The Gold Coast is Queensland’s tourism hot spot and it’s easy to see why. The city is blessed with stunning beaches, incredible wildlife and a cafe and restaurant scene that rivals that of bigger cities. There is so much to see and do during your stay here, it’s often hard to narrow it down. To help you out, we put together a list of the best things to do on the Gold Coast.
Favourite Gold Coast Beach
There are two beaches that we regularly visit here on the Gold Coast. Our favourite is Nobbys Beach, which is why we ended up settling down here. The beach is beautiful, with golden sand and plenty of space for the kids to run and play. It’s backed by plenty of cafes and bars to relax in during the day. Our other favourite Gold Coast beach is Tallebudgera Creek. It’s perfect for children because of it’s safe, waveless beach. The water is always a beautiful clear blue and there’s plenty of parking. Tallebudgera has a great kids playground and coffee shop nearby as well.
Your Favourite Gold Coast Family Activities
We are lucky to live so close to a range of amazing theme parks and wildlife centres here on the Gold Coast. Our children’s favourite activities are family day trips to Wet n’ Wild, Sea World and Movie World. Wet n’ Wild is perfect for a hot summer’s day, we can relax knowing our kids are playing under the supervision of fully trained lifeguards. Movie World is any kids dream of live shows from their favourite movie characters and rides for all ages. A personal favourite of ours is Sea World, where you can go an see amazing sea life and do activities like swim with sharks and feed penguins.
Another Activity we love is the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s stunning here. You can spend hours walking through the rainforest feeding dingos, hugging koalas and learning about creatures like the red panda or capybara. They have heaps of shows on offer as well, which the kids always enjoy.
Your Favourite Gold Coast Coffee Spots
We have three favourite coffee spots that we love to go to. All of them serve excellent coffee and have a warm, welcoming environment. It’s always nice when cafes make the effort to remember your name and face. Our three favourites in no particular order are:
All Time Coffee, Mermaid Beach – not only do they do great coffee but serve amazing vegan doughnuts.
Caffeine Kings, Miami – a funky laneway espresso bar, inspired by Melbourne with graffiti designed walls and barrels for tables.
52 Espresso, Nobbys – Close to home, this spot serves great coffee and always have plenty of fresh, healthy wraps, sandwiches and raw treats available for a quick lunch option.
Your Favourite Gold Coast Breakfast Spots
Working in the hospitality industry definitely gives us an appreciation for fresh, passionately cooked food. Our favourite Gold Coast Breakfast Spots are:
Wildernis, Palm Beach – This relatively new spot is owned by Palm Beach locals. They have created an amazing, relaxing environment filled with beautiful plants and natural lighting. Not only is their breakfast menu to die for, but so is dinner and lunch. We love coming here when we venture out of Nobbys.
Daark Espresso, Labrador – This contemporary cafe serves specialty coffee and has a unique breakfast menu to match.
Double Barrel, Mermaid Waters – Placed in the top 10 Gold Coast coffee shops by the Gold Coast Bulletin, Double Barrel has a passion for coffee and heart warming food. Their menu is carefully crafted and offers a range of old classics with a twist.
Gold Coast’s Best Dinner Spots
We live in Nobbys and usually dine in the area. Fire Cue is a fantastic restaurant with a large selection of charcoal BBQ’d foods. The restaurant offers a range of high-quality steaks and seafood and was recently awarded Best Ribs on the Gold Coast, and voted in the Top 100 Restaurants 2017 in the Delicious Magazine.
We also enjoy Hellenika Greek Restaurant which is located in the area as well. When we travel out from Nobbys we recommend Mamasan at Broadbeach and Yamagen Japanese Restaurant at the QT Hotel Surfers Paradise.
Your Favourite Gold Coast Day Trips
We are big family people so our days always include our kids. When we want to get away we travel on the M1 to Fingal Beach. Fingal Beach is in NSW but from Nobby’s Beach, it is only a 40-minute drive. It’s a beautiful area, with a completely different feel to the rush of the Gold Coast. The beaches are far less crowded which is a refreshing change.
We also love spending a Sunday in Currumbin – it’s pretty spectacular. We start out at the Pirate Park in Palm Beach and then head to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary which keeps the kids entertained for hours. We follow this up with a trip to the Currumbin Waterfalls and then finish off with an afternoon beer at Balter Brewery, where children are more than welcome.
