What to do in the Gold Coast as a family: the best beaches in Australia
Gold Coast is one of the most paradisiacal areas of Australia. Its coasts and beaches, added to its exuberant vegetation, attract tourists from all over the world. What you can not miss.
When one thinks of Australia as a destination, the first thing that appears are the big cities that you cannot avoid: Sydney, majestic and first world; Melbourne, cultural and charming; and, for those who have more days and desire to visit, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide... But there is a region that you have to look out for if you visit this diverse and wonderful country: the Gold Coast, a city and coastal region , located about 70 kilometers south of Brisbane, in the state of Queensland.
Gold Coast not only has some of the most fabulous beaches in the world, but also a range of options and services that make it the perfect place to rest and enjoy with your family or partner.
What to do on the Gold Coast: an Australian pearl
Cosmopolitan and charming, Australia's Gold Coast is a combo of so many beautiful things that it's hard to know where to start. Extensive and incredible beaches, forests for adventure tourism, Disney-style parks, discos and nightclubs, entertainment for all ages and a gastronomic offer that will surprise you. We tell you why it is an ideal destination to plan a trip with children and return home with an unforgettable experience.
The Gold Coast has 57 kilometers of coastline, divided into different white and golden sand beaches, interrupted from time to time with a more or less large line of semi-wild nature.
What to see in Gold Coast: places that will surprise you
We propose a brief tour to find out what to do in the Gold Coast to return home without pending bills in this incredible place.
Known as the Golden City, it has some of the most spectacular beaches in the state of Queensland and is perfect for any occasion: with the family, as a couple, for sports or as a student... It doesn't matter, enjoying this city is incredibly easy.
Gold Coast is the seventh largest city in Australia. It has just over 600,000 inhabitants and its climate is subtropical. In winter the minimum is around 12ºC and its maximum in summer can reach 38ºC.
Gold Coast beaches: among the best in Australia
Gold Coast offers 57 km of sandy beaches and waves for the heart attack, with beaches with very good lifeguard services and toilets and nets in the water that protect bathers from sharks and other habitués of those coasts.
It has theme parks the size of those in Orlando, beaches with heart-stopping waves, amazing tropical jungles, shopping malls and avenues full of restaurants and bars where you can breathe an atmosphere as modern as it is cosmopolitan, with promenades full of shops and bazaars.
Sky Point
It is a good place to start the trip and take an incredible view of the city and the area is to visit the famous Q1 (Queensland Number One) building, the tallest in Australia and the eighth in the world. There is the Sky Point viewpoint, on the top floor, where you can eat and drink while taking pictures that will leave you speechless.
At 322.5 meters high and with 78 floors, its design imitates the Olympic torch that was used at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. You can know values and services on your site.
The Skypoint has a restaurant where you can enjoy meals from breakfast to dinner and offers the possibility of climbing its antenna and external roof, inspired by the Sydney Opera House. Only for those without fear of heights, of course.
Surfers Paradise Beach
It is one of the most spectacular beaches in the area. It is in the most central part of the city and is a few meters from a very wide boulevard full of shops, bars and restaurants where tourists crowd at all hours of the day. Connoisseurs say that there you can enjoy the best on the planet, and hence its name "Surfers' Paradise".
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
It is the ideal place to see kangaroos and koalas, 2 of the most representative symbols of Australia. It is a natural park where you can be in close contact with the Australian fauna and even hug the cute koalas. You can also see crocodiles, dingoes, emus and even a quokka, a very sensitive animal that is in danger of extinction.
It is one of the most fun and educational places to see in the Gold Coast, where you can learn a little more about the history of the aborigines, their customs, their food or their dances. It has no waste!
Burleigh Heads National Park
Bordering the sea, you arrive at this natural park, which displays its green almost on the water. It's a beautiful walk, free, great to walk at sunset. It has two beautiful viewpoints from which you can see the whales if it is migration season. It takes just under an hour and is highly recommended to enjoy with the family.
Lamington Park
This wonder of nature is a natural park divided into a couple of distinct sections, Binna Burra and Green Mountains. It is located about 75 km south of Brisbane and contains (just like Springbrook National Park, which we will talk about later) Gondwanan rainforests in its interior. It has different routes with different kilometers and slopes so that each person can find their ideal route.
To avoid disappointment, it's key to know that kangaroos don't go hopping around the Gold Coast. They need something more than nature to jump calmly. Towards the center of the island, just over an hour away, you could start to see them
Tamborine Mountain
It is a place to do something that you will hardly be able to do in other places: walk on a walkway erected on top of tropical trees 15 meters above the ground. In fact, its specific name is the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk and it takes about 45 minutes to walk the entire length of it.
In addition, you can visit the so-called Glow Worm Caves, luminous caves that owe their light to a small insect that inhabits them. Quite an experience!
Springbrook National Park
Nature is bountiful on the Gold Coast and is well worth exploring to the full. Another essential place for this is Springbrook National Park, a natural park, located 45 minutes by car from the Gold Coast, which is part of the Gondwana humid forests of Australia, declared a World Heritage Site.
There is the Toolona Creek circuit, a wonderful walk of about 17.4 km in length through which you will discover 7 incredible waterfalls. It takes about 6 hours to complete it in its entirety.
Pacific Fair Shopping Center
The city has several major shopping malls, but the Pacific Fair Shopping Center takes pride of place. It is one of the largest and most modern and is located in the Broadbeach area. It has relaxation areas with hammocks, fountains and lounge areas, with fairly wide and comfortable corridors. It has two supermarkets inside.
Theme parks and attractions
The attractions of the Gold Coast do not end with its beaches or its exuberant natural proposal. The city is famous for being the place that brings together several of the most important theme parks in the country: Sea World, Warner Bros Movie World (film park that movie lovers can enjoy a lot), Wet'n Wild and Dreamworld, among others.
Dreamworld, the star park of the Gold Coast
Dreamworld is Australia's largest zoo and theme park, with over 40 rides, including five roller coasters. One of them, the Tower of Terror 2, is one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world.
The Wiggles area is geared towards the little ones with soft and family rides, while the DreamWorks Experience is designed specifically for kids and tweens across three areas -Madagascar Madness, Shrek's Faire Faire and Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness- . Ocean Parade is the largest themed area at Dreamworld.
One of the most interesting places for foreigners is Tiger Island, where magnificent Bengal and Sumatran tigers play with their keepers. At the "Australian Wildlife Experience" you can see more than 500 native Australian animals including koalas, kangaroos and wombats.
The park opened in 1995 Tiger Island as one of two interactive tiger exhibits in the world. Since 2010, the exhibition has been home to Bengal tigers, Sumatran tigers and pumas
In addition, Dreamworld also includes Whitewater World, a fantastic water park to enjoy in the hot months. It has some of the best water rides in the world, including the four main water slides. There you can even take surf lessons, which are held several times a week in the Cueva de las Olas under the lights after the park closes.
Fun for everyone on the Gold Coast
In addition, the Gold Coast has attractions and entertainment for all ages, such as the Wax Museum, Infinity and GC Aqua Park, an aquatic water park where you can test your sports skills while having a great time.
It is the largest in the area and a great proposal to get moving and have a great time. More information at GC Aqua Park.
