Destination Guide to Surfers Paradise, Australia

Surfers Paradise is characterised by high-rise apartments and holiday accommodation. Its 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 anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. There’s lots of tourist attractions in Surfers Paradise, high quality restaurants for eating out and feativals and events to attend year long. Surfers Paradise is a great place to base yourself for holiday to the Gold Coast.

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.

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.

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.