If you’re one of my regular readers, you might be thinking: “Caitlin, haven’t you written pretty much this EXACT post before?”. Yes, I have written a couple of posts about the Gold Coast already; one about Coolangatta and the other about some cool day trips you can do. But today, I want to focus on the rest of the Southern Gold Coast region. I have spent a lot of time here over the past few years and I think it’s totally underrated. I will be sharing some information on where to stay for both short trips and longer-term stays, as well as some of the best things to do! This is my ultimate guide to the Southern Gold Coast.
Where to stay
Budget Accommodation
There are plenty of options for budget accommodation in the Southern Gold Coast, despite it being less-visited than the famous Surfers Paradise. In 2019, I was studying in this region while living in Brisbane. Usually I stayed with family, but sometimes I had to find somewhere else to stay. Below, I review the two budget accommodation options that I used regularly: the Coolangatta YHA and the Palm Beach Hotel. Each has their pros and cons, but both are nice places to stay.
Coolangatta YHA
If you have a flight to catch, this is the PERFECT place to stay because it’s located right next to the airport! By that, I mean it’s a two minute walk to the terminal. Despite its proximity, I never found it to be too loud with planes flying overhead! Perhaps I’ve spent so much time in the Kirra/Tugun/Currumbin region throughout my life that I have tuned out the sound of planes. In actual fact, I don’t think there are many night planes from the Gold Coast Airport.
Pros of the Coolangatta YHA
Anyway, there are a few great things about this hostel, especially in comparison to the Palm Beach Hotel. The big one for me is the full kitchen and fridge. Even though I usually go for microwave meals when staying in hostels, it’s super convenient to be able to store all my food in the fridge rather than in my slowly-warming esky. Also, I don’t have to bring my own knife or cutlery as it is provided. I also find the beds comfortable, both in the private single rooms and in the dorms. This hostel is the slightly cheaper option, at $43 per night for a single room and $24.50 for a 8-share dorm (prices as of 03/07/20).
Cons of the Coolangatta YHA
On the downside, Coolangatta YHA is a few blocks away from the beach and is nowhere near Coolangatta itself, despite the name! It takes around 10-15 minutes to walk to the beach and it is a 5-10 minute drive to get to the town of Coolangatta itself. Despite this, I would recommend this hostel over the Palm Beach Hotel for long-term stays, simply because of the facilities. It’s not THAT far to walk to the beach and the hostel has a shuttle bus to certain areas on the Gold Coast. If you are driving, be aware of where you park. It is possible to park on the street after 5pm but during the day there is a 3 hour parking limit. There is limited parking (I’m talking about 4 spots) in front of the hostel and a few spots on the grass.
Palm Beach Hotel
A bit further up the coast, you can stay in the Palm Beach Hotel. I personally like this accommodation because unless you book as a group, you have to have a private room. Since I usually stay here for work when I have to get up early the next morning, it’s good to be able to go to bed whenever I like! Other benefits of this accommodation are that it is only one block from the beach, across the road from a Coles Supermarket and it has a TV in the room.
Cons of the Palm Beach Hotel
The Palm Beach Hotel is a little more expensive than the Coolangatta YHA, at $59 per night on weekdays, and $69 per night on weekends and during school holidays (prices as of 03/07/20). Also on the downside, this hotel only has a microwave and kettle for making food. There are fridges to store food if you wish as well. It can also be quite loud, given that it is right above the pub (open till 4am). I would recommend this accommodation to anyone looking for a short-term stay on the Southern Gold Coast. If you are driving, free parking is available in the carpark behind the hotel.
Long-term accommodation: Pacific Surf, Tugun
For long-term accommodation, I highly recommend Pacific Surf in Tugun. My grandparents used to stay here every year and we have continued the tradition. The units are fully self-contained with a full kitchen and are absolute beachfront. It literally takes a minute to take the lift down to the ground floor and walk out onto the beach. We have always stayed in the beach-facing units, which are much more expensive (understandably). But worth it.
If you are interested in booking this accommodation, be aware that it is for long-term stays only and that you will likely have to book well in advance. Most people have the same 2-4 weeks booked every single year. We managed to get in because someone cancelled at the last minute right as we wanted to be there! But the people are lovely so if you can get a spot, I’d highly recommend.
Best things to do
Explore Burleigh Heads
Technically speaking, Burleigh Heads is JUST outside the Southern Gold Coast region and in the Central Gold Coast. But given that it’s right on the border, I figure I can get away with including it here. Burleigh is the place to be on the Gold Coast. With a beautiful beach and the Burleigh Head National Park, I can totally understand why. If you can, I highly recommend visiting in the evening and watching the sun set behind Surfers Paradise.
I also highly recommend going for a hike around the headland! There are a few different lookouts you can stop at to admire the view over Surfers Paradise, as well as out to the ocean. If you’re visiting between May and November (especially June to October), keep an eye out for whales on the horizon as they migrate north for winter! For the ultimate morning walk, take the Burleigh link track up past Jebbribillum Lookout before continuing up to Tumgun Lookout. From there, follow the Rainforest Circuit around until you reach the Tallebudgera Link Track then follow the Oceanview Track back around to Burleigh! Click here to see the map.
Admire ancient Gondwanan Rainforest at the Cougal Cascades
Did you know that there is an ancient Gondwanan Rainforest a mere 30 minute drive from Currumbin Beach? If you have read my post about the best Gold Coast Day trips, you’ll have heard about Springbrook National Park before. To recap, this park is divided into four sections, one of which is the Mt Cougal section. It may not be as famous or popular as other sections such as the Springbrook or Natural Bridge sections but it is quite popular with locals. If you’d like to visit this area, I recommend you go early as the carpark is very small. The Mt Cougal Section is home to the Cougal Cascades, a series of small waterfalls along the Currumbin Creek. In summer, it is a great place to go for a wade through the creek and admire the rainforest.
Walk along the beach
It wouldn’t be a Gold Coast post if I didn’t suggest you walk along the beach! I absolutely love walking along the beach at Coolangatta, Tugun, Currumbin and Palm Beach. Tugun is my personal favourite because of the fantastic views in both directions down to Coolangatta and up to Surfers Paradise. In summer, I also recommend going for a swim! Just make sure you always swim between the flags and never swim alone. You might think you’re an ok swimmer, but the beaches in Australia can be quite rough and rips are extremely dangerous. It’s better to be safe than sorry. For more beach safety information, click here.
BONUS! Swell Sculpture Festival
As a little added bonus, if you visit the Southern Gold Coast in September, your visit may coincide with the Swell Sculpture Festival! This is Queensland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition and is a really nice way to spend your afternoon. I went in 2019 and loved walking along the beach and admiring all the artwork. My personal favourite sculpture was a bowerbird with a huge collection of blue plastics arranged in his bower (I don’t think I’ve done a very good job of explaining this – see the picture below!). In 2020, the Sculpture Festival will be on from the 11th to the 20th of September. For more information, click here.
Need more inspiration? Check out my YouTube video!
For our first post-isolation trip, my family and I spent two weeks at Pacific Surf in Tugun and visited all of the places I have discussed above! You can check out some of my highlights by watching the video below or by clicking here. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel if you love the video!
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