There are plenty of things to do on the Gold Coast. Located on Australia’s western coast, it is the country’s main holiday destination. Known for its diverse attractions, including several unique theme parks in the Southern Hemisphere, excellent boutique shopping, world-class surfing beaches, and pristine rainforests, it caters to visitors of all ages!
Gold Coast is a great place to visit for all ages!
In this post, we will share some of the free things to do in Gold Coast that we visited with our 2-year-old toddler and 5-month-old baby. We hope you’ll fall in love with the Gold Coast like we did!
Our baby Xena enjoyed her time by the pool!
Note: You can also check out my Instagram for highlights of the Gold Coast!
1. Enjoy the beach at Surfers Paradise
When you visit the Gold Coast, a trip to the beach is a must! All the beaches along Australia’s east coast are stunning, featuring fine sand that’s perfect for surfing and other water activities.
A visit to the beach is a must in Gold Coast!
During our stay in Surfers Paradise, we were conveniently located just a five-minute walk from the beach at Circle on Cavil managed by WowStay. This made it one of the best free activities to enjoy with the kids!
My little one definitely enjoyed the beach more than anything else.
Despite the slightly cool water temperatures in June, there were plenty of restaurants and shops nearby. On Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, there’s even a Beachfront market from 4 pm to 9 pm, making it ideal for a stroll after dinner.
Plenty of restaurants and food options at Surfers Paradise.
Our little ones had a blast building sandcastles and running around on the beach. There’s nothing quite like letting kids connect with nature.
You can even take photos with a snake at the night market if you are brave enough!
2. Lorikeet Feeding at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Not exactly free, but for a gold coin donation you can tap into your inner Disney princesses and have lorikeets swarm around you for a feed!
One of our favourite “free” things to do on the Gold Coast.
Located near Gold Coast Airport, the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary offers a unique experience of lorikeet feeding every day at 8 AM and 4 PM outside the paid area. These colourful birds are native to the oceanic regions and are commonly seen in Australian backyards.
Even though there are plenty of tourists, but there are also plenty of birds to go around!
Upon entering the sanctuary, there’s a designated area outside the gate where lorikeet feeding takes place. Even before feeding time begins, a crowd gathers eagerly awaiting. At precisely 4 PM, after making a donation and receiving a plate, the staff pours a milk-like substance onto it, and a flock of birds swoops in!
One even landed on my daughter’s head, but she didn’t know!
It’s advisable to arrive on time because, after about 15 minutes, most of the birds are full and won’t visit your plate as eagerly. If they don’t come right away, patience is key. These birds are social creatures—if one lands on your plate, the others will follow. We thought it was pretty fun but my daughter was freaking out.
It was quite a memorable experience to see these creatures up close.
There are also plenty of things to do within the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary including kangaroo feeding and koala holding. It is definitely one of the best free things to do in Gold Coast.
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3) Pelican Feeding at Charis Seafood
About a 15-minute drive from Surfers Paradise in Labrador, there’s a local fish and chips and seafood shop named Charis Seafood. Every afternoon at 1:30 PM, they host a free pelican feeding show.
All these pelicans were waiting for a feast!
These wild pelicans start lingering around half an hour before feeding time. It’s a great opportunity to get up close and take photos with the pelicans (some can be a bit aggressive, so be cautious).
I must admit these pelicans can be quite aggressive when it comes to meal time.
At 1:30 PM sharp, the staff from the seafood shop bring out three large buckets filled with fish carcasses and heads and toss them one by one to the pelicans for feeding. The pelicans, with their eyes fixed on the fish, bob their heads up and down in perfect unison with the staff, resembling a conductor leading an orchestra.
The staff from Charis Seafood came out with their left over fish bones & heads, what a cool job!
After the feeding, you can go into Charis Seafood to enjoy fish and chips or buy local seafood. I find their fried and grilled fish quite good, and the prices are reasonable. The types of fish available may vary day by day. You can also try Australia’s most common fried fish variety—flake, which is a type of gummy shark and is a unique Australian specialty.
Don’t forget to try some iconic Aussie fish & chips!
Be cautious with your food around here as seagulls are quite persistent! I once had a pie in hand and a seagull snatched it away. Please refrain from feeding these birds though, as human food is too oily and salty for them.
4) Short hikes into Springbrook National Park
When people talk about the Gold Coast, they usually think of golden beaches and azure seas. Few know that just an hour’s drive away, near the New South Wales border, lies the distinctly different landscape of Springbrook National Park.
The Instagram-perfect Natural Bridge at the Springbrook National Park.
This national park features many short “hike” trails and viewpoints, perfect for taking toddlers along. We chose the 1-kilometer round-trip Natural Bridge trail this time round.
The trail was well-planned, great for elderlies or little ones who won’t mind walking a few steps.
Although we used to love hiking before having children, we weren’t keen on carrying a baby around (our daughter also dislikes being carried), so completing the one-kilometre Natural Bridge trail with her for the first time was a significant achievement!
There are glow-worms inside this cave at night.
The Natural Bridge trail is well-maintained with many stairs. Its most unique feature is the opportunity to see glowworms inside the cave at night. In summer, you can also see fireflies dancing and luminous fungi. Best of all, the national park is free, making it a fantastic attraction!
If you are not driving, you can also attend tours from KKday departing from Gold Coast such as “Glowworm Caves Night Tour in Springbrook National Park“.
There are plenty more trails in Springbrook National Park for you to discover!
This is the Google map location for Natural Bridge: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vwg3VEXA2SaZiu7y5
Best of All Lookout is also another kid-friendly spot, with a 700-meter round-trip trail. The location can be found here: https://g.co/kgs/f4q8bf5
5) Playgrounds in local shopping centres
Gold Coast is a top destination for international tourists, attracting many visitors to its large shopping centres filled with boutique stores. Thanks to tax refunds and favourable exchange rates, it has become a popular shopping destination.
There are plenty of free playgrounds inside these shopping centres.
Unlike typical Asian malls, the shopping centres here offer expansive outdoor spaces. The highlight for families is the abundance of play areas and slides for children.
I recommend visiting Robina Town Centre and Pacific Fair Shopping Center. Both locations offer a wide variety of restaurants and facilities. If you’re on the hunt for bargains, don’t miss the Gold Coast Harbour Town Outlet.
6) Enjoy the hotel & apartment facilities
As Gold Coast is a major tourist destination with a wide range of accommodation options- from five-star hotels to budget hostels. However, what stands out the most are the luxury apartments. These buildings often feature pools, steam rooms, and gyms, making your stay so enjoyable that you might not want to leave.
We were definitely impressed by the size of our living room when we entered the apartment!
During our trip to the Gold Coast, we stayed at Circle on Cavil by WowStay. Right outside the building is a chain supermarket, and there are play areas and slides for both older and younger kids downstairs. The beach is just a five-minute walk away, and there are plenty of great restaurants nearby, making everything incredibly convenient!
The facilities inside our 1 bedroom apartment.
Our one-bedroom apartment was even more spacious than we expected. As soon as we walked in, we couldn’t help but say “Wow!” Although we didn’t pay extra for an ocean view, the cheaper hinterland view was wonderful! The sight of many little boats on the river was more interesting for our little ones.
We loved the view from our window even though it wasn’t facing the ocean.
The apartment was equipped with a kitchen, washing machine, and bathtub. Every evening, we would relax with a bath, feeling very pampered! The building also had both indoor and outdoor pools, making it possible to swim year-round. With additional amenities like a steam room and gym, it was so comfortable we didn’t want to leave.
Both inside and outside pool of the apartment.
Best of all, the winter rate was just over AUD$1100 for seven nights, which was incredibly affordable! Here’s the link to the accommodation (link), but keep in mind that prices may vary depending on the dates. If this place is not available, there are plenty of other suitable options in the Gold Coast, especially if you stay close to this area!
We love all the amenities outside of our apartment!
7) Sea World- Not free, but must do with young kids!
SeaWorld was the only attraction we paid for on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is one of the few cities in the Southern Hemisphere with multiple theme parks, offering four different parks with various thrilling rides. However, due to the age of our kids, Sea World was the only suitable option for them.
SeaWorld was the only paid attraction we did in Gold Coast.
It was also our first time visiting SeaWorld since we usually opt for parks with more exciting rides on previous trips to the Gold Coast. Although SeaWorld has some thrilling rides, they are less popular because most visitors are young children.
There are plenty of rides and performances available.
When you open the park’s app, you’ll find there are many shows scheduled one after another! An entire day can be filled just by watching the shows. We entered the park around 10:30 AM and didn’t leave until 4 PM.
The seal performance was fun, it taught the audiences about recycling!
We bought our tickets on KKDAY, which was cheaper than buying from the official website. If you plan to visit multiple theme parks, getting a multi-park pass is much more cost-effective! But since we were only planning to do one park, a day pass was sufficient.
They even have ray feeding! It was fun watching them climbing out of the water to have some shrimps!
I hope you enjoyed my post on free things to do in Gold Coast. For more of our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram @travelwithwinny or Facebook @travelwithwinny!
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