Brisbane beaches

An insider's guide to the best beaches in Brisbane and Queensland, including the top spots for surfing and spectacular scenery, as well as how to visit and what to do at Surfer's Paradise, Whitehaven Beach, Four Mile Beach and Greenmount Beach. By Lee Mylne, Telegraph Travel's Brisbane expert.

Beaches in Brisbane

Coolangatta Beach 

Backed by high-rise holiday apartments and the Coolangatta shopping strip, this beach has a large grassy foreshore with picnic areas and play equipment. The beach is safe for swimming, with usually low surf - but I'd still advise staying between the lifesaving flags because there are rip currents and troughs in the sand to contend with. A rock groyne marks one end of the beach and Greenmount Hill the other, and surfers like the easy waves here.  It’s also a good spot for fishing, both from the beach and off the rocks.

Address: Marine Parade, Coolangatta 4225
Contact: coolangatta.net
Getting there: bus to Coolangatta (760)

Noosa Main Beach 

Noosa Heads is one of Australia's favourite holiday destinations, and gets very crowded in summer and holiday periods. Main Beach runs in a crescent, with the Noosa National Park at one end and the Noosa River mouth at the other. Years of erosion problems have (hopefully) been solved by the erection of a rock groyne and a seawall, with surf lifesaving stations at each end of the beach. The Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club overlooks the beach near the end of trendy Hastings Street. Lovely as the beach is in summer, my favourite time to come here is winter, when the crowds have gone but the sand still beckons.

Address: Hastings Street, Noosa Heads 4567
Contact: visitnoosa.com.au
Getting there: train from Brisbane Central to Nambour, then bus 631 to Noosa Heads

Streets Beach South Bank 

An inland city built largely around its river, Brisbane took matters into its own hands in 1992 and created an inner-city lagoon, complete with white sandy beach and palm trees. Streets Beach is popular with families, but there are rocky creeks that meander away to quieter parts, where I like to get away from the crowds. It’s patrolled by lifeguards year round, but the hours change seasonally. The water is recycled chlorinated fresh water, so there’s no salt in the air, but it’s a good place for a refreshing dip.

Address: Clem Jones Promenade, South Brisbane 4101
Getting there: CityCat to South Bank or bus (multiple services)

Surfers Paradise Beach 

The heart of the 42km unbroken stretch of beaches that makes up the Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise beach is often packed. Pick your time to go there (early or late), but don’t worry about finding a spot on the sand because the beach is vast - the “Surfers” strip alone is 2km long! The first lifeguards started patrolling here in the early 1920s - and they're much needed, as there are rips to be wary of, especially for tourists unused to surf beaches. This is the most developed, touristy part of the coast, but I still love walking the boardwalk here.

Address: The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise 4217
Contact: surfersparadise.com
Getting there: bus to Surfers Paradise (multiple services)

Kurrawa Beach 

Get the sand between your toes or sit on the veranda of the Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club - just steps from the beach - to enjoy wide sandy Kurrawa Beach. A memorial boardwalk fronts the surf club, which sits on the edge of a park dotted with casuarina trees and towering Norfolk pines. There are barbecues and picnic shelters too. I like the “Green, Gold and Blue” sculpture on the foreshore that is a tribute to the families who flock to Kurrawa, and the fact that a visit here shows it’s popular with all ages.

Address: Old Burleigh Rd, Broadbeach 4218
Contact: gold-coast-beaches.com.au
Getting there: bus to Broadbeach (703, 706, 707, 760)

Burleigh Heads 

Burleigh is part of the Gold Coast Point Breaks National Surfing Reserve and is a great place for people-watching. I like to walk to the top of Burleigh Hill and watch the surfers in action. Burleigh Heads is one of Australia's top point breaks, and the challenging waves here have seen the development of advances in surfboard design and of the careers of some of Australia’s top surfers. Burleigh Heads/Mowbray Park Surf Life Saving Club is at the bottom of the hill, and has dressing sheds and a kiosk. There’s a pool on the rocks just south of the clubhouse and a walking track into Burleigh Heads National Park.

Address: The Esplanade, Burleigh Heads 4220
Contact: burleigh.com.au 
Getting there: bus to Burleigh Heads (703, 706, 707, 760)

 

Currumbin Beach 

The Currumbin Surf Club sits right beside the landmark Elephant Rock at the water’s edge. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest on the Gold Coast.  Currumbin is off the main highway - less than 1km - but is worth the detour. My favourite time to come here is in September for the annual Swell Sculpture Festival, held along the Oceanway between Currumbin Creek and Elephant Rock, and on the beach and dunes. The beach has strong rips near the rocks, so the safest place to swim is at the patrolled southern end. It’s also good for surfing, fishing and windsurfing.

Address: Pacific Parade, Currumbin 4223
Getting there: bus to Currumbin (760)

Greenmount Beach 

Greenmount Beach extends from a broad sweep of sand around a rocky point to the smaller Rainbow Bay and the spectacular surf action of Snapper Rocks. This is perhaps my favourite Gold Coast beach; it is easy to spend hours here, watching the surf hit the rocky headland and the surfers tackling the waves. The Tweed Heads & Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club - established in 1911 and the oldest in Queensland - is at one end of the beach near Greenmount Hill. Snapper Rocks is a great place to watch the sunrise but provides spectacular scenery at any time of day.

Address: Musgrave St, Coolangatta 4225
Getting there: bus to Coolangatta (760)

Beaches in Queensland 

Whitehaven Beach

Dazzling Whitehaven Beach is one of Australia’s most photographed beaches, famous for its powder-fine pure white silica sand - wear your sunglasses! The only way to get there is by boat or seaplane- but it’s worth the effort in my opinion. Day trips leave Airlie Beach regularly. Whitsunday Island is uninhabited but you definitely won’t be alone here (unless you are camping)! The beach is 6km long and there are no facilities, so bring everything you need.

Address: Whitsunday Island 4802
Contact: tourismwhitsundays.com
Getting there: day tours depart from Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach

Mission Beach

Popular - but rarely crowded because of its distance from the Bruce Highway (16km) and its length (10km) - Mission Beach is great for swimming and surfing. Last time I was there, I found myself almost alone under the palm trees that line the foreshore. Start at Clump Point and wander south, looking out to Dunk Island. This is Mission Beach proper; after about 2km it becomes Wongaling Beach, home to the Mission Beach Surf Life Saving Club. The southern part is called South Mission Beach. The best places to swim are in the stinger enclosures at Mission Beach and South Mission Beach or at patrolled Wongaling.

Address: Marine Parade, Mission Beach 4852
Contact: missionbeachtourism.com
Getting there: greyhound bus service from Cairns

Four Mile Beach

Four Mile Beach at Port Douglas is one of Queensland’s most popular beaches - which means it can get crowded. Three resorts back the beach, which runs for 4km (despite its name). The northern end of the beach, just 1km from the town centre, is the most accessible and is home to the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club, which patrols the beach and maintainsthe net enclosure that keeps out marine stingers in summer. Always swim between the flags. For a bit of peace and tranquillity, I recommend a walk along the sand flats or stretch your legs with a hike up the stairs to the lookout.

Address: Mowbray Street, Port Douglas 4877
Contact: qldbeaches.com
Getting there: No public transport; from within Port Douglas, walk or take a taxi

Palm Cove

Towering palm trees line the esplanade at this pretty strip of beach about 30 minutes' drive north of Cairns (which has no beaches of its own). The Cairns Surf Life Saving Club, founded in 1924, is on the beachfront and there’s a boat ramp and fishing jetty here too. Palm Cove is about 1km off the Captain Cook Highway and is a popular but laid-back tourist spot with restaurants, resorts and shops lining the street across from the beach. I always swim in the net enclosures (essential during the summer “stinger season”) or at the patrolled area of beach.

Address: Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove 4879
Contact: tourismpalmcove.com
Getting there: bus from Cairns (1N, 1X, 2, 2A)

Trinity Beach

Trinity Beach is a popular, well-developed beach about 15km north of Cairns and 2km off the Captain Cook Highway. About half of the 1.5km long stretch of sand is backed by shops and restaurants, but it’s easy to walk a bit further for a more natural setting. The beach is bounded by two high headlands and is lined with palm trees, picnic tables and free barbecues. There’s little surf here, so it’s a nice calm spot to swim. Lifeguards patrol the middle of the beach, where there’s also an enclosure to keep marine stingers out in summer.

Address: Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach 4879
Contact: trinitybeach.com.au
Getting there: bus from Cairns (1N, 1X, 2, 2A)

75 Mile Beach

Fraser Island’s magnificent stretch of wild ocean beach is also a gazetted highway on which 4WD-ers cruise, while fishermen cast their lines and campers huddle in the dunes. This “road” – for 4WD vehicles only – leads to some of the island’s highlights, including the SS Maheno shipwreck, cast onto the beach in 1935, and the coloured sand and rock formations of The Pinnacles and Red Canyon. Stop for a dip in the freshwater Eli Creek or at Champagne Pools at the northern end of the beach. But always be aware of the tide times in order to get safely off the beach in time.

Address: 75 Mile Beach, Fraser Island 4655
Contact: nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/fraser
Getting there: no public transport: drive or take a tour bus

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