Glamorous Gold Coast
While Sydney encourages you to dig a little deeper to uncover its sensitive soul and Melbourne likes to get all arty on you, the Gold Coast makes no such requests. And when you’re as pretty as the Gold Coast, skin-deep is really the only level you need.
Granted, the Gold Coast has the scenic vistas of Tamborine Mountain and The Hinterlands, but that’s not why you really came here. The city’s hedonistic pleasures are out, proud and on display, which is why you never have to look far on the Gold Coast for beauty, excitement or fun.
You, like everyone else, came here to push through crowds of sun-bronzed bodies for a spot on the golden sands of Surfers Paradise, to gamble away your savings at Broadbeach and visit The Spit to swap the real ocean for a fake one with rollercoasters.
When you get home you can always lie and say the Gold Coast was too brash and commercial for your liking and you want something a bit more cultured for your next homegrown holiday – just make sure all those souvenir photographs from Movie World and Dracula’s are hidden safely inside their protective envelopes.
Gold Cost's Top 10
10. Q1 It’s not like the Gold Coast is lacking in high rises, but only one of them has 77 floors and one of the fastest lifts in the world.
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5. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Climb the treetops rope course, watch a free-flight bird show and cuddle a koala – you don’t have to buy the cheesy t-shirt.
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9. Thunderbird Park Tamborine Mountain’s geographical oasis combines inspiring landscapes with wood-fired pizza and laser tag.
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4. Warner Bros. Movie World The highlight of the Gold Coast’s only all-weather theme park is the $10m Hollywood Stunt Driver Show. This part you can’t participate in.
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8. Lamington National Park A short distance from the Gold Coast but a world away from its highways and high rises is the largest preserved subtropical rainforest in the country.
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3. Wet ’n’ Wild Water Park Australia’s largest water theme park might be heated in winter, but this isn’t a day spa – the Sea Viper has a triple loop-the-loop track.
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7. Tamborine Mountain Distillery The two perfect antidotes to the Gold Coast’s chaos are tranquil mountain scenery and over 70 types of booze.
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2. Dreamworld It sounds rather tranquil, but Dreamworld is home to the Gold Coast’s biggest, fastest and most thrilling rides.
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6. Canungra Valley Vineyards The simple pleasures of life are an urban myth in the heart of the Gold Coast residents, so make the time to get out of the city and indulge them.
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1. SeaWorld This theme park has rides, shows, and is probably the only place in the Gold Coast where you may actually want to encounter a shark. Fantastic family fun!
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Gold Coast History
- Mermaid Beach – This suburb of the Gold Coast is named after the cutter HMS Mermaid sailed by John Oxley in 1823.
- Kirra Surf Club – This club was established in 1916 by Kirra residents.
- Pink Poodle Motel – This motel's neon sign is a Gold Coast landmark that was originally constructed in the 1960s.
- Marineland – A theme park, originally called Seaquarium, is an innovator in marine animal rescue and research procedures.
- Mermaid Beach Surf Life Saving Club – Established after World War II.
Gold Coast Art & Culture
- Somerset Celebration of Literature – The Gold Coast’s five-day annual writers festival in March.
- Wintersun Festival – This is the largest annual Nostalgia Festival in Australia showcasing the lifestyle of the 1950s and ’60s.
- In the Bin Short Film Festival – The largest traveling festival in Australia in which filmmakers can showcase and expand their work.
- Gold Coast City Gallery – This Gallery showcases the City Collection housing contemporary and historical pieces.
- O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards – A great spot for picnics, group outings, weddings and more in the Gold Coast’s Hinterland
Gold Coast Shopping
- Q-Super Centre – An open-air mail in Mermaid Waters with three major supermarkets and all the dining options you could want.
- Australia Fair – A multi-level shopping centre with 230-plus specialty stores in Southport.
- Robina Town Centre – Home to a 900-seat, air-conditioned food atrium and tons of shopping.
- Art and Craft Markets – More than 200 arts and crafts markets on the Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta beach fronts.
- Australian Opal Cutters – Extensive collection of Australian opals, pearls and other precious jewels.
Gay & Lesbian Gold Coast
- Gold Coast Gay Day – Live entertainment, networking and big-time fun for gays.
- Escape Bar – Gold Coast’s premier GLBT club.
- Gold Coast Exchange – Have you seen the Gold Coast’s gay and lesbian free classified ads?
- Atrium Resort – A GLBT-friendly hotel just 15 minutes from Wet-n-Wild, Movieworld and Seaworld.
- Dreamworld Theme Park – Have a fun time checking out the Screaming Queens drag show.
Gold Coast Outdoor
- Byron Bay Skydiving Centre – Take in the wonderful view of Cape Byron while freefalling 14,000 feet.
- Extreme Jet Ski Hire – Embark on an adventurous jet ski tour of Broadwalk.
- Thunderbird Park – Ride horses, bushwalk or hunt for gems on Tamborine Mountain.
- Currumbin Sanctuary Wildnight Adventure – Ride a train through the rainforest on the hottest night-time wildlife tour.
- Balloon Down Under – Take a ride over Surfers Paradise, the rainforest and waterfalls.
Gold Coast Sport
- Mt Warren Lanes – Bowl with friends and family.
- Southport Yacht Club – The Gold Coast’s premier boating club.
- Bai Rui Taekwon-do – Learn to defend yourself and develop self-discipline with classes.
- International Tennis Academy Gold Coast – Get picked to work on your tennis skills.
- Gold Coast Country Club – Take a gander at these 18 challenging holes.
Gold Cost Local
Surfers Paradise is the drawcard for anyone who wants the full rowdy, gaudy Gold Coast experience, but the city does have neighbourhoods that offer a little respite along with their magnificent beaches.
Southport
One of the region’s original destinations, Southport is the quintessential Gold Coast combination of golden sands, monstrous shopping complexes and fake palm trees. Suck it up and embrace it, because Southport also contains some of the Gold Coast’s best attractions.
SeaWorld is located on the Southport Spit, a permanent sand spit separating the Pacific Ocean and Southport’s oddly calm beaches of Broadwater. The sprawling Australia Fair shopping complex is a great place for chain store shopping you could do anywhere else in the Western world, while chic Marina Mirage’s award-winning boutiques and cafes are the exact opposite.
Main Beach
This is where the Gold Coast glitterati sip flat whites at the trendy café corridor of Tedder Avenue and pretend they’re better off than everyone crammed into the surrounding suburbs of Surfers Paradise. In some ways, though, they’re right – while Main Beach is the Gold Coast’s foremost surf beach, it is less crowded in comparison. The area also boasts the somewhat secluded greenery of Federation Walk, and while you can’t just go wandering around the exclusive six-star Palazzo Versace, you can emulate status at the über-trendy Domanis Café Restaurant Bar.
Surfers Paradise
Busy beaches, bustling nightlife, bikini-clad meter maids – this is the Gold Coast that Sydney and Melbourne want to be too cool for but end up being seduced by. Get your bearings via a 360-degree view from the SkyPoint Observation Deck before heading down to fight for a spot to lay your towel at the overdeveloped beach. If you can’t get one, you can always spend 40 minutes tripping out among the lights and lasers in the maze-like Infinity, or just sip a cocktail while overlooking the water at the aptly named Escape Bar.
Broadbeach
Somewhat less hectic than Surfers is the inviting district of Broadbeach. While the area is best-known for the blackjack and buffets of 24-hour Jupiter’s Casino, it also offers a range of more refined options. Kurrawa Park provides a picturesque backdrop to the beaches, and if you’re there on a weekend you can flick Australia Fair the finger and browse the eclectic Art and Craft Markets.
Coolangatta
We’re unsure why the area joining Coolangatta to neighbouring Tweed Heads is named Point Danger. Coolangatta boasts some of the Gold Coast’s best surf beaches, Greenmount and Kirra, but its streets and sidewalks are comparatively calm.
Shopping is done along the beachfront at The Showcase Shopping Centre and the Coolangatta Market, while the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the captivating scenery of The Hinterlands are only a short bus trip away.
Gold Cost Eat & Drink
You could easily spend your whole time in the Gold Coast surviving on theme-park hot dogs in between blowing your holiday savings on overpriced themed restaurants. This isn’t to say it’s not fun to eat food obscured by crazy lighting and lurid costumes, but perhaps not on a daily basis.
Absynthe While the favoured green liqueur of ear-lopping Van Gogh is not pushed here, the rituals surrounding taste and occasion are art in themselves.
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Chill on Tedder The coolest restaurant on the oh-so-cool Tedder strip. The sashimi plate is almost as beautiful as the clientele.
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Pavilion Garden It’s worth renting a car just to drive to Pavilion, where patrons dine in a glass atrium overlooking the floodlit gardens.
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Vanitas It’s worth going here just for the fact that it’s located in the six-star Palazzo Versace, but the food does live up to the ambience – just.
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Shuck Shuck me, suck me, eat me raw – it sounds a bit porno, but it’s actually the tagline for Tedder Avenue’s top seafood restaurant.
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The Avenue The quintessential Gold Coast dining experience. Al fresco dining tables, fantastic people-watching and plasma screen video entertainment.
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Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill Known for its phenomenal Wagyu Spice Rump, tender Master Kobe fillet and odd futuristic lighting.
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Room81 Far from your average themed restaurant, Room81’s eclectic mix of interior design and video art doesn’t dominate the award-winning menu.
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Titanium Bar Encompassing a sophisticated lounge bar, a waterfront dining room and a private boardroom, there’s no excuse to leave this spectacular venue before the early hours.
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Fellini Classic Italian with modern ingredients and sweeping views of Broadwater Beach. Fellini isthe place to see and be seen.
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Gold Cost Events
Australia’s concert extravaganza, Big Day Out, reaches the shores of the Gold Coast in January.
Bikinis and board shorts are replaced by glitz and glamour for racing day during the Gold Coast’s Conrad Jupiters’ Magic Millions Carnival in January.
The Australian Women’s Hardcourt and Australian Ladies Masters give the New Year a vigorous kick into action with some hot and heavy action – of the tennis kind.
The surf’s always up on the Gold Coast, but it’s colossal in February and March when the best in the business arrive for the Quicksilver and Roxy Pros.
The Gold Coast gets a bit jazzier in May for Blues on Broadbeach.
The ladies who star in May’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show may be inanimate, but they’ve still got great curves.
It’s more of a party atmosphere than a political one at the prestigious Prime Minister’s Cup. Then again, it is the Gold Coast and it is a horse race.
The Gold Coast isn’t really lacking in the adrenaline department, but October’s Indy on the Gold Coast gives it a high octane boost anyway. A weekend of nonstop partying awaits.
It’s hard enough just naming 39 sporting events, but the Pan Pacific Masters Games in November really does have this many.
When To Go
Do not go to the Gold Coast in November. Ever. This is when Schoolies takes places and hundreds of drunk teenagers invade the city. High-pitched squeals and piles of vomit lining the sidewalks do not a relaxing holiday make.
Summer is marked by heavy rainfall as well as high heat and humidity, but you’ll always find something fun to do.
Winter temperatures can drop to a chilly 9°C, so to make the most of the beaches and avoid the heat, spring (not November!) and autumn are the best times to go. Temperatures range up to 27°C, and rainfall is only medium.
What To Miss
Shopping complexes are great for getting out of the sun, but don’t waste an entire day getting lost in a building you might find anywhere else in the world.
Themed restaurants are everywhere on the Gold Coast, and normally serve inferior food. Choose a couple of good ones and leave it at that.
Getting Around
The most common way to get around in the Gold Coast is to stroll along the waterfront strips in a pair of double-pluggers.
For travelling to theme parks and different beaches, unlimited bus passes are worth checking out. If all else fails, catch a cab or use a Gold Coast car rental service. There’s so many tourists that the streets are packed with them.
