Best of the Gold Coast 2018: the top 10 best beaches as voted by you

With golden sand and sparkling water, the Gold Coast is blessed with beautiful beaches. And now we reveal the top 10 beaches in the region as voted by you.

With golden sand and sparkling water, the Gold Coast is blessed with beautiful beaches. Amber Macpherson reveals the top 10 beaches in the region as voted by you.

10. Greenmount

Lifesaver at Greenmount Beach on the Gold Coast.

North-facing Greenmount Beach is one of the safest spots to swim on the Gold Coast being a protected bay. One of Chris’ personal favourites, Greenmount is easy to access with a key location and a large carparking area. “It’s one of my favourites, I grew up down in Coolangatta,” Chris says. “It’s probably one of the most safest beaches on the Coast for swimming compared to the others. It doesn’t have a lot of strong rips forming 90 per cent of the time. There’s plenty of parking, right in the heart of Coolangatta with all the shops and facilities close by, and a lot of accommodation.”

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9. Rainbow Bay

Surfers occasionally take over Rainbow Bay. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

This beach is responsible for producing some of the world’s best surfers (Stephanie Gilmore, Joel Parkinson) and hosts the Quicksilver Pro World Surf League Event every year. Chris says while this has put the cove on the map, sometimes the shredders rule the water. “It’s a great beach, but also very popular with surfing. Snapper Rocks (nearby surfing break) is one of the most popular in the world. Sometimes we can’t put the flags up because it’s impossible to keep boardriders out. It is still very popular with families though. You tend to get a lagoon-type in shore gutter, so that’s very suitable for swimming.”

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8. Miami Beach

Taylor Schelle, 20 from Robina cools off after a run at Miami Beach. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Another hidden gem for Gold Coasters, Miami Beach is in a central spot with sprawling, clean stretch of sand. “It’s in the middle of the Coast in a central area. People that live on the western side of the highway, like Varsity Lakes, Robina, all like to go to Miami,” Chris says. “It’s just on the northern side of a small headland, so it’s protected from certain winds in the corner. The conditions for swimming change all the time. It tends to be a little unstable, but generally speaking it’s a great beach to have a surf. A lot of people park at Miami and go for a walk along the Ocean Way, which stretches all the way up to Surfers Paradise.”

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7. Tallebudgera Creek

Leticia Boyce, 24 from Coolangatta makes the most of the sunshine at Tallebudgera Creek. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Talle Creek is the perfect place to bliss out beside some of the calmest waters you’ll find on the Gold Coast. Flanked by the Burleigh headland and parks, the small stretches of sand are hot property come peak holiday season. “Talle Creek is more of a controlled environment, although sometimes it can be dangerous due to the outgoing tide,” Chris says. “80 to 90 per cent of the year it’s stable, with clean water, no waves. People tend to go to Tallebudgera Creek because they’re not battling waves and blue bottles. There’s all type of (water) users, people on stand up paddle boards, swimmers, kayakers.”

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6. Kirra Beach

Zoe Bisschop, 9, enjoys the warm water at Kirra beach. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Kirra Beach has the best of both worlds. The shallow water is protected from strong winds, and further out you’ll find some of the best surfing breaks in the world. Gold Coast City Council acting chief lifeguard Chris Maynard says Kirra Beach is one of the most popular enclaves in the south. “You tend to get a sheltered location away from the strong winds you get along the open beaches like Surfers Paradise,” Chris says. “Conditions for swimming down that way, you don’t tend to get a lot of strong rips and currents, due to it not being on the open beaches. It’s also very popular for surfing. The way it’s set, it has this unique aspect. One of the top 10 surf spots in the world when it’s breaking well.”

5. Main Beach

Every man and women with their dogs enjoyed the day cooling off Main Beach’s The Spit off leash dog area, pictured is Stella Booth and Flicka. Pic by David Clark

Main Beach is a shoreline with plenty of history. In decades past, Brisbane-ites and locals would arrive in droves at this strand as it was one of the first on the Gold Coast with patrolling lifeguards. Today its popularity has subsided, making it secluded and easily accessible by car. Windows to Main Beach’s past are ever-present in the historic bathing pavilion and Surf Club circa 1930. It’s exposed to offshore winds making ideal for surfing and water sports. Red and yellow flags indicate the best spots for strong swimmers. For sheltered swimming, a few kilometres up is The Spit.

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4. Palm Beach

Palm Beach is secluded and tranquil.

Surfers and sunbakers flock to Palm Beach, a local’s haven and one of the Gold Coast’s best kept secrets. Located between Tallebudgera and Currumbin Creeks, Palm Beach is slightly protected from those summery southerlies and offers great surfing conditions. Swimmers can choose between two patrolled beaches — one in front of the Palm Beach Surf Club and the other at South Palm Beach. Your furry friend is also welcome to frolic in the dog off-leash area. “Palm Beach (is) dog friendly, surf friendly, relatively uncrowded with local warmth,” Liz says.

3. Currumbin Beach

Evie Hokins, 10, goes tandem surfing with Currumbin Alley Surf School instructor Liam Mourad at Currumbin Alley. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

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With two little munchkins running around at her feet, Liz knows all about beaches ideal for families. Locals have a strong appreciation for the protected patch as it’s one of the few stretches of sand not littered with high rises. The iconic Elephant Rock makes a great viewing platform where the skylines of Surfers Paradise in the north and Coolangatta in the south are mere mirages. “Currumbin Beach (is) a great choice for little ones wanting to learn how to surf, with often a gentle shallow inside break,” Liz says. “A really picturesque location looking towards the city of Surfers Paradise.”

2. Surfers Paradise

Sunny aerial view of Surfers Paradise looking inland on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

One of Australia’s most famous beaches where the city meets the sea. With skyscrapers almost grazing the edge of the ocean, world class accommodation and restaurants are only a few steps from the sand. Being an exposed beach it’s prone to rough waves and strong currents, but year round lifeguard patrolling keeps swimmers safe between the red and yellow flags. “You can go from beach, across the road to fine dining at Surfers Paradise,” Liz says. “But my recommendation is to grab fish and chips and set up under an umbrella for lunch on the sand.”

1. Burleigh Heads

Amanda Lanetoft age 26 years from Sweden and Sandra Jonsson age 25 years of Sweden pose for a photograph at Burleigh Heads beach. (AAP image, John Gass)

If our coastline was a school playground, everyone would want to be friends with Burleigh Heads.

The sandy enclave is the whole package — crystal clear waters, long barrelling surf breaks and gorgeous ocean lookouts, not to mention the nearby buzzing social scene.

Channel 7 personality Liz Cantor agrees Burleigh Heads is the beach that has it all.

“This beach ticks all boxes,” Liz says. “It’s a mecca for surfers and offers shelter for swimmers during southerly winds.

“What makes it special for me is the headland, where people can picnic in close proximity to surfers riding waves.

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An aerial view of Burleigh Heads beach.

“The walk through the national park on the headland is also unique and a great whale watching spot during winter.”

The headland protects the beach from southerly winds, making conditions great for swimming. Council lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers patrol the waters.

Burleigh Heads also boasts one of the best point breaks in Australia for surfing, with long, right-hand barrels peeling over the sandbanks and basalt boulders that border the National Park. Speaking of boulders, some loose suspects caused the closure of the much-loved Oceanview walking track for five months this year, however, the idyllic trail reopened in October.

Surfing at Burleigh Heads. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

A number of restaurants offer incredible views across the big blue in Burleigh, serving up absolute waterfront dining where you can almost feel the seaspray.

Watch the waves roll in while nibbling on a legendary bug roll at Rick Shores, relax with a sunset beer at the Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park Surf Club, or pick up a fish and chip pack and roll out a picnic rug on one of the many grassy parklands, dotted by giant Norfolk pines.

Burleigh Heads beach was voted No. 1 in last year’s Best of the Gold Coast poll, proving just how proud the locals are of their patch of sand. If you’re one of the lucky few to live here, or even have a friend or family member call Burleigh home, consider yourself very blessed indeed.