Gold Coast

About 57 kilometers of sandy beach, high-rises right at the surf line, and an ancient rainforest just behind them: Queensland's Gold Coast is Australia's quintessential vacation coast. Surfers, families, and partygoers all get their money's worth here. A vacation on the Gold Coast combines beach days, theme parks, and excursions into green mountains.

Beaches and Surf Spots

Surfers Paradise is the heart of the Gold Coast, with a skyline that looks a bit like Miami from a distance and the Q1, one of the tallest residential towers in the Southern Hemisphere, which has an observation deck. The beach in front is wide, patrolled by lifeguards, and a gathering place for evening strollers. Farther north lies Main Beach with The Spit peninsula and the Marina Mirage yacht harbor. To the south comes Broadbeach with restaurants, a casino, and the convention center, followed by Mermaid Beach, Burleigh Heads with its rocky headland and national park, and Currumbin and Coolangatta on the border with New South Wales. The Superbank break between Snapper Rocks and Kirra, where international competitions take place, is world-famous among surfers. If you want to learn to surf, you'll find surf schools on almost every beach.

Theme Parks and Wildlife

The Gold Coast is the theme park capital of Australia. Dreamworld and its adjoining water park, Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, and Wet'n'Wild are all located near the Pacific Motorway between Southport and Coomera. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in the south shows koalas, kangaroos, and colorful lorikeets that arrive in flocks at feeding time. David Fleay Wildlife Park in Burleigh Heads focuses mainly on endangered native species. Between June and November, humpback whales migrate past the coast; boat tours for whale watching depart from Southport.

The Hinterland

Just an hour inland, a completely different world begins: Lamington and Springbrook national parks are part of the Gondwana Rainforests, a UNESCO World Heritage site with plants that have existed since the time of the dinosaurs. Hiking trails lead to waterfalls, along treetop walkways, and to lookouts such as Best of All Lookout. At the Natural Bridge in Springbrook, glowworms light up a cave beneath a waterfall at night. The mountain village of Tamborine Mountain draws visitors with galleries, wineries, and a skywalk through the rainforest.

If you prefer something quieter, spend a day on South Stradbroke Island, a car-free sand island north of The Spit, or paddle a kayak through the canals of Broadbeach Waters, lined with villas that have their own boat docks.

Eating, Going Out, and Getting Around

Restaurants and cafés serving fresh fish, prawns, and tropical fruit have settled in Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads. On weekends, night markets such as the one in Surfers Paradise draw crowds with street food. The nightlife on Orchid Avenue in Surfers Paradise is loud and goes late, while Burleigh Heads is better known for relaxed bars with ocean views. Gold Coast Airport (OOL) is in Coolangatta in the south, and Brisbane is about an hour away by train. The G:link tram runs along the coast from Helensvale through Southport and Surfers Paradise to Broadbeach and has been extended south toward Burleigh Heads. The best time to visit is April through October, when it is warm but not humid; in the Australian summer it gets hot and rains more often.