What to See in Gold Coast, Australia: Free Audio Guide

The Gold Coast is a lively coastal city in Queensland known for its sunny beaches, towering skyline and vibrant atmosphere. It offers a mix of iconic attractions, natural hinterland and cultural venues, making it worth visiting for both relaxation and adventure. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Gold Coast with 9 narrated places you can explore at your own pace.

Top sights to explore

Q1 Tower

The Q1 Tower dominates the Gold Coast skyline at 322.5 metres tall. It is the tallest building in Australia and held the title of the world’s tallest residential building from 2005 to 2011. During Queensland’s 150th‑birthday celebrations the tower was highlighted as one of the state’s iconic symbols.

Australian Outback Spectacular

This lively Australiana show presents native Australian animals, traditional songs and a taste of bush tucker. It gives visitors a direct encounter with elements of outback culture right on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast

Described as a vibrant coastal city, the Gold Coast is Queensland’s second‑largest city and Australia’s sixth‑largest, and it ranks as the nation’s most populous non‑capital city. Its skyline is dominated by high‑rise buildings, including the Q1 Tower in Surfers Paradise, which since 2005 has been the tallest skyscraper in the southern hemisphere. Before the high‑rise era the area was home to the Yugambeh people, and the first European settlement began with the township of Nerang in 1865. Tourism spurred growth from the 1920s, the settlement was declared a city in 1959 and the first high‑rise rose in 1960. The 1980s saw a skyscraper boom driven by the so‑called white‑shoe brigade developers, neon lights and, unfortunately, links with organised crime groups such as the yakuza and the Russian mafia. Later, theme parks diversified the tourism offer and the early 2000s marked the Gold Coast’s emergence as an international hub for film production. Locals are known as Gold Coasters and the city has earned nicknames like the “Glitter Strip” and “Goldy”.

2018 Commonwealth Games

In April 2018 the Gold Coast hosted the XXI Commonwealth Games, also known as Gold Coast 2018. These Games were the fifth time Australia had hosted the event, following editions in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne, and the first to be held under the presidency of Dame Louise Martin of the Commonwealth Games Federation. A notable first was the equal number of events for male and female athletes, a milestone for gender equality in major multi‑sport competitions. More than 4,400 athletes, including 300 para‑athletes, representing 71 Commonwealth Games Associations competed in 18 sports ranging from beach volleyball to para triathlon and women’s rugby sevens. The Gambia, which had left the Commonwealth in 2013, was readmitted on 31 March 2018 and took part, while nations such as Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Dominica celebrated their first ever Commonwealth Games medals.

North Nobby

Just a short distance inland from the coast lies North Nobby, a low rise that forms a small mountain in Queensland. It rises about thirty metres above the surrounding terrain and reaches roughly thirty‑four metres above sea level, covering an area of about 3.8 square kilometres. The sea lies to the northeast and the higher peak of Mount Gannon, some six hundred metres tall, is located about nineteen and a half kilometres to the southwest.

Springbrook National Park

Springbrook National Park protects a sprawling rainforest in the Gold Coast hinterland where ancient Gondwana forests meet rugged mountain ranges. Covering about 6,200 hectares on the McPherson Range, the park lies roughly 100 kilometres south of Brisbane and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Scientists discovered the rare subtropical tree Eucryphia jinksii there, a species found nowhere else. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee expanded the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area to include Springbrook in December 1994, and the area was added to Australia’s National Heritage List in 2007. As part of Queensland’s Q150 celebrations in 2009, Springbrook National Park was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland. The park is divided into four main areas—the Springbrook Plateau, Natural Bridge, Numinbah and Mount Cougal—each offering its own landscapes and numerous walking tracks with many lookout points over the surrounding rainforest.

Gold Coast City Art Gallery

The Gold Coast City Art Gallery opened in 1986 and served the community for three decades before closing its doors in 2018. Its closure made way for a new $60.5 million HOTA gallery that opened in early 2021.

HOTA – Home of the Arts

HOTA is a cultural precinct in Surfers Paradise that brings together live music, theatre, dance, comedy, opera, children’s shows, art and cinema. Set amid parklands and a lake, it offers a relaxed outdoor setting alongside its indoor programmes. Originally opened in 1986 as the Keith Hunt Community Entertainment and Arts Centre, it was later known as The Arts Centre Gold Coast and then the Gold Coast Arts Centre before adopting its current name. The former Gold Coast City Art Gallery closed in 2018 to allow the new HOTA Gallery, which opened in early 2021. Visitors can enjoy performances and exhibitions while strolling through the surrounding parklands.

METRO Church Australia

METRO Church Australia is a Pentecostal church nestled in Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast. Originally registered as Metro Church, it has since become known as AIR Church while maintaining its affiliation with the Australian Christian Churches.

Explore the Gold Coast with Neywo

Neywo offers a free audio guide for Gold Coast featuring 9 narrated places. As you reach each site, the app plays the corresponding story automatically, letting you explore at your own pace with no group or fixed schedule. The narration is available in 11 languages. Download Neywo to enjoy a self‑guided experience of the city’s highlights.