Our natural environment

Our natural environment The Gold Coast offers a huge range of active and passive ways to enjoy our beautiful environment. From our stunning coastal strip to our bush-clad hinterland and parks, there are many options to explore and discover the natural side of our city. Altogether, the City of Gold Coast boasts some 29,000 hectares of parkland and natural areas including more than 1000 hectares of wetland reserves and waterways corridors, hosting a diversity of wildlife and providing a wealth of peaceful places to discover nature. Beaches and walks Gold Coast beach at sunrise The Gold Coast is known world-wide for its 52 kilometres of beautiful surf beaches – from South Stradbroke Island and the Spit in the north to Kirra and Snapper Rocks in the south. Along this stretch are 40 patrolled beaches to ensure your safety. Our beaches and coastal waterways are used for a range of recreational activities – from surfing, stand up paddle boarding and kite surfing to swimming, walking and fishing. There are lots of opportunities to discover the coastline on foot or by bike, using our many foreshore walks and bikeways, including the 36-kilometre Gold Coast Oceanway network from the Gold Coast Seaway (The Spit) to Point Danger in Coolangatta. See our links to coastal leisure and recreation activities below. Parks and waterways Stand up paddle boarding at Burleigh Heads With over 3800 parks and reserves across the Gold Coast, there are many hidden treasures just wai