Best of the Gold Coast 2019: the region’s 13 best parks and playgrounds

Spring has sprung and school holidays have begun — there’s no better time to explore our parks. We’ve found 13 of the best parks and playgrounds in the city.

Spring has sprung and school holidays have begun — there’s no better time to explore our parks. Amber Macpherson has found 13 of the best parks and playgrounds in the city.

Broadwater Parklands

Marine Parade, Southport

Simon Irving from Ballarat, Vic, with this son Noah Irving, 5, at the Southport Broadwater Parklands. Picture: Jerad Williams

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Did you even have a childhood if you didn’t spend a day at Broadwater Parklands?

The expansive Southport grounds has everything a family could ever need from a park and more.

There’s a calm wading pool with a sandy foreshore for hot days, a giant bouncy inflatable pillow, wide, long paths for scooting and skating, a flying fox, pedal train track, grassed areas for frisbee tossing, a water fountain park with a man-made creek and a playground with swings and slides.

With extensive public amenities, there’s room for hundreds of families to share in the fun, which also makes it one of the region’s most popular spots for regular events.

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One of the Southport Broadwater Parklands’ main attractions — the giant bouncy pillow. Picture: Jerad Williams

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These school holidays the park will host The Big Wedgie, the world’s tallest and most extreme inflatable water slide.

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The floating GC Aqua Park is open every day and now features a new inflatable obstacle course.

There’s also circus training, wildlife displays and dance lessons, so head to the Gold Coast City Council website to find out more.

Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens

230 Ashmore Rd, Benowa

Pieta Jackman at the Gold Coast Botanic Gardens. Photo: Jerad Williams

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This park is Benowa’s best-kept secret and one of our most underrated assets. The Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens is a serene escape from the big city, only 10 minutes’ drive west of Surfers Paradise. Set across 31 acres, there’s a sensory garden for touching flowers and plants, native butterfly haven, rose beds and plenty of lush green plots for getting lost in. A lagoon is fringed by a boardwalk and there’s a children’s playground, picnic areas and an off-leash area for dogs. With wedding season upon us, you might stumble across a bride and groom saying “I do” among the scenic surrounds.

Cascade Gardens

2730 Gold Coast Hwy, Broadbeach

Cascade Gardens ducks. Pic by David Clark

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Rainforest walks, traces of our indigenous history and war memorials — Cascade Gardens is more than a place to frolic in the grass. The parkland is home to the Queensland Korean War Memorial and the Kokoda Memorial Walk, a series of monuments and sculptures paying homage to the diggers that fought for Australia during World War II and The Korean War. The gardens also feature picnic shelters, barbecues, a huge playground with accessibility for children in wheelchairs and public amenities. Large trees provide shade and are perfect for little monkeys to climb, and make a gorgeous backdrop for romantic Insta pics.

Home of the Arts Parklands

Ouyan Street, Surfers Paradise

The view from Home of the Arts Parklands. Picture Mike Batterham

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Formerly known as Evandale Park, these parklands are right next to the council chambers and Home of the Arts. Being in such close proximity to a cultural hub and the Gold Coast City Council means there’s always an event or activity for families to join in. Every Sunday the parklands are awash with fresh produce and wares from local producers at the Bundall Farmers Market, a great excuse to pick up breakfast or lunch and make use of the park’s facilities — a wading lagoon, playground, grassy flat areas and barbecues. Check the HOTA website for a variety of school holiday activities kicking off today.

Justins Park

The Esplanade, Burleigh Heads

Pine trees at Burleigh Heads’ Justins Park. Picture: Jerad Williams

While the young and trendy stick to James St and Burleigh hill, this Burleigh Heads park teems with families on the weekend and school holidays. Right on the foreshore with large pine trees offering shelter from the sun, Justins Park has a number of picnic tables, park bench seats, a playground with swings and slides and toilets. If you’re not keen on getting sand in suspicious places it’s close enough to the beach to set up a spread and go for a swim, and children can scoot the afternoon away on the fringing Oceanway walk. Be sure to grab some fish and chips while you’re there and have a nibble while listening to the waves roll in.

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Kurrawa Pratten Park

Old Burleigh Rd, Broadbeach

Kurrawa Park in Broadbeach was rated one of the best parks. Picture Glenn Hampson

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Kurrawa Park is the ultimate weekend meeting place for families and friends. Located next to the beach in Broadbeach, this parkland is full of exciting things for children to do and lots of facilities for scores of families to take advantage of. There are two fenced play areas — the Sandcastle Zone and Undersea Zone, with a large slide, a turret lookout, sea creature sculptures and sand pits, with most areas accessible for wheelchair users, too. Out of the playground there’s a large grassed area under shady pine trees for setting up your marquee, as well as toilets, barbecues and seating.

Palm Beach Parklands Pirate Park

945 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach

First day of school. Photo of Sarah Miglioranza (5) and Archie Williamson (5) at the Pirate Park, Palm Beach. Photo by Richard Gosling

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This park is for the swashbucklers. Palm Beach Parklands, or Pirate Park as its affectionately known, is one of the most popular parks on the Gold Coast. Fringing the Currumbin Estuary, Pirate Park has an impressive, recently upgraded pirate ship playground called Treasure Island as well as open grassy fields and wide pathways for great for cycling and walking. The nearby Dune Cafe refuels hungry tums from 7.30am, with a special kids’ menu made for famished little tackers. There’s barbecues, picnic shelters and drinking water, as well as change rooms and showers for those who can’t resist a dip in the saltwater.

Paradise Point Parklands

The Esplanade, Paradise Point

Paradise Point Esplanade South Park, Gold Coast. Picture: Amanda Robbemond

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Paradise Point Parklands’ views overlooking the water make this one of the most relaxing parks on the Gold Coast. The area is a top spot in the northern Gold Coast for a stroll, picnic, playing in the playground or rollerblading along the paved paths. The parkland was recently upgraded with new public amenities, barbecues facilities and picnic shelters, and children will be entertained for hours with climbing obstacles, slides and swings. Kick a footy on the grass, play a game of cricket or dip your toes in the water — it’s up to you how you wile away the day.

Macintosh Island

Main Beach Parade, Surfers Paradise

The view from the Inlet, Level 33 and 34, 24 Breaker St, Main Beach. Surfers Paradise Skyline, Main Beach and Macintosh Island Park. Photo: Jerad Williams

A few steps into Macintosh Island Park and you’ll forget you’re in the thick of Surfers Paradise. The parkland is sheltered and green with a canopy of trees providing coverage from the hot sun. Macintosh Island offers a cool escape from nearby Main Beach if you’ve been hanging out on the sand all day, with seabreezes and shade taking the edge off the spring weather. There’s toilets, barbecues, picnic shelters and drinking water for your convenience. The park is transformed into a hub for the GC600 every October, so best to avoid the area for relaxing — or buy a ticket and check out the event.

Pizzey Park

80 Pacific Ave, Miami

Mia the three year old Chihuahua Mini Fox Terrier cross, cant wait to participate in this Sundays Million Paws Walk with owner Teah Frizzell, the RSPCA adoptions co-ordinator. Picture Glenn Hampson

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Sporty families don’t know what to tackle first at Pizzey Park — should it be the rugby fields for a competitive footy toss? Or pulling tricks at the skate park? Maybe the netball fields to shoot some hoops? The choice is yours. This expansive park has a variety of facilities for active individuals to let off steam, including an off-leash dog area for your furry best friend to run amok. The park runs around a lake and has a forest area for exploring in nature. A playground, picnic facilities, toilets and drinking water make Pizzey Park the ultimate day out.

James Overell Park

Brighton Parade, Southport

Overall Park in Southport was rated one of the best parks. Picture Glenn Hampson

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This park is a hidden gem in Southport where the river meets the ’burbs. The area is based around a rugby field used for community sports groups, but most of the time it’s empty and affords relaxing views of the Nerang River and the Surfers Paradise skyline. The entire grassed area is a off-leash dog zone, making it the perfect spot to puppy watch. There’s also a playground, half basketball court, gym equipment, toilets, barbecues and drinking water. Claim a park bench at sunset and watch the calm water reflect the pastel pink heavens above.

Hinterland Regional Park

40 Hardys Road, Mudgeeraba

Council spending on park infrastructure, Park at the Mudgeeraba Hinterland Regional Park playground with missing shade cloth.

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While hordes flock to the east for parks by the beach, Hinterland Regional Park is a serene escape from the hustle and bustle. Found in Mudgeeraba, the area cover 62ha of bushland, riding trails and grassy parkland for the adventure seekers. You can bring your BMX and traverse the tracks, or roll out a picnic rug and take in the cool hinterland air. There’s two off-leash dog areas, picnic shelters, toilets and drinking water so you’re all set for a day out in the ranges.

Syd Duncan Park

19 Outlook Ave, Lower Beechmont

Syd Duncan Park. Picture: Supplied

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Further inland is Syd Duncan Park, a picturesque play area with amazing views of the Canungra valley. This spot houses a community-built nature play space, which includes a dry creek bed, timber structures for play, a tunnel embankment slide, basketball court and fitness equipment. The park has picnic tables and shelters, a playground, drinking water and a walking track, as well as an impressive grassy embankment with a gentle slope for all the rolly polly fun you could ever need. As always, make sure to be mindful of bull ants and prickles if you’re planning to go trundling.