Gold Coast Family Weekend
Theme parks, patrolled surf, and a hinterland detour to Tamborine's rainforest walks.
The Gold Coast is Australia's theme-park capital and the east coast's most reliable summer swim — 70km of patrolled beach and four full-scale parks within a 30-minute radius. An hour from Brisbane, it's the classic kids' weekend with enough adult distractions to keep everyone happy.
Highlights
- Warner Bros. Movie World and Sea World combined pass
- Broadbeach patrolled main beach and the oceanway cycle path
- Burleigh Heads National Park coastal walk
- Tamborine Mountain rainforest walks and fudge factory
- SkyPoint observation deck at Q1 tower
Suggested itinerary
- Saturday · Morning
Brisbane → theme park
M1 south, one hour. Movie World opens 10am — be at the gate 9:30 to skip the entry queue.
- Saturday · Afternoon
Broadbeach beach swim
Patrolled daily. Parking underneath Oracle Boulevard; the Kurrawa kiosk has hot chips and shade umbrellas for rent.
- Saturday · Evening
Broadbeach dinner
Burger Project for the kids, Koi for Japanese, or the open-air food court in Pacific Fair for the picky eaters.
- Sunday · Morning
Burleigh Heads walk
Easy 2km headland loop with pandanus forest, a koala colony and a long south-facing beach. Burleigh Brewing Co next door for lunch.
- Sunday · Afternoon
Tamborine Mountain detour
40 minutes inland — Witches Falls walk, Gallery Walk for fudge and hand-made crafts. Home via the M1 by evening.
Getting there
1 hour from Brisbane via the M1. Coolangatta airport (OOL) serves the southern end and the Gold Coast light rail runs between Helensvale and Broadbeach for park-and-ride.
Eat & drink
- Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads — modern Asian with a surf-break view
- Burleigh Brewing Co for a kid-friendly brewery lunch
- Social Eating House, Broadbeach for a long casual Sunday dinner
Local tips
- Combine Movie World + Sea World in a single 2–3 day pass for 30% off gate prices
- Patrolled flags only — rips on the Goldy are serious and take multiple rescues per summer weekend
- Broadbeach is the quieter base, Surfers Paradise is the louder one — pick your speed
- Tamborine Mountain is 5–6°C cooler year-round; afternoon summer storms are common