The best day at Currumbin can cost you exactly nothing. Here are six free things to do in Currumbin from Currumbin Sands: four of them within a ten minute walk of our front door and two a short drive away, from the calm lagoon and patrolled surf to wild lorikeets and a freshwater swimming hole.
What is free at Palm Beach Parklands?
- Distance: about 2 minutes walk from Currumbin Sands
- Directions: out the front door and south into the parklands, following the path to the creek
- Hours: open all day; barbecues and playground free, first come, first served
Almost everything, which is why it anchors this list. The still-water lagoon on Currumbin Creek is free to swim, the pirate playground beside it is free to run riot on, and the public barbecues along Palm Beach Parklands turn lunch into a picnic instead of a bill. There are toilets, shaded lawns and wide pram-friendly paths, and guests keep mentioning how close it all sits to the apartments. Go early for a glassy lagoon, or late afternoon when the day cools and the barbecue hotplates free up.
Where can you swim under the flags at no cost?
- Distance: direct beach access from the building
- Directions: straight out to the sand; the patrolled section is signposted
- Hours: flags out on patrol days, usually set by around 8am
The ocean is still the coast’s great free attraction, and it starts at the end of our path. The patrolled stretch of Currumbin Beach is watched by the Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club, with a lifeguard tower on the sand and red and yellow flags marking the safest water. A morning swim, a bodysurf or an hour on a towel costs nothing at all. Mornings are calmest, and there are free beach showers to rinse the salt off before you wander home. If the surf is big, the sheltered creek side near the Alley is the gentler entry.
Can you feed wild lorikeets for free at the sanctuary?
- Distance: about 5 minutes drive from Currumbin Sands
- Directions: over the Currumbin Creek bridge, then follow the signs to Tomewin Street
- Hours: 8am and 4pm daily, outside the sanctuary’s main entrance
Yes, and it is one of the oldest rituals on the Gold Coast. The wild lorikeet feeding happens twice a day just outside the main entrance to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, so you do not need an entry ticket to be part of it. Watching the flock swirl in is free; holding a feeding tray yourself costs a gold coin donation to the sanctuary’s wildlife hospital. The 8am session suits early risers, and the 4pm session slots neatly after a beach day. Arrive ten minutes early, wear a hat, and expect a bird or three to land on it.
Is the Elephant Rock lookout free?
- Distance: about 7 minutes drive from Currumbin Sands
- Directions: around Pacific Parade to the stairs at the northern end of Currumbin Beach
- Hours: open all hours; best light early morning
Completely. The stairs up the volcanic headland lead to a viewing platform with one of the finest outlooks on the southern Gold Coast, running north to Surfers Paradise and south to Coolangatta. Between June and October it doubles as a free whale-watching perch, with humpback spouts and tails visible on clear, calm mornings; the coin-operated telescopes are the only thing up there that asks for money. Street parking along Pacific Parade is free but fills quickly on warm weekends, so aim for early morning, which also gives you the softest light and the stillest sea.
Where is the free freshwater swimming hole near Currumbin?
- Distance: about 15 minutes drive from Currumbin Sands
- Directions: follow Currumbin Creek Road up the valley; the car park is opposite 1206, just before Reynolds Road
- Hours: open at all times; busiest from late morning on hot days
Currumbin Rock Pools is the valley’s answer to the beach: a free, council-managed run of clear freshwater pools on Currumbin Creek, backed by lawn and rainforest. Entry costs nothing, and the facilities are better than most paid attractions manage, with toilets, baby change, sheltered picnic tables and free barbecues. The one thing to plan around is parking, because the roadside car park is small and fills fast on hot weekends. Go before 10am for a quiet swim, and take everything home with you when you leave.
What does the creek-to-Alley walk cost?
- Distance: about 8 minutes walk from our front door to the creek mouth
- Directions: south along the beachfront path through the parklands to Currumbin Alley
- Hours: any time; low tide gives you the firmest sand
Nothing but shoe leather, and you barely need that. The paved path runs from the parklands past the lagoon to the creek mouth at Currumbin Alley, where longboarders work one of the coast’s most famous waves. It is flat, pram-friendly and shaded in parts, and at low tide you can loop home along the firm open sand instead. Guests keep mentioning this stretch as the thing they did every single day of their stay: a coffee-in-hand morning lap, a surf check at the Alley, a dusk stroll when the creek turns gold. As daily entertainment goes, it is hard to argue with free.
FAQs about free things to do in Currumbin
Is Currumbin Beach free to swim at, and is it patrolled?
Yes. The beach costs nothing and the patrolled section is watched by the Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club, with red and yellow flags set out on patrol days. Swim between the flags, and ask the lifeguards where the safest entry is if the surf is up.
Is the lorikeet feeding at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary really free?
Yes. The wild lorikeet feeding runs twice a day, at 8am and 4pm, just outside the main entrance to the sanctuary, so no entry ticket is needed. Watching is free, and if you want to hold a feeding tray yourself, the sanctuary asks for a gold coin donation.
Do you pay anything at Currumbin Rock Pools?
No. The rock pools are a free council-managed swimming spot on Currumbin Creek Road, about 15 minutes drive from Currumbin Sands, with free parking, toilets, barbecues and picnic shelters. The only catch is the small car park, which fills quickly on warm weekends, so go early.
Are the barbecues at Palm Beach Parklands free to use?
Yes. The parklands have free public barbecues along with shaded picnic lawns, toilets and the pirate playground, all about two minutes walk from our front door. They are first come, first served, so on sunny weekends it pays to claim a table by late morning.
Half the value of staying here is that the lagoon, the flags, the lookout and the walk are all part of the neighbourhood rather than items on a bill. Keep the budget for a good meal out, book a beachfront apartment and use our guide to things to do around Currumbin and Palm Beach to fill in the rest.
Image credit: Tourism and Events Queensland