The Best Beach Walks in South East Queensland

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Thanks to a friend who loves both the beach and walking, I have been doing more beach and coastal walks lately. I thought I would compile a list of the best beach walks in South East Queensland.



My ideal beach walk includes walking on the beach, on the tops of cliffs and ideally walking as part of a circuit. While not every walk meets all these criteria, they are all wonderful walks.

[SECTION]Noosa Heads National Park [/SECTION]

The number one beach walk that I know of in the South East Queensland area is up at Noosa Heads . The ideal walk starts in the North and follows the Tanglewood track through the national park. Keep a lookout in the trees for Koalas.



We normally take the shorter route that ends up at the north end of Alexandria Bay, but if you want a longer walk then head down to Sunshine Beach and then follow the paths back up to Alexandria Bay. You then need to walk along the beach to rejoin the path.

Be aware that Alexandria bay is an unofficial nudist beach. Which means you might see more body parts that you bargained for, though you might also want to shed your inhibitions along with everything else and enjoy nature.



The last part of the walk follows the tops of cliffs back to where you started. You could swim at Nossa Main Beach but our preference is the quiet and sheltered Tea Tree Bay.



This walk is the perfect combination of beaches, cliffs, bushland and a circuit which ends close to where you can find cafe and takeway shops to enjoy coffee, tea, a snack or a meal.

[SECTION]Bribie Island's Red Beach: Bongaree to Woorim[/SECTION]

One of my all time favourite beach walks, it takes you 8 kms along along the southern end of Bribie Island from Bongaree to Woorim. The walk links two little townships and is along Bribies wonderful wide white sandy beaches where mostly you are away from other people. For dog walkers, most of the walk is leash free.



If you time the walk right, you can have breakfast at Bongaree, walk to Woorim, have a swim and enjoy lunch at Woorim, then return to Bongaree for ice cream at the famous Scoopy's ice creamery. Now you could take the bus back to Bongaree, but it is actually a pleasant 5 km walk along the road. The path is off set from the road in bushland, which makes it a nice walk.



If you just want to visit red beach without all the walking, there are well maintained dirt roads that give beach access through the bushland that borders the beach. However overall it is an pleasant isolated walk where you can choose not get your feet wet or, like me, take off your shoes and walk in the water. Be aware that you should go prepared with plenty of water and maybe some snacks.



[SECTION]From Surfers Paradise to the Spit[/SECTION]

The Gold Coast is over 30 kms of beaches so obviously there are going to many great places to walk here. For a simple beach walk with lookouts consider Mermaid Beach to Burleigh Heads. However for something different with a great deal of variety, one very interesting option is to walk to The Spit.



While the image of the Gold Coast is a highly developed city with a lot of high rise, The Spit is the polar opposite, being mostly coastal bushland.

You probably don't want to walk all the way from Surfers Paradise as that would make the walk 7 km one way (14 kms return). Though keen walkers won't mind and you can have a side diversion to the McIntosh Island Park which includes a pond and grounds where peacocks roam.



If you don't wish to walk so far, instead drive or take a bus up to Main Beach The bush paths start just north of the Southport Surf Life Saving Club (which ironically is not in Southport but in Main Beach). From here the paved path starts which will later lead to dirt and sand paths.The distance to the Spit is now only 4 kms (8 kms return).



I would recommend walking along the beach up to The Spit. There you have the jetty as well as the spit itself you can visit. There is a nice patrolled beach if you want to swim. The essential stop is the excellent fish & chip shop. It gets busy on weekends as it is the only choice there. When the weather is fine and the crowds are in, be prepared to wait.



Then it is back along the paths to the start of the walk. Overall a unique walk on the Gold Coast. Also consider doing this as a bike ride . You can rent beach bicycles with fat tires from Surfers Paradise and do part of the ride along the beach. They now rent out electric beach bicycles which make sand riding much easier.



[SECTION]The Gorges Walk on North Stradbroke Island[/SECTION]

One of the best easy coastal walks in the Brisbane area is the Gorges Walk on North Stradbroke Island. This walk goes from Point Lookout and Main Beach down to Cylinder Beach, a distance of around 2.5 kms.



Getting to the island is fairly easy. There is a regular ferry from Cleveland. It is usually easier to take the passenger ferry and then take the bus to Point Lookout. But if you plan to see other attractions such as Blue or Brown Lakes, then you need to take your car across on the car ferry. Ideally you will need a 4WD for the sandy paths to the lakes.



This walk goes along cliff tops, but unfortunately for part of the path you need to walk alongside the road. The views are amazing and of course Cylinder Beach is a perfect combination of a surf break further out and gentle waters near the beach.



After the walk, we usually head up the Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel for good food, great views and entertainment. Note: to get there from Cylinder Beach, walk to the end of the beach and follow the path until you see a branch going off up to the hotel. Or you can walk through the camping grounds, jump the ditch, walk up the ridge and then jump the fence to get there.



If you drove, then either walk back along the road to the start or take the bus back. If you came by bus, it is even easier, as you can then take the bus back to the ferry.



Overall, a short little stroll which should be on everyone's lists to do. It is the cliffs that make this such a nice walk, but I think Noosa Heads National is a much nicer walk for people looking for longer walks.



[SECTION]Tweed Heeds/Coolangatta[/SECTION]

For the 5th walk for this list I was tossing up between many great locations, when I remembered my favourite sunrise walk on the Gold Coast. Actually the walk crosses the state lines from New South Wales to Queensland. This lovely little walk has great sunrise views and several options for swimming at the end of the walk.



The place to start this walk is the Chris Cunningham Park in New South Wales. Then it is just a matter of walking along the Tweed River until you arrive at the ocean. The spit there gives you great ocean views and views of the popular locals surf beach, Duranbah.



The path goes up the cliff to the Captain Cook Memorial. This would be the place to watch the sunrise (or at night, the moonrise). Then you continue on around Snapper Rocks to Rainbow Bay.



I think Rainbow Bay is the best spot for swimming, but you can walk another 100 meters or so and swim at Coolangatta Beach instead. Coolangatta is the better location for somewhere to have coffee, cake or a meal. Though the Rainbow Bay Surf Club is an excellent location for beers in the afternoon or evening and the Cafe dbar opposite back at the Captain Cook Memorial serves great food along with views and a little art gallery.



Because you are walking around the heads, it is just perhaps 200 meters walk along the streets back to the start from Coolangatta beacht. This is a lovely little walk of around 3.5 kms. I included it on the list because of the diversity of beaches, cliffs and sunrise views in such a short space.

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