Broadbeach’s best days out cost nothing. From Koko Broadbeach, five genuinely free things sit within a short walk or drive of our front door: the patrolled beach, two foreshore parks, the Sunday morning markets and a regional botanic gardens. Here is what is free at each, the best time to go, and the practical details, so a whole holiday can run on close to no budget.
Is Kurrawa Beach free and patrolled?
Distance: about a 3 minute walk, or 250 metres. Directions: straight down towards the sand from our front door on Elizabeth Avenue. Hours: patrolled 8am to 5pm every day of the year, extended to 7am to 6pm over the Christmas holidays.
Kurrawa Beach is free, public and patrolled every single day, not just in summer. Lifeguards set the red and yellow flags each morning, so there is always a safe section to swim between. Free cold showers and public toilets sit behind the sand, and the wide flat beach suits everyone from toddlers to nippers. The best time is early: the sand is quietest before nine, the light is soft, and parking pressure does not matter because you walk from Koko. Bring a hat and water, since natural shade is limited on the open beach.
What can you do for free at Kurrawa Park?
Distance: about a 2 minute walk. Directions: the grassy foreshore between our building and the sand. Hours: open all day, every day.
Kurrawa Park is the foreshore parkland right in front of Broadbeach, and everything in it is free: electric barbecues, shaded picnic tables, a children’s playground and wide lawns for a ball game or a lie-down. It is the easiest free outing with kids, since you can carry lunch down, cook on the free hotplates and let them run between the playground and the sand. Mornings and late afternoons are the pick for shade and cooler grass. The barbecues are first-come, so arrive a little early on weekends when families claim the covered tables.
When are the Sunday morning markets in Broadbeach?
Distance: about a 3 minute walk. Directions: south along the Kurrawa Park foreshore towards the Oasis and Oracle centres. Hours: first and third Sunday of each month, 8am to 2pm.
The Coastal Markets set up on the Kurrawa Park foreshore on the first and third Sunday mornings, and entry is free. Hundreds of stalls sell handmade art, fashion, gifts, homewares, coastal treasures and gourmet food, so it is easy to browse for an hour without spending a cent, or graze your way through breakfast. Arrive before 10am for the coolest weather, the best stall selection and the quietest aisles. The markets run beside the beach, so you can pair them with a swim, and walking down from Koko means no parking to think about.
What is there at Pratten Park?
Distance: about a 4 minute walk. Directions: the large green just south of Kurrawa Park, on the beachfront. Hours: open all day, every day.
Pratten Park is the big event lawn on the Broadbeach foreshore, and on an ordinary day it is simply free open space between the shops and the sea. It is where the city stages its outdoor concerts and New Year celebrations, but most of the year it is a quiet spot for a picnic, a frisbee or a shady sit under the pines with an ocean outlook. Shade is better here than on the open beach, and public toilets are close by. Late afternoon, with the sea breeze up, is the most pleasant time to use it.
Is the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens free?
Distance: about a 12 minute drive. Directions: Gold Coast Highway north, then west towards Benowa and Ashmore Road. Hours: 5am to 7pm daily.
The Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens at Benowa is free to enter and has free on-site parking off Ashmore Road, which makes it the one drive on this list with no parking cost. Inside there is a boardwalk around a feature lake, a butterfly garden, a sensory garden, a playground and shaded picnic areas, plus a mangroves-to-mountains walk. Mornings are best for birdlife and cool air. It is an easy hour or two for all ages, and a genuine break from the beach without opening your wallet.
Free Broadbeach FAQs
What are the best free things to do in Broadbeach?
The patrolled beach at Kurrawa, the foreshore parks of Kurrawa Park and Pratten Park, The Coastal Markets on the first and third Sunday mornings, and the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens are all free. Four are within a short walk of Koko; the gardens are a 12-minute drive. Each costs nothing to enjoy.
Is Kurrawa Beach free to use?
Yes. Kurrawa Beach is free, public and patrolled from 8am to 5pm every day of the year, with extended hours over the Christmas holidays. There are free showers and public toilets, and the patrolled flags are 250 metres from Koko’s door. Only paid parking applies if you drive, but you can walk from Koko.
When are the Broadbeach morning markets?
The Coastal Markets set up on the Kurrawa Park foreshore on the first and third Sunday of each month, 8am to 2pm, with free entry. Hundreds of stalls sell handmade art, fashion, homewares and food. Arrive before 10am for the coolest weather and easiest browsing, and walk down from Koko to skip parking.
Do you have to pay for parking in Broadbeach?
Mostly yes if you drive: Broadbeach street and beachfront parking is metered or time-limited. The simplest fix is to stay central and walk, which is why guests at Koko rarely move the car. The Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens is the exception, with free on-site parking off Ashmore Road.
The real luxury of a central Broadbeach stay is how much of it is free and on foot. Settle your dates through our Broadbeach apartments, then line up the rest with our guide to things to do in Broadbeach.
Image credit: Destination Gold Coast