Things to do on the Gold Coast.
Our Gold Coast homes run from Mermaid Waters and Miami down through Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta, at the quieter southern end of the coast. This is what we tell guests to do while they're here.
Photo: Misaochan2 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped for layout
- 28
- beaches patrolled all year by City lifeguards
- June to Nov
- humpback whale season
- 2.3 km
- Rainforest circuit, Burleigh Head
- 15 to 45 min
- drive north to the theme parks
The lay of the land
A long coast, and we're at the quiet end
The City of Gold Coast says the city has 54 kilometres of beaches. Our homes are in Mermaid Waters, Miami, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta, on the New South Wales border, at the quieter southern end of the coast.
Gold Coast Airport is at Bilinga, next to Coolangatta. Burleigh Head National Park is 90 km south of Brisbane, says Queensland Parks. Every place below is named so you can look it up. Opening days change, so check each website before you go.
Beaches and surf
Beaches: swim between the flags
City of Gold Coast lifeguards patrol 28 beaches all year, and 42 in peak season and the school holidays. Not every tower is staffed all year. The Palm Beach towers, for example, are patrolled from November to April and in school holidays. Swim at a patrolled beach, between the red and yellow flags. No flags, no swim. The City's beach pages list the patrol season for each tower.
The City lists Burleigh, Palm Beach, Currumbin, Kirra and Coolangatta as part of the World Surfing Reserve. If you want to surf, check the level first. The City says Burleigh Headland and Rainbow Bay are for experienced board riders, and that Coolangatta Beach usually suits beginners and intermediates.
Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Heads
Patrolled every day all year. The City says there is usually a protected corner to swim in when other beaches are choppy. The point break off the headland is for experienced board riders only.
Miami
Miami
An open beach break, with waves that change with the swell, wind, tide and sandbars. One tower is patrolled every day all year. The other is patrolled on weekends from November to April and in school holidays.
Palm Beach
Palm Beach
A long beach with several flagged areas and beach breaks along most of it. Patrolled from November to April and in school holidays.
Currumbin
Currumbin Beach
Patrolled every day all year, and good for both swimming and surfing. The Oceanway and a strip of parkland run behind it, with tables, showers and shade.
3 more beaches and surf options
Kirra
Kirra
Patrolled every day all year. The City calls it the spiritual home of surfing on the Gold Coast. Kirra Point has a long, hollow wave for experienced riders when big swells are running, and the Oceanway runs beside the beach.
Coolangatta
Coolangatta Beach
Patrolled every day all year. It faces north, so it is more sheltered from the usual east to south-east swells. The City describes the water as clear.
Coolangatta
Rainbow Bay and Snapper Rocks
Patrolled every day all year. On a southerly swell the City calls Snapper Rocks one of the world's best right-hand point breaks, often called the Superbank. It is a fast wave for experienced riders, and a good one to watch.
Keep young children within arm's reach in the water, and never swim at night. Both are on the City's beach safety page.
The headland
Burleigh Head National Park: the headland walk
Burleigh Head is a 27.6 hectare national park on a headland in the heart of the Gold Coast, with rainforest, pandanus groves, rocky shore and beaches. Queensland Parks says you may see humpback whales breaching in winter and spring, white-bellied sea-eagles riding the updrafts, and birdwing butterflies in mid-summer.
Walk in daylight and stay on the formed tracks. Pets aren't allowed in the park, and bikes aren't allowed on the paths. Queensland Parks closes a section of the Oceanview track in high winds, heavy rain, low temperatures and fire, because of the risk of rockfalls. Check its park alerts before you go.
Tallebudgera Creek to Burleigh Heads
Oceanview track
Grade 2, 1.2 km one way, about 30 minutes. It follows the coast around the headland, past tumbled six-sided basalt columns, to Echo Beach by the creek. Echo Beach is reached by the designated stairways only. The track can be done in a wheelchair with help.
Burleigh Head National Park
Rainforest circuit and Tumgun Lookout
Grade 3, 2.3 km return, about 45 minutes. It is an easy walk for most of the way, with a steep section near Tumgun Lookout, where you can look for humpbacks in winter and spring. It has steps, so it isn't suitable for wheelchairs.
Burleigh Headland
Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre
Runs guided walking tours of the headland, and has a cultural centre with artwork, artefacts and the history of the Burleigh area. Its Jellurgal Journey tour takes about three and a half hours.
Burleigh Heads
Tallebudgera Creek
The City says the water in the creek is calm, with the national park on one side and Tallebudgera Beach on the other. It is patrolled on weekends and public holidays from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May.
The northern entrance is at the end of Goodwin Terrace, where there is a picnic area and toilets. The southern entrance is at the traffic lights just north of Tallebudgera Creek.
A drive north
Sea World, Movie World, Wet'n'Wild and Dreamworld
The big parks are a drive north of our southern homes. From our homes it is about 15 to 45 minutes by car without traffic, depending on your suburb and the park. We worked that out from map coordinates, so allow more in the school holidays.
Rides, shows and which parts are open change through the year. Check each park's website for the day before you drive.
Main Beach
Sea World
A marine park with marine life, rides and shows, on Seaworld Drive. About 15 to 40 minutes' drive. The park says it is closed on Anzac Day and Christmas Day.
Oxenford
Warner Bros. Movie World
A theme park with rides, DC Super Heroes and live shows, on Entertainment Road. About 15 to 40 minutes' drive.
Oxenford
Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast
A water park, also on Entertainment Road. The park says it operates all year and is closed only on Anzac Day and Christmas Day. Some attractions can be under maintenance, so check what is open. About 15 to 40 minutes' drive.
Coomera
Dreamworld
A theme park with rides and wildlife, on Dreamworld Parkway. Its site also lists WhiteWater World, a water park, with its own hours. About 20 to 45 minutes' drive.
For guests who book direct
Tours and tickets with 10% off
Book direct with us and you get 10% off most tours, attractions and tickets on our Experience Oz page. The Gold Coast listings include multi-park passes for Movie World, Sea World and Wet'n'Wild, Dreamworld tickets, a Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary pass and Gold Coast whale watching. We'll make sure you have the link once you've booked.
Experience Oz takes the booking and looks after any changes. The prices on the page already have the discount taken off.
Animals
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is a not-for-profit wildlife park on 27 hectares of subtropical rainforest and bushland, at 28 Tomewin Street, Currumbin. Dr Alex Griffiths opened it to the public in 1947 as a lorikeet feeding display. It now has more than 1,000 animals, with shows and keeper talks through the day.
The sanctuary puts itself 10 minutes from Gold Coast Airport and 30 minutes from Surfers Paradise. It sits between two of our homes: a short drive north from RISE in Coolangatta, or south from The Beachside House in Burleigh Heads.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Lorikeet feeding
Wild lorikeets, fed at the start and the end of each day. It is free to watch, and you don't need an entry ticket.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Croc Wetlands
A revamped precinct with American alligators, freshwater crocodiles and a giant saltwater crocodile called Boss Hog.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Astra Lumina
A night walk through lit-up bushland. The sanctuary's visit page lists it on Friday and Saturday nights, so check the dates.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Koala experiences
The sanctuary lists Breakfast with Koalas and Koalas by Twilight as special experiences.
Shows and keeper talks run at set times, so look at the day's program when you arrive.
The hinterland, part one
Springbrook: waterfalls and glow-worms
Springbrook National Park fills the Gold Coast's western skyline. It covers 6,558 hectares in four sections and is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. Queensland Parks says to expect cooler and often wetter conditions at any time of year, so bring warm clothes and a raincoat.
After heavy rain, parts of the Purling Brook and Natural Bridge tracks can close, so check Queensland Parks' park alerts on the day. The parks service is also upgrading sites on the plateau between 2025 and 2028, including The Settlement picnic area and Purling Brook Falls, and says visitors may notice some impacts.
Natural Bridge section
Natural Bridge
Grade 2, a 1 km return circuit, about an hour. You can see a unique waterfall by day, or glow-worms after dark. Follow the cave rules: no lights shone at the glow-worms, no flash, and put insect repellent on before you enter the park. Part of Cave Creek is a restricted access area.
Springbrook plateau
Purling Brook Falls circuit
Grade 3, 4 km return, about two hours. After heavy rain parts of the track may close, though the western lookout is usually still open.
Springbrook plateau
Best of All lookout
Grade 2, a 600 metre return track, about 30 minutes, to a lookout with views of Mount Warning.
From our homes it is about 40 to 55 minutes by car to Purling Brook Falls and close to an hour to Natural Bridge, without traffic. Take your own lunch and water.
The hinterland, part two
Tamborine Mountain: rainforest walks and a skywalk
Tamborine National Park is made up of 14 sections of land on Tamborine Mountain. Its Witches Falls section was declared in 1908 and is Queensland's oldest national park. The park protects rainforest with piccabeen palm groves, tall flooded gums and open forest.
The rock pools at Cedar Creek are not patrolled, and Queensland Parks warns that serious injuries and deaths have occurred in natural waterways there. Never jump or dive in. The Cedar Creek section is closed at night.
Cedar Creek
Cedar Creek Falls
The track to the lookout is Grade 1, 500 metres return, about 15 minutes, and suits an assisted wheelchair. The track down to the rock pools is Grade 3, 1.1 km return, about 30 minutes.
Tamborine National Park
Curtis Falls
Grade 3, 1.1 km return, about 30 minutes. The rock pool below the falls is off limits at any time, to protect the glow-worm and platypus populations.
Tamborine National Park
Palm Grove and Witches Falls circuits
Longer walks, both Grade 4 and about an hour. Palm Grove is 2.7 km return and Witches Falls is 3.6 km return.
Tamborine Mountain
Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk
A raised walkway in the subtropical rainforest, which its own site puts 30 metres up.
Allow about 50 to 70 minutes' drive from our homes to the mountain, without traffic.
Markets and meals
Markets, street food and a beachfront dinner
Saturday morning is market morning. Both farmers' markets below run every Saturday, so pick the one nearest your home. After that, Miami has a night market and Burleigh Heads has the beachfront dining.
Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Market
A farmers market in the grounds of Burleigh Heads State School, on the corner of the Lower Gold Coast Highway and West Burleigh Road. Every Saturday morning, with fresh produce, coffee, bakery treats, plants, arts and crafts, and live music. It says it runs rain, hail or shine.
Palm Beach
Palm Beach Farmers' Market
A weekly farmers' market on Saturday mornings at Palm Beach Currumbin State High School.
Miami
Miami Marketta
A laneway street food market at 23 Hillcrest Parade, with food from around the world and free live music a few nights a week. Check its website for which nights.
Burleigh Heads
Rick Shores
Pan-Asian food right on the sand at Burleigh Heads, at 3/43 Goodwin Terrace. It opened in 2015, and you book a table through its website.
1 more markets and food options
Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Brewing Company
An independent brewery, brewing in Queensland since 2006. Its Taphouse is at 2 Ern Harley Drive and is open at the end of the week, so check the days before you go.
Rick Shores is on Goodwin Terrace, the same street as the northern entrance to Burleigh Head National Park, so a walk and a meal fit into the same morning.
Winter and spring
Whale watching: June to November
Humpback whales pass the Gold Coast on their migration along the Queensland coast. Tourism and Events Queensland puts the season at about June to November, with July and August the peak, and September and October the best months to see mothers with calves. Summer guests will mostly miss them, so this is one for a winter or spring stay.
You can look from land for free. For boats, Tourism and Events Queensland lists departures from Main Beach, Southport, Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta, and tours of two to three hours.
Burleigh Head National Park
Tumgun Lookout
On the Rainforest circuit. Queensland Parks says to look for humpback whales splashing offshore in winter and spring.
Coolangatta
Point Danger
On the Queensland and New South Wales border. Bring binoculars. The surfers below are working Snapper Rocks and Duranbah.
Miami
Mick Schamburg Park
The next headland over from Burleigh, with ocean views both north and south.
Surfers Paradise
Whales in Paradise
A whale watching cruise operator that leaves from Surfers Paradise. It describes itself as the Gold Coast's original whale watching tour operator.
Season dates vary by operator, so check the cruise company's own page.
When it rains
Rainy-day options
Summer into early autumn is the wettest stretch. At the Bureau of Meteorology's Gold Coast Seaway station, February is the wettest month on average, with about 183 mm, and March has the most rain days, about 11. September is the driest, with about 42 mm.
The beaches and parks are the plan, so keep a few indoor options handy.
Currumbin
Surf World Gold Coast
The Museum of Surfing, upstairs at 35 Tomewin Street. The museum says it holds one of the country's largest collections of surfing artefacts, including surfboards, photography, art, trophies and films.
Surfers Paradise
HOTA, Home of the Arts
Gallery exhibitions, cinema screenings and live performances at 135 Bundall Road. Check its events page for what is on.
Burleigh Heads
Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre
The centre covers the history of the Burleigh area, with artwork, artefacts and gifts.
Springbrook tracks can close after heavy rain, so a wet day isn't the day for the hinterland. Check Queensland Parks' alerts first.
Where to stay
Where we'd stay
Our Gold Coast homes are two penthouses with a private rooftop pool, Riviera in Miami and RISE in Coolangatta, and two family homes with a pool: The Beachside House in Burleigh Heads and The Pavilion in Mermaid Waters. The Gold Coast homes page shows every home we have here today.
Pick the end of the coast that suits your plans. Stay near Burleigh or Miami for the headland walk, the markets and the cafes, at Coolangatta for Kirra and Snapper Rocks, or in Mermaid Waters, a short walk to Pacific Fair and the tram, if the theme parks are your main reason for coming.
Miami
Riviera
A penthouse with three ensuite bedrooms and a private rooftop pool, with an outdoor kitchen.
Coolangatta
RISE
A penthouse with five king suites and a private rooftop plunge pool, with a Kirra outlook, for up to ten guests.
Burleigh Heads
The Beachside House
A white two-storey family home with a pool.
Mermaid Waters
The Pavilion
A newly built, single-level family home with a fenced saltwater pool and a louvred pavilion, a short walk to Pacific Fair, the tram and the beach. Pets welcome, for six adults and two children.
Summer 2026/27 and beyond
When to come, with the dates
Queensland state school Christmas holidays run from Saturday 12 December 2026 to Tuesday 26 January 2027, the busiest weeks on the coast. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December, and the Boxing Day public holidays are Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January and Australia Day is Tuesday 26 January. Easter runs from Good Friday, 26 March, to Easter Monday, 29 March 2027.
The Gold Coast is warm all year. At the Bureau of Meteorology's Gold Coast Seaway station the average top is about 29 degrees in January and February, and about 21 in July.
Thorn Park, Miami
Miami Twilight NYE
Thursday 31 December 2026, an early family New Year's Eve on Marine Parade, with DJs, kids' activities, food trucks and fireworks in the evening.
Gold Coast
Magic Millions Carnival
6 to 18 January 2027. The TAB Magic Millions Raceday is on Saturday 16 January 2027 at the Gold Coast Turf Club.
Across the coast
Christmas Day and Anzac Day closures
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Sea World and Wet'n'Wild each say they are closed on Christmas Day. All three also say they are closed on Anzac Day, 25 April.
Dates and line-ups can change. Check each organiser's page before you plan around one.
Our homes on the Gold Coast
The ones we would book ourselves, best first. Book direct and you deal with the team who look after the home, from your first question to check-out.
- Gold Coast
- Southern Gold Coast
- Homes with a pool
- Christmas & summer holidays
- Large groups (10+ guests)
- Guide: Gold Coast penthouses with a private rooftop pool
Coolangatta · Sleeps 10RISE
5 bedrooms · Rooftop pool, Hot tub, Water views
Enquire to book
Burleigh Heads · Sleeps 10The Beachside House
5 bedrooms · Private pool, Mountain views
From $500 / night
Casuarina · Sleeps 9Black on Black Wattle
5 bedrooms · Private pool, Water views, Mountain views
From $650 / night
Mermaid Waters · Sleeps 8The Pavilion, Mermaid Waters
4 bedrooms · Private pool
From $700 / night
- Miami · Sleeps 7
Riviera
3 bedrooms · Private pool, Water views
From $1,000 / night
Before you go
Questions guests ask
Are the Gold Coast beaches patrolled?
Yes, by City of Gold Coast lifeguards. They patrol 28 beaches all year, and 42 in peak season and the school holidays. Some towers, such as the ones at Palm Beach, are only staffed from November to April and in school holidays, so check the City's page for your beach. Swim between the red and yellow flags.
Where is the calmest water for kids?
Tallebudgera Creek has calm water, and is patrolled on weekends and public holidays from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May. Coolangatta Beach faces north, so it is more sheltered from the usual swells, and it is patrolled every day all year. Keep children within arm's reach.
How long is the Burleigh Head National Park walk?
The Oceanview track is 1.2 km one way, about 30 minutes. The Rainforest circuit, which goes up to Tumgun Lookout, is 2.3 km return, about 45 minutes. A section of the Oceanview track closes in high winds, heavy rain, low temperatures and fire, so check Queensland Parks' alerts. Pets aren't allowed in the park.
How far are the theme parks?
From our homes, about 15 to 45 minutes by car without traffic, depending on your suburb. Sea World, Movie World and Wet'n'Wild are about 15 to 40 minutes, and Dreamworld is about 20 to 45. We worked this out from map coordinates, so allow more in the school holidays.
When can we see whales?
The season runs about June to November, with July and August the peak, and September and October best for mothers with calves. You can look from Burleigh Head's lookouts, or take a cruise of two to three hours. Whales are a winter and spring thing, so summer guests will mostly miss them.
What can we do if it rains?
Surf World Gold Coast at Currumbin, HOTA in Surfers Paradise and the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Burleigh Heads are all indoors. Check Queensland Parks' alerts before you head up to Springbrook, because tracks can close after heavy rain.
What do I get for booking a Lively home direct?
You deal with the team who look after the home, from your first question to check-out. You also get 10% off most tours, attractions and tickets on our Experience Oz page, and we'll make sure you have the link once you've booked. There is nothing to join.