A stay at Oceana on Broadbeach puts a whole day of Broadbeach within walking distance. This self-guided walking tour links six easy stops on foot from our front door: the free art gallery, the bowls club, Cascade Gardens, GCCEC and The Star, a show and the shops, and Kurrawa Beach. No car required. Here is the route.
Lace up your walking shoes after a big balcony breakfast, and take it at your own pace. Everything below sits within a short, flat walk of our Old Burleigh Road address, so you can swim, browse and eat your way around Broadbeach without moving the car once.
Where does the walk start?
Begin across the road. The Royal Queensland Art Society gallery at Pratten Park is free to enter, with a fresh exhibition of Gold Coast artists each month and workshops in painting and drawing. It is open seven days, roughly 9am to 2:30pm on weekdays and 8am to 4pm on weekends, and sits about a minute from our door.
From there, wander to the Broadbeach Bowls Club, home of the Broadbeach Bulls, just behind us on the corner of Surf Parade and Armrick Avenue. You can book a barefoot bowls session with friends or family, and the Matador Bistro serves lunch from 11:30am Tuesday to Sunday and dinner from 5:30pm seven nights. It is a relaxed, friendly first stop before the walk proper.
What is worth seeing on the green side of Broadbeach?
A couple of streets back, Cascade Gardens runs along the Nerang River, and it is a lovely change of pace from the beach. It is a favourite for picnics and barbecues, with a big playground including a wheelchair-friendly swing, plus shady rainforest paths and the Kokoda Memorial Walk that follows the river towards GCCEC.
The gardens are also home to the Queensland Korean War Memorial, where ten commemorative murals, an era soldier statue and informational plaques tell the story of Australia’s veterans. It is free, open and quiet, and it makes a peaceful mid-morning leg of the walk before you loop back towards the water.
What is around GCCEC and The Star?
Follow the Kokoda walk and you reach the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, a premier venue just 500m from the beach that hosts concerts, expos, conventions and sporting events all year. In November 2026 it becomes the Games Village for the Pan Pacific Masters Games, so there is often something on when you visit; check the current calendar.
Just across the walkway is The Star Gold Coast, with 11 restaurants, 6 bars and entertainment under one roof, open 24 hours. It is a good spot to pause for lunch or a coffee mid-tour, all still a few minutes on foot from Oceana. The public and dining areas welcome families through the day, with the gaming floor reserved for over 18s.
Where do you go for a show and the shops?
A little further south, Dracula’s Cabaret is the Gold Coast’s long-running dinner theatre, with a three-course meal and a high-energy variety show of comedy, aerial acts and its signature blacklight puppets. Evening shows run Tuesday to Saturday from around 7pm, so it is one to book and come back for after dark.
Directly opposite is Pacific Fair, one of the country’s largest shopping centres with more than 400 stores, covered walkways and undercover parking. Beyond the shops, Event Cinemas has Gold Class, Vmax and a 4DX screen, and there is an indoor play centre for younger kids. It is the easy wet-weather or midday-heat stop on the route, with five hours of free parking if you do drive.
How do you finish the Broadbeach walk?
Head back across the Gold Coast Highway to Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park to finish where the best of Broadbeach is. This patrolled stretch of sand is a local favourite for a surf, a swim or a lie in the sun, and the multizone playground behind it, with giant slides, a flying fox and shady picnic spots, keeps kids busy for ages. Time your stay around Blues on Broadbeach in May or the Crafted festival at Kurrawa Park in September and the streets fill with live music.
When you have had your fill, it is a one minute stroll back to Oceana. Cool off in our 20 metre lap pool or the shaded, heated pool, soak in the spa, use the sauna and gym, or just settle on a sun lounger by the BBQ gazebo. That is the beauty of a Broadbeach walking tour from here: it starts and ends at your own front door.
FAQs about a Broadbeach walking tour
Can you explore Broadbeach without a car?
Yes, easily. From Oceana on Broadbeach almost everything worth seeing sits within a short walk: the free art gallery across the road, the bowls club, Cascade Gardens, GCCEC and The Star, Pacific Fair, and Kurrawa Beach. The G:link tram covers anything further afield, so most guests leave the car parked for the whole stay.
How long does the Broadbeach walking tour take?
Allow a full, relaxed day, or split it across two mornings. Each stop is only minutes apart on foot, so you can move at your own pace, stop for coffee, and swim when the mood strikes. The whole loop from Oceana on Broadbeach and back is a few kilometres, all flat and easy.
Is the Royal Queensland Art Society gallery free?
Yes. The Royal Queensland Art Society gallery at Pratten Park is free to enter, with a new exhibition of Gold Coast artists’ work each month. It is open seven days, roughly 9am to 2:30pm on weekdays and 8am to 4pm on weekends. It sits about a minute from our front door, so it is an easy first stop.
Is Kurrawa Beach patrolled and good for families?
Yes. Kurrawa Beach is patrolled by the surf life saving club, so swim between the flags. It is a favourite for families, with the large multizone playground at Pratten Park right behind the sand. From Oceana on Broadbeach it is a one minute walk through our beach gate, which makes it the easiest stop of all.
The best thing about Broadbeach is how much of it you can see on foot, and this walk proves it. Book one of our beachfront apartments as the start and finish line, then browse things to do in Broadbeach to add your own stops along the way.
Image credit: Oceana on Broadbeach