Things to do in Gold Coast & Brisbane
16 picks in Gold Coast & Brisbane, Australia: spots, food and events for travelers.
🎲 Spin the gacha for Gold Coast & BrisbaneThe Gold Coast pairs Surfers Paradise Beach and the SkyPoint Observation Deck with theme parks such as Warner Bros. Movie World and Sea World, plus Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the headland tracks of Burleigh Head National Park. Inland, the World Heritage rainforests hold Springbrook's glow-worm cave and O'Reilly's Tree Top Walk in Lamington National Park, while Brisbane adds Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Streets Beach at South Bank and day cruises to Tangalooma on Moreton Island, with Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast.
Good to knowAt Surfers Paradise, swim only between the red and yellow flags. At Springbrook's Natural Bridge, bring a torch for the path but never shine it on the glow-worms or use insect repellent near them. Some tracks in Lamington National Park are closed after storm damage, so check Queensland park alerts first.
Photo: GrieSeb / Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
EntertainmentGold Coast / Surfers Paradise
SkyPoint Observation Deck
Gold Coast / Currumbin
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Brisbane / Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Photo: Do japan / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
NatureGold Coast / Springbrook National Park
Natural Bridge & Glow-worm Cave (Springbrook)
Gold Coast / Lamington National Park
O'Reilly's Tree Top Walk (Lamington National Park)
Photo: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
NatureBrisbane / South Bank
Streets Beach & South Bank Parklands
Brisbane / Moreton Island (Tangalooma)
Tangalooma Day Cruise to Moreton Island
Gold Coast / Oxenford
Warner Bros. Movie World
Gold Coast / Main Beach
Sea World Gold Coast
Photo: Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
NatureGold Coast / Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise Beach
Photo: Shiftchange / Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
NatureGold Coast / Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Head National Park
Sunshine Coast / Beerwah
Australia Zoo
Photo: Owen Gigg / CC0, Wikimedia Commons
EntertainmentGold Coast / Coomera
Dreamworld & WhiteWater World
Gold Coast / Oxenford
Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast
Gold Coast / Oxenford
Paradise Country Farm Park
Brisbane / Woodford
Woodford Folk Festival
Sun, December 27, 2026 – Fri, January 1, 2027