Instagrammable Weekend Getaway Guide To Gold Coast

Last weekend Nick and I escaped the Brisbane heat and headed off to Gold Coast.

We spent both Saturday and Sunday here and got an Airbnb for the night. Gold Coast is my second favorite area in Australia, surpassed only by Melbourne. You just can’t beat that coffee scene! And yes, there are pretty cool things to do in Cairns too.

Being in Gold Coast reminded me so much of home. Maybe that’s why I loved our weekend here so much. Gold Coast is like Orange County only without the crowds. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous! Every corner is insta-worthy! I am lucky enough to have an aunt that lives in Brisbane. She also loves Gold Coast and knows every corner like the back of her hand so she and her boyfriend gave us a tour on Saturday. We drove up and down the coast stopping at every beach to explore. It was a great introduction to the area.

On Sunday Nick and I went back to our favorite towns and explored them on our own. Here is a list of all the insta-worthy places we saw during our weekend in the Gold Coast!

Instagrammable Places In Gold Coast

Saturday

Drive along the coast
To start our journey we spent all of Saturday driving along the coast. We started at the border of Queensland and New South Wales. The beaches are beautiful on this end!

Coolangatta
Our first stop and first beach in Queensland coming from New South Wales. We took some photos here and grabbed some delicious coffee at Cafe D Bar. The views here are incredible!

Currumbin
Stopped here for the best photo-op! Currumbin has a view-point where you can get some awesome photos of Gold Coast. This is also the area were we got an Airbnb!

Tallebudgera Creek

This is a really cool beach spot! What makes this beach special is that it’s where the river meets the sea. The water here is very calm and great for paddle boarding. It’s unique landscape is also very picturesque. We spent a few hours here. I stayed in the water the entire time and forgot to put on sunscreen so I looked like a lobster by the time we left! It also has a cool coffee shop, Paddock, by the beach (pictured above).

California tacos
In Burleigh.
Because Gold Coast made me miss home. We came here for lunch and the food actually tasted like California. I tried the burrito bowl and it was delish with lots of avocado! Unfortunately, I was too excited to eat my bowl that I forgot to take a photo!

The Pitt
This is on the edge of Gold Coast that’s closest to Brisbane. It’s a great place to have a picnic or get a photo of the high-rise buildings that line the coast! The Pitt has a magical glow to it or at least it did a while before sunset.

Surfers paradise
This is the heart of the Gold Coast. When you visit it’s a must you stop here. We ended our first day by walking around Surfers paradise, exploring the shops, and relaxing on the lounge chairs that line the boardwalk. Listening to the waves crash while drinking a chai latte was the perfect end to a beautiful day 🙂

Sunday

Burleigh heads

We had stopped here for lunch the previous day, at California tacos, but didn’t get to explore the area. Burleigh Heads is known for its beautiful beach and for its many trendy cafes and boutiques. For this reason I wanted to explore the area further! We walked all along James st stopping at the following places:

Social Brew – cute bohemian style brunch spot on trendy James St. The place was packed on Sunday when we visited so I suggest you come early! They have some good brunch options, but I will say their coffee & matcha lattes are just ok. Grab brunch, take some photos, and head elsewhere for coffee 🙂

Village
Cute beachy/bohemian home decor store! I’m obsessed with minimalist bohemian home decor and this place was perfect for this. They also sell some cute clothing.

Rhythm

Adorable swimsuits at great prices! Love their minimalist designs and most are only $40 AUD a piece!

Nobby beach

After having brunch and spending a few hours in Burleigh Heads Nick and I headed to Nobby Beach. Nobby Beach is another trendy area, but it’s sleepier than Burleigh. There are still cool cafes and shops to explore though! Here we walked along some shops and headed to the beach. We spent some hours sunbathing and only left because it started to rain. This beach is more wide and open, but the white sand and blue water make it a beautiful escape.

BSKT Cafe

We came here for dinner and to hide out from the rain. This cafe is right by the beach and has all kinds of yummy looking food! We weren’t very hungry so we just got smoothies and they were really good. The place also has some cool murals that can make a good backdrop for a photo 🙂

After BSKT cafe we got an uber to take us to the train station and headed back to Brisbane. Sadly, a storm started so we couldn’t explore more, but we still had an amazing day! Gold Coast is an insta-worthy visit.

Have you been to Gold Coast? What were your favorite areas? Let me know in the comments below!

xx, Karen

Shop the post:

Top: From Bali (similar here)

Shorts: Zara (similar here)

Sandals: From Athens (similar style here)

All photos taken with the Olympus Pen E-PL8.