Iconic Surf Beaches

The SOUTHERN GOLD COAST is where you will find some of the world’s most iconic surf beaches and breaks – including Currumbin, Kirra and Snapper Rocks. With clean, golden sand, easy beach access and perfect water temperatures year round, it’s the ideal destination for anyone who loves to surf.

Remember, all beaches can be dangerous and unpredictable, so if you are swimming, stay between the flags to ensure you and your family’s safety.

Beach fishing is a popular pastime along the length of the Southern Gold Coast coastline, especially in the deep gutters that form along Bilinga and Kirra. Good catches of whiting and flathead are common, as well as Tailor during the winter months. The best time to fish is during the last of the run out tide and during the first few hours of the run in tide.

Currumbin Estuary is a great spot to try your luck with a line. There are two fishing platforms located along a boardwalk that winds its way across mangrove flats near Palm Beach Currumbin High School. The boardwalk connects the Thrower Drive boat ramp car park to the Gold Coast Highway Underpass on the northern banks of Currumbin Creek. Each fishing platform has a shade cover and seat. You will find them about 1km upstream of the tidal entrance of Currumbin Creek.

CURRUMBIN offers the best of both worlds. The rolling surf of Currumbin Alley is perfect for beginners and learners; and on the other side of Currumbin Rock, Currumbin beachfront offers a consistent wave for more advanced surfers. Currumbin was recently named Australia’s Cleanest Beach, and is perfect for beach walks, with a patrolled area for swimming in the clear blue waters.

TUGAN and BILLINGA offer long, wide stretches of sandy beach; perfect for a swim, run or stroll. Surfers can take their pick of the many banks along this straight section of beachfront.

KIRRA is the spiritual home of surfing on the Gold Coast, and if the surf’s pumping, Kirra is the place to be. The local surfing spot of greats including Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew and Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo, Kirra has a reputation for producing challenging barrels, and also smaller waves for beginners.

GREENMOUNT BEACH at the southern end of Coolangatta is a calm beach area, relatively protected by a headland to the south so it’s perfect for families with young children or those who prefer calmer swimming conditions. Greenmount is regularly frequented by dolphins, who can often be seen frolicking in the waters off the headland.

RAINBOW BAY and SNAPPER ROCKS are world renowned surfing spots. Snapper Rocks, the Gold Coast’s Super Bank, is the home of the first event on the ASP World Tour calendar – the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro. The world’s best surfers converge on the Southern Gold Coast to surf Snapper every March, however, this consistent wave offers spectacular surf all year round – and the crowds that go with it.

FROGGIES is a well-known body boarding wave and a local favourite for its rocky, secluded beach. More than twenty years ago, one of the ‘frog shaped’ rocks became a landmark when someone painted it green. You’ll find Froggies by following the path south from Snapper Rocks.

POINT DANGER marks the border between Queensland and New South Wales and is a vantage point for one of the region’s most famous surf breaks – Duranbah or D’bah for short. This steep rocky headland with spectacular views was named by Captain Cook in 1770 and is a great spot for whale watching from July to November. You’ll often spot the pros out surfing this famous break when the swell picks up.