Gold Coast Australia, or Surfers Paradise, is bigger, brighter, and more epic than you could possibly imagine. An iconic Australian coastal destination famous for sun, sand and surf, this is where travelers head for a truly good time. Best beaches on Gold Coast Australia.
With so much to see and do, this guide is your ultimate resource to the Gold Coast’s best beaches. These are some of the best in Australia.
Burleigh Heads Beach
Easily the best beach on the Gold Coast, come here for great waves and beautiful scenery. Best beaches in the Gold Coast.
A great family beach with plenty of room for locals and tourists alike, facilities include parking, lifeguards, coffee shops, and is perfect for those wanting to get away from the main tourist strip of the Gold Coast.
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- Come here for great waves and beautiful scenery.
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- Burleigh Heads Beach is easily the best beach on the Gold Coast, come here for great waves and beautiful scenery.
Coolangatta Beach
A beautiful clean white sand beach away from the madness of the main Gold Coast strip, come here to relax and get away from it all.
This beach is not crowded, the waves are less fierce, and with lifeguards present this beach is ideal for families.
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- Coolangatta Beach Gold Coast Australia
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- Coolangatta Beach Gold Coast Australia
Surfers Paradise Beach
One of the most well known beaches in Queensland, Surfers Paradise beach is right in the centre of the city. Gold Coast Beaches Australia.
It’s fantastic location puts it within a stones throw from trendy bars, restaurants and cafes, weekend markets and surf shops, and it’s spectacular views and golden sand make it one of the most photographed beaches in Australia.
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- One of the most well known beaches in Queensland, Surfers Paradise beach is right in the centre of the city.
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- Surfers Paradise at Dawn. Photo by Rodney Campbell
Kirra Beach
Clear blue water, beautiful soft sand, you can’t ask for more from an iconic Australian beach! White sand beaches on the gold coast.
This beach features a pretty lagoon by the sandbar which shields the area from waves and is a great place for young children.
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- Clear blue water, beautiful soft sand, you can’t ask for more from an iconic Australian beach!
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- Kirra Beach Sunset
Snapper Rocks
One of the best surf beaches in Australia, come here to watch in awe as some of Queensland’s best surfers tackle phenomenal waves.
Enjoy the fantastic rugged scenery, try your hand at a bit of fishing or enjoy a stroll along one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches at sunset.
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- Enjoy a stroll along one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches at sunset.
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- Snapper rocks is one of the best surf beaches in Australia.
Kurrawa Beach
Another fantastic family beach, which is incredibly beautiful, this is your spot whether you’re looking to swim, relax, pull up a chair to take in the view or head out on a leisurely stroll. Surf beaches in Gold Coast
Beach is patrolled with great facilities including showers to wash off. Great surf club located on the beach available for lunch and dinner.
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- Another fantastic family beach, which is incredibly beautiful.
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- Another fantastic family beach, which is incredibly beautiful.
Currumbin Beach
A beautiful white sand beach which is most famous for it’s sunsets.
With sweeping views over the coastline, this is a fantastic local beach off the tourist trail with spectacular views and less crowds.
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- With sweeping views over the coastline, this is a fantastic local beach off the tourist trail with spectacular views and less crowds.
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- With sweeping views over the coastline, this is a fantastic local beach off the tourist trail with spectacular views and less crowds.
Tugun Beach
A beach much quieter than Coolangatta or Surfers Paradise, Tugun is a very relaxed beach surrounded by great options for Surf Clubs, Leagues Clubs, Golf Clubs, cafes and restaurants. Gold Coast surf beaches.
A popular beach for walkers.
Before You Go:
Take sun protection. The Australian UV Rays are stronger than anywhere else in the world, and most travelers to the Gold Coast will be spending a lot of time in the sun.
Pack accordingly.
Money and tipping: Find a Gold Coast Hotel in the heart of the city as this is the ideal base for both business and leisure travellers. A central location like Broadbeach ensures you are within walking distance from at least one beach, and also within convenient reach of restaurants, bars and shops.
Australian hotels accept all major credit cards, though factor for surcharges. Credit card surcharges are common through the country and will often run at at 1% for Visa and Mastercard or 2% for AMEX and Diners.
ATM’s are located at all major points throughout the city – tipping is not customary in Australia.
Safety and security: The Gold Coast is a very laid back city, which is very safe for travelers, though exercise commonsense and take precautions such as never leaving your bag unattended etc.
Popular beaches are patrolled by lifeguards – be sure to only swim within the flags while enjoying Queenslands beaches as rips can become quite dangerous very quickly.
The Gold Coast is famous for it’s nightlife, so be aware that once night falls, intoxication levels of those walking the streets may be high.
Other beach opportunities: The Gold Coast is within an easy drive or train ride from Brisbane (catch the train from Nerang) and an easy flight from Hamilton Island for a Great Barrier Reef experience.
INSPIRED?! PIN THIS TO YOUR TRAVEL PINTEREST BOARDS ↓
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- Gold Coast Australia, or Surfers Paradise, is bigger, brighter, and more epic than you could possibly imagine. An iconic Australian coastal destination famous for sun, sand and surf, this is where travelers head for a truly good time.
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- Gold Coast Australia, or Surfers Paradise, is bigger, brighter, and more epic than you could possibly imagine. An iconic Australian coastal destination famous for sun, sand and surf, this is where travelers head for a truly good time.
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Photo credits: Coolangatta Beach by eGuide Travel. Surfers Dawn by Rodney Campbell. Kirra Beach by ozzieguy. Kirra Beach Sunset & Snapper Rocks Sunset by jayde aleman. Currumbin Beach by Paul D’Ambra. Currumbin sunrise by Michael Dawes.
18 Comments
I pinned this to my Australia Pinterest board! (: thinking about doing a working holiday in Australia!
Love the photos of Kirra Beach and Snapper Rocks! Good to know that the atmosphere is laid back and that the area is safe. Thanks for the post!
All of these look fantastic, but Snapper Rocks looks like it would be my favorite. Great pictures!
I visited some of the Queensland beaches many years ago. I remember being struck by the views and the cleanliness.
Wow Kirra Beach looks amazing, the sand and the buildings, what a juxtaposition!
Our Gold Coast beaches are the best but I’m always up to try out beaches far and wide. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of swimming in the surf we spend a heap of time at all of these for various reasons. Palm Beach, across the creek from Currumbin is a great spot for anyone with smaller children or who want to swim and SUP on calmer waters. You can easily stake out a patch of sand there that gives surf and lagoon access without having to move your towel and esky.
Great article Megan,
I’m a Burleigh local and agree with you that Burleigh Beach is the best on the Gold Coast (and one of the best beaches in the world I reckon).
Matt.
Karrawa looks like a perfect place to take my little dude to get his sea legs, while Currubin would be a great place for sundowners. I think I’d love to take a week and explore each one of these beaches. My brothers have all been to Australia, my turn next.
As a photographer, Currumbin and Snapper Rocks are my favourite beaches on the Gold Coast. Fantastic scenery to frame the colourful sunrises that often happen here! Plus, they are far away from the main strip of Surfers, which I am not a fan of.
Also, you mentioned that Brisbane is an easy flight from the Gold Coast. It’s actually only an hour away by car. I would recommend that you catch the train from Nerang to Brisbane if you’re trying to come up here since flights don’t operate between Coolangatta and Brissy.
When I think of beaches I naturally think of holidays since it’s a rare day that I actually visit one. Aren’t you lucky to have such a selection. Back in the late 70”s well before Byron Bay was discovered I did enjoy 2 magical weeks on those beaches.
I’ve never been to Auz, but when I go, I’m definitely hitting up the Gold Coast. Thank you for succinctly giving the DL on these beaches. It’s going to be hard to pick just one.
Lovely article Megan! As a beach lover myself, I’ve been to so many beaches all over Australia, but Gold Coast beaches are just the best for me. I wrote an article about that, here is the link http://snip.ly/dfaow#http://goldcoastminimovers.com/best-beaches-in-gold-coast/
Also, i love those colorful photos!
I’ve been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like
yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all site owners and
bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will
be much more useful than ever before.
Hopefully going to start warming up a bit. Summer is edging closer and closer in QLD anyway. Seen beaches all around the world, Gold Coast has some of the best!
I will mark this website and share to friends whose planning, some vacation in Australia.Thanks
I have always found it really windy on the Goldie – some nice beaches in northern NSW not to far away that are a bit more sheltered
“Before You Go” i love that part! thanks for sharing!