Gold Coast Things To Do

Things to do on the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is Australia's favourite holiday playground - it's been that way since the 1950s when Surfers Paradise was established as a beachside town with a great hotel and over the last half century more and more attractions have popped up, making the region one of the most tourist-oriented in the world. We've compiled a brief guide to some of the most popular things to do on the Gold Coast, it's by no means exhaustive, but it is regularly updated and as unbiased as possible. If you'd like to see something added to the list contact us and let us know. For a complete list of things to do on the Gold Coast check out WotToDo.com.au

Most popular things to do on the Gold Coast

The Main Tourist Attractions

The Gold Coast is a dedicated tourist town and there's enough things to do to keep you occupied for months. It's not just mini-golf and wax museums either; take a tour of the river and canals in an aqua-bus, head up in a hot air balloon or learn to surf: Check out our list of the main Gold Coast tourist attractions...

Theme Parks

The big four, which you've probably heard of, are Dreamworld, Sea World, Movie World and Wet'n'Wild, but there are quite a few more. Pat a koala, watch some outback horsemen and woman race around a stadium, mingle with the native birds: Read more about Gold Coast theme Parks...

FREE Stuff to do on the Gold Coast

There's the beach of course, they don't charge you to use that, in fact they don't even charge you to park on the waterfront anymore, but if you're looking for a budget holiday, there's plenty of stuff to do on the Gold Coast that doesn't cost a cent.

Other popular things to do on the Gold Coast

	Bars, Cafes and Pubs While there are some tacky, overpriced tourist cafes and bars, the half a million locals still need somewhere to go out for a coffee or beer, so if you head past the obvious tourist traps, you'll find some great places to hang out: Bars, cafes and pub
	Bushwalking The Gold Coast Hinterland is a magical, breath-taking place of great natural beauty. It's full of wildlife (mostly not deadly) and bushwalking is hugely popular all year around: Bushwalking
	Registered Clubs There's a surf club on every beachside corner, and a bowling club not far behind. Twin Towns and Seagulls are two of the biggest clubs in Australia, and every major suburb has it's own RSL. All of them have cheap meals and cheap booze: Clubs
	Boat Cruises With more canals than Venice, a gorgeous river and a broadwater that will take you all the way to Brisbane, getting around the Gold Coast on a boat is one of the nicest way to see things. Choose from a party cruise, intimate gondola or anything in between: Cruises
	Scenic Drives Winding through the hinterland are some of the most scenic drives in the country, and if you follow the beachside routes and coastal roads south to Byron Bay you'll discover the alure of the Northenr NSW coastline: Drives
	Escorts Coming to the coast for business or pleasure and don't have the time to meet new people? Try one of the Gold Coast's Escort Services, and have as much fun as you're prepared to pay for ;)
	Major Events For what is a relatively small city, the Gold Coast has a huge major events calendar, including: The ASP Surfing Titles; Lexmark Indy 300; Magic Millions horse racing carnival; Gold Coast Airport Marathon; Schoolies week celebrations and much more.
	Golf Courses The Gold Coast has more golf courses per head of population than anywhere else in the world. No matter what your handicap, or budget, you'll find somewhere to have a round: Golf Courses
	Fishing The continental shelf isn't far of shore and there are hundreds of creeks, estuaries, lakes and rivers to throw a line in, so if you can't catch something on the Gold Coast, you've probably lost your hook: Fishing
	The Live Music Scene It's not Melbourne, or Brisbane, but the Coast is home to some fantastic local talent and there are more live music venues out there than most people realise, check out The Chophouse, Soundlounge and Shark Bar and hear the new breed: Live Music
	Nightclubs From world-class dance venues with guest superstar DJs, to the downright seedy joints with suspicious-looking patrons, the Gold Coast has more square metres of dance floor per capita than anywhere in the world: Nightclubs
	Pamper Yourself Paris Hilton loves the place, arabian royalty regularly vists, and there are enough rich citizens to support some of the best day spa and pampering facilities in the world: Pamper yourself at a day spa
	Restaurants The Japanese and Korean influences are strongly represented in Gold Coast food culture, but there is award-winning cuisine in just about every flavour on the planet. Try Tedder Avenue or the beach at Burleigh Heads for the best eats: Restaurants
	Scenic Flights You don't need wings to get a birds-eye view of the Coast - a helicopter will do just fine. All sorts of flying craft will take you up, up and away at almost any time of day and prices are pretty competitive: Scenic flights and helicopter rides
	Scooter Hire Locals hate them, but scooters are one of the best ways to get around downtown. You only need a car licence, and if you're lucky, Audrey Hepburn will jump on the back with you: Scooter Hire
	Scuba Diving Moreton Bay is a world-renowned scuba diving area with an abundance of coral reefs and wildlife, including the rare dugong, dolphins galore, wrecks and enough colourful fish to stock albums of underwater photography: Scuba Diving
	Surfing Strange then that the worst surfing beach on the Gold Coast is called 'Surfers Paradise' - head north or south and you'll immediately run into some of the best, most consistent waves in the country, but if you're just learning, Surfers Paradise is ideal: Surfing