My Incredible 5 Day Gold Coast Itinerary

The Gold Coast is Queensland’s premier beach destination with iconic surf breaks, golden sand beaches, glitzy high-rises and lush rainforest hinterland. If you’re looking for the best things to do on the Gold Coast and make the most of your time here, this 5 day Gold Coast itinerary is for you!

Known for its surf, its pristine beaches and endless sunshine, the Gold Coast offers all those and then some. It’s a city unlike no other in Australia, I mean it literally rises out of the sea, and is perfect for a long break whether you’re a family, with friends or a solo backpacker.

To help you plan your perfect trip and make the most of your time here, I’ve pulled together this 5 day Gold Coast itinerary. We’ve got surfing, we’ve got sand, we’ve got national parks, we’ve got high-octane fun; this is definitely the Goldie.

Let’s go.

5 DAY GOLD COAST ITINERARY

DAY 1 – WELCOME TO THE GOLD COAST

Welcome to the Gold Coast! Whether you’ve arrived fresh off a plane at the airport or are stopping here as part of your east coast road trip, the first thing you’ll want to do is get your bearings, get fed and watered!

As we were heading north from Byron Bay, we initially stopped off at Coolangatta on the border of Queensland and New South Wales to ensure we literally had a foot in each state. Snapper Rocks offers your first stunning views across the sea towards the glimmering high-rises and skyscrapers of this unique city.

Head to the rustic Paddock Bakery in Burleigh Heads for one of the best brunches on the Gold Coast. To be fair, we didn’t just visit because it being my namesake, Paddock Bakery comes highly rated thanks to its adorable Queenslander-home plot, wood-fired sourdough and great food and coffee obviously. Don’t miss the milkshakes either which are insane; strawberries & cream was my go-to but the Doughnut Shake or even the Lamington would tempt me. Paddock Bakery is walk-in only and, if it’s a nice day (which of course it probably will be here on the Gold Coast), make sure you take a seat in the rustic garden. It’s open from 6am to 3pm.

paddock bakery 5 day gold coast itinerary

We’re going to stay in Burleigh Heads for day one. This was possibly my favourite area of the Gold Coast; it’s so laid back. The Burleigh Head National Park is a lovely headland with rainforest, mangroves and views across the Tallebudgera Creek. It’s surprising to find such a peaceful national park on the coast so close to the bustling city. The headland offers picture perfect views to Surfer’s Paradise; sea soaked black rocks framed by pandanus palm trees.

Once you’ve finished a lovely walk through the Burleigh Head National Park, make sure you grab a cold one from the Burleigh Brewing Co and catching the sunset from the North Burleigh lookout; this is the best place in my view to watch the sunset over the Gold Coast. Rick Shores, within the Burleigh Pavilion, is probably the most popular place to eat with the Moreton Bay Bug Roll being a must-eat!

DAY 2 – LEARN TO SURF

Today we’re going to tick off a bucket list activity; learning to surf on the Gold Coast. Currumbin Alley Surf School offer extremely fun beginner lessons on the consistent waves of Currumbin Alley and this was where I attempted to surf for the first time ever. I thought I’d be relatively ok with surfing as I’ve been known to skateboard in the past though my core muscles seemingly disappeared when I began working in an office circa 2011. It was that lack of core muscle that apparently was holding me back during the surf lesson, I could barely stand up. Eventually though, towards the end of the lesson with constant encouragement, I found a rhythm and managed to stand up and surf to the shallows a few times! When I was out there with the sea around waist high, honestly, I thought the waves were pretty big and impressive so you can imagine my embarrassment of the photos my wife took of me when you could barely see the wave breaking at all. However, all in all, this is one thing I’d highly recommend doing when you visit the Gold Coast; there can’t be many places better in the world than learning to surf here.

On the aptly named Elephant Rock, visit the Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club for lunch where you can expect the classicly Australian chicken parmigiana, a great selection of fish dishes and, my favourite, burger and chips! The views from here are exceptional!

After lunch, it’s time for to experience some native wildlife at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. You could probably spend an entire day strolling around the 27 hectares of rainforest admiring the various different animals, reptiles and birds that are cared for here. One experience that you cannot miss is going behind the scenes with the koalas which includes a photograph of you holding one of these cuddly marsupials. It’s expensive $99 on top of the $64.95 entry free but, of course, you’re in Australia so you kind of have to get a photo with a koala. We did this at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane instead as it worked out better with timings.

DAY 3 – SURFER’S PARADISE

At least day of your time in the Gold Coast should be spent in the balshy Surfer’s Paradise; it’s loud, energetic and fun. You can find pretty much everything here from retail therapy and tourist attractions such as the Wax Museum or Ripley’s Believe It Or Not to stand-up paddleboarding and non-stop nightlife! We didn’t spend too long in Surfer’s Paradise (longer than anticipated as I got stopped by a salesperson to sign up to some epic bar crawl) but you’ll easily find something fun to do here.

The main thing however that you should do in Surfer’s Paradise is head up high to the SkyPoint Observation Deck. At 230m above sea level, literally above the sea, you can be dazzled by insane 360° views across the whole Gold Coast. When we visited the Gold Coast, we were on a strict budget so we missed this activity and I still regret it now! Tickets are $31 for adults on weekdays or $36 on weekends, public and school holidays. If you want to take things up a notch, why not climb to the highest summit. This has got to be something for those with a love for adrenaline and heights!

The Gold Coast is well known for its world class theme parks, such as Warner Bros. Movie World & Dreamworld, and waterparks which all deserve a visit if you love a bit of high octane fun. We visited Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast for half a day which offered loads of fun for two adults but I can imagine the rides would be even better for those with kids! The infamous scene from the Inbetweeners 2 movie was shot here, you know the one, and I of course had to experience the exact same slide as Will McKenzie because I am a geek. The best ride of the day (and probably the scariest) though went to Aqualoop but unfortunately it seems that that ride has closed for good!

DAY 4 – SPRINGBROOK NATIONAL PARK

The best things to do on the Gold Coast are certainly not confined to the coast and therefore, as part of this Gold Coast itinerary, I highly recommend heading to the hinterland for incredible rainforests, hikes and waterfalls. As I’ve already pulled together this detailed guide to the Gold Coast Hinterland, I’ll keep things relatively brief here.

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Springbrook National Park is around 40km south-west of Surfer’s Paradise, a 50 minute drive, and is well worth a visit to experience ‘the green behind the gold’. Highlights here are the unique Natural Bridge, Twin Falls and Purling Brook Falls. If you’re visiting with access to a campervan, caravan or tent, you could easily factor in a night camping in the national park itself at the beautiful Settlement camping area.

things to do in the gold coast hinterland

DAY 5 – LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK

Along with Springbrook National Park, Lamington National Park is a must-visit when spending time in the Gold Coast. This national park is a little trickier to get to with a steep and twisty single lane road climbing up the mountain but I promise once you get here, you’ll be in awe of this incredible national park. The highlights are O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat (you could stay here and experience the Lost World Spa), Moran Falls and the treetop walk in the canopy of ancient rainforest.

Well there we go, my incredible 5 day Gold Coast itinerary covering the best things to do on the Gold Coast and the hinterland. Hopefully this post will go someway in helping you plan your visit to this beautiful area of Queensland! If you have any comments at all or would like any more information, please let me know below!

WHERE NEXT?

Ok, let’s be honest, it’s taken me long enough to find the time to publish guides covering my time in Australia. Now though, the majority of them are linked below, so wherever you’re heading you’re likely to find what you need below!

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