How walkable is Gold Coast, Queensland?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Gold Coast, Queensland has a walkability score of 61 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the 7th most walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Australia.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,096 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Gold Coast, Queensland. The nearest grocery is about 10 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for parks, schools and culture & entertainment. It is weakest for books & libraries.
Groceries
- IGA Sorrento, 11 min
- Coles Express, 16 min
Restaurants & bars
- George's Paragon, 9 min
- Madam Fu, 10 min
Shopping
- Comfu - Furniture, Design, Packages, 9 min
- Byron Compounding Chemist, 9 min
Coffee
- The Island Cafe, 11 min
- Coffee Sisters, 11 min
Banks
- St.George Bank, 12 min
- Westpac Branch/ATM, 17 min
Parks
- Wildwood Park, 4 min
- Elliott Street Reserve, 7 min
Schools
- Broadbeach Waters Kindergarten, 25 min
- Broadbeach Community Kindergarten, 29 min
Books & libraries
- City of Gold Coast Libraries, 21 min
Culture & entertainment
- Gold Coast Historical Museum, 8 min
- Gold Coast & Hinterland Museum Historical Society, 9 min
Further than usual
- The nearest restaurant is 8 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
- The nearest shop is 9 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
- The nearest café is 10 minutes from the centre on foot, against 3 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest library or bookshop is 19 minutes from the centre on foot, against 6 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at -28.0120, 153.4182, the point near Gold Coast, Queensland's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 86 street intersections per km², and blocks average 71 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Gold Coast, Queensland's score of 61 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 74 within 1 km of the centre, 63 from 1 to 3 km out and 55 from 3 to 5 km out. 33 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 40% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Gold Coast, Queensland. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 75 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 74 | 71% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 63 | 36% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 55 | 34% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Logan City, Australia | 51 km | 50 |
| Brisbane, Australia | 71 km | 82 |
| Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia | 154 km | 49 |
| Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | 571 km | 62 |
| Sydney, Australia | 687 km | 81 |
Questions about walking in Gold Coast, Queensland
Is Gold Coast, Queensland a walkable city?
Partly. Gold Coast, Queensland has a walkability score of 61 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 75. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 7th of 10 cities in Australia and joint 439th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Australia?
Melbourne is the most walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Australia, with a score of 87. Gold Coast, Queensland ranks 7th with 61.
How does Gold Coast, Queensland compare with nearby cities?
Gold Coast, Queensland sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 61, against Logan City (50, 51 km away), Brisbane (82, 71 km away) and Sunshine Coast, Queensland (49, 154 km away).
Which part of Gold Coast, Queensland is most walkable?
Gold Coast's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 75. Walkability averages 74 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 75) and falls most to the south-west (37).
How is Gold Coast, Queensland's walkability score calculated?
For Gold Coast, Queensland it is the average of 58 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 23 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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