Most of the best things to do near Viscount on the Beach cost nothing: a beach across the road, a sealed walking path in both directions, two free public parks and a night market on the Esplanade. Almost all of it is reachable on foot from First Avenue.
Free things to do from Viscount in Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise Beach is directly across First Avenue from the building, no road to cross beyond that. From the southern end of the building, the Oceanway heads off toward Broadbeach: a lit, paved path with no roads to cross, roughly 15 minutes on foot end to end. It carries prams, scooters and bikes as easily as it carries walkers, and the lighting makes an after-dinner stroll an easy option rather than a torch-lit one. Head the other way and Cavill Avenue, the middle of Surfers Paradise, is about 20 minutes on foot.
Cascade Gardens, a free park between Surfers and Broadbeach
Cascade Gardens sits back from the Gold Coast Highway, roughly midway between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. It’s a proper park rather than a strip of grass: a children’s playground, BBQ and picnic shelters, the Rotary Kokoda Memorial Walk, the Queensland Korean War Memorial, and a sensory garden with rainforest walking paths. There’s also a bird and flying-fox sanctuary tucked into the grounds. Free entry, gates open 6am to 6pm, with parking on site if you’d rather drive than walk the roughly 1.4km from First Avenue.
Macintosh Island Park, and its peacocks
North of Surfers Paradise at Main Beach, Macintosh Island Park is another free council park, this one built around the Les Rogers Memorial Sanctuary, where peacocks and other birds roam loose through the grounds. It’s an easy spot for kids to wander with something to look at every few metres, plus a playground and a footbridge over the Nerang River. Locals sometimes call it “the peacock park” for obvious reasons, but Macintosh Island Park is the official name if you’re putting it in a map search. It sits beyond Cavill Avenue on the walk north, or a stop or two on the tram from Florida Gardens station, 500m from Viscount’s door.
Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets
On the Esplanade in the middle of Surfers Paradise, the beachfront markets set up every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night: stalls, food, and a foreshore crowd with the beach as a backdrop. Entry is free, and it’s an easy add-on to the walk north toward Cavill Avenue, best timed for early evening before the stalls pack up.
SkyPoint, if you want the view from above
Everything above is free. SkyPoint Observation Deck, on levels 77 and 78 of the Q1 building about 1.7km north, is the one paid stop worth knowing about: an indoor deck 230 metres up with a 360-degree view over the coastline, the hinterland and the Broadwater. Buy a ticket if you want the height; skip it and you’ve still had a full day outdoors for nothing.
Rain, rides or dinner
This is the free and outdoor list. For a wet-weather backup, see our rainy-day Gold Coast guide. For rollercoasters and theme parks, there’s a separate guide to the Gold Coast’s theme parks. If the group wants something more active than a walk, our adventure activities guide covers surf lessons and beyond. And for more on the beach itself and the Oceanway route south, see Surfers Paradise beaches and the Oceanway.
Getting back to base
The common thread is that almost none of this needs a car. From the apartments, the beach is a road crossing away, the Oceanway starts at the door, and both parks and the markets sit within an easy walk or a short tram hop from Florida Gardens station. Bring a hat and come back to the heated pool when the sun gets too much.
