The best of Currumbin costs nothing, and from The Rocks Resort most of it is on foot. Here are five genuinely free things within a short walk or a fifteen-minute drive of our front door, built around the two Currumbin does best: high vantage points over the bay and long, flat walks on the sand at low tide.
Why start the day free at Elephant Rock?
Distance: A three to four-minute walk north along the sand.
Directions: Step onto the beach and walk north. The dark boulders in front of the surf club are Elephant Rock.
Hours: Open all day, with sunrise the reason to set an alarm.
Elephant Rock is the free vantage point we send every guest to first. Climb the low headland and the whole bay opens up, from the point in the south to the high-rises far to the north. Sunrise is the payoff, when the light comes up over the water directly behind the rock and the beach is almost empty. At low tide, small rock pools appear around the base, which is where the youngest walkers tend to potter while the photographers work the light. It costs nothing but an early alarm, and it is the single best short walk we can point you to.
Can you walk the sandbar at Currumbin Alley for free?
Distance: About a five-minute walk south along the beach.
Directions: Head south from the front of the resort toward the creek mouth. The point is where Currumbin Creek meets the sea.
Hours: Open water. Best in the hour either side of low tide.
The point at Currumbin Alley is free theatre. At low tide the sandbar firms up and links the beach to the point, so you can walk right out and watch the longboarders ride the gentle right-hander from a few metres away. The creek side stays calm and shallow for a free paddle, and there is a big free carpark here if you would rather drive the short hop. Bring nothing but a towel. Time it for low water and an offshore morning and you get the best of the surf-watching before the wind turns the water choppy.
Is the Currumbin point walk worth the vantage?
Distance: Starts at the front door; about a 3km return loop.
Directions: Follow the sand and the coastal path south to the point, then track around toward Elephant Rock.
Hours: Open all day. Best early or late for the light.
The coastal circuit around the point is the free walk that ties the whole headland together. It runs roughly three kilometres return and takes about fifty minutes at an easy amble, tracing the edge of the point where the creek meets the sea before curling back toward Elephant Rock. The vantage keeps shifting as you go, creek one minute, open ocean the next, with benches to stop and take it in. It suits anyone steady on their feet, costs nothing, and late afternoon is when the light turns the water gold. Wear something on your feet for the rockier sections near the point.
What is free at Currumbin Beach and the foreshore?
Distance: Directly out the front, with the park a short walk north.
Directions: Cross the dune line for the sand; follow Pacific Parade north for the foreshore park.
Hours: Beach open all day, patrolled between the flags on weekends and school holidays.
Currumbin Beach itself is the freest thing of all, and at low tide the sand firms into a wide, flat walking surface that stretches for a kilometre in either direction. Just north, Wallace Nicoll Park lines the beachfront with free electric barbecues, shaded picnic tables, toilets and beach showers, so a whole afternoon can happen without spending a cent. The barbecues are first come, first served and busiest at weekend lunch, so an early or late cook usually wins a shady table. Swim between the flags when the club is patrolling and you have a full free beach day.
Are the Currumbin Rock Pools really free?
Distance: A ten to fifteen-minute drive south and inland.
Directions: Follow Currumbin Creek Road up the valley; the pools sit alongside the road.
Hours: Open all day, no gate and no closing time.
The Currumbin Rock Pools trade the salt water for a cool freshwater swim in the valley, and both entry and parking are free. The main pool runs about forty metres long and gets deep quickly, with a lawn, shaded picnic tables, public barbecues and toilets alongside. The parking is roadside and limited, so it fills fast on weekends, and arriving before mid-morning is the trick. If you have the legs, keep driving five minutes to Cougal Cascades for a short free walk to a waterfall. It is the free half-day that gets guests off the sand without opening the wallet.
FAQs
Is parking free at Currumbin Beach?
Yes, in the right spots. The Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Club carpark and the larger carpark at the Alley are both free, and there is free street parking along Duringan Street. Note that stretches of Pacific Parade near the shops now carry a three-hour free limit, so read the signs before you leave the car.
Are the Currumbin Rock Pools free?
Yes. Entry to the Currumbin Rock Pools in the valley is free and so is the parking, a ten to fifteen-minute drive from the resort up Currumbin Creek Road. The roadside parking is limited and fills fast on weekends, so arrive before mid-morning and be ready to parallel park along the road if the main bays are taken.
What is the best free thing to do at Currumbin at low tide?
Walk the sandbar. At low tide the firm sand at the creek mouth links the beach to the point, so you can stroll out toward the Alley and watch the surfers from up close, then loop back along the beach. It costs nothing, suits all ages and is best in the hour either side of low water.
Are there free barbecues at Currumbin Beach?
Yes. Wallace Nicoll Park on the beachfront has free electric barbecues, shaded picnic tables, toilets and beach showers, all a short walk north of the resort. They are first come, first served and busiest at weekend lunchtimes, so an early or late cook usually finds a free plate and a shady table.
None of the best days here need a booking or a wallet, which is exactly why the position works so well. Stay a few steps from the sand and you can string a sunrise, a low-tide walk and a free barbecue into a single day. Have a look at our Currumbin holiday accommodation to base yourself on the beachfront, then map out the free stuff with our Currumbin location guide.
Image credit: Tourism and Events Queensland