📍When Is The Best Time To Visit The Gold Coast? From A Local. (2024.)

WANT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE BEST TIME TO VISIT THE GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA?

The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s most prolific cities. With beautiful skyscrapers backing up onto endless beachfront real estate, a stunning hinterland and plenty of things to do for people of every taste, the seaside destination is one of the country’s bucket list places to visit.

But when is the best time to visit the Gold Coast? As someone who lives reasonably close to the stunning city and has for most of their life and still goes there regularly, I can tell you that with a warm climate boasting over 300 days of sunshine per annum and mild winters, the quick and easy answer is that the city is fantastic to visit any time of the year to undertake a wide variety of activities.

But with numerous factors to consider, such as temperature, weather, events and school and national holidays, to name a few, here’s an in-depth look at how, from years of visiting the renowned coast city, I settled on October as the sweet spot for visiting the Gold Coast.

Summer.
December-February.

Summer is hot. Very hot. The Gold Coast’s weather in December, January and February often peaks at around 35 degrees Celsius. Heatwaves exceeding these temperatures aren’t uncommon.

Even without the extreme conditions, people often find it too much, especially if they come from cooler climates. I’ve lived in these conditions my whole life, and I still struggle with these temperatures.

And the hot weather frequently comes with humidity, which makes being outdoors in a city where many of the best activities are outside even more unpleasant. However, it also often results in incredible lightning storms rolling through in the afternoon and the warmth from the day extending long into the night, making it excellent for exploring the city after dark.

Another plus side of the weather is that it’s fantastic for splashing around in the water. And in a city centred around the beach with plenty more wild swimming holes hiding in the hinterland and two fun waterparks, there’s nothing better than cooling off at one of these places on a hot summer’s day.

Ultimately, I don’t recommend visiting in the summer because of the extreme heat, but if you decide it is the best time to travel to the Gold Coast, be EXTRA vigilant about applying and reapplying SPF50+ sunscreen whenever you are outside because, without it, it doesn’t take long before your skin starts burning.

Autumn.
March-May.

During Autumn, the temperature begins dropping, and the atmospheric conditions become more stable, meaning there are fewer formations of severe storms.

The weather at the start of the season is beautifully warm and ideal for most people to enjoy the extensive list of outdoor thrills and attractions throughout the gorgeous seaside city. It’s also still hot enough to enjoy swimming, visiting the water parks, and partaking in the Gold Coast’s many ocean and river-based activities and exploring Mt Tamborine and Springbrook National Park in the hinterland.

Nights are also still reasonably warm. However, as the season progresses towards winter, the cooler weather becomes more apparent and water-based experiences, in particular, are less pleasant as the temperature decreases. Because of that, weatherwise, I recommend early Autumn as one of the best times to visit the Gold Coast.

Winter.
June-August.

As winter rolls around and the temperatures reach their minimum, it’s one of the least pleasant times to experience the Gold Coast.

While it’s not radically cold, and many outdoor experiences are still reasonably enjoyable in some rugged-up clothing like hiking in Springbrook and discovering its breathtaking waterfalls, others, such as swimming, aren’t particularly inviting. And when much of the city’s appeal is in its waterways, it’s somewhat of a dampener to have less-than-ideal temperatures to enjoy those activities.

However, those from cool climates may find it delightful, and surfers never seem to mind the cold water. But overall, it’s not the best time to travel the Gold Coast unless it’s majestic whales you want to see! (more on that below.)

Spring.
September-November.

After the colder months of winter make way for Spring and the temperatures begin to rise again, the climate becomes much more pleasant for a Gold Coast holiday. Early in the season, beautiful flowers begin blossoming, and baby animals are being born left, right and centre! It’s adorable to see.

It also, unfortunately, typically earmarks the start of the dreaded swooping season when the ordinarily sweet and harmless magpies turn into avian missiles that fearlessly scare and sometimes attack humans while protecting their newborns. You don’t even need to provoke them. If they feel you’re too close to their nest, they will relentlessly swoop until they deem you’re far away enough from their babies. And sometimes they will beak you too, so be wary when outdoors, especially near trees.

Thankfully, that typically only happens throughout September and early October (although I have been swooped as late as December by a rogue magpie, although that was while visiting Bargara, not the Gold Coast as thankfully this is less likely to occur in a city as big as this and much more likely in the countryside and residential areas.) By this stage, the weather has warmed enough that swimming and getting wet from water-based activities at the beaches or the rivers and waterways such as Tallebudgera Creek is much more enjoyable

Around this time, it’s also when my favourite weather even starts happening and the electrical storms begin showing up and lighting the skies with a magnificent lightning show that often starts in the late afternoon and sometimes goes long into the evening. However, as awesome as they are to watch, they can be quite devastating as the city often seems to cop the brunt of them more than anywhere else in South East Queensland.

Because of the lovely temperatures and exciting nature displays, mid-October, after most of the magpies have stopped swooping, to mid-November, before Schoolies starts (more on that below), is seasonally speaking, what I consider to be the best time to visit the Gold Coast.

When figuring out the best time to go to the Gold Coast is, one thing not to overlook is holidays and events because they may impact your trip in various ways. That can include but isn’t limited to increased accommodation prices, less activity availability, locations getting more crowded, and roads being more congested.

So unless you can only travel to the Gold Coast during a particular timeframe or are coming specifically for an event, here are the top occasions to avoid.

➡️ School Holidays.

When the school holidays are on, that is the number one time to avoid, as the Gold Coast receives a massive influx of families looking to make some fun new memories. Queensland has four periods where kids can enjoy an extended break from their school work.

The longest is the summer break which extends from December to January and incorporates Christmas and New Year. The starting date varies depending on whether the kids are in primary or high school and lasts, on average, six weeks long and usually concludes after Australia Day or the Australia Day long weekend.

Easter constitutes the following holiday block, also less commonly known as the Autumn break and depending on when the religious occasion is, the remaining days of the school holidays either start or end with the Easter long weekend. They are also the shortest of the school holidays at just ten days long.

In the middle of the year is the winter holidays. They span across two weeks and three weekends and straddle the months of June and July.

Lastly is the September holidays or spring break. Like the winter holidays, it also takes place over two weeks and three weekends and typically commences during the second half of September and concludes in September.

➡️ Public Holidays.

There are also numerous annual public holidays to consider when planning a trip to the Gold Coast. The most notable are Christmas (25 December), Good Friday, Easter Sunday (both change yearly) and Anzac Day (25 April).

While Christmas and Easter have many magical events celebrating Jesus‘ birth and paying tribute to his death leading up to the day, and Anzac Day has poignant ceremonies held all across Australia and New Zealand to commemorate all those who served in the armed forces, many attractions and tour operators do not open or operate on these significant holidays. However, with Anzac Day, it’s often only half a day where they don’t conduct their typical activities.

There’s also New Year’s Day (1 January), Australia Day (26 January), Labour Day (1 May), the King’s Birthday (2 October) and Boxing Day (26 December). On all these holidays, some businesses remain open but may operate on reduced hours or have surcharges, particularly restaurants.

➡️ Annual Events.

The Gold Coast host many annual events, but only a few of them would affect holidaymakers who aren’t visiting the city for that reason.

The one that causes the most disruption is the Gold Coast 600, a massive and exhilarating 3-day racing event during October where professional drivers from all across the globe tear through the streets of Surfers Paradise!

It’s an exciting event, but for those uninterested in seeing the action-packed races, getting to Surfers and the surrounding suburbs is challenging, especially by car, as numerous streets get utilised for racetracks and become inaccessible for regular road users during this event, while in the weeks leading up to it also provides some difficulty going the typical route to places.

Another annual event to avoid is Schoolies. Towards the end of the year, seniors who just graduated high school descend on the Gold Coast to celebrate the end of their schooling, typically in the second half of November.

Surfers Paradise even has a section of its famous beach directly in front of Cavill Mall cordoned off for them to party on the beach within relative safety. But that’s not the only area they adhere to. They spread out all across the city but are mainly in Surfers, Broadbeach and Burleigh, making an already very touristy area even more so.

➡️ Whale Watching.

The Gold Coast has an exhaustive list of incredible attractions, from beautiful beaches, rivers and rainforests to putt-putt, cabaret shows, aerobatic flights, and much more! And they’re available to see and do year-round. But one of the city’s must-do activities and one of my favourite wildlife experiences only happens for a few months a year, typically between May and October: whale watching.

The waters along the east coast of Australia are known as Humpback Highway. Every year, between June and October, these majestic giants of the sea make their way up the coastline to breed and give birth to the next generation before heading back down as the Southern Ocean warms back up again. The lookouts along the coast are a great way to see them from the mainland, but the best way to see them is on a dedicated whale-watching cruise.

Plenty of tour operators, such as Whales In Paradise take people into the ocean off the Gold Coast to see these magnificent beasts up close. Incredibly close! It’s a magical experience that all members of the family can enjoy. Cooly Eco Adventures even lets you snorkel alongside them!

The problem is they come up during winter when it is the least pleasant time to see the city and out on the ocean, you really need to dress warmer than you would on a wet windy day on the mainland!

However, by the time they start heading south again, the weather starts becoming more favourable, and baby whales start appearing alongside their mothers, making the end of the whale-watching season the best time to travel to the Gold Coast if you want to enjoy everything this beautiful city has to offer.

➡️ Water Parks.

The Gold Coast is home to two big waterparks, Wet ‘n’ Wild and White Water World.

While Wet ‘n’ Wild is open year-round, White Water World is only a seasonal park that is available to visit during the warmer months, so you will need to contact them if you want to plan a trip to the city during the transitionary months changing from warm to cool days and vice-versa, as I tried when they weren’t showing dates that far in advanced on their website.

Month.	Weather.	School Holidays.	Public Holidays.	Annual Events.	Whales.
January.	Very hot & humid. Frequent storms.	Most of the month.	New Year’s Day. Australia Day.	Australia Day. (Typically on the date or weekend before)	No.
February.	The hottest month. Frequent storms.	No	–		No.
March.	Hot but a lot more pleasant. (Second half is ideal for me.)	Dependant on Easter Weekend.	Sometimes Easter.		No.
April.	Still a nice temperature for swimming.	Dependant on Easter Weekend.	Sometimes Easter. Anzac Day.	Anzac Day Ceremonies. (24 April)	No.
May.	Starting to get cold.	No.	–	–	Maybe.
June.	Cold.	Late June- Early July	–	–	Yes.
July.	Coldest.	Late June – Early July.	–	–	Yes.
August.	Cold.	No.	–	–	Yes.
September.	Warming up. Watch out for magpies!	The second half of September.	–	–	Yes.
October.	Nice temperature. Occasional storms	Sometimes at the beginning.	Kings Birthday.	Gold Coast 500. (Varies)	Yes.
November.	Nice temperature. More frequent storms.	No.	–	Schoolies. (Late Nov.)	Possibly, but don’t hedge your bets on it.
December.	Hot. Frequent storms.	Most of the month.	Christmas Day. Boxing Day.	–	No.

Accommodation: Where To Stay On The Gold Coast.

• Best Budget Hotel: Woodroffe Hotel. Review.
• Best Mid-Range Hotel: Novotel Surfers Paradise. Review.
• Best Luxury Hotel: Sofitel Broadbeach. Review.

Considering all the factors that go into having a quintessential holiday in Australia’s premiere beachside destination, the best time to visit the Gold Coast is early-mid October.

That is because the climate is hot enough to enjoy the extensive list of exciting outdoor activities during the day, including swimming and still warm enough to explore the city comfortably at night. Additionally, aren’t any holidays or prolific events happening for most of the month, and whale-watching tours are still available.

If you plan to visit the Gold Coast, consider looking at these other posts.