After we’d spent a month on the Sunshine Coast we bypassed Brisbane and headed down onto the Gold Coast.
We have visited Brisbane many times and even lived there for a couple of months whilst backpacking. Unfortunately, with any major capital city the lack of decent caravan parks, let alone dog friendly ones is zero to nothing. It’s a shame that the local council don’t allow for parks for travellers but I guess the land value close to a city is more appealing to the councils treasurer.
We decided to split the Gold Coast into 2 stops, the northern and the southern end to get to experience everything.
Northern Gold Coast
We decided to stay in Helensvale at the Big4. It’s located just off the M1 but you don’t hear any road noise from the site. The reason we chose big4 is because it’s one of the only parks which is dog friendly on the northern Gold Coast. The park itself is well kept and has a lot on offer. With an on-site cafe, pool and even a fenced dog run. Plus it’s on the doorstep of all the major theme parks that the Gold Coast has to offer, so it’s a mecca for families who want to visit the parks. For more information on this park visit https://goldcoastholidaypark.com.au
The northern Gold Coast is set on a lot of inlets and canal developments, which play home to several prestigious championship golf courses. They aren’t as cheap as regular courses, but offer a full service of a course, pro shop, bar and restaurants with most within a hotel complex. More like a resort course set up.
The Hinterlands
Whilst in this area we headed into the Gold Coast hinterlands. Heading straight west from Helensvale you begin to climb up into the ranges. The roads wind their way up to the beautiful mountain villages which sit high above the coast, and its noticeably cooler in this area so be sure to take a jacket.
Eagle Heights is a great little town, with a Main Street lined with craft, art and food providers. As you walk through the town, you’ll be greeted by numerous shops offering anything from cuckoo clocks to hardware. The cuckoo clock shop is a great place to visit, the staff are happy to chat and explain the workings of the clock. It’s amazing when they go off on the hour seeing the little figurines rotating at their doors.
There are plenty of cafes in town and quite a few fudge shops. We really liked The Treehouse cafe at the far end of town, the cakes are amazingly good. The furniture is made from pallets and has cushions on each seat for comfort, they also have in house games like jenga and the like.
There are plenty of lookouts nearby too, Rotary Park in Tamborine is a great lookout, with sweeping views across the valley below. Then just south of this lookout there’s another close by. All along this route there are plenty of viewing opportunities down to the coast and valleys inland. The drive itself is just as impressive, driving through the mountainous pass lined with towering trees and lush green tropics.
Surfers paradise
From Paradise Point you can drive all the way down the coast to surfers paradise. The iconic stretch of coast with its famous beach which stretches forever is on most people’s must see list.
The various areas before you reach surfers paradise offer plenty of cafes and beaches if you want to avoid the crowds. However it’s worth going to surfers paradise just to experience the culture of the town. It’s very commercialised, and even on a weekday it draws a crowd, but it’s one of those places you must visit once. With the city meeting the beach and lots of cafes, bars and shops you can easily spend a day exploring.
Southern Gold Coast
For us, we much preferred the southern end of the Gold Coast. It’s a personal choice but the hustle and bustle of the north and surfers just isn’t our thing.
We stayed at Kirra Beach which is literally on the border for NSW. Again, dog friendly caravan parks are few and far between but we found a lovely council run park called Kirra Beach Tourist Park. Located only a few hundred steps from the beach and the main shops and cafes, it was a perfect location. The park itself is quite large and made up of a some permanent residents and holiday makers alike. The amenities are well kept and the staff in the main office are helpful and friendly. For more information on this park visit https://goldcoastholidaypark.com.au
There is a long esplande which was great for walking Tilly. Non of the beaches are dog friendly but they’re all patrolled so great for swimming and surfing.
There are some great cafes along the front in Kirra beach and one of our faves was garlic kiss. We quite like going for breakfast, it’s our weekly treat lol. Garlic kiss have a great menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner so definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area and we can highly recommend the Eggs Benedict.
Springbrook National Park
When you’re travelling you’re constantly reading about hidden gems that you need to visit, and this was one of those places. We had heard off several people about Natural Bridge, located in the Springbrook Natioanl Park. We had done some research through the Queensland parks and wildlife page to where it actually was and to make sure tracks were open and made our way out there.
Top tip: checking parks and wildlife websites before you plan any visits to national parks can save you a long drive to disappointment. Sometimes tracks and paths are closed for repair or bad weather. By checking before you leave it won’t be a big drive out for nothing.
The National Park is about an hours drive from Kirra, because of the mountain range which separates NSW from QLD it isn’t a direct route. However it’s a beautiful hours drive, we actually did a circuit drive. From Kirra we headed south over the border and jumped onto Tweed Valley Way ( tourist drive no 40 ) Then once through Murwillumbah, we headed towards Springbrook National Park.
Natural Bridge is on Nerang Murrwillumbah Road, just as you head back over the border into Queensland. From the car park it’s a short walk to the falls along a sealed path.
Natural bridge gets its name from thousands of years of erosion creating a gap to form in the roof of the cave, which then created a bridge. You can access the cave to get a better view of the waterfall. Then at nighttime you can also see the glow worms in the cave. We’d suggest some kind of guided tour if doing this in the evening. There is no lighting through the park so could be treacherous underfoot if you’re not sure where you are going.
The Border
The Border towns of Coolangatta and tweed offer some great scenery and beaches. One of our fave spots was Rainbow Bay, there is a great cafe called cafe Dbar with views down to the beach. Plus a great coastal walk along the cliffs. Coolangatta also has a great foreshore and shopping centre, to top on on anything. If you end up south of Border then Tweed also has a small shopping centre with a coles and a woolies.
Coolangatta and tweed are where the borders officially meet. There are two pillars separating the borders of Queensland and NSW. They always make for a good photo opportunity so you can have a leg in each time zone.
Another great spot is Burleigh Heads. Located just north of Kirra Beach. The town itself has a great coastal feel, with lots of shops, bars and restaurants. Burleigh has a great family beach, with lovely wide beaches and surf life saving on patrol. There are a couple of lovely restaurants on the foreshore too, offering views across the ocean.
If you’re feeling adventurous there is a couple of great walking tracks located in Burleigh Head conservation reserve. The walk winds through the rainforest, offering various lookouts as you go, either north towards surfers or south to the border. The pathways are well maintained and it’s easily accessible for most.
For information on the Sunshine Coast visit https://www.chrisveeandtillysbiglap.com/sunshine-coast/