The perfect family holiday includes a good mix of activities and adventures that will keep kids of all ages happy. Entertain toddlers and keep teens off their screens with this epic list of the best attractions, activities and entertainment for a fun-filled, action packed family holiday on the Gold Coast.
Dig IT
Location: Thunderbird Park, Corner Cedar Creek Falls Road, Tamborine Mountain
Kids love diggers but it’s not often they get to drive one. Welcome to Dig IT - Australia’s first mini excavator park where kids can operate real machinery under the watchful eyes of trained instructors.
Kids aged 5 and up can take the driver's sseat (some might need a bit of extra help) while younger kids can sit on a parent’s lap. They’ll learn to maneuver the machine to stack tyres, move rocks and knock things over. All activities are age appropriate and suitable for all skill levels. Your mini construction crew will be talking about their visit to Dig IT for a long time to come.
Tropical Fruit World
Location: 29 Duranbah Rd, Duranbah
Combining fun, food, nature and well-being, a visit to Tropical Fruit World is a must for families with little kids. More than 500 types of tropical fruits grow at this working farm in a picturesque pocket of Northern NSW, just 15 minute’s drive south of Gold Coast Airport.
Daily guided tours begin with a fruit tasting before you hop on board the plantation safari tractor for a ride throughout the expansive orchards. Feed farm animals, board a barge and float down a pretty creek to visit the Island Playground where kids will love mini putt-putt and a flying fox. Stop for mouth watering tropical treats in the Plantation Cafe and stock up on fabulous fruit at their fruit market before you head home.
Dreamworld
Location: Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera
Dreamworld is getting a makeover with some brilliant new family friendly attractions and park upgrades. Discover Kenny & Belinda’s Dreamland, where rides dedicated to these cute koala characters include a rollercoaster that soars around twists and turns and a two-storey treehouse where kids can fire squidgy balls from air cannons, foam fountains and lookout towers.
Visit the brand new Seabed Splash - an interactive ocean-themed water play area where kids can cool off, splash around and play in the spray. There’s also a new parent’s room, fully equipped for convenience, and the classic favourites like Tiger Island, The Shockwave and neighbouring White Water World (the waterslide section of Dreamworld) to fill your day with fun. Stay tuned for more new rides arriving at Dreamworld in 2024.
Hijinx Hotel
Location: Level 1 Piazza on the Boulevard, Surfers Paradise
If Willy Wonka had a game show, it might look like Hijinx Hotel. Themed like an old school New York hotel, this interactive gaming experience is a truly unique and extremely entertaining activity for older kids (although the minimum age is 5).
A series of Challenge Rooms present a different collaborative problem to solve for your team of 2 - 6 to tackle. From adult ball pits, to giant sized scrabble, work together to collect as many points as possible. It’s in the same complex at Archie Brothers amusement arcade, and Holey Moley mini golf and a cool themed restaurant, so there’s a bundle of fun to be had at Hijinx Hotel.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: 28 Tomewin St, Currumbin
There’s a reason this iconic sanctuary has been a family favourite for over 75 years. Explore lush rainforested property, stroll through exhibits where you can see all sorts of incredible creatures up close. Feed kangaroos, experience the wild lorikeet feeding, free flight bird shows and hospital presentations at the wildlife hospital that treats, rehabilitates and releases thousands of local animals.
Ride the miniature train around the beautiful grounds, stopping off at the a splash park for little kids to cool down. Send risk-taking teens on Treetop Challenge - a thrilling high ropes course with over 100 different courses and 14 ziplines, including one across the crocodile enclosure!
To complete the perfect family day out on the Gold Coast, take a short walk to Currumbin beach for a swim afterwards and enjoy oceanfront dining at Currumbin Vikings Surf Life Saving Club.
GC Aqua Park
Location: Gold Coast Highway, Broadwater Parklands, Southport
Located on the banks of the Broadwater in Southport, surrounded by shady parklands and playgrounds, this aquatic inflatable obstacle course is a place to bounce, splash, climb and slide the day away. GC Aqua Park is accessible and affordable, suitable for kids of all ages, and adults too.
There’s a mini inflatable playground for the little kids or they can play on the sandy shore while older siblings take on the obstacles. Everyone wears a life jacket and there are lifeguard attendants keeping an eye on things.
Paradise Country
Location: Production Dr, Oxenford
Little animal lovers are in for a fabulous day at Paradise Country where they’ll get a taste of life on an Australian farm. Kids can pet cute farm animals, watch presentations where stock riders demonstrate their skills on horseback, ride a pony and get a photo with a cuddly koala.
There are animal exhibits where you can marvel at the antics of the adorable meerkats and cheeky Marmoset monkeys, as well as native animals like dingoes and Tasmanian devils. To make your visit extra special, book in for a night at Paradise Country Farmstay - you’ll sleep in a beautifully decked out eco-tent and get access to a range of exclusive camping activities including animal feeding, egg collecting and campfire fun.
Bella's Wonderland
Location: 48 3/15 Jackman St, Southport
Introducing Bella's Wonderland, a new indoor play center in the heart of Southport, where kids' imaginations run wild and smiles never fade. Safety is paramount, letting parents relax while kids explore mazes, slides, and climbing walls.
Interactive games and activities promote growth in both body and mind. From zooming down slides to forging friendships, every moment at Bella's Playground is an opportunity for fun and development. The onsite café offers delicious snacks for young adventurers. Whether it's a birthday party, family outing, or spontaneous playdate, Bella's Playground is the destination for kids to have a blast, learn, and unleash all that youthful energy.
Zero Latency
Location: 34 Smith Street Motorway, Southport
It shouldn’t be hard to lure teens away from their screens with the promise of an epic free roam virtual gaming. Based in Southport, Zero Latency boasts state-of-the-art wireless technology with motion tracking - this experience seamlessly blends virtual reality technology with heart-pounding gameplay that feels very real.
Kids can live out their greatest gaming fantasies from battling zombies, jumping aboard helicopters and exploring ancient ruins in the jungle. With up to eight people roaming freely through the 200 sqm arena in each game, this is one teens (and everyone else) will absolutely love.
O'Reilly's Tree Top Walk
Nestled high up in the heritage-listed Hinterland of Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk takes you high into the canopy of a verdant rainforest. Bird calls ring through the air as you traverse nine suspension bridges, through trees covered in ferns and moss. For truly incredible views of the surrounding landscape, you can climb a ladder to two lookouts up the top of a huge Strangler Fig. The Treetop Walk is free of charge but donations to maintaining it are appreciated.
Other activities for families at this mountain eco-retreat include bushwalking, daily bird feeding, wildlife presentations, birds of pretty show, guided walks, 4WD tours and school holiday programs. Enjoy a meal at family friendly restaurant, O’Reilly’s Mountain Café.
For more ideason how to have the best family holiday ever on the Gold Coast, check out our Ultimate Family Travel Guide.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Experience Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.