A Guide to Australia's Gold Coast

If you are from North America like me, researching Australia and deciding where to go can feel VERY daunting. I am here to break down the beautiful sunny Queensland coast line called the Gold Coast, as a girl who did her working holiday visa and called the Goldie her temporary home!

Along the Gold Coast there are many "suburbs" along the coast. The coast as a whole is very beachy, local and small community based. The great news is the bus system is awesome- the 700 bus goes right down the coast from Broad beach all the way down to Coolangatta and back. There is even a bus (the 777) that brings you from the airport up the coast- it was only a 10 minute ride from the Gold Coast airport to where I was living in Palmy (Palm beach). Here is my guide starting from north to south! There is alot so I am bolding the non negotiables.

Surfers Paradise:

Very toursity and crowded. If you do find yourself up here- The Split is a cool beach off the island where Sea World is. It is a popular surfing spot and if you are a fan of mermaids...H20 was filmed here!

Broadbeach:

Again very busy area. I would say come here for the froyo but my favorite spot just opened down in Burleigh! (Its Yo-chi an Australian chain of some of the freshest froyo the world offers! build your own topping bar type)

Now we are talking...you'll see that the more South you go the more calm and local.

Mermaid Waters:

You can hop on the espalanade and walk from Broadbeach to Mermaid Waters

Here you will find some of the best avo toast I have ever had at Rafiki (counter order, sit outside... casual)

-On the topic of breakfast- there is also the famous Bam Bam Bake house which has homemade pastries. You can get things like eggs benedicts on their freshly made croissants.

-if your looking for a tattoo- Ivy ink is a very aesthetic tattoo parlor with very small line tattoos. They book out far in advance but there is always cancellations. It is a $200 minimum for an hour or so. So get a couple of tattoos at once for bang for your buck!

Miami:

Food-

-Green House Canteen: a vegetarian restaurant and an AMAZING and ADORABLE one at that. Whether you are vegetarian or not.

-Mexicali: fun place to go for drinks and tacos/nachos etc. the drinks are good it is normally a very loud spot. they got deals on Tuesdays! (Mexicali is technically at Nobbys which is between Mermaid Beach and Miami Beach), there is a little strip of a couple of restaurants / bars

-Miami Marketta: this place is SO FUN, a must go. It is a food hall that has live music and sometimes thrifting/ other events there is also a proper area for concerts (open Weds-Sat

5-1opm)

Body Movin'-

-Miami Yoga Room: cute little studio with more traditional yoga classes

-Hustl: young and popping mat pilates studio (they also have strength classes) the studio is BEAUTIFUL with ocean views. They will have the music high as well as the vibes.

-in Mick Schamburg Park you can walk up to a lookout of the city by following the path hugging towards the ocean and when you walk down the stairs towards the beach there is painted "love" stairs

Burleigh:

probably my favorite "downtown" along the coast. Most variety of shops, food and bars.

Food-

-Justin Lane: pizzas and a rooftop bar

-Local: pub food, casual yet cute place for dinner and drinks. You can sit outside in a courtyard and there is live music late on weekends

Breckie-

-Tarte! Tarte! Tarte! My fav breckie place on the coast. They have fresh delicious breakfast and lunch and since they are a bakery too their brown butter cookie brings the house down.

-Palm Springs: based off a motel, cute vibes good breckie

-Light Years: Asian fusion restaurant. there is also a location in Byron

Bars-

-Apres surf: fun DJ dive bar

-Night Jar: hospo night on Tuesdays (good deals for those with a working holiday visa who will probably be working in hospitality cough cough)

-Pink Monkey: the most clubey feel

-Burleigh Pavilion: fancy place for drinks right on the water. If you are coming here you have to dress nice- they will turn you down if your not dressed the part! and go early to avoid cover charges

Fun Activities-

-Farmers market on Saturday mornings

-James Street is the name of the street where most of the boutiques, food, book store etc. is. (they have a rhythm store! so cute) and word on the street is they just got a Yochi (aka the best froyo spot!)

--> if your looking to get your nails done seductive nails is cheap and fast

-Drum bongo circle at sundown on Sundays at Burleigh beach

-from Burleigh town, hug the road closest to the ocean and you will reach Burleigh hill where there is a huge grassy field overlooking the ocean (and a popular surf spot) it is a PERFECT place to picnic (pro tip- grab some food and bring it to the hill for a sunset picnic and watch the skies and the surfers!)

-if you want a nice walk continue past the hill to Burleigh National Park and walk along the coastal path there is some walking trails to a look out and in the trees above the water

Palm Beach:

I know what you are thinking...first Miami now Palm Beach but I promise we are still in Australia not Florida. Palmy! I love. This is where I lived- its a perfect spot to land because you are one town south of Burleigh where its most fun to go out in and one town north of the best beaches. It's also nice because it is VERY close to the airport (10 minutes on the 777 bus) and the Byron Bay Express bus from Surfers to Byron Bay will even pick you up here (but we will talk about that later....)

Food-

-The Collective: food hall with many vendors and a rooftop. They have a happy hour on Sundays with $5 tacos from 3pm-5pm.

-Frida Sol: good tacos and great margs. Thursdays they have good deals here

-Costa Taco: counter order, cheap fresh yummy street tacos

-3rd base coffee: cute place to sit and get a nibble

Town Things-

-Suga: nice speakeasy-ish bar with yummy fresh drinks and live music

-White Bohemian is a cute little boutique

-7am-11am on Saturdays Palm Beach has their farmers market and it is LOVELY

-starting at Dune Cafe you can walk along the water on these fun wooden planks- this path will bring you all the way to Currumbin and is great for walks/ runs

-you can get to Burleigh Heads National Park from the Palm Beach side by going to Talle creek (this nice little ocean inlet with a beach and a bridge for bridge jumping. Custard canteen is also here which has nice pastries) and from the bridge keep walking to the nature trail

Body Movin'-

-Ritual: really good pilates reformer and mat and they have an awesome intro deal of 3 weeks of unlimited classes for $55

Currumbin

Food-

-Tommys Italian: down by the water, very aesthetic and beautiful. the lasanga is pretty good

-Salt Mill: SUCH good acai!!! it is right on the beach

-Protein Shake: good little counter order no seats protein shake place

Things to do-

-Dust Temple: has it going ON. they have live music on Friday nights and Saturday during brunch and once a month they have an AMAZING thrift market called dusty temple. What is this amazing place you ask? It is a cafe and an art gallery.

-Balter Brewing: cool little brewery, slightly off the beaten path but they have different food and events all the time

-Re/wind: yoga, they don't always have it (yoga teachers rent out the studio and have their clients come rather then a YOGA studio), beautiful place with salt walls, lash lifts and massages

-small but mighty farmers market on Thursdays 7am-11

-there is a night market by the wild life sanctuary on Fridays 4pm-9pm

-Currumbin wild life sactionary: you can go hold a koala here, it scratches the itch BUT IF you are going to do it I 'd say go to Lone Pine in Brisbane (can take train from the Goldie) or go even further to the Australia Zoo (will need to rent car) (beyond worth it)

-Cornerstone shops: LOVE! Cute little cluster of shops and here lies one of the most magical looking yoga studios I have been to, The Body Method. They have great mat pilates and yoga classes. It is on the second floor with windows everywhere and you feel like you are in a tree house.

-Run club: remember salt mill the acai place? Theres a run club that departs from across the street from Salt Mill (next to the ocean) every Tuesday at 5:15am. You run down the ocean side path for as long as you want to go then turn around and come back and jump in the water all as the sun is starting to come up. Then some grab coffee and hang for a while. a must do!

pro tip- (no mater what day or what time walk the esplande you can walk all the way from Currumbin to Coolangatta)

-Surfing! The waves are normally nice is Currumbin alley for beginners and there are a couple of surf classes/ rentals that go out of here.

Currumbin Valley:

-village green: area where you are likely to see kangaroos hanging around. They are normally there in the evening which leads me into...you'll be able to see them as you come back from your magical Thursday evening at the bath house...

The bath house, Ground Soak is an outdoor lovely area with saunas, hot and cold baths and on Thursdays at the 4:30 and 5:30pm sessions they have someone playing crystal bowls for the hour so you get sound healing amongst it all. pro tip- pre book it books up

-Currumbin rock pools: Now I am not telling you to SWIM here but its nice to lay out along the river and the rocks.

Tugun

Food-

-Niche and Co: amazinggggg smoothies and smoothie bowls also wraps. Just go!

-Tugun market and co: fresh healthy vibe grocery store

-Fox's Pantry: yes this is a petrol station BUT they also have fun healthy pantry/ snack items

Kira

Food-

-Siblings: delish dress cute type of sit down restaurant on the water

-Cotton Paterisse: home store with surprisngly good homemade quiches

-Kirra surf: a huge surf shop with an two stories, the upstairs is always insanely discounted

Coolangatta (Cooly)

Food-

-Bary Evelyn: Italian

-Clay Cantina: feels like very authentic Mexican

-Ground Cafe: yummy lunch and breckie

-Franc Jrs pizza formally known as Francies has some good za!

-Love street store: adorable place for smoothie bowls and avo toast and it also has some cute retail items

Active-

-Balance yoga studio: maybe my favorite studio on the coast- good instructors and good variety in classes!

-Walk the art and craft market at Queen Elizabeth Park every second Sunday of the month

-Ebenzer Park: for those better at surfing and those who like to snorkel! I know alot of people who got lucky enough to surf with dolphins here too

-Walk to Rainbow Bay and watch the surfers- keep walking and you'll find little rock pools to swim in. You also can walk up to Danger Point for an overlook down at the water. This spot is great for sunset

Tweed Heads:

-Fingal head light house: it is about a 10 minute walk from the car park and it is beautiful there is also Fingal beach which you can stroll to from there and is an amazing beach for a beach day

Inland goodies:

Within minutes in the car you can reach the lush green inland treasures. pro tip: use Hopper to book a car from the airport for the day. Bus to the airport grab your car and go! (Or you could try renting a car through uber)

-Husk Farm Distillery: rum distillery that is in these beautiful fields and has great fresh drinks and lunch from 11am-3pm Weds- Sundays

-Natural Bridge: natural glow warm caves, go in the afternoon and see the caves light up. The caves look like a planetarium with a sky full of stars

-Purling Brook Falls: under an hour drive from the Goldie. A nice hour and a half round trip hike

-Twin falls: an hour drive, and a short and easy hike to the falls. These falls you can swim in and they are lovely.

You are also only about 4o minutes north of the lovely Byron Bay which has even more waterfalls, the hinterland, one of the best beach towns in the world etc. And you can get there via bus!

In short- If you are thinking about moving to Aussie and you are looking for golden beaches for miles, to feel like your livin amongst the locals, for allllll the sunshine....consider living on the Goldie!

I only met a handful of other Americans but it was nice to meet so many Australians/ people from all over. The Gold Coast stays warm throughout the winter which is great. It is a very healthy life style, people are up early working out and walking and wellness activites/ clubs are a great way to meet people. Whether it be from run club, or cold nips (a crew that every Weds morning goes to a different beach up the coast and does a sunrise dip), or a workout studio you will meet so many cool people. You won't need a car, but think about getting a bike because it is so easy to bike along the coast. Working holiday visas are easy to get for Americans under 30- it is around $500 but you can apply online and you will get the results immediatly. I recommend choosing the Goldie SPECIFICALLY no further north then Palmy!!!