Gold Coast City: Beaches, Culture and Green Hinterland

The Gold Coast borders the Pacific Ocean: famous beaches define one side, and a lush hinterland the other. Gold Coast City is therefore more than a beach destination. When choosing a holiday rental for your trip, you can first consider whether the coast and surfing, culture or nature experiences should be the main focus. Its many different facets offer a range of ways to spend your holiday.

Culture through stories, art and festivals

Jellurgal offers guided walks exploring the history and culture of Aboriginal People on the Gold Coast. These also share the Dreaming Stories associated with Jellurgal. If you are interested in the area's cultural history, a guided tour offers a way to learn about these stories.

Another cultural meeting place is HOTA, Home of the Arts. This cultural precinct brings together live performance, visual art, cinema and community life. The HOTA Gallery features five state-of-the-art exhibition spaces for contemporary art. Its offerings therefore range from performances and film to visits to an art gallery. The SWELL Sculpture Festival turns the Gold Coast's beaches into open-air galleries, bringing sculpture together with the coastal landscape.

In the wider region, Gauriemabah, Springbrook's first schoolhouse, built in 1911, shares the diverse stories of Springbrook through exhibitions. This glimpse into the past complements today's cultural offerings with a historic site in the hinterland.

Getting around: from parkruns to long-distance trails

The free HOTA Parkrun takes place every Saturday morning at 7 am. The 5 km route loops around the lake and through the precinct's parklands. The HOTA Green Bridge connects HOTA with Chevron Island and provides access on foot and by bicycle. For travel on the water, the HOPO ferry runs between Surfers Paradise and the Broadwater Parklands, stopping at HOTA, Marina Mirage and Sea World.

A very different scale awaits on the 54 km Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk. It can begin or end at The Settlement campground in Springbrook National Park. This means that, alongside shorter outings, longer hiking plans can also be a focus of your trip. When choosing accommodation, you can decide whether you want to include mainly the city's cultural offerings or the hinterland in your trip.

Nature, coast and wildlife watching

The Coombabah Lakes Conservation Area protects more than 1,200 hectares of wetland, eucalyptus forest, salt marsh and mangrove swamp as habitats. The area offers opportunities for short walks, wildlife watching and plant identification. The Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens cover 31 hectares of parkland and lakes; visitor highlights include the Mangroves-to-Mountains-Trail. The gardens are a ten-minute drive from the centre of Surfers Paradise. This specific detail may be useful when considering the gardens in your travel plans.

For surf enthusiasts, Burleigh Heads offers world-class surf breaks. At Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, you can have close encounters with Australian wildlife. The Gold Coast is also home to world-class theme parks. These varied experiences give you the opportunity to weigh up active days on the coast, wildlife watching and other outings when planning your holiday.

Sunday markets at HOTA

The markets at HOTA take place every Sunday morning. They offer seasonal, farm-fresh produce and handcrafted foods. A visit to the market can therefore be added as a separate activity to a cultural or city visit.

Discover more destinations

Subordinate destinations include Advancetown. Find more destinations at Cairns Regional, Noosa Shire, Hinchinbrook Shire, South Burnett Regional, Southern Downs Regional, Gympie Regional, Carpentaria Shire.

Return to the overview of higher-level destinations: Queensland.