📍6 Top Reasons Winter On The Gold Coast Is A Fantastic Time To Visit Australia’s Premier Coastal City. (From A Longtime Local.)
WONDERING WHETHER WINTER ON THE GOLD COAST IS A GOOD TIME TO VISIT?
The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s most renowned destinations. Famous for its long golden beaches, world-class attractions and breathtaking hinterland escapes, the icing on the cake to all of that is that it also boasts warm weather and an average of over 300 days of sunshine, making this spectacular coastal playground the perfect mix of city-meets-nature.
But what about when winter rolls around, you ask? Well, while the Gold Coast may be a premier summer seaside destination, the fun doesn’t stop there just because its temperature has gone down a few degrees in the middle of the year, thanks to it being a fantastic year-round destination. So, along with being able to enjoy many of the region’s best attractions and experiences, there are a few more excellent reasons and exclusive seasonal experiences that make visiting this beloved city in the middle of the year a good idea.
👉 My top 3 reasons to visit the Gold Coast in winter:
- The humpback whales are in town!
- The off-peak season means it’s more affordable to visit and less busy.
- The mild weather doesn’t make you melt like summer and spring.
Best Reasons To Visit The Gold Coast In Winter.
1. It’s Whale Watching Season!!!
I don’t even really need to write anything more about this because the heading pretty much says it all. Whale watching is the number one reason that reigns supreme for why you should visit the Gold Coast in winter because no matter what the season is, it truly doesn’t get any better than seeing these majestic wild beasts up close. So go on, book your trip already. The whales will be waiting for you!
Okay, okay, I won’t leave you suspended in disbelief like that. 😆 But the humpback whales are an incredibly special part of what makes the Gold Coast one of Australia’s elite destinations and drawcard powerhouse.
However, they only arrive in the waters of the illustrious city in the cooler months of the calendar year for their annual migration up and down the continent’s east coast. Therefore, many people who come during the Christmas and Easter school holidays and for the spring and summer heat miss out on the incredibly magical encounters you can have with these majestic giants of the deep.
There are three ways to go about seeing these enormous marine animals and their awe-inspiring surface-breaking behaviours such as spy hopping, tail slapping, or most impressively, breaching, where they launch their entire bodies out of the water before landing back in it with a huge splashdown.
One is observing them from the mainland from one of the city’s many lookouts by the seaside. The second is with an incredible half-day cruise out into the open ocean, where these creatures are famous for their curious natures and willingness to come extraordinarily close to the boat, giving you an up-close encounter that you won’t soon forget.
And if you didn’t think it could get any better than that, it most extraordinarily does. That’s because the third option involves putting on a snorkel and actually getting into the ocean and encountering them face to face in their sub-aquatic world, giving you the most serene, immersive and humbly unforgettable experience with these docile giants of the deep that you can get. So lovers of the natural world, you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!
And if you time it right, you can see freshly-birthed baby whales in the latter half of the season. So, seriously, start booking! 😃
2. Off-Peak Season.
Another great reason winter on the Gold Coast is a fantastic time to visit is because it’s off-peak season. Accommodation and flights, being the two big travel expenses, are generally cheaper for this time of year, giving you much more bang for your buck, so you can save more money or stay longer and holiday harder.
Places are typically less busy and crowded, allowing you to relax and appreciate the ambience more, especially at the theme parks. Attractions and tours are also less likely to be fully booked, allowing you more flexibility to do things off the cuff and in the spur of the moment
Note: This does not include the winter Queensland school holidays and New South Wales school holidays.
3. Mild Weather.
Climatically, Australia is known for being sweltering hot, with the Gold Coast being no exception. The summer days are often in the mid-to-high 30s (degrees Celsius), and the humidity makes your armpits and face turn into faucets. Even little to no activity in the shade can make you turn into a can of condensation. It’s not pretty, and it doesn’t get any better even if you’ve dealt with it for a long time like I have, so it’s worse for those who aren’t acclimatised to it.
On the flip side, it means that the winters are much milder than many other places in the country, which is why if you’re from the south where the season is much colder, it’s a great place to visit so you can have some reprieve from slowly freezing to death down there thanks to the average daytime temperatures ranging between 12.5 and 21.5 degrees.
It might also be pleasant for people from cooler parts of the world as it’ll be like autumn, spring or even summer. And if that’s a climate you’re used to, then swimming and aquatic activities might not be such a shock to the system if you enjoy them “refreshing”, especially at the start and end of the season. This allows you to get the full Gold Coast experience for less with the aforementioned off-peak period, giving you more freedom and leeway to enjoy the offerings, such as
Hiking and other strenuous outdoor activities are also great ways to spend winter in the region, which is a great way to warm up and experience the scenery of places like Springbrook and Lamington National Park and Mt Tamborine without being overcome with heat exhaustion.
4. Sitting Around The Fire.
Nothing says winter like settling down with a blanket next to a warm fire, especially when you’re in the middle of the forest. And the Gold Coast has some fantastic ones.
Between Mt Tamborine, Springbrook and Lamington National Park, several beautiful accommodations have in-room fireplaces, such as The Polish Place, Mouses House Rainforest Retreat, Binna Burra Sky Lodges and O’reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, with many more that have shared ones perfect for warm, tender snuggles after spending the day hiking the spectacular trails.
5. Pacific Airshow.
Revving up the atmosphere and enticing people to visit the Gold Coast in winter are the festivals and events that are on showcase during these cooler months.
One of the best and newest additions to the lineup on the Pacific Airshow (August), an intense, high-octane extravaganza of non-stop aircraft and aerial action. From the exhilarating, aerobatic performances of nimble planes performed by high-profile Red Bull stunt pilots to the solo flybys of military powerhouses and unique mechanical birds to the mesmerising formations and smoke trails of piloting communities, plus skydiving and helicopter, it is a phenomenal showcase of everything these marvels of engineering are capable of.
And with a tagline like “redefining the Airshow Experience”, this is one event rev-heads and adrenaline-junkies won’t want to miss!
6. Clear Nights & Foggy Mornings.
If you’re photographically inclined and just love gazing upon the universe, that’s another great reason wintertime on the Gold Coast is an optimal time to visit. That’s because the season is known for having clear nights, meaning the opportunities for capturing the night sky are excellent across much of the region.
And if you’re in the plains or valleys or up in the mountains at the lookouts where the air is often moist, having evaporated from the overnight frost or rainforest foliage, it’s also great for capturing the mist and fog that settles over the landscapes. Although, sometimes there’s too much of it and its just a white-out like at the Best Of All Lookout, which I’ve been to several times and have never seen the view at sunrise!
Conclusion: Reasons Winter On The Gold Coast Is A Great Time To Visit.
With winter on the Gold Coast being milder than the southern parts of Australia and not too hot for overseas tourists from cold countries, plus being cheaper to travel to thanks to it being the off-peak, it’s a great time to visit the illustrious coastal city. Then to add the icing on the cake, it also has some unforgettable experiences and attractions that are only available, or best done during the middle of the year, such as the adrenaline-pumping Pacific Airshow and magical humpback whale encounters.
If you are planning to visit the Gold Coast, consider looking at these other posts.
