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The Gold Coast BeachesEverything you need to know

The Gold Coast has more than 70km of fantastic beaches and Surfers Paradise is one of the most iconic along this huge stretch of sand. However, there are plenty of beaches that are much prettier and have better swells if you care to explore the area.

Getting to a Gold Coast beach is pretty easy - head east and you'll get wet - keep heading east and you'll end up in Chile. There's a lot of ocean on the Gold Coast coastline and there's not much between South America and the shore, so it can get pretty rough, especially in Cyclone season.

Surfer getting into the water
Aerial of Gold Coast beach
Family at the beach

Luckily professional lifeguards patrol the main beaches all year round and during the summer months the coverage is increased by volunteer surf lifesavers. There's also shark nets along most of the shore so you won't come in contact with anything too nasty.

There is one golden rule everyone should follow when swimming on Gold Coast beaches: SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS.

Every morning the lifesavers check out the weather and surf conditions and put up a couple of flags in the safest spot for people to swim. Beaches may close due to heavy rips or jellyfish and blue bottle stingers in the water - however, this doesn't happen that often.

If you stay in between the flags you'll be in the safest spot on that particular section of the beach and you'll be under the watchful eye of a Gold Coast lifesaver - our lifesavers are the best in the world.

The only exception to swimming between the flags is if you have a surfboard - surfboards are not allowed between the flags because they have pointy bits at both ends which fit nicely into human eye sockets.

Gold Coast Beach Information

If you've grown up near the beach and make regular trips into the ocean, you should probably already have a fairly good idea of how to keep yourself safe while enjoying the sun and the surf. However if you're a visitor to the area or just aren't familiar with swimming in the open sea, read below for some great advice and tips for staying safe during your visit to the beach.

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With around 70km of beaches it would be a little sad if you just stuck to Surfers Paradise for your entire beach holiday. With all that sand you can just imagine that every local has their favourite bit of sand to throw their towel on for some reason or another. There’s a huge list of Gold Coast beaches and they are all pretty great for different reasons. Read our guide.

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Are there sharks? In a nuteshell, yes! A Shark Control Program run by the Queensland Government manages a range of nets, bait hooks and other preventative measures designed to keep sharks away from people swimming at the beach. There have only been a few reported shark attacks in the waters off the Gold Coast in recent years, most of which involve only minor injuries.

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The Gold Coast has some of the best and most consistent waves in the nation; it's home to round one of the Association of Surfing Professionals world tour; there are 70km of beaches and four epic point breaks. It would be appropriate to call it a surfers' paradise; and they did. In fact, getting a wave on the Gold Coast is as easy as heading east. When the wind is right and the swell is from the east, surfers are almost guaranteed a wave.

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Images courtesy Tourism & Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Destination Gold Coast & Getty Images

Things to do and seeOn the Gold Coast in Queensland

Theme Parks

Combo passes & packages

Free things to do

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Cruises

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