Destination Guide to Gold Coast, Australia

The Gold Coast covers a 1400km² stretch of area in the south-east corner of Queensland. It is renowned for its excellent weather, great surfing beaches, high-rise apartment buildings, excellent hotels, and most of all, its huge range of tourist attractions. In this section we take a look at some of the attractions that keep up to 10 million people visiting on an annual basis. Most people associate the Gold Coast with the district of Surfers Paradise, though there are a further six districts that also make up the area, these being: Coomera, Currumbin, Gaven, Mermaid Beach, Mudgeeraba and Southport.

Surfers Paradise

Characterised by high-rise apartments and holiday accommodation, Surfers Paradise is the destination for thousands of visitors every day, from both home and abroad. Around 50,000 high school graduates head for the destination in November alone, for the infamous Schoolies week.

The biggest building of all is the Q1 Building, which is the second highest vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere and offers panoramic views in all directions from its 77th floor observation deck. The viewing deck is 230 meters up in the sky, whilst the whole building measures in at a whopping 322.5 meters tall.

The main street in the CBD is Cavill Mall, an extremely busy shopping strip that is named after a local hotelier. This is also the busiest strip when it comes to nightlife, with a number of bars, nightclubs and restaurants to choose from. On top of this, Cavill Mall is home to numerous other attractions, such as various tenpin bowling outlets, Timezone indoor entertainment centre and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum. Nearby, the Esplanade is another hive of activity, with many more shops, bars and restaurants to choose from. One thing is for sure – you will never go hungry or get bored in Surfers Paradise!

Surfer’s (as it is colloquially known) also boasts a wide surfing beach, which is regularly voted as one of the best and cleanest beaches in the country. A huge range of water sports are available from the beach, including windsurfing, parasailing, jet boating – and of course plenty of surfing. There are a total of 57km of beaches along the Gold Coast, with other notable sandy stretches at Snapper Rocks, Coolangatta and Burleigh Heads.

Surfers Paradise also has attractions for culture lovers. These include a number of galleries in the area, such as the Spirit of Australia Gallery and the Lotus Gallery (both on the Gold Coast highway), the Wax Museum on Ferny Avenue and Budds Beach

Art Gallery

Many people head to the Gold Coast for the theme parks, the majority of which are situated a few kilometres north of Surfer’s Paradise, in Oxenford. Warner Bros. Movie World is the biggest park of its type in Australia, and is home to 17 rides that cater for all members of the family. The movie-related theme means top rides such as the Batwing Spaceshot, Superman Escape and Scooby-Doo Roller Coaster, and a number of costumed characters can be spotted around the park during the day. Add in the many shops, stalls, street shows and other attractions – such as the excellent Hollywood Stunt Driver, and the park makes for an excellent day out.

Next door to Movie World is Wet’n’Wild, the third largest water park in the world. 15 rides and various other attractions combine here to make another full day out, with the recently-developed Kamikaze ride and the half-pipe rollercoaster known as Surfrider arguably the biggest thrills of all.

Outside of Surfers Paradise

Situated in Coomera, Dream World is Australia’s largest theme park, with a whopping 45 rides to choose from. Next door is the recently-opened WhiteWater World. These two offer direct competition to Movie World and Wet’n’Wild, but it is the customers who benefit as they can of course go to all four! Coomera also has plans to develop Australia’s biggest shopping centre, so keep an eye on this up-and-coming suburb.

Southport is the central business district of the Gold Coast, but still has attractions for tourists, such as the Southport Broadwater Parklands (which is undergoing substantial redevelopment) and the 233-store Australia Fair Shopping Centre.

The main attraction in Currumbin is Superbee Honeyworld, a working honey bee factory where you can sample and buy honey products, watch live bee shows and learn about the honey making process, from the bee to the jar! Another great option is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, the Gold Coast’s leading native wildlife experience.

The districts of Coomera, Currumbin, Gaven, Mermaid Beach, Mudgeeraba and Southport, as well as numerous other suburbs combine to make up the Gold Coast, and between them they host a large amount of events throughout the year, ranging from small community events to week-long festivals that attract visitors from all over the globe. Here are some of the biggest events in the annual calendar of the Gold Coast.

Surfers Paradise

It goes without saying that the main bulk of the Gold Coast’s events and attractions are held in Surfer’s Paradise – a major city that attracts several million tourists annually. Perhaps the biggest event of them all is the Gold Coast Indy 300. Usually held in October, this event sees an open-wheel motor race around the streets of Surfers Paradise and Main Beach. The V8 Supercars event also ties in with this, being held on the same circuit during the same week of the year. As part of this week-long festival a number of smaller, fun events and competitions are also held in Surfer’s Paradise, such as the Miss Indy Competition.

Sports fans will also love the Magic Millions Sales, a thoroughbred racehorse auction combined with a horse race meeting – the stipulation being that all horses had to have been bought at a Magic Millions event in order to be eligible to race. The eight-day January meeting culminates with the Magic Millions Classic race for two-year olds.

Though not strictly an organized event per se, late November and early December are hectic times in which to visit Surfers Paradise, due to the presence of thousands of school leavers for Schoolies Week. If visiting the Gold Coast during this time expect huge crowds everywhere and a week-long party atmosphere.

The largest community sports event in the region is the annual Gold Coast Marathon, at which around 20,000 take on either a full or half marathon, a 10km run, a community walk or a 4km junior dash. The marathon course is regarded as one of the most picturesque in the world, taking in scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and numerous surf beaches on its way through Surfers Paradise, Main Beach, Southport and many other suburbs during its 26.2 mile course.

Outside of Surfers Paradise

Those that venture outside of the big city may be pleasantly surprised at the array of attractions and events on offer.

The district of Currumbin sits in the south-east corner of Queensland, and includes the suburbs of Currumbin, Coolangatta, Elanora and Tugun. A popular festival in Coolangatta is the two-week Wintersun Festival, at which the 1950’s and 1960’s are celebrated through a number of free-entry music events and displays of cars and other nostalgic items from the time.

The beaches Coolangatta are extremely popular with surfers, and the Quiksilver Pro is the event at which you can watch some of the world’s top performers in this field compete in a leg of the ASP World Surfing Tour. The time of year can vary, but the competition is usually held in February or March, when the sun is at its hottest.

The Swell Sculpture Festival is the biggest annual arts event in the district of Currumbin, and allows local artists to showcase their work along the streets of the Oceanway foreshore area. Coinciding with this event in the Currumbin In The Bin short film festival.

The ANZ Ladies Masters Golf tournament seems to draw bigger crowds every year, and has been one of the highlights of the ladies golfing calendar for 20 years. The tournament is held at the RACV Royal Pines Resort, just a short distance outside of the Surfers Paradise, in Benowa.

The Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is the largest on-water display of boats in the Asia Pacific region. Running since 1989, this May event draws exhibitors and visitors from all over the world to Sanctuary Cove, in the suburb of Hope Island.

The Gold Coast’s main annual showcase in terms of local produce is the Tastes of the Gold Coast event, which runs for a two week period from late August to early September. Local food and wine can be sampled at various dinners, displays and celebrations in and around the city.

As well as the festivals and celebrations mentioned in this article, there are many smaller, local events to cater to all tastes, including:

• The Kokoda Challenge (Cross-country bushwalking)
• Gold Coast Half Ironman Triathlon
• Broadbeach Blends of Jazz Festival
• The Drumley Walk (Aboriginal pilgrimage)
• Couples Carnivale (A series of events aimed at couples)

Whichever part of the Gold Coast you are heading to, the popularity of the area as a tourist destination means that there are always plenty of options for eating out. As well as the conventional fast food chains, there are plenty of other places to pick up a quick international bit to eat, and several world-class restaurants in most of the Gold Coast’s individual resorts. Here we bring you a guide to the best eating out across the Gold Coast.

Coolangatta

It will probably come as no surprise that many of the Gold Coast’s top restaurants focus predominantly on serving up fresh seafood, given the excellent fishing off the coast. Many of these serve up tasty dishes at very reasonable prices, with many also offering discounted rates on weekdays and at lunchtimes. Some of the best include Cooli Steak & Seafood on McLean Street, Fish & Wine on Greenmount Beach waterfront and Fisherman’s Cove on Griffith Street.

Those with a taste for international fare can find tasty Japanese barbecue at Kamikaze Teppanyaki on Marine Parade or fabulous Mexican at The Aztec, also on Marine Parade, which also has a great “two-for-one” deal on Tuesdays. All India Taste on Griffith Street serve up delicious, spicy curries while Angelina’s Pizzeria on Marine Parade have a great choice of pizzas and pastas, served up alongside authentic Italian wines.

For a less formal meal, try Pancakes in Paradise on Marine Parade, who serve up all different kinds of pancakes, both sweet and savoury, with various “all-you-can-eat” specials also on offer.

Burleigh Heads

Although Burleigh Heads is much smaller than many of the other Gold Coast towns, there are still some good options for dining out. Oskars on Burleigh serves up award-winning steaks and seafood down on the waterfront, and is a perfect place to see the sunset over the coast. Less expensive options can also be found, most of which also still serve up good quality, wholesome food, including Paragon Pizza on James Street, Noodle Express on the Gold Coast Highway and Burleigh Chinese Restaurant on West Street.

Southport

As with the other Gold Coast towns, Southport has a strong tradition in seafood restaurants. These include George’s Paragon on Nerang Street, Cafe Seabank on Short Street. Set back from the main strip of restaurants and bars, Bella Luna Garden on Scarborough Street offers up tasty Mediterranean cuisine in a lovely garden setting.

Here too there are plenty of international cuisines represented, with the Tandoori Place on Scarborough Street offering Indian curries, Teppanyaki Cafe on Ferry Road offering Japanese noodles, Sushi Queensland on Scarborough Street and Saigon Palace on Marine Parade offering up a Chinese menu. If you enjoy Thai cuisine, head over to Mai Thai on Como Crescent, where you can get a fantastic Thai curry, made from the freshest local ingredients, all at a great price.

Surfer’s Paradise

Surfer’s Paradise is the most popular destination for tourists heading to the Gold Coast, which means that the range of eating out options here is absolutely fantastic, with everything on offer from fast food to haute cuisine, from seafood to tofu, from modern Australian to Mediterranean, Asian and American fare.

Fables Restaurant on Laycock Street is one of the best places for any fan of seafood, offering a choice of either a la carte menu or a seafood buffet each evening. Rish Restaurant on Cavill Mall also has a great modern Australian menu, combining some traditional Aussie favourites with an Italian twist. Seafood Mania on Cavill Mall also has a menu featuring some great fresh seafood, but served up in a more relaxed setting which is more suitable for families.

Lots of different types of Asian cuisine can be found around central Surfer’s. Asian Uno on Surfers Paradise Boulevard is especially good for groups, serving up traditional Korean BBQ which you can cook on your own table’s stove. Northern Indian and Tandoori can be found at Taj Palace on the Gold Coast Highway, Japanese at Teriyaki Paradise in the Paradise Centre and Thai food at Chaopraya, also on the Gold Coast Highway.

European food is also pretty easy to find around Surfer’s. Visitors should head to La Paella on the Gold Coast Highway for traditional Spanish tapas and a glass of sangria, or Nicolini’s for pizza, pasta and other traditional Italian dishes. Kitty O’Shea’s is a popular Irish pub, but also serves up heart pub food, including Irish and British favourites such as bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie.

There are also some great options for families, including Billy Baxter’s or Charlie’s Restaurant/Cafe, both of which can be found on Cavill Mall. The Hard Rock Cafe further up the same street is a great place to start any evening out, with a comprehensive cocktail menu and some great platters of finger food which everyone can share.