When to comes to getting a bird’s eye view, there’s no better place than the Gold Coast to take to the skies. If you’re arriving on the Gold Coast via plane, you’ll get an awesome view of our our aerial aesthetics coming in to land at Coolangatta airport. But to admire them in more detail, float over the hinterland in a hot air balloon, climb one of our most famous buildings or launch yourself from a plane for one of the most exhilarating views (and rides) of your life. Here’s eight ways to get a natural high.
Hop on a Heli Tour
For one of Australia’s top aerial tours, take to the skies with ABC Heli. They’ll put you in the passenger seat to see some of the Gold Coast’s best scenery from above with a thrilling airborne experience.
With helicopter rides ranging from a quick 5-minute scenic spin to a Hinterland heli picnic with 50 minutes fly time, see the tapestry of streets, creeks, rivers, beaches, parks and skyscrapers that have made the Gold Coast famous. Revel in the colours of golden beaches fringed by sapphire seas, spot migrating whales (in season), pods of dolphins (maybe) and get a bird's eye view of Sea World, The Spit and the Gold Coast’s famous canals that weave through our city like serpents.
- Prices start from $69 for adults and $59 for children.
Parasail Away
If flying 400 feet about the sparkling Gold Coast Broadwater attached to a parachute, being towed behind a boat sounds like your kind of fun, book some sky time with Gold Coast Watersports.
A favourite activity for holidaymakers, choose a solo, tandem or triple parasail - and for eight exhilarating minutes, float free as a bird on the breeze taking in spectacular views of the northern Gold Coast where waterways, skyscrapers and theme parks meet. You’ll be secure in the latest safety harnesses and with expert guidance - find out first hand that anyone can fly, including kids as young as 6, when accompanied by an adult. Parasailing is an accessible experience for people with a disability
- Prices start from $120 for a solo parasail flight.
Rise Above in a Hot Air Balloon
Start your day the right way with one of the best sky experiences Queensland has to offer - an aerial tour of the Gold Coast in a hot air balloon.
As the city wakes up, take in spectacular coastal sunrise views, catch the first rays illuminating towering skyscrapers and watch as the light spills across the landscape below. To the west, the Gold Coast Hinterland offers another breathtaking perspective of mists rising from ancient Gondwana Rainforest. You might spot bounding kangaroos or a flock of cockatoos taking flight before landing gently and being whisked away to enjoy a delicious champagne breakfast at a Hinterland vineyard.
- Prices start from $350 for basic flight package.
Take to the Treetops
If you’re up for a challenge and like a spike of adrenaline, one of Australia’s largest rainforest canopy experiences will get your pulse racing. Welcome to Treetop Challenge! There are over 120 courses to explore on this huge high ropes adventure, including 10 thrilling ziplines and 10 flying foxes as you can climb, glide, balance and launch yourself across nine acres of beautiful native bushland in Mount Tamborine.
Kids (over 8) are welcome too, with levels to suit beginners through to more advanced and you can adventure at your preferred pace - from slow and steady, to fast and furious. You can spend between 3 - 4 hours swinging from the treetops but can tap out at any time if you're arms feel like spaghetti.
- Prices start from $55 per child, $65 for adults, or take advantage of the family pass - $220 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Groups of ten or more can soar for $53 per person.
SkyPoint Climb
For the best 360-degree views of the Gold Coast, ride one of Australia’s fastest elevators skyward 77 floors and arrive at SkyPoint Observation Deck. Sitting on top of the iconic Q1, bask in breathtaking beachside views, see as far south as the NSW border, north to Stradbroke Island and west where an emerald cloak of rainforest and rolling hills merge in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Enjoy a (very) high tea, linger over lunch or meet your mates to toast the sunset with cocktails. But if you’re a daredevil, you can take on Australia’s highest external building climb too. From 270 metres above the sea, SkyPoint Climb offers an exhilarating perspective that places you in the view. You’ll be guided by experts while attached to a safety harness, but expect an epic adrenaline rush as you ascend the outer staircase and lean out over the edge of the building, Spiderman style.
- Prices to visit the Observation Deck are $23, or for a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids) $85. Climbs start at $89 with booking and times available on the website.
Become a Sky Walker
For a gentler way to appreciate how peaceful life can be amongst the trees in the Gold Coast Hinterland, take a wander on the 1.5km walkway at the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk. From winding along the forest floor where you may spot curious wildlife and birdlife, to climbing high into the canopy on a series of elevated steel structures, including a 40-metre cantilevered bridge offering mesmerising views of the creek and rainforest 30 metres below.
Expect the elevated nature walk to take a leisurely 45 minutes to complete, but enjoy the serenity a little longer with a coffee or snack at the cafe or perusing the gift store at the Eco Centre.
- Tickets are $19.50 for adults and $9.50 for kids.
Skydive and Soar
If you’re up for some serious thrills, and the thought of jumping out of a plane doesn’t scare you, take to the skies with Gold Coast Skydive for one of the most exhilarating moments of your life... which may flash before your eyes as you take the leap.
You’ll depart from the Gold Coast’s southern end, and when you reach 10,000 feet, fling yourself out of the plane for a brief but adrenaline-fuelled free-fall, before deploying your parachute. It’s on the gentle glide down where you will revel in spectacular views stretching from Surfers Paradise, to Stradbroke Island to the north and the southern Gold Coast in the south before landing on the warm golden sands at Kirra Beach.
- Prices start from $425.
Climb More Trees By the Sea
One of the Gold Coast’s closest pockets of bush to the sea is not just home to eucalyptus munching koalas and a menagerie of wildlife - Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is the ideal place for you to hang out in the treetops too. With 100 different activities to master and 14 sizzling ziplines to ride, you could find yourself whizzing over crocodiles, dingoes and Tasmanian devils at Treetop Challenge Currumbin. Take your time moving through the course - it should take around 3.5 hours to complete (although you can tap out at any time if you get tired). And while children as young as 8 years are welcome, some height restrictions apply on some courses, so it’s a good idea for an adult to climb beside kids.
- Ticket prices include entry to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (bonus) and are $90 for an adult, $80 for a child and a family pass is $310 for 2 adults and 2 kids.
If you're a thrill seeker looking for some fun on holiday, Strap in For an Action-Packed Gold Coast Adventure.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Destination Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.