Things to Do in Miami, Gold Coast

Things to Do in Miami, Gold Coast

The beach, first

Miami Beach is the reason the suburb exists. It is patrolled through the season, it faces straight into the same swell as Burleigh without the crowd that comes with the Burleigh name, and it is a two-minute walk from the front of the motel. Mornings are the pick: the sand is empty until about eight, and the light off the water at that hour is the reason half the Gold Coast gets up early.

If you are swimming with small children, locals go to Tallebudgera Creek at the southern end of Burleigh, about ten minutes south. It is flat, shallow and sheltered. North Burleigh and Mermaid Beach are the next two beaches either side if Miami is busy, which it rarely is.

Miami Marketta

Five minutes on foot from the motel, in a warehouse off the highway. Street food from a rotating set of vendors, a bar, and live music most weekend nights. It is the single most reliable good night out in the suburb and it does not require a car, a booking or a plan. Check their schedule before you come, because the trading nights change with the season.

Where to eat and drink

The Nobby Beach strip is a six-minute walk north and is the densest run of good food near here: coffee in the morning, small bars in the evening, and a handful of restaurants that would be booked out a month ahead if they were in a capital city.

Padre Brewing Co and the newer venues along the highway have pushed Miami’s own strip up considerably in the last two years. Burleigh, five minutes south, has the bigger names and the bigger waits. If you want to eat well without booking, stay north of the headland.

The Burleigh headland walk

The best free hour on the southern Gold Coast. Park at Burleigh Heads, take the Oceanview track through the pandanus, and come out above Tallebudgera. It is easy walking, it takes about forty minutes at a stroll, and between June and October you will very likely see whales from the lookout. Go early and get breakfast in Burleigh afterwards.

Parks, sport and rainy days

• Pizzey Park: four minutes away. Playing fields, an aquatic centre, tennis, skate park and a good playground. This is where the suburb goes on a Saturday.
• Mermaid Waters and the surrounding canals: flat, quiet cycling and running.
• Pacific Fair at Broadbeach: eight minutes north, and the default wet-weather option. The Star Gold Coast is next door if you want a casino and a late dinner.
• Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: about fifteen minutes south, and the one animal attraction locals actually recommend.

Day trips worth the drive

Springbrook and Natural Bridge are forty-five minutes inland: rainforest, waterfalls, and a glow-worm cave that is worth the night drive. Tamborine Mountain is about an hour. Coolangatta and Rainbow Bay are twenty minutes south and give you the best sheltered swimming on the coast when the swell is up.

When to come

December and January are peak: hot, busy and expensive. September to November and March to May are the sweet spot: warm water, long days and a fraction of the crowd. Winter on the Gold Coast is mild and dry, and it is the cheapest time to get a good room near the water.

Worth pricing around if your dates are flexible: the Magic Millions carnival in January, Blues on Broadbeach in May, and the Gold Coast Marathon in July all fill accommodation across the southern beaches.

Getting here and getting around

Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta is a twenty-minute drive south; Brisbane Airport is about an hour and a half north. The G:link light rail runs from Broadbeach north through Surfers and Southport, and buses run the highway past the front door. For Miami itself you will not need either, because the beach and the food are on foot.