As opposed to taking a walk on the beaches way out west, the best time to walk the Gold Coast beaches is first thing in the morning to see the sun rising from the vast Pacific Ocean.
A late afternoon walk will be with the darkening shadows of high rise hotels and resorts creeping onto the golden beaches.
Be prepared for lots of people traffic, however, as the beaches here are as busy as any pedestrian mall even first thing in the morning.
Usually known in Australia simply as ‘Surfers’, this has somehow become one of the most-known beaches in Australia and certainly the best known on the Gold Coast. I say ‘somehow’ because it certainly is not the best: other adjacent beaches (Southport, Broadbeach, Nobby’s) are virtually identical but are not compromised by the skyscrapers which cast shadows across the sand in the afternoon: other beaches further south on the Gold Coast are better because of their orientation to the prevailing winds.
So ultimately, the main appeal of Surfers is its association with the image of ‘the place to be’ and the associated town centre. It’s all about marketing, people – but if you go to the Coast you have to go to Surfers. If you didn’t, it would be a bit like going to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower! And, for all my reservations, if you pick the right weather on the right day, you will have a very jolly time! When we visited, despite offshore showers and some cloud, the weather was quite tropical and a relaxed crowd were enjoying the beach. Immediately across the road behind, the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club was doing a very busy trade providing life saving cold beer and lunches!
Currumbin Lake is located just around the corner from Currumbin Beach. It is where Currumbin Creek enters the Ocean, so it is tidal.
A very nice spot, it is popular with families, as it has a roped off area making it very safe for swimming. Nice, calm water to swim in and a nice beach to relax on!
This area is popular with swimmers, kayakers, canoeists, paddle boarders and Kite surfers.
There’s a free carpark accessed off Duringan Street, and more parking spaces along the beachfront (Pacific Parade). There’s a picnic area opposite the carpark along Duringan Street with covered picnic tables, toilets, kids playground and electric BBQs.
Burleigh, as it is generally known, is the beach immediately on the northern side of Burleigh Heads, one of the few headlands on the Gold Coast. Beyond that until Point Lookout on Stradbroke Island something like 100 km further north, nearby “Little Burleigh” (middle distance, main photo) is the last rock outcrop in a vast near-continuous beach.
The good news is that this is one of the best beaches on the entire Gold Coast. Like the Coolangatta beaches, it is relatively sheltered from the south-easterly winds but, unlike them, is not a vast sahara-esque expanse of sand. This is a great place for surfing, though on the afternoon we visited, the waves were smallish. A few board riders struggled to pick up waves, while the Surf Rescue people amused themselves by jumping waves with their Zodiac. (photos 2,3)
Burleigh has good beachside facilities, quite reasonable parking, barbecues (photo 4) and a large surf clubhouse which includes changing rooms. The township (now suburb) of Burleigh is built right up to the headland which contains a small area of National Park (photo 5). Years ago there were koalas here and a warning sign on the road that “koalas cross here at night”, but I’d have to wonder if any remain.
Coolangatta has several very pleasant beaches which face more or less north to northeast. That may seem a small point but the significance is that the prevailing winds tend to be east to southeast, so the winds do not blow directly onto the beach as they do with some of the beaches further north on the Coast.
The Coolangatta beaches seen in photo 1 are Rainbow Beach (nearest), Greenmount and Coolangatta (middle distance), then Kirra (behind the second headland). Beyond that, the sand curls away northward to Bilinga, with the airport a short distance inland. In the distance we can see the ranges with the National Parks. There certainly is more sand than I recall ever seeing before at these beaches.
Photo 2 is positively archival and shows, in the background, the former Coolangatta guesthouses. I was quite intrigued that one of them, “Beach House” now has transformed into high-rise apartments and can be seen in the background (RHS) of a photo in my previous “Coolangatta” tip. The internet also tells me that another guest house, “Stella Maris” where I once stayed some years after the second photo in this tip, now has been replaced by a bar and restaurant of the same name.
Tweed Heads is as far north as you can get in New South Wales as it right on the Queensland border with it’s twin town of Coolangatta on the other side.
It’s about a half hour drive along the Pacific Highway from the Gold Coast and the beaches here are at least the equal of Surfers Paradise but a lot more laid back.
On a clear day here you are rewareded with great views of the Gold Coast city skyline particularly from Point Danger near the beach.
If you get here early enough you could watch the sunrise from the Pacific Ocean while eating breakfast at the Latitude 28 Cafe.
Although Nobby’s is only a short distance south of Surfers Paradise, where the main crowds congregate, it is one of the less known beaches. Because of that, it is frequented mainly by holidaymakers from the immediate vicinity and does not attract the same numbers of beachgoers. I must admit that I don’t think I have ever used it! It is on exactly the same stretch of sand as Surfers though, facing in exactly the same orientation to the wind and waves, so if swimming without crowds is more important to you than being seen at ‘the right places’, this would be a good alternative.
At some time in recent years, Australia’s place names authorities have decided to dispense with apostrophes – maybe they found them too challenging while at school (LOL). So poor Nobby’s has now officially lost it’s ‘s and is officially now just Nobby Beach. The Surf Life Saving Club retains the original name, but most signs have changed. I’m sure some ‘VT Travel Bears” will be suitably outraged.
We were there on a windy and cloudy afternoon, in weather which was not ideal for lounging on beaches. The lifesavers looked somewhat bored as a scattered group of surfers braved the waves, while several kite surfers provided entertainment. The final photo in this set gives a good view of the headlands to the south, first Little Burleigh, then the larger Burleigh Heads, next Currumbin, then finally Coolangatta is in the distance to the left.
One of the “things to do” options listed is “Artheron tablelands” which, I have to say, amazes me. Firstly, it’s Atherton Tablelands and secondly, it’s about 2,000 kilometres away. The reef is also listed as an option and it’s over 1,000 kilometres away. I should have thought there was a lot more of interest around the Gold Coast without having to go that far.
Things like surfing for instance, which is what an awful lot of people come here for.
The photo here is of the Annual Australian Surf Life Saving Carnival where they gather from all round the country to compete in many and varied events.
This happens to be the 2006 version at Kurrawa Beach where thousands of competitors and even more spectators flocked to view the carnival.
It’s good to know that all these people, who are mainly volunteers, are prepared to give up their time in order to save lives and keep the beaches safe.
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