The beach
is an easy choice for a free family day in the Gold Coast sun. Many Gold Coast beaches even offer playgrounds, BBQ areas and walking tracks. If the beach is not for you, it is still possible to enjoy the Gold Coast without opening your purse. Here's a list of fun FREE things to do on the Gold Coast.
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Enjoy the Marina Marina Mirage at the Gold Coast Spit has a great boardwalk around the marina. Enjoy the views of the sun glistening on the water housing million dollar boats. If your in the mood you can even window shop such designer boutiques as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Calvin Klein and Carla Zampatti just to name a few. Marina Mirage even has a large walk through bird avery with no admission fee. |
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Best of All Lookout |
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Cascade Gardens & Library |
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FREE Shopping Centre Entertainment During the school holidays most of the Gold Coast shopping centres offer |
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Check Out the RSL Prize Home The RSL Art Union conducts 10 Art Unions every year. Six usually consist of a fully furnished Gold Coast waterfront Prize Home valued at over $1.4 million. Entry is free and there is no obligation to buy tickets. |
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Gold Coast Parks and Gardens Take the kids to the park, have a picnic of just push them on the swings on the swings. No kids! Then enjoy a thermos of coffee, read a book , have a swing or just lie on the grass and watch the clouds roll by. |
Gold Coast Botanical Gardens
There's something for everyone - horticultural display gardens, a world class sensory garden, mangroves to mountains transect displaying local species in garden settings, a native butterfly garden, rose gardens, an extensive boardwalk system around the central lake, picnic areas, children's playground, and even an off-leash dog exercise area.
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Bushwalk in the Gold Coast hinterland All gold Coast National Parks have free entry and the views and fauna are breath-taking. You can run through an ancient rainforest, walk under a waterfall, and swim in a mountain stream without paying a cent. |
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Visit a Museum or Art Gallery Check out our FREE Gold Coast Museum and Art Gallery page there is the Dick Johnson Racing museum, the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame in |
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Sunset/sunrise beach walk Stunning views of the sun rising over the |
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Play & picnic at the beach Most Gold Coast beaches open for surfing and swimming beaches are patrolled by lifeguards and are protected from sharks. Make sure you only swim between the flags - read our beach guide for more information. If you’re worried about the waves, or the wildlife, there's a protected swimming enclosure in |
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Fitness circuits Are you after an extra challenge when you take your next jog or walk alongside the beach? Council provides free exercise stations along the foreshore of Gold Coast beaches. Try them out in Kurrawa Park - Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise or at Evandale next to the Gold Coast Arts Centre along the River. Call Parks Gold Coast |
There are plenty of FREE fun things to do on the Gold Coast.
Gold Coast Hinterland
The Gold Coast Hinterland is located approx 1 hours drive west Surfers Paradise. The Gold Coast's Hinterland mountains which includes world heritage listed national parks and reserves where visitors can enjoy wonderful views, local tea houses and picnic spots, shopping, bush walking, bird watching, swim in natural rock pools, take 4WD day tours. Lamington National Park, Australia's largest preserved stand of subtropical rainforest, offers more than 160 kilometres of graded walking tracks. About 23 million years ago an ancient volcano formed Lamington, Springbrook, Border Ranges, Nightcap and Mount Warning National Parks which are spread across an area of some 7,000 square kilometres throughout the hinterland.
About 1 hours drive west Surfers Paradise is situated the Gold Coast's Hinterland mountains which includes world heritage listed national parks and reserves where visitors can enjoy wonderful views, local restaurants and picnic spots, shopping, bush walking, bird watching, swim in natural rock pools, take 4WD day tours.
Lamington National Park, Australia's largest preserved stand of subtropical rainforest, offers more than 160 kilometres of graded walking tracks. About 23 million years ago an ancient volcano formed Lamington, Springbrook, Border Ranges, Nightcap and Mount Warning National Parks which are spread across an area of some 7,000 square kilometres throughout the hinterland.
Have a picnic at Binna Burra. Picnic tables, toilets, electric barbecues and tap water are provided. See colourful crimson rosellas, king parrots, pademelons and brush-turkeys around the picnic areas. Go bush walking, birdwatching during the day.
Natural Arch: A spectacular waterfall which cascades through the roof of a cave into an icy pool. The cave is home to Australia's largest glow worm colony that is best viewed at night.
Mount Tamborine: The area includes no less than seven national parks and is a favourite weekend trip for locals who take time out to browse through the craft workshops brimming with Australian crafts, wineries and galleries. Mount Tamborine is also an ideal location for spectacular views back towards the Pacific Ocean & Mt Warning.
Springbrook: Has plentiful waterfalls, bush walks and range of interesting flora and fauna and is renowned for its teahouses and wide choice of self-contained cottages and welcoming bed & breakfast lodges.
Mount Warning: World Heritage-listed Mount Warning (Wollumbin) is the remnant central plug of an ancient volcano.
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