This region is not called the Bronze Coast or even the Silver Coast: the beaches, the nightlife, the seafood straight from the ocean to your plate and the stampede of new luxury hotels trying to get a piece of the action are all certified solid gold. And it’s the coast with the most because you can party like you just finished school at Surfers Paradise, have a civilised cafe breakfast at Tarte in Burleigh Heads, or zipline and bush bash through the gargantuan greenery of the Gold Coast hinterland.
Travellers can hit the beach, or the hotel pool club, they can grab some fish and chips or a degustation where each course becomes your new favourite thing you have ever eaten; you can drink classic cocktails barefoot or sip local whisky in hiking boots. Just like the precious mineral itself, the Gold Coast is malleable, valuable and always shining. Here is our insider guide to the perfect Gold Coast escape.
Where to eat and drink
Lars Bar and Grill
Lars Kollrepp grew up in restaurant kitchens before opening his own in Mermaid Beach. His approach is hyper-local ingredients cooked with respect, so kingfish swaps a swim in the sea for a dip in a tart-but-balanced yuzu dressing, and a spanner crab tagliatelle is punched up with smoked chilli and preserved lemon. Start with a Getaway martini, which takes Beenleigh white rum infused with jalapeno and kaffir and adds coconut and lime; this is Gold Coast in a glass.
Sueño Rooftop
Palm Beach vibes – cacti, palm trees, bold stripes and sun – and a collection of twisted margs to match, Sueño is your front-row seat to sunset. The mango margarita is a stand-out among a list of signatures celebrating tropical flavours. Get a bowl of corn chips and scoop up tangy guacamole and salmon ceviche with avocado and bonito soy. Downstairs fine diner Norté is all about the Latin American flavours, with masa (corn dough) featuring heavily.
The North Room
Behind a modest shopfront on the Gold Coast Highway, this fine diner is anything but shy with its flavour bombs. Run by husband-and-wife team Tim (chef) and Shannon (host) Stewart this intimate dinner starts with a “snack party” then a set menu that might include wallaby with a macadamia cream and local finger lime but will definitely include the signature bone marrow crumpet topped with handpicked spanner crab, cultured cream and salted egg yolk. When in doubt, listen to Shannon – any suggestions delight and surprise.
Rick Shores
Have you even been to the GC if you haven’t had a Moreton Bay bug roll at Rick Shores on the Burleigh Headland? Fried not poached, the crunch is so loud it almost drowns out the Balearic beats and the crashing waves. Surrounded by sand on all sides, big happy groups laughing and clinking glasses, and punchy Asian flavours, this is a quintessential beachside bite.
Siblings
Right on the sand at Kirra Beach, Siblings is the sort of relaxed beachside party spot the Gold Coast has on lock. Natural wooden tones, wicker chairs and open-air to catch the sea breeze, and patrons are sharing the (not so) small plates of crispy buttermilk chicken with fermented chilli honey and dill pickles or Baja fish tacos before tackling mains like risotto with a trawler load of prawn and bug meat with a pink Champagne cream.
Tarte Bakery & Cafe
Burleigh is buzzing in the morning and the snaking line out the door tells you that Tarte Bakery & Café is one of the top picks. Located on leafy West Street surrounded by a ring of sun umbrellas, Tarte has some phenomenal baked goods including the Cruller, a New York-inspired fried pastry that is as sinful as your morning swim is saintly.
The best places to stay on the Gold Coast
RISE Kirra Point
This jaw-droppingly bougie, five-bedroom penthouse has several breakout spaces like kids’ playrooms, the library, an office, pool room and outside space with plunge pool and lounges overlooking the fun at Kirra Beach.
It comes with a fully stocked bar so you can work your way through the bespoke cocktail menu. Mix a Coastal Grove Martini with Grey Goose vodka, Brookie’s Dry Gin and a dash of macadamia and wattleseed liqueur; conduct the music, blinds and aircon via the house iPad and pretend you are a tech bro from the recent film Mountainhead.
Dorsett Gold Coast
Part of The Star entertainment complex, Dorsett Gold Coast Executive Rooms come with their own balcony (mine overlooking the Gold Coast) and access to the Executive Lounge on level 19 for evening canapes and breakfast. The social spot is the Isoletto Pool Club, a Campari-orange retreat with cabanas and cocktails; the Azure Spa & Fitness offers chill treatments and energy-raising sessions to get you ready for a fun-packed holiday.
The Langham, Gold Coast
There’s a reason this is the glitzy address that attracts the stars of the AACTAs (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards). The Langham, Gold Coast’s geometric glass towers sit right on the beach and the hotel offers family cabanas to chill in. Rooms are huge, bathrooms indulgent and breakfast is in the buzzing Akoya; Cantonese fine-diner T’ang Court offers some of the best Asian fare on the coast.
Crystal Pacific Palm Beach
This classic 1960s Gold Coast motel has been reimagined as an elegant family beach stay across two levels with a huge swing bed taking pride of place on the white-and-wood balcony. The living space downstairs is coastal chic with rattan mats and cozy couches and upstairs are two bedrooms and the outdoor space. A quick walk to sheltered swimming at Tallebudgera Creek and the Tallebudgera Surf Club, it’s the perfect family Gold Coast getaway.
Verandah House Country Estate
Get a taste of hinterland living at Verandah House Country Estate, country-style guest suites right next to Tamborine Mountain. Ripped from the pages of Country Life, this stay offers mountain yoga, spa treatments and plenty of forest trails to explore. Arrive by helicopter to embrace the GC’s more-is-more approach to life.
Sol Elements
A new forest-bathing-inspired wellness getaway in the hinterland, this retreat offers mineral-rich thermal pools, breath-stealing cold plunges, body scrubs and an al fresco fire pit. Grab a secluded suite for more privacy perfect for couples or groups of up to five. Sol Elements looks like a spa by way of Hobbiton and just setting foot here will see you breathe deeper and easier.
Discover Gold Coast
Gold Coast by season: when to go
Summer: 24–30°C
Summer on the Gold Coast is hot, humid and when you will find most people heading for the famous surf. You might get afternoon squals but you also have warm nights that are perfect for strolling between dining spots. The glitzy Gold Coast has played host to the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) for the past few years, with red-carpets events at HOTA (Home of the Arts) so there is a good buzz about town.
Autumn: 16–26°C
Autumn brings slightly cooler days but still-warm seas so beach attendance sees very little drop-off. Have a giggle at the GC Laughs Festival or catch a movie at the Gold Coast Film Festival. The signature music festival is Blues on Broadbeach in May. You can also enjoy the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show showcasing boats and marine lifestyle. The GC is a huge boating destination and the marina is undergoing a massive redevelopment.
Winter: 11–21°C
Winter is mild with cool mornings, sunny days and is great for sport and outdoor explorations. Don’t miss the iconic Gold Coast Marathon in July and the spectacular Pacific Airshow over Surfers Paradise beaches. The supposed off-season still has plenty to offer travellers, particularly from the cooler climes (I’m looking at you, Melbourne.
Spring: 15–25°C
Spring sees things warming up again and highlights include the SWELL Sculpture Festival on Currumbin Beach, the Gold Coast Show and the Gold Coast 500 street racing. BLEACH arts festival* in October brings, visual arts and installations to the coast. Don’t forget that the Gold Coast gets over 300 days of sunshine a year and can reach highs of 26 degrees even in the shoulder seasons.
What is the Gold Coast best known for?
Beach life
You come to the Gold Coast to hit the coast, the beautiful blue waters and the golden sand. Kirra Beach beckons the board riders; Mermaid Beach is more of a chill zone; for a more local vibe head to Burleigh Heads National Park and Rainbow Bay; those seeking a paddle rather than a swim are more likely to go to the creeks at Currumbin and Tallebudgera.
The hinterland
When living la vida de playa is too much, turn down the temperature with a trip to the lush forests of the Gold Coast hinterland. Check out the Gondwana forests of Springbrook National Park, hike the trails at Lamington National Park and check out regional producers and makers like Canungra Valley Vineyard or Mount Tamborine Distillery.
Renewal and reinvention
The Gold Coast never sits still, from the high-rise development in the 60s and 70s to the huge tourism developments of the past 10 years. Currently the GC has the productive energy of a beehive with a new marina being built, a Ritz-Carlton set to open around it and the Gold Coast tram extending all the way to Burleigh Beach.
Things to do on the Gold Coast
Go on a jetski safari
Why stroll to a beachside cafe when you can roar along the famous waterways on a jetski from Gold Coast Jet Ski Safaris. After a briefing you are out on the waters and in the safe hands of guides like Taz Croker-Sorongan, who has history doing jetski stunt work amidst blazing fireworks. But on your morning brekky run Taz acts as cameraman, and hype man, as you zip across to Tipplers Café on South Stradbroke Island where you sit outside with tiki torches and reggae-fied classic hits. Then it’s back on the jetskis for a quick bounce back to the marina.
Hire a boat
The Yot Club on the Gold Coast marina hires out boats for evening soirees like Yot 75, a 75-foot tender with four breakout spaces. This lush ride holds up to 68 people but tends to attract smaller groups who enjoy a bit of space. The Yot Club can arrange catering, and all you have to do is enjoy cruising out for a sunset tipple and living like a star for an evening.
Have a clifftop adventure
Happitat is an adventure park set in the hinterland where visitors can go ziplining or challenge themselves on the via ferrata (iron path) where you climb a rock face with the aid of cables, ladders and rungs. For those who are not afraid of heights there is also The Edge, a 12-metre cantilevered platform with a 400-metre drop below.
Take an island day trip
Lady Elliot Island has had a rough history of guano mining and destruction by goats but it is now an ecological sanctuary. All-inclusive day tours – you hop across to the island on a seaplane – run from the Gold Coast to this pristine Barrier Reef island where you can go on a glass-bottomed boat, have a snorkel and even see a turtle.
Get some arts and culture
The colourful HOTA (Home of the Arts) building in Evandale is the abode of more than just artworks – though it has a huge collection. You can grab a cocktail on the rooftop Exhibitionist Bar, enjoy some cutting-edge gastronomy at Palette Restaurant or grab a quick bite at HOTA Café. You can also get wet in Evandale Lake, take a sculpture walk and shop at the regular HOTA markets.
Catch some live music
To those of us of a certain age the Gold Coast is synonymous with enthusiastic schoolies singalongs with just one performer and their guitar in balmy surrounds like the Surfers Paradise Beer Garden. The tradition continues in pubs like the Kirra Beach House, where you might find classic Aussie hits belted out in the pastel-coloured surrounds by said people of a certain age, and some newcomers.
Incredible First Nations experiences
It should come as no surprise that the Gold Coast has a rich First Nations history dating back tens of thousands of years, but how it is packaged at Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre is brilliant.
The cultural centre itself is at the base of Jellurgal, also known as the Dreaming Mountain, located on Tallebudgera Creek, which is on Kombumerri Country, part of the wider Yugambeh language region. Start in the store and check out the brightly patterned shirts and the fully functioning fish trap, made by local Uncle Stephen Cora from woven pandanus.
Take the two-hour walking tour and passionate guides like Tyrese Arthurson will take you along the coastal track, introduce you to cultural living sites with piles of shells dating back over 5,000 years and take you to an ochre pit to mix up paint, which you can daub on your arm (or your face for the adventurous).
The most special part of all is to listen to Tyrese tell the creation story of the region with such intensity it feels like it’s coming at you in high-definition images. The short version is that Jabreen the warrior emerged from the ocean, developed an intense sweet tooth fuelled by natural honey and eventually lay down, his immense body forming what is now Jellurgal; you will even see his rocky fingers protruding from the Dreaming Mountain today. But get the long version from a Jellurgal tour and you will look at the whole coast with new eyes.
The Gold Coast is made for family fun
Packed full of some of Australia’s best-known theme parks, marine parks and natural beauty for families to swim, hike and play, the Gold Coast has long been a family holiday north star.
Sea World blends rides, shows and marine life experiences. Meet penguins and seals in live presentations, walk through the underwater shark tunnel, and splash around in Nickelodeon Land for younger kids. You can also enjoy dolphin encounters and educational exhibits. For classic thrill rides and movie magic, head to Warner Bros. Movie World where kids can meet DC superheroes and catch the parade, and older kids can test their bravery on epic rollercoasters. Just down the road, Paradise Country adds a country twist – with farm animals, feed-time fun and tractor rides.
Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast offers waves, slides and gentle splash areas for younger kids, while WhiteWater World (at Dreamworld) delivers beach-themed slides, surf pools and kid-friendly splash zones. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is a must where you can let kids cuddle koalas, feed kangaroos, and watch bird shows in the tropical beauty of the lush rainforest that leads into the hinterland.
The Gold Coast’s beaches are family-friendly, from gentle swimming at Tallebudgera Creek and calm lagoons in Broadwater Parklands to long stretches of sand for sandcastles and beach picnics. Boat rides, whale-watching tours (in season) and hireable SUPs (stand-up paddleboards) add extra adventure.
Discover the Gold Coast
This feature was originally published in Issue 12 of Dream by Luxury Escapes.
