G’day from the Gold Coast: 40 Miles of Beach Paradise
We flew into Australia on Qantas, the national carrier. It’s hard to explain, but the moment we boarded a flight packed with extended Aussie families, I could feel a joyful energy in the air. That feeling only grew upon arrival. There is a distinct, deep-seated calmness to the locals here. They go about their daily lives with glowing smiles and a genuine brightness in their hearts.
To be completely honest, it was exactly the antidote we needed. We had just left the USA during the peak of a highly divisive presidential election. Back home, it was almost impossible to escape the nonstop, conflicting TV news and social media coverage. Everyone seemed completely on edge—you could practically sense the smiles and souls being drained right out of my fellow Americans. The emotional trauma I witnessed during our brief stay in America was immediately erased the moment we landed on the complete opposite side of the world.
Maui vs. The Gold Coast (Queensland)
We used to think we lived in the ultimate beach paradise back in Maui, given the sheer number of world-class beaches surrounding the island. Well, the Gold Coast in Queensland takes beach life to an entirely different level.
Stretching about 40 miles just south of Brisbane, this region is a legendary playground for tourists and locals alike, famous for its world-renowned surf breaks and laid-back coastal lifestyle. The coastline is dotted with over 20 spectacular, sweeping, white-sand beaches. We hunkered down for a full month over Christmas and New Year’s at an Airbnb in the quaint, residential beach town of Currumbin. Over the course of that month, Barbie and I visited about a dozen different beach towns along the coast.
After nine full years of continuous travel and visiting the majority of the best beach locations on the planet, I’m ready to make a bold statement: Both the Australian and Hawaiian beaches sit together at the absolute top. They are, hands down, the best in the entire world.
Top Gold Coast Beaches: From North to South
If you’re planning a trip, the Gold Coast offers an incredible variety of vibes. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the best beaches from north to south:
- Surfers Paradise
- Broadbeach & Mermaid Beach
- Nobby Beach & Burleigh Heads
- Palm Beach & Currumbin Beach
- Kirra, Coolangatta, & Rainbow Bay
- Kingscliff & Cabarita (Just over the NSW border)
Surfers Paradise
With its towering high-rise condos, Surfers Paradise looks a lot like Miami Beach. It gets the most notoriety because it’s the entertainment and tourism epicenter of the coast. When Barbie and I were younger, we stayed right here because we wanted to be in the thick of the action. These days? The beach suburbs further south are significantly more desirable and offer a far more relaxed pace. Surfers Paradise is great for a quick day trip to wander the touristy, honky-tonk town center and check out the sand, but a single afternoon is absolutely all the time you need there.
Burleigh Heads: The Local Favorite
On past trips, we’ve stayed in Burleigh Heads, which is incredibly popular with locals. It has a youthful, happening scene packed with bustling cafes, great restaurants, and nightlife. Beyond the main town beach, you can easily access Echo Beach and Tallebudgera Creek via two beautiful coastal walking tracks that wind along a very cool, small National Park headland.
Currumbin, Tugun, Kirra
For this stay, we headed just a bit further south and rented an Airbnb in Currumbin. Barbie and I both agreed that this is our favorite area on the Gold Coast. It has the most relaxed atmosphere on the entire coast, a massive, sweeping white-sand beach, and a quiet, residential neighborhood feel. If you’re looking to hunker down for an extended stay, the adjacent towns of Kirra Beach & Tugun is another fantastic option.
Flashpacker Tip: If you have a car, drive an hour south across the state line into New South Wales to visit Byron Bay. It’s not technically part of the Gold Coast, but its young, vibrant, boho vibe makes it one of my absolute favorite beach towns in Australia.
Gold Coast to Cairns
The Gold Coast is just such a mellow, clean, and pleasant place to live. After wrapping up our extended beach stay, we headed up to the Tropical North for a couple of weeks in Cairns to see one of the natural wonders of the world: The Great Barrier Reef.
Barbie and I both absolutely loved our time in Australia. More than anything, we just enjoyed being surrounded by the locals. We’ll miss their kindness, their friendly demeanor, and those Aussie accents—which I still can’t stop Barbie from imitating to this day.
But the flashpacker life means always moving forward. Now, it’s back to Southeast Asia, where we have to pack away our spoken English once again. Time to retrain our brains to communicate using only our eyes, facial expressions, body language, and hand gestures.
G’day, mate!
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 