Point Danger Lookout to Currumbin Alley

This is the southern end of the Gold Coast Oceanway, a sealed coastal path running from the Point Danger lookout at Coolangatta north to Currumbin Alley, flat and wide and about 19 kilometres return. Dogs are welcome on the path itself on lead, and the headlands, surf breaks and whale season make it one of the better walks on the southern Gold Coast.

The dog setup

Leash status is simple on the path and anything but simple off it. The City of Gold Coast requires dogs on lead on the shared Oceanway and the foreshore reserves it crosses, with no off-lead privileges anywhere along this route.

The sand beside the path is governed separately and is mostly stricter than the path itself, including stretches closed to dogs altogether. Patrolled swimming areas between the flags are off limits, so treat the pavement as the route and check signage before dropping onto any beach.

The walk

The full route is roughly four hours return and graded easy, tracking the headlands and beaches through Rainbow Bay, Greenmount, Coolangatta, Kirra and Tugun. It breaks into segments cleanly, and Coolangatta to Kirra is a comfortable hour with a dog at a strolling pace.

Humpback whales pass offshore through winter and spring, and the headland lookouts around Point Danger and Greenmount are the places to watch from.

Water

Plan water stops rather than assuming them: fountains and taps sit at the main beach parks along the route, but carry a bottle and a collapsible bowl between them. Your dog should swim only where dogs are permitted at all, which rules out the patrolled stretches entirely.

Hazards

The Oceanway is a shared path, so cyclists come through fast and a dog on a long lead is a real trip risk; keep the lead short near bikes. Queensland heat is the other hazard, and there is little shade on the open beachfront sections.

When to go

Go early morning or evening in the warmer months, when the path is cooler and the crowds thinner. Winter and spring add the whale migration to the view, and midday is genuinely pleasant through the cooler months.

Getting there and parking

Start at the Point Danger lookout car park off Pacific Parade at the Queensland New South Wales border, with parking around the lookout and Roughton Park. Coolangatta is reachable by train to the Coolangatta airport area or by bus along the coast, but driving gives you the option of finishing a segment and moving the car north.

Close by with the dogs

If you want to give the dog an off-lead run instead, Atkin Park dog exercise area at Tugun sits right on the route. Coffee and breakfast options along the way include Cafe Kirra at the Kirra end and Espresso Cooly back in Coolangatta, and Kirra Beach Tourist Park makes a dog-friendly base for walking the path in stages.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly trails guide and the Coolangatta destination page.