and also duty free stores.

For cheap souvenirs and t-shirts go to Cavill Mall and its surrounding areas. Dozens of stores in and around Surfers Paradise cater solely to the tourist crowd and you could end up picking up sheepskins, Australian opals, wool products and even aboriginal “artefacts”.

Out of the numerous shopping centres in Surfers Paradise the popular ones are the Chevron Renaissance and the Centro Shopping Plaza. These places are good for a tourist shopping; however for day to day value items it is better to shop elsewhere.

For a selection of high-end or mid-range boutiques and shops, head to the Orchard Avenue, Elkhorn Avenue and Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise. Care should be taken while purchasing in Surfers Paradise as counterfeits are very common. It’s an irony that the real Louis Vuitton boutique is right next to the fake goods shops on Elkhorn Avenue.

Robina Town Centre has a modern shopping mall with eateries and shops that take care of everyone’s needs.

A large selection of shops across all budgets can be found at Harbor Town Center in Biggeria Waters.

The small farmers market across the road is a must visit for its good restaurants and delis.

How to reach Gold Coast

Air – By Plane

The Gold Coast Airport, better known as the Coolangatta Airport, is located in Coolangatta to the south of the city. It is a pretty unique airport as it lies across the Queensland and New South Wales borders; you would always land in one state and arrive in the other.

Though it is a fairly small terminal, it receives around 3.5 million travellers annually. The airport is well connected with major cities in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is NOT a 24 hour airport, so do not plan on staying overnight before an early morning flight.

The Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle runs transit services from the Gold Coast Airport to hotels and theme parks all over Gold Coast. Customer service kiosks are in the located in the international and domestic terminals.

An alternative, especially if using a rented car, is to fly into Brisbane Airport. You have better connectivity from there.

Land – By Train

CityTrain is an electric train service between Brisbane and Nerang, Robina, Coomera and Helensvale. It’s roughly a 70 minutes journey from Brisbane Central to Robina and Nerang.

As the train runs along the coast you can check which station on route is closest to your destination.

Countrylink in New South Wales has trains running from Sydney with bus services at the Casino to Surfers Paradise.

How to get around Gold Coast

• Car – Gold Coast is easily accessible by car, and large parking lots at most locations make parking a less harrowing experience. Most car rental services are available here.
• Bus – Surfside Buslines, are the main form of public transport here in Gold Coast and they have designated stops on most areas. Buses are available 24 hours a day; the frequency is higher during the day.
• Airport Transfers (shuttles) operate ‘point to point’ between Coolangatta Airport and most places along the coast and are a popular substitute to taxis.
• Taxi – Taxis are available but expect to wait longer for it on busy nights.
• Bike – The Gold Coast Ocean way is a 36km pathway meant for pedestrians and cyclists connecting the Gold Coast Seaway to Point Danger, covering most of the coastline on route.

Top areas in Gold Coast

Surfers Paradise – Surfers Paradise, located on long stretches of golden beaches is where surfers do more than just riding the waves. High rise apartments line the shore, nightclubs, pubs are abundant here. The late night shopping will keep you busy all through. Most Gold Coast hotels, high end and budget, are located around here.

Broadbeach – “Broadie” as called by the locals, it is a quieter version of Surfers Paradise. It is known for its gorgeous beaches dotted by lazy parks and bustling weekend markets. It is the second busiest tourist suburb and is home to casinos, shopping centres and many eateries.

Mount Tamborine – Located in the peaceful and scenic hinterland and at just an hour from Gold Coast, it is a tropical rainforest, populated with unique, vibrant and colourful, exotic birds. Many interesting types of flora and fauna can also be found here. It is also known for its serene calm atmosphere.

Main Beach – High-rises and resorts dot this upmarket suburb. Located at the northern end of the Gold Coast, Main Beach is called so as it was the main surf beach at Southport. Its open shore break makes it very popular with Surfers.

Burleigh Heads – Home to tall aromatic pine trees, this parkland has plenty of places where you can picnic or have a barbecue. You would also find arts and crafts markets here, where you can haggle your way to a good deal. You can find good mid-range accommodation here.

Coolangatta – This is one of the twin cities located on the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The surf here is outstanding, particularly off the northern corner of Coolangatta Beach. Snapper Rocks and Duranbah are world-class surf breaks that are located here. You also have a few mid-range accommodation options here.

Mermaid Beach – This is simply a serene laid-back spot. There’s an extensive mixture of dining options here ranging from modern Australian to a lot of Pan Asian culinary options. While there are plenty of cheap accommodation options here, from apartments to caravan parks, do not forget to check out the flashy and flamboyant ‘millionaire’s row.

Miami – A small beach town located south of Surfers Paradise, Miami has a beautiful stretch of golden sands that is perfect for families.

Thank You!