The Gold Coast is more than high-rises and Surfers Paradise. A shortlist that mixes coast and hinterland: the Superbank point break at Snapper Rocks, the Burleigh Heads headland walk, glow worms and waterfalls in Springbrook National Park, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, and the theme-park cluster — Movie World, Dreamworld, Sea World — sorted so you're not zig-zagging the highway.
Our take
Do the theme parks and the hinterland on separate days — Movie World and Dreamworld sit inland to the northwest, while Springbrook and Natural Bridge's glow-worm cave are an hour south, and trying to combine them burns the day in the car. Time the coast for early: Burleigh's headland walk and Snapper Rocks are best at sunrise, before the crowds and the onshore wind pick up.
