Surfers Paradise: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
A hundred years ago this was a swampy strip of sand called Elston, with one road and almost no houses. A single hotel gave the place its new name, and within a few decades it became Australia's best-known beach resort, with towers along the sand. This walk follows that story from the first hotel's street to the top of the tallest tower and north along the water to the old seaside town of Southport. About three hours on foot, with the light rail to shorten it.
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A short history of Surfers Paradise
Until the 1920s there was little here but an empty sandy beach called Elston. In 1925 Jim Cavill built a small hotel called the "Surfers Paradise", and its name spread over the whole area, until in 1933 the name of the settlement was officially changed too. After the Second World War tall apartment blocks began to go up along the beach, and in 1959 the whole area became the City of Gold Coast. In 1965 the "Meter Maids" appeared for the first time: young women in gold swimsuits who put coins in drivers' parking meters so they would not get fines. In 2005 the Q1 tower, 322 metres tall, was completed here; at the time it was the tallest residential building in the world.
The ten best sights in Surfers Paradise
1SkyPoint Observation DeckGo up an hour before sunset and stay for the lights coming on
2Surfers Paradise BeachSwim between the red and yellow flags; the rips here are strong
3Cavill AvenueThe pedestrian heart of the Strip, busiest at night
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4The Spit
Quieter beaches and the Seaway at the north end of town
5Burleigh Head National ParkA short coastal track round the headland; whales in winter
6Currumbin Wildlife SanctuaryCome for the lorikeet feeding in the morning; allow half a day
7David Fleay Wildlife ParkPlatypus and native animals in bushland, run by the state
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8Sea World
Marine park on The Spit; buy tickets online for less
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9Warner Bros. Movie World
Rides and film shows, 20 minutes north on the motorway
10DreamworldThe biggest ride park on the coast, with a tiger and wildlife area
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Surfers Paradise →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Surfers Paradise:
Free walking tours in Surfers Paradise
From a beach hotel to a skyline
A hundred years ago this was a swampy strip of sand called Elston, with one road and almost no houses. A single hotel gave the place its new name, and within a few decades it became Australia's best-known beach resort, with towers along the sand. This walk follows that story from the first hotel's street to the top of the tallest tower and north along the water to the old seaside town of Southport. About three hours on foot, with the light rail to shorten it.
- Cavill Avenue · The street is named after Jim Cavill, who opened the Surfers Paradise Hotel here in 1925. The hotel became so well known that in 1933 the whole area changed its name from Elston to Surfers Paradise.
- Surfers Paradise Beach · In 1965 the town introduced the Meter Maids, women in gold bikinis who put coins in expired parking meters so visitors would not get fines. They still walk the Strip today as a symbol of the town.
- SkyPoint Observation Deck · SkyPoint is near the top of Q1, a 322-metre tower completed in 2005, when it was the tallest residential building in the world. The deck sits about 230 metres up and looks from the hinterland mountains to the ocean.
- HOTA, Home of the Arts · The arts precinct stands on the edge of the Nerang River, and its gallery building opened in 2021 as one of the largest public art galleries in Australia outside the state capitals. Entry to the gallery is free.
- Broadwater Parklands · Southport is the oldest town of the Gold Coast: in the late 19th century Brisbane families came here for the sea air, long before anyone built at Surfers. The parklands now line its shore along the calm Broadwater.
- The Spit · At the tip of The Spit is the Gold Coast Seaway, a channel cut through to the sea and opened in 1986 to fix the shifting river entrance. A pump system carries sand under the channel so the beaches to the north do not starve.
Volcano rock, birds and the border
South of the Strip the Gold Coast becomes a string of beach suburbs separated by headlands and creek mouths, ending at the border with New South Wales. On the way are a headland of volcanic rock with Aboriginal stories, two wildlife parks that began as one person's passion, and the surf break that the world's best surfers compete on. A full day by car or bus, about 40 minutes of driving to the border.
- Burleigh Head National Park · The headland is made of basalt that flowed from the Tweed Volcano, the giant shield volcano whose core is Wollumbin (Mount Warning), about 23 million years ago. The lava cooled into the columns you see above the coastal track.
- Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre · Jellurgal is the Yugambeh name for Burleigh headland, a place of stories and ceremony for the local people. The centre runs guided walks on the headland led by Aboriginal guides.
- David Fleay Wildlife Park · David Fleay was the first person to breed a platypus in captivity, in 1943 at Healesville in Victoria. He later set up this park in the Burleigh bush, and it still keeps platypus and other native animals.
- Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary · The sanctuary began in 1947 when the beekeeper Alex Griffiths started feeding wild lorikeets to keep them off his flowers. The feeding became a tourist attraction, and the lorikeets still come every day.
- Snapper Rocks · Since 2001 sand pumped from the mouth of the Tweed River has been building the Superbank, a sandbank that links the point breaks into one of the longest waves in the world. A professional world tour contest is held here.
- Point Danger Lighthouse · Captain Cook named Point Danger in 1770 for the reefs off the headland. The lighthouse was built for the 200th anniversary of his voyage, and the Queensland–New South Wales border runs right beside it.
The rainforest behind the towers
Behind the coast rise the remains of the Tweed Volcano, high plateaus covered with rainforest that has hardly changed since Australia was part of Gondwana. Springbrook and Tamborine are two separate mountains, each about 45 minutes from the Strip; the route goes up Springbrook and crosses to Tamborine, a long but rewarding day. Roads are steep and winding; bring a jacket, since the plateaus are several degrees cooler than the beach.
- Hinze Dam · The dam on the Nerang River holds the Gold Coast's main water supply, and its wall was raised to increase the reservoir. A café and lookout stand at the top of the wall on the way to Springbrook.
- Purling Brook Falls · The falls drop off the edge of the Springbrook plateau, over layers of rock laid down by lava flows of the Tweed Volcano. A circuit track goes down to the pool at the base and back up the other side.
- Best of All Lookout · The short path to the lookout passes Antarctic beech trees, a Gondwana species that survives only in a few cool mountain pockets of eastern Australia. From the edge you look south over the caldera to Wollumbin.
- Natural Bridge · Cave Creek has worn a hole through the roof of a basalt cave, so the waterfall plunges through the rock arch into the pool inside. After dark the cave ceiling glows with glow worms.
- Tamborine Mountain · Part of the plateau, at Witches Falls, became Queensland's first national park in 1908. Today Tamborine National Park is made up of separate patches of rainforest scattered among the mountain's villages and galleries.
- Curtis Falls · A short track through rainforest of strangler figs and palms leads down to the pool under the falls. It is one of the busiest walks in Tamborine National Park, so it is best early in the day.
Getting to Surfers Paradise and getting around
- Gold Coast Airport · At Coolangatta, about 30 minutes south; buses and taxis to the Strip
- Helensvale Station · Trains to Brisbane, and the light rail to the beach starts here
- Cavill Avenue light rail · The G:link tram runs along the Strip; leave the car at the hotel
Cheap eats in Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise eats on the run: cafés and juice bars along the Esplanade, Asian food courts and noodle bars off Cavill Avenue, and fish and chips on the sand. For a slower lunch, Burleigh Heads and Main Beach have the café strips the locals prefer. Prices are in Australian dollars and on the Strip they are tourist prices; a block back from the beach is cheaper.
- Betty's Burgers · Burgers near the beach, about A$15-25
- Zanette's Gelati · Gelato on the Strip, about A$6-10
- Chocolateria San Churro · Churros and chocolate, about A$10-18
- Main Beach Bakery · Pies and pastries in Main Beach, about A$6-12
- Burleigh Beach Kiosk · Coffee and snacks on the beach at Burleigh, about A$6-15
- Fish Mongers · Fish and chips at Burleigh, about A$15-25
- Paddock Bakery · Bakery café in Burleigh, about A$8-20
Nature and day trips near Surfers Paradise
- Springbrook National Park · Waterfalls, lookouts and the Natural Bridge
- Natural Bridge · Waterfall cave with glow worms at night
- Burleigh Head National Park · Headland walk to Tallebudgera Creek
- Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk · Treetop walkways on Tamborine Mountain
- Curtis Falls · Short rainforest walk to a waterfall pool
- Gold Coast Botanic Gardens · Free gardens and lakes, 15 minutes inland
Things to do in Surfers Paradise with kids
- Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary · Lorikeet feeding and a wildlife hospital
- Sea World · Marine animals, shows and rides on The Spit
- Warner Bros. Movie World · Film-themed rides and shows
- Dreamworld · Rides plus a wildlife area
- Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast · Water park next to Movie World; summer days
- David Fleay Wildlife Park · Platypus and native animals, cheaper than the big parks
Museums in Surfers Paradise
- HOTA, Home of the Arts · Free gallery by the Nerang River
- Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre · Aboriginal-led walks; book ahead
- Point Danger Lighthouse · Cook memorial lighthouse on the state border
- SkyPoint Observation Deck · The view from Q1, near the top
Where to eat in Surfers Paradise
- Elston Restaurant & Bar · Dinner in Surfers; mains about A$35-50
- Surfers Paradise Beergarden · Big pub on Cavill Avenue; meals about A$25-35
- Hurricane's Grill Surfers Paradise · Ribs and steaks near the beach; mains about A$35-55
- Rick Shores · Pan-Asian on the beach at Burleigh; book ahead; mains about A$40-60
- Burleigh Heads Hotel · Pub by the beach in Burleigh; meals about A$25-40
- Black Hops Brewery · Craft brewery in Burleigh; a beer about A$10-14
Frequently asked questions about Surfers Paradise
What is there to see in Surfers Paradise?
The top sights in Surfers Paradise are SkyPoint Observation Deck, Surfers Paradise Beach and Cavill Avenue. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Surfers Paradise?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Surfers Paradise without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Surfers Paradise?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Surfers Paradise, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: From a beach hotel to a skyline.
How do you get to Surfers Paradise and get around?
The main ways are Gold Coast Airport, Helensvale Station and Cavill Avenue light rail. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Surfers Paradise, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Surfers Paradise that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Surfers Paradise for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.