Posted
in Activities / Attractions
@ Oct 1st 2026 9:00am
- By Admin
A family day in Broadbeach can cost nothing. Within a seven-minute walk of Broadbeach Savannah you have five genuinely free things to do in Broadbeach: a patrolled beach, the paved Oceanway, foreshore parklands with free barbecues, and twice-monthly beachfront markets, with Cascade Gardens a five-minute drive beyond.
Here is the no-spend circuit, closest first.
Is the beach still the best free thing in Broadbeach?
It is, and it is about a four-minute walk from our front door. Kurrawa Beach is patrolled by Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club, which has watched this stretch since 1958, so the red and yellow flags are up through the day and swimming between them costs nothing.
What exactly is free: the sand, the surf, the outdoor showers and the people-watching from the dunes. The best window is the morning, when the water is calmest for younger swimmers and the breeze has not yet picked up.
There are toilets and shaded seating just behind the beach in the parkland, so a beach morning needs nothing but towels, hats and sunscreen from the apartment.
Where does the Oceanway take you for nothing?
The Oceanway is the paved beachfront path that runs the length of the suburb, and you join it about four minutes from Broadbeach Savannah, straight down towards the foreshore. It is flat, sealed and free in both directions: north towards Surfers Paradise or south towards Mermaid Beach, with the ocean beside you the whole way.
What exactly is free: the path, the outdoor showers, the water fountains and the shaded benches spaced along it. Early morning is the pick, when the light is soft and the joggers and dog-walkers give it a friendly hum, though sunset walks are just as good with older kids.
Scooters and bikes are welcome, and prams roll easily, so every age moves at its own pace.
What do the foreshore parklands give you for free?
Kurrawa and Pratten Parks sit side by side on the beachfront, about six to seven minutes' walk from our door, and they are the free all-rounder of the suburb. What exactly is free: the wide lawns, the free electric barbecues, the picnic shelters, the toilets and the playgrounds, including the fenced all-abilities playground at Kurrawa.
Pratten Park adds a flying fox, fort and open grass made for a kick of the footy. A barbecue lunch here with the beach in front of you is the classic Broadbeach budget day, and the shelters fill on weekends, so stake your claim before midday.
Shade trees and sea breezes keep it comfortable most of the year.
Are the beachfront markets worth planning around?
If your stay covers a first or third Sunday of the month, yes. The Art and Craft on the Coast markets set up in Kurrawa and Pratten Parks from 8am to 2pm, right on the beachfront opposite the shopping strip.
Wandering the stalls costs nothing, and the mix of local art, craft, and food stalls makes for an easy hour with the sea behind you. Guests keep mentioning how well the markets stack onto a normal beach morning: swim at the flags first, wander the stalls mid-morning, then a barbecue or picnic on the same lawns after.
Go early for the coolest walk around and the best of the people-watching before the crowds build.
Is Cascade Gardens worth the five-minute drive?
For a change of scene, yes. Cascade Gardens at 2730 Gold Coast Highway is about a five-minute drive from Broadbeach Savannah, and everything in it is free: the large canal-side playground, around six free electric barbecues, the picnic shelters, the water-bird sanctuary, the sensory gardens and the short rainforest walk.
There is a fifty-bay car park inside the gardens, also free. It is set back from the highway, so the traffic noise fades once you are under the trees.
Visitors keep mentioning that the barbecues and shelters go early on weekends, so arrive before midday to claim one, or come on a weekday when you can have the lawns almost to yourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do in Broadbeach for free?
Plenty. Within walking distance of Broadbeach Savannah you have the patrolled Kurrawa Beach, the paved Oceanway path, the foreshore parklands with free electric barbecues, and the Art and Craft on the Coast markets on the first and third Sunday of each month.
Cascade Gardens, a five-minute drive away, adds another free half day.
Are the barbecues in the Broadbeach parks free?
Yes. The electric barbecues at Kurrawa and Pratten Parks on the foreshore and at Cascade Gardens are free to use, with picnic shelters and toilets close by.
They are popular on weekends and public holidays, so claim one earlier in the day if you are planning a barbecue lunch.
Is Kurrawa Beach patrolled?
Yes. Kurrawa Beach is patrolled by Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club, so the red and yellow flags are up through the day.
It is about a four-minute walk from Broadbeach Savannah, and swimming between the flags costs nothing. Mornings are calmest for young swimmers.
When are the Broadbeach beachfront markets on?
The Art and Craft on the Coast markets run every first and third Sunday of the month, 8am to 2pm, in Kurrawa and Pratten Parks on the beachfront.
Entry is free to wander, the people-watching is excellent, and you can combine them with a swim and a barbecue in the same morning.
Does it cost anything to walk the Oceanway?
No. The Oceanway is a free public path that runs along the beachfront through Broadbeach, flat and paved in both directions, with showers, water fountains and shaded benches along the way.
From our front door you join it in about four minutes and can walk as far north or south as the family feels like.
The maths of a Broadbeach holiday changes when so much of the good stuff is free. Pack the picnic from your apartment kitchen, spend nothing all day, and save the budget for the one big paid outing everyone votes for.
Book direct through our Broadbeach Savannah apartments, and see more of the neighbourhood on our family accommodation Gold Coast page.
Image credit: Kgbo, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
