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So, you want to see Greenmount and Coolangatta beaches aye?
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| Greenmount Hill - Coolangatta - Gold Coast |
It was an easy decision to go to Greenmount Hill for lunch one cloudy December day. Why?
Because it is always easier to find parking here than it is at Surfers Paradise. Plus, we wanted a nice quiet afternoon.
If there is no parking at the top of the hill, we just park at one of the beaches below and walk up.
Where the hell is Greenmount Hill?
Greenmount Hill is located at the top of Hill Street in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast right near the Queensland/New South Wales border. Hill Street joins onto Marine Parade. This hill is also called Pat Fagan Park.
First we needed to get some lunch which we purchased in Woolworth's located just over the Queensland border at Tweed Heads Shopping Mall. The shops are on the corner of Wharf and Bay Streets, Tweed Heads.
We purchased one BBQ Chook and 12 crusty bread rolls for a total of about 10 bucks and drove back to Coolangatta and parked on the top of Greenmount Hill. The drive takes about 3-5 minutes.
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| Free BBQ Facilities |
There is also free public BBQ facilities there. What this means is that you can bring your own BBQ meat and condiments and cook it on location.
Tip: On the weekends, it is best to get there really early in order to secure a BBQ.
What I like to do is arrive early and go for a swim at one of the beaches. After the swim, I get really hungry so it's time to cook the BBQ.
How do I define early? It depends on the time of the year and the day of the week.
If you arrive and the BBQ's are taken, no problem because it will not take long for people to finish cooking.
This idea is twice as good with a group of people.
What happens if it rains, no probem. There is under cover tables and chairs too.
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| Native Australian Wildlife |
The park has several other tables and chairs which overlook the Coral Sea and the beaches below. Excellent for having a picnic or just sit, relax and enjoy the view.
From where we were seated, we could see Greenmount and Coolangatta beaches and the tall Burleigh Heads buildings in the distance.
There was also some friendly local wildlife lurking around the table looking for food scraps.
Especially interesting was a few native lizards who also don't mind a bit of BBQ chicken.
After lunch, we washed our hands, got the cameras out of the car and went for a walk around the top of Greenmount Hill where we saw Rainbow Bay and one side of Snapper Rocks from the Eastern side of the hill.
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| Rainbow Bay - Coolangatta - Gold Coast |
On the Western side, Greenmount Beach is directly below which is alongside Coolangatta Beach. Kirra Point is also visible.
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| Greenmount and Coolangatta Beaches - Gold Coast |
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| Greenmount Beach Resort |
Directly across the road from the park is the Greenmount Beach Resort which faces North to the water and is a popular choice of accommodation.
Greenmount Beach Resort is not the only choice of accommodation though. It is just one of many choices available here. Handy to the Airport too.
The top of the hill has two sets of stairs which provide access to the beaches below.
We decided to walk down one set of stairs, and follow the track along to Rainbow Bay. Because it was cloudy and a bit rainy today, the beach was uncrowded.
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| Seat overlooking Greenmount Beach |
We walked back around the same track and followed it along until we reached Greenmount Beach. This beach looks like one beach but it is really two because the most western side of the beach is called Coolangatta Beach.
Along this concrete track there are many seats where we could sit and admire the view.
Finally, chicken fatigue set in and it was time to go back up to the top of the Hill where the car was parked. We took the second set of stairs in order to get a different view.
When we got to the top, we sat for awhile admiring the view while we waited for that after-lunch fatigue feeling to pass.
This was an excellent three hours of rest and relaxation. Away from all the traffic and the crowds but still on the Gold Coast.
Will we be back to Coolangatta? You can bet your mother-in-law on it. Why?
Because Greenmount Hill is just one of the many things to see here on the Gold Coast.
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