Gold Coast for Kids: The Ultimate Family Guide

Did you know that the Gold Coast averages 300 sunny days a year. You’d be pretty unlucky to have the weather spoil all of your plans, but just in case you need an indoor idea iFLY – Gold Coast is the ultimate in indoor fun.

Have you ever wanted to try skydiving, but throwing yourself out of a plane isn’t something that’s ever going to happen? Well you need to get to iFLY indoor skydiving, stat! Suitable for ages 3 and up this is something the whole family can do and it’s something you’ll remember for a long time. After your orientation and gearing up your instructor will guide you into the wind tunnel and be with you the whole time guiding you on how to position your body.
Tip – pay an extra $15 for the “high fly” and Mums and Dads make sure you get in on this one too. The kids were THRILLED that I gave it a go too.

A great spot to start your holiday and get your bearings is Skypoint, located at the top of one of Australia’s tallest residential building, the Q1, in Surfers Paradise. Ride the elevator all the way up to the 77th floor for a spectacular 360 degree view of the entire Gold Coast, from the beach to the hinterland. Grab a bite to eat, coffee and cake or a cheeky wine and take in the stunning view. If you’re feeling really brave, and aged over 12 you can tackle the Skypoint Climb, Australia’s highest external building climb.

You can’t come to the Gold Coast and not surf, or at least learn to surf. It’s home to some of the world’s most famous breaks and to go home and tell everyone you stood up on your first wave on the Gold Coast is pretty cool! There are loads of surf schools located in a number of locations. Taylor from Gold Coast Surf Experience offers group learn to surf or private lessons for beginners at Tallebudgera Beach. 
Tip – do this early in your trip so you have time to book a 2nd lesson before you go home. Chances are the kids will be begging for it.

This is Gold Coast’s only dedicated Aboriginal cultural centre and is fully owned and operated by the local Aboriginal community. We did the 2 hour Jellurgal Walkabout Tour that runs once a week on Thursdays at 10am, or by private group booking. After a short video presentation you are taken on a guided walk around the headland where you learn about traditional life pre-contact, bush tucker, fishing and hunting and the important ecological practices and connection to the land displayed by the Yugambeh speaking people. The tour is best suited for school age children and upwards and we’d suggest you but babies in carriers rather than prams as the track can get quite narrow and busy with other walkers. The kids were given activity books that they enjoyed completing over the duration of the tour. We learnt about areas of significance, heard stories, made ochre and spotted lots of local wildlife including lizards, borobi (koala) and even a group of Tawny Frogmouths which was pretty special. Our kids were fully engaged for the whole tour and our guide was fantastic answering the many and varied questions that were asked. This is a great activity to take the family at the start of your holiday, it will open your eyes to the incredible history of the area and teach your kids about the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of this beautiful place.

Heaven for Kids, Paradise for Parents – Never a truer word spoken!

There’s a reason this resort has won sooo many awards and if you have kids (which you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be here), you may have heard of it already. Located a stone’s throw away from the heart of Surfers Paradise, this place is sure to put a smile on your face, regardless of age.

A massive water park, an ice-skating rink, and a Kids Club are just a few of the many delights awaiting guests at Paradise Resort. With affordable accommodation and countless family-friendly activities, you’ll want to book in *at least* a few nights here. In fact, we stayed eight nights and had days where we didn’t even leave the resort. The resort and family rooms can accommodate up to eight guests with little extras like footstalls, etc to truly make children and their parents feel comfortable. The food is restaurant quality and the options are plentiful. Lounge by the pool or ride the miniature train, but whatever you do, don’t leave without meeting the Paradise Resort mascots!

Read our full review here

You’ll find BMD Northcliffe Surf Club right on the beach in Surfers Paradise, not far from the Q1. They’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and their award winning restaurant has a fantastic menu with steak, seafood, pastas, salads and a great $10.70 kids menu that includes a choice of pizza, pasta , fish and chips or chicken tenders with a soft drink and ice cream.The staff were so friendly and even let the girls try EVERY flavour of ice cream before deciding.
Tip – bookings are recommended, and ask for a table near the window or on the deck to enjoy the stunning beach view while you eat and bring your bathers for a post meal dip between the flags!

For breakfast on the southern end, try Social Brew on James Street in Burleigh Heads. Don’t be fooled by the small street entry, this place is huge with lots of room for large groups and prams. We went a bit crazy and almost ordered one of everything from the menu, it all just looked too good and we couldn’t choose. The coffee was excellent and the kids LOVED the great value kids breakfast platter which had fruit, museli and yoghurt and a babyccino. They also do lunch and the menu looks just as good.
Tip – book a table, especially on the weekend, this place gets busy!