Things to do within a day in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Australia’s Gold Coast is a modern city of glittering high-rise buildings, built around superb beaches, including the world renowned ‘Surfers Paradise’.

This was our last destination in Queensland after one day in Brisbane and one day in Sunshine Coast for the #escapers15 social media campaign last year, organised by Accor, Scoot and Tourism Events Queensland.

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What is there to do when in Gold Coast?

Surfing of course! You can spend the whole day at the beach surfing or just hang out to enjoy the sun, sea and sand.

Other sites in Gold Coast to visit include Dreamworld & WhiteWater World, featuring the tallest and fastest thrill rides to live interactive shows and wild animal attractions; Warner Bros. Movie World, where you get to meet your favourite stars and superheroes, take on world-class adventure rides and movie attractions; or SkyPoint, where you get to ride to the highest point above the Gold Coast and stand 77 levels above sea-level on top of the Q1 Building, the fifth tallest residential building in the world.

Upon arriving in Gold Coast, we checked in at Sofitel Gold Coast, located in the centre of thriving Broadbeach and is only 200 metres from the beach. 

For lunch, we went to Southport Surf Life Saving Club, Surf Club Main Beach (Macarthur Parade, Main Beach QLD 4217, Australia, +61 7 5665 3900) for some seafood:

After the hearty meal, it was time for our surfing lesson to burn off the calories. We signed on with Get Wet Surf School (The Spit, Seaworld Drive, Main Beach QLD 4217, Australia, +61 1800 438 938).

The school is located in one of the Gold Coast’s most uncrowded beaches a few short kilometres north of Surers Paradise at the Spit. Get Wet teachers guarantee that students stand up on their first lesson or get your money back. The two daily lessons are held in calm surf protected by the seaway wall – the perfect learning ground for young and old. Lessons are available for all levels and all equipment can be hired for those ready to go it alone.

I tried learning to surf previously in Bondi Beach, Sydney and was unsuccessful. This is my third beginner’s lesson and I finally managed to stand up on a surfboard (for a few seconds)!

For my achievement, I got a photo mention in the local newspaper:

After surfing, we headed back to Broadbeach to enjoy the rest of the day. I managed to catch the sunset at the beach which was beautiful.

We had our dinner cum award ceremony in Sofitel Gold Coast to round up the #escapers15 trip. The Singapore team was not among the overall top three teams, but it is okay because we made a lot of new friends from around the world and had lots of fun in Queensland,

The next day morning, we had our lunch at the hotel and lunch at The Fish House (50 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220, Australia, +61 7 5535 7725), an upscale beachfront restaurant for southern European seafood dishes and fine wines.

Restaurant’s exterior

We then checked in at the airport and was on our way back to Singapore, concluding our travel adventures in Queensland, Australia.