11 Things to do in Gold Coast

things-to-do-in-gold-coast

Australia has many cities, but none quite like the City of Gold Coast! Cause while most cities in Australia are known for being extremely laid-back, Gold Coast is famous for it’s fun and exciting activities. These are our Singapore Travel Blog‘s recommendation on the 11 things to do in Gold Coast

1. Harbour town

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For the young and old that love shopping, this is the place to be in Gold Coast. Harbour Town is a gathering of outlet shops that cater to everything from fashion brands such as Ralph lauren, Calvin Klein, Fossil, Northface, Ben Sherman, Nike, Adidas, Billabong, Rip Curl etc to accessories such as Swarovski, Sunglass hut etc, there’s bound to be something to shop for everyone. From things going as low as 50% cheaper than regular stores, you do NOT want to miss dropping by Harbour Town to do some shopping! For tourist who are visiting Gold Coast, you can even book and take their FREE shuttle bus from either Broadbeach or Surfer’s Paradise! Click HERE to book the shuttle service to guarantee yourself a seat!

2. Surfer’s Paradise Market

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A trip to Gold Coast is not complete without a stop to the world famous surfer’s paradise. Swim in the sun, pick up surfing or just pick up a book and read with the sound of crashing waves in the background, stepping on this beautiful beach of Surfer’s Paradise is a must for any tourist visiting. Even if you are the sort that gets bored at the beach pretty quickly, there are still lots to shop/eat in the area of Surfer’s Paradise such as the Wax Museum, Ripley’s believe it or not, Hard Rock Cafe, Hurricane restaurant and many others!

things-to-do-in-gold-coast-surfers-paradise-beachfront-marketOur Travel Blog also recommends visiting Surfer’s Paradise on Wednesday, Friday or Saturdays, as starting from 3pm to 8pm of these days, Surfer’s Paradise plays host to one of the biggest beachfront markets with over 120 stalls featuring a huge variety of products such as food, jewellery, accessories, artwork etc.

After the sunsets, it is not uncommon to hear live music flooding the street as Surfer’s Paradise also serves as a popular nightlife destination with many pubs, clubs and bars to choose from in the area.

3. Skypoint Observation Deck, Skypoint Climb

things-to-do-in-gold-coastAnd while you are in the area of Surfer’s Paradise, the bold and adventurous can also choose to take a trip to Gold Coast’s Skypoint Observation Deck. What makes Skypoint different from the usual observation decks where you just take a lift up and see the area surrounding the region, is that Skypoint offers an option for visitors to do an open air adventure climb outside of the building! Known as the skypoint climb, visitors get to go on a 90min adventure and scale to the very top of the building standing 270ms from sea level, which promises a breathtaking view and an unforgettable experience. The skypoint climb is sort of Gold Coast’s scaled down version of Sydney’s famous bridge climb, where you get to experience the adrenaline of being that high on the outside of a building without have to scale an entire bridge. Although you would be fully harnessed, Skypoint climb is unsutiable for Acrophobia (true and diagnosed fear of heights).

4. Gold Coast Theme Parks

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Gold Coast’s pride and joy, their theme parks! Gold Coast theme parks are probably the number 1 reason people fly into Gold Coast and not visiting them is like not visiting the statue of liberty when you visit New York. Of all their Theme parks, the most popular ones are Sea World, Movie World, Dream world. However, for the budget conscious, our Travel Blog strongly recommends getting the little known 3-day, 3 parks package which allows you to visit 3 parks: Wet n Wild, Movie World and Seaworld for just AUD$99! This is a ridiculously amazing price considering how a single park entry to just Movie World or Sea world alone already cost AUD$89! Click HERE to buy your Theme Park bundle Tickets!

5. Paradise Country

things-to-do-in-gold-coast-paradise-countryIf theme parks arent your thing, how about visiting some of the adorable local animals such as the Koala, Dingos, Kangaroo etc at Paradise Country? Meant for the whole family, Paradise country offers visitors a chance to get up close and personal with local farm animals. Things to do at Paradise Country include watching the sheep herding and boomerang show, sheep shearing show, Gemstone fossicking, Dingo feeding and just seeing the native animals. For a small fee, you can even carry and take a picture with an adorable Koala.

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Kangaroos roam free in an area that is free for visitors to enter, a slight heads up thou, unless you buy some food from the shop, chances are the kangaroos aren’t going to give too much attention to you.

6. Skydiving

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For the really adventurous and brave, book yourself a skydiving trip at Goldcoast. FUN FACT: That is where the people behind this Singapore Travel Blog got engaged. Skydiving is fun no matter where you do it and one of the interesting thing about skydiving in Gold Coast is that while most skydiving packages land on grass fields, the ones in Gold Coast land directly onto a beach (Part of the reason I chose to propose in Gold Coast)

7. Glow-worm Tour

things-to-do-in-gold-coast

Glow worms are native and can only be found in either Australia or New Zealand. Glow Worms as per their name, glow in the dark and makes for a spectacle when you visit them at night in their caves. Most tour packages offer packages to either Tamborine or Springbrook national park to see these Glow Worms at night, both of which within drive-able distance outside of Gold Coast. We personally discourage people from driving at night and because you would probably need a guide to bring you around the place at night, we recommend taking up such tour packages rather than trying to head there on your own.

8. Byron bay

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Ok, technically Byron Bay isn’t exactly in Gold Coast, it’s actually 90km south of Gold Coast/a little over an hour drive away. But if you ask any Australians which are some of the prettiest beach in New South Wales, Byron Bay would most likely be among them. There’s quite a number of things to do in Byron Bay, the standard Australian stuff that you would be able to find in other cities such as hot air ballooning, nature walks, horse riding, mountain bike tours etc can too be found in Byron Bay. But more notably, is Byron Bay’s Cape Byron lighthouse which is suited just beside a cliff. Visit their beaches and lighthouse during Sunrise/sunset and you’ll almost be guaranteed an Instagram worthy shot!

9. Whale Watching

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We would have to first clarify that we would only recommend doing Whale Watching in Gold Coast if you are NOT intending to drive or head to other parts of Australia such as Port Macquerie where you would be able to see whales for free from their lighthouse. But if you are only planning to stay in Gold Coast and do not have such an activity back from where you came from, it would serve as an unique experience having been able to watch such magnificent giant animals up close. However, as per all things nature, alot of these sightings are highly dependent on luck i.e where the whales are, how close they come to your boat etc. Our Travel Blog has heard of stories by our friends who chose to go on “100% sightings” Whale watching tour, but as it turns out, all they saw was a slight hump in a distance too far for a camera to zoom. In the words of our friends, “It could have been anything, really

10. Springbrook National Park

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Gold Coast offers you the great city life of Australia, but it just doesn’t feel quite right if you visit Australia and not get in tune with Mother Nature and all her offerings found throughout Aussie. Springbrook National Park which is appx less than a 45mins drive away from Gold Coast, is the perfect place to do so.

things-to-do-in-gold-coast

Visit Springbrook National to experience scenic views of mountains, vallies and even beautiful waterfalls that would have you forgetting about all your pent up stress and worries from work!

11. Visit Brisbane


If you have enough days to spare, head North towards Brisbane! It’s just a 2hrs train ride away and you’ll get to experience a whole new city of Australia there! How to get from Brisbane to Gold Coast

We hope this information has been helpful and don’t forget to share it with your friends/family members visiting Gold Coast!

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