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Gold Coast Highlights

The Gold Coast is the adventure capital of Australia and is renowned for its surfing beaches and 300 days of sunshine a year. The Gold Coast is a very popular spot for backpackers to spend some time for obvious reasons.There are plenty of fun activities and things to see when you come to the Gold Coast. It is going to cost you money, but why else do you travel then to experience what the travel destination has to offer?

Here are some highlights to your Gold Coast visit that you want to make sure you are experiencing and enjoying.

Surfing

If you are traveling already with your surfboard, and you know how to surf, then this is not going to cost you a thing. Head down to the famous surfing beaches of Kirra and Coolangatta, where you will find your world-class surfing breaks. If you don’t have any surf gear, or you want to learn to surf, then its time for you to hit a learn to surf school, such as Beach Bum Australia. For a reasonable price you can be taught how to surf by experienced and accredited surf instructors. They will have you standing up on your board in no time, living the great Aussie surf dream.

Theme Parks

You might want to do some research as to which park peaks your interest the most. These parks are like any other around the world- expensive. Fun comes at a price and you are sure to have a lot of fun at Gold Coast’s theme parks. The theme parks are Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, and Wet and Wild. Grab a bunch of travelling friends and make a day out of it.

I recommend Dreamworld for some thrill rides and shows such as the tiger shows on Tiger Island. If it is a hot day, you could pay extra to go to the attached Wild water park, which has lots of water slides and wild water rides. When we travelled to Orlando, we made sure we allowed room in our budget to go to Disneyland. We weren’t going to go all that way and not experience what Orlando is most famous for. The Gold Coast is the only place in Australia where you can experience theme parks, so allow room in your budget for at least one.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

A wildlife and adventure experience, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is located only minutes from Currumbin Beach. I first came here when I was about six years old and there wasn’t much more here then lorikeet feeding. Now there is definitely more Australia, more natural and more fun things to do.

There are an abundance of Australian animals here and you can plan your day to see all the wild animal shows, feed some kangaroos, visit the wildlife hospital,  have lorikeets climb all over you , and maybe cuddle a koala. There is also the new Adventure Parc which makes for a challenging afternoon, climbing amongst the tree tops for some high rope adventures.

The sanctuary is nestled amongst 27 hectares of eucalpyt and rainforest, so just walking around is a peaceful and beautiful way to spend the day. The park is Heritage Listed and is owned by the people of Queensland and operated by the National Trust of Queensland for more than 60 years.

Gold Coast Hinterland

Head up to the mountains of the Gold Coast and spend some time hiking amongst the World Heritage-listed, sub-tropical, rainforest wilderness parks. There are mountain climbs, hiking trails, hideaway retreats, tree top walks,cascading waterfalls, spectacular views, native animals and rainforest scenery to explore.  There are also other activities such as quad biking through the hinterlands, hang gliding and wine tasting. This might even be an area you can consider doing a working farm stay in the Canungra Valley. Why not earn money while you have fun exploring the Gold Coast?

Beach Bumming

Always one of my favourite free backpacking activities. Actually, free no matter what travelling hat I am wearing. If you can’t find a beautiful beach to bum at on the Gold Coast then your extremely hard to please, and you’ll have to spend all your time in the Hinterlands. There are the big surfing beaches of Kirra, Coolangatta, and D’bah, the party and busy beaches of Surfers and Broadbeach. Burleigh Heads has a more local community feel surrounded by parks, BBQ areas, and small shops. My heart belongs to Coolangatta.

A Gold Coast highlight is definitely spending your day lazing around on the fine, sandy wide open beaches and swimming in the ocean, followed by sunset beers to close out the day.

Nightlife: The Backpackers Big Night Out

While on the Gold Coast, you might as well discover the nightlife on the streets of the infamous Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise. There is now a backpackers pub crawl you can jump on operating on Wednesdays and Saturday nights. The Backpackers Big Night Out is organized by several backpackers in the area, the best being Aquarius backpackers. Tickets are $30 and include entrance into 4 nightclubs, 4 drinks on arrival, $5.50 standard drink prices all night, and a booze bus to take you between clubs. I hear it is an experience not to miss.

There are also many restaurants, cafes, and pubs for you to explore. If you really feel like splurging out then a visit to the viewing deck of the Q1 building is something you may want to consider. The highest residential building in the world, Q1 gives you fantastic views of the city, surrounding beaches and mountains.