The Gold Coast is famous for its alfresco lifestyle and incredible location, so it's no surprise that outdoor activities are our speciality. Whether you want to explore ancient rainforests, sparkling waterways or a unique dive site, see the city from above, or from the back of a Harley Davidson, you can do it here.
Choose your own adventure and strap in for some adrenaline-fuelled fun, unexpected experiences and a fresh perspective on the Gold Coast.
Jet Ski Safaris
If you’re looking for an adrenaline charged tour of the Gold Coast then this is it. Feel the freedom, fun and thrill and you speed around the waterways with Jet Ski Safaris, splashing past scenic islands, beaches, sandbars and through mangroves. It’s an exhilarating way to explore the city with the wind in your hair, spray in your face and a grin a mile wide.
First time on a jet ski? No problem, there’s zero experience required. With a comprehensive safety briefing and instruction video, the fun and friendly staff will have you riding with confidence and ensure you feel safe the entire time. It’s a family-friendly tour too as kids can ride passenger behind a parent (and they’ll LOVE it!). There’s a range of tours available from a 30-minute hot lap to a 2.5 hour jet ski ride across the Broadwater to South Stradbroke where you stop for a meal at the island’s waterfront cafe before whizzing your way across the waterways back to dry land. (Image: Tourism Australia)
Location: 70 Sea World Dr, Main Beach
Wildfire Tours
If you’re part of the population who has never been on a motorbike, it’s time to change that ASAP. Hop on the back of a bike with Wildfire Tours or Qld Harley Tours to experience the unique feeling of freedom as your powerful Harley Davidson sweeps down a winding Hinterland road (or the beachside boulevards of the coastline if you’d prefer).
While you’ll absolutely feel a thrill, you won’t feel any fear, because the experienced, accredited and friendly riders who double as your Harley chauffeur and tour guide, will ensure you feel safe and secure. A tour up to Mount Tamborine tour takes you up winding roads through thick rainforest to the top of the mountain range where you’ll enjoy majestic views of South East Queensland's plains to the coast and distant city skyline.
Location: 10 Lido Promenade, Robina
Coomera Houseboat
Be the captain of your own adventure and create an unforgettable holiday aboard a houseboat. It gives you the ultimate freedom to explore the stunning waterways, islands, and estuaries in comfort and convenience and you’ll have water views wherever you decide to drop anchor for the night.
Coomera Houseboats have the largest and most luxurious self-drive houseboat fleet in Queensland. Boating experience isn’t necessary - you’ll get a comprehensive safety briefing and training session before you set sail and help is on hand anytime you need it. The fleet of 14 houseboats sleep between 8 - 12 people and come with showers, toilets, a kitchen and all the mod cons you need for an easy holiday.
Spend a few days on the water and go with the flow. You can visit beautiful beaches that are only accessible by boat, fish from the back deck and eat your catch for lunch, or enjoy the sunset and a glass of bubbles from your hot tub on the top deck. There’s always news adventures to be had and hidden gems to discover as you navigate the picturesque waterways and chart your own course through the stunning Gold Coast. (Image: Tourism Events Queensland)
Location: 84 Shipper Dr, Coomera
Wonder Reef
This is a dive with a difference – completely unlike anything else on offer in the underwater world. Openings, ledges and swim throughs create an aquatic playground to explore. Pause on the landing platform for a photo and to appreciate a new perspective on this incredible spectacle. Initially planted with coral, Wonder Reef is an ever-evolving ecosystem inhabited by dozens of marine species.
Divers can explore the reef, observing the coral and sea creatures at depths of 8, 18 and 30 metres to suit every level of diver. Divers with their own boat and equipment can dive independently or you can join a tour with Gold Coast Dive Adventures.
Location: Dive tours depart from Runaway Bay Marina, 247 Bayview St, Hollywell
Gold Coast Helitours
This city is truly spectacular from above and a helicopter flight is one of the best ways to get a birds eye view. Gold Coast Helitours offer a range of airborne experiences from a 5-minute joy ride to an island picnic experience, where you’ll land on a secluded island to enjoy a sumptuous spread on a deserted beach. Now that's living!
Whatever kind of flight you choose, the experience and the exhilaration will stay with you long after you’ve come back down to earth. Sweeping over the iconic coastline crowned with highrises, winding waterways and rolling green ridges of Hinterland, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is now the only way you want to travel. Heli restaurant and winery transfers are also available - arrive in style to a long lunch at Beechmont Estate or Sirromet Winery, before being choppered back to Broadbeach.
Southern Cross Tours
You shouldn’t visit this region of the world without taking some time to explore the magical Gold Coast Hinterland. Encompassing Beechmont, Mount Tamborine, Canungra, Springbrook and Binna Burra as well as Lamington and Springbrook National Parks, it’s a nature lover’s playground. Perched on the southern edge of the Scenic Rim, the Hinterland is a UNESCO-listed-listed wonderland and Gondwana Rainforest, famous for its ancient trees, stunning waterfalls, dramatic cliffs, majestic mountains and panoramic views down to the distant coastline.
Explore it all with Southern Cross Tours on their half day Springbrook tour. You’ll visit numerous natural wonders and waterfalls, spot native birds and wildlife and learn about the history, culture and stories of the townships and regions you pass through. Aboard a comfortable luxury bus, this small-group tour (16 people max) gives you the chance to explore the Hinterland thoroughly, with plenty of time to enjoy the vistas, soak up the scenery and capture some photos of your experience. (Pick up available from selected locations). Image: Tourism Events Queensland.
Location: Circle on Cavill, Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
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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.