The Tree Top Walk at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
The Tree Top Walk at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
Australia's Gold Coast is a family holiday classic, and you don't have to look far to find activities to keep the whole crew happy, writes Tiana Templeman.
Enjoying a fantastic family getaway on the Gold Coast is child's play. Think fun for them, a little luxury for you and loads of activities to keep everyone entertained. With plenty of great things to see and do, you'll find adventures to suit every age and budget.
Getting there and around
If you're flying into Gold Coast International Airport, you can catch a public bus, shuttle bus, taxi, or an Uber to your hotel. Driving from Brisbane takes around an hour. Trains from Brisbane to the Gold Coast run every half hour or so and stop at Helensvale station. From here, the G:link tram takes you as far south as Broadbeach. Surfside Buslines travel throughout the Gold Coast. A "Gold Coast go explore" pass costs A$10 a day for adults and A$5 for children for unlimited bus and tram travel, including Theme Park Express buses and travel to and from Gold Coast airport to your hotel. Masks are required on public transport.
There's a lot more to the Gold Coast than the glitz and glamour of Surfers Paradise, although this holiday hotspot is ideal if you're travelling with older kids. Where you should stay all comes down to what kind of holiday you're after and the ages of your children.
It's hard to beat the view from the Gold Coast skyscraper Q1. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
The southern end of the coast near the New South Wales border has a low-key barefoot beach vibe, kid-friendly beaches and pram-friendly walks. Broadbeach has a thriving dining scene and plenty of self-contained accommodation. Or you could head for the hills and explore the lush landscape, waterfalls and wilderness of Lamington National Park.
Head south with babies and toddlers
If you're flying direct you'll arrive at the southern end of the Gold Coast, making this the perfect spot for a getaway with little ones minus the long transit to and from the airport. You can even base yourself at the airport at the shiny new-ish Rydges Gold Coast Airport Hotel, which is just a few steps from the terminal and a five-minute walk to the beach.
Rooms are contemporary and appealing and the hotel hits the mark for quality and bang for buck. If you would prefer self-contained accommodation, there are plenty of apartments along Marine Parade at Coolangatta or you could stay in one of the affordable cabins at the Kirra Beach Tourist Park.
Kick off your day with coffee at a beachside cafe and a stroll along the paved walkway that runs alongside the beach. Start at the end of Coolangatta Beach at Greenmount Hill, a 30m-high headland covered with pine trees and lush, green foliage, which forms a picturesque border between Coolangatta and sleepy Rainbow Bay.
The pram-friendly path winds around the headland towards Snapper Rocks, where you can watch the surfers, and continues to Froggy's Beach, where a large rock has been painted to look like a frog. Froggy has been there for at least 30 years. Boogie boarders come to Froggy's for the tight, curling waves, which they often share with a pod of playful dolphins.
If you want to stock up on supplies, The Strand shopping complex at Coolangatta has everything you need, including cinemas, day spas, dining options galore, and several supermarkets. Coolangatta also has two patrolled swimming spots, a great kid's playground, and a shady stretch of sand at the southern end of the beach where kids can play in the paddling pools that form at low tide.
For a fun day out, head to nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, which has been operating for more than 70 years and has the world's largest collection of Australian native wildlife. Feeding the colourful lorikeets is as popular now as it was back in the 50s but the sanctuary has since added many new attractions. Get up close to kangaroos and koalas, watch the entertaining WildSkies bird show and see rare animals like lemurs, cotton-top tamarins, red pandas, and iguanas. Established in 1947, this is one of the Gold Coast's oldest attractions and considered so important that it's owned by the National Trust.
Lamington National Park with primary schoolers
Lamington National Park's rugged appeal encourages people to step out of their comfort zone, something that is a great confidence builder for kids. The national park has two sections — Green Mountains (also known as O'Reilly's) and Binna Burra — filled with beautiful bushwalks, native animals and fun activities. The best way to experience this historic World Heritage area is to stay overnight, either at one of the campgrounds, in a safari tent that sleeps up to six or at the historic O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat. Many families skip the traditional guesthouse at O'Reilly's in favour of a self-contained villa with valley views and a balcony hot tub that is the perfect spot to relax after the kids have gone to bed.
The pool at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, Gold Coast. Photo / Destination Gold Coast
Nearby there is a children's wading area and infinity pool or the grown-ups can lose themselves at the Lost World Spa for an hour or two while the kids learn how to be Eco Rangers. This popular school holiday programme for children aged 5-12 runs from 9am to 12pm and 5.30pm to 8pm and includes activities such as creating rainforest artworks and a campfire cookout.
The surrounding bushland is filled with the jewel-bright colours of crimson rosellas and magnificent green and red king-parrots, which fly down to be hand fed, or you could walk through the rainforest one night to spot glow worms. It's free to bounce along the treetop canopy walk and – if you're game – climb to the top of the 30m-high observation deck, where you can gaze across green valleys and treetops that seem to stretch on forever.
However, nothing beats the excitement of flying through the air on a ziplining tour surrounded by national park. Once everyone has climbed into their safety harnesses, it's a race to the top of Happy Hill, so called because of all the excited screams that echo around it during the tour. Depending on how busy the tour is (and how fast you can get to the top of Happy Hill), it is possible to squeeze in up to five zips during this tour that combines epic views of Moran Creek with a rush of adrenalin. Finish your day with a hearty dinner at O'Reilly's. If you're lucky, you'll get a table near the outdoor "possum perch" where nocturnal marsupials of every shape and size clamber down the branches to feast on cut up fruit.
The old saying 'don't knock it until you've tried it' has never been so true when you visit Surfers Paradise with teens. While you might not be as excited as your kids about visiting the world's largest Timezone filled with 5000sq m of games, rides, and things that go "bing", you will probably be surprised by just much fun you have.
For something more peaceful, soaring over the Gold Coast Hinterland in a hot air balloon at sunrise is a memorable experience (so is getting a teen up at 4am). If you aren't keen on such an early start, the Gold Coast's whale-watching season runs from June to November. Whales in Paradise tours depart from a jetty in the heart of Surfers Paradise and offer complimentary coffee and cake and a whale sighting guarantee. If you don't see whales, you can do another cruise for free.
The Gold Coast's whale watching season runs from June to November. Photo / Tourism & Events Queensland
Go indoor skydiving at iFLY Gold Coast, snap super selfies at ArtVo Illusions or swap the beach for the clouds on Australia's highest external building walk atop the Gold Coast skyscraper Q1. If you aren't feeling quite that daring, the much tamer glass-enclosed viewing area is a great spot to watch the sunset. Surfers Paradise is home to one of Queensland's most famous beaches where you can swim, learn to surf or take a family photo under the Surfers Paradise sign.
Plenty of non-beach-related action can be found around Cavill Avenue and the Cavill Mall, a pedestrian-only precinct lined with restaurants, fast food outlets, shops, and entertainment options. Whether you're on a budget or not, enjoying takeaway at a picnic table overlooking the beach is hard to beat. The Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets take place along the beachfront on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 4pm. Live entertainment and the market's central location create an upbeat vibe and great people-watching opportunities.
With a dazzling array of accommodation available at Surfers Paradise, you'll find the perfect spot for your family to lay their heads. The Oaks Gold Coast Hotel is located between Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise and offers spacious refurbished apartments that will impress budget-conscious parents and their teens. Two-bedroom ocean view apartments have a sweeping view of the sparkling lights of Surfers Paradise and not one, but three, balconies. Two have ocean views while the third overlooks the Gold Coast Broadwater.
The JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa is one of the fancier accommodation options in the area. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
If you're looking for an upmarket resort-style stay, JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa has a waterfall tumbling into the pool, multiple spas, a regular swimming pool and its own saltwater lagoon where you can snorkel with tropical fish and soak up the sun.
Gold Coast theme park survival guide
The Gold Coast is Australia's theme park capital with four different "worlds" to explore - Dreamworld, Sea World, WhiteWater World (currently closed but reopening on September 17) and Warner Bros. Movie World – plus Wet'n'Wild which is Australia's biggest waterpark. Before you choose which theme park to visit, check out the maps, rides and show times online and ask everyone in the family what they would like to do.
Get your measuring tape out too. Now is the best time to break it to younger (or shorter) kids that they won't be able to go on some rides. Bring your swimsuit even if you're visiting in winter but leave at home any with rivets, studs, or zips that can damage waterslides or you might not be allowed to ride. Buying tickets online in advance saves money and visiting mid-week avoids the crowds, especially during the school holidays.
