Nature-Based Tourism Program

We provide financial support to eligible businesses and private investors to provide nature-based tourism experiences that:

are low impact and immersive
encourage participation
promote environment and cultural appreciation and conservation.

The following funding opportunities are available through the Nature-Based Tourism Program. For information on future opportunities, please download our prospectus.

Grants: support for existing and emerging businesses to deliver products in the Gold Coast nature-based tourism sector (under $100,000).

Opportunity response program: support for new or significantly enhanced best practice, low impact, nature-based tourism experiences and associated infrastructure on the Gold Coast (over $100,000).

Council-led projects: we are developing a select number of projects led by Council to extend the Gold Coast's nature-based tourism experiences.

Watch our video on Council-led projects

Grants

Grants provide quick activation financial or in-kind support for both new and established tourism businesses.

Criteria

Small simple projects that can enhance your business's nature-based tourism offerings and services within the Gold Coast that:

require project funding between $1000 and $100,000
require no new lease or licensing agreements needed from the City of Gold Coast
require no planning, building or other site specific or operational constraints
will be ready to start within 12 months from when the grant funding agreement is signed and approved
must fall in one of the 6 categories listed in the program guidelines
require applicants to provide a minimum 20% financial co-contribution of the total project cost.

Grants 2025

We are proud to announce the successful recipients of the inaugural Nature-Based Tourism Program.

The funded projects span across the Gold Coast’s hinterland and waterways, activating and enhancing a range of low-impact products and immersive experiences that will strengthen the city’s reputation for nature-based tourism. Through a competitive assessment process, guided by a panel including tourism industry leaders, First Nations representatives, and environmental experts, projects will diversify the visitor economy, with all initiatives to be delivered within the next 12 months.

Funded projects

1The Tour Collective – Main Beach

Humpback whale and ocean discovery learning hub
Deliver the Humpback Whale and Ocean Discovery Learning Hub at the Sea World Cruises terminal in Main Beach, featuring interactive educational displays, VR experiences, a humpback whale skeleton, audio-visual storytelling, and hands-on conservation activities.

Designed to further position the Gold Coast as a leading hub for whale education, conservation, and immersive marine tourism, the project will introduce citizen science education tours, building on long-standing partnerships with Griffith University, Humpbacks and High Rises, and the Sea World Foundation.

2Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat & Spa – Tallebudgera Valley

Contemporary natured-based wellness immersions
Deliver innovative nature-based wellness immersions within Gwinganna’s award-winning, eco-certified wellness retreat. The project includes tree nests for group forest bathing and meditation; healing bee hut for relaxation, stress relief and respiratory health; stargazing, silent disco to create a sense of awe and connection to land and a nature-inspired wellness trail.

Celebrating and elevating the Gold Coast’s natural landscape, the project adds a new dimension to the region’s existing wellness and regenerative, nature-based tourism offering while showcasing the diversity of the local environment – from ancient forests to vast night skies.

3The Boomerang Farm – Mudgeeraba

Boomerang bike park upgrade: Stage 1
Deliver an upgrade to the bike park providing an expanded network of expertly designed mountain biking trails, while preserving the site’s natural integrity. Through guided experiences and skills development programs, mountain biking will be made more accessible to riders of all skill levels, encouraging greater participation in outdoor adventure and showcasing authentic nature-based experiences on the city’s doorstep.

The project will deliver strong community benefits by engaging local riders, youth and clubs, fostering lifelong connections to nature-based adventure and healthy outdoor lifestyles.

4Harbour Town Centre Management – Biggera Waters/Coombabah

First Nations bush tucker and wildlife experience
Deliver a 1.5 hour immersive experience, that brings together culture and wildlife, highlighting the importance of ongoing cultural dialogue, directly connected to the Gold Coast through the Yugambeh Language People. Led by Indigenous guides, the experience begins at the Bush Tucker Garden at the Harbour Town Tourism Lounge before continuing into the Coombabah Conservation Area where guests learn about native foods and their uses, the significance of the borobi (Yugambeh word for koala), wildlife spotting, and the enduring Yugambeh connection to the Gold Coast and surrounding islands.

5TreeTop Challenge – Currumbin

Eco-Adventures and Rainforest Futures: An educational nature-based tourism experience
Deliver a curriculum-linked nature-based educational program designed to connect students with nature through immersive rainforest canopy experiences. Enhancing the southern Gold Coast’s educational tourism offering and operating as a standalone experience within Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, the program will combine canopy zipline adventure with hands-on environmental education.

6Ediblescapes – Nerang

Community edible forest garden and biocultural ecotourism experience
Deliver an edible forest garden at Country Paradise Parklands. Designed for the community and visitors, the initiative invites public participation in regenerative forest gardening, food foraging, and biocultural cooking practices. Key components include a mobile biocultural food and medicinal herb hub, a digital living forest card platform and seasonal educational tours and events.

7Paradise Tours – various locations

Springbrook Day Tour Enhancement and Gold Coast Nature Day Tour Launch: Connecting culture, community and conservation through nature-based tourism
Deliver improvements to existing and new tour products that go beyond sightseeing to foster meaningful engagement with nature. This includes Ecotourism Australia certification, cultural training and professional guide accreditation, the project will also deliver website upgrades and new content creation to grow visitation, strengthen accessibility, and ensure best-practice sustainability is embedded across operations.

8Reveling – various locations

Framed by Nature: A Gold Coast photographic safari project
Deliver immersive photographic experiences showcasing the region’s biodiversity. Led by award-winning wildlife photographer Craig Parry and hosted by Reveling, the project will include guide training and content development. Featured safari modules will range from rainforest bird and wildlife photography tours to marine encounters and surf safaris with Olympian Bede Durbidge, highlighting the region’s most iconic landscapes and species.

9Wild&Co. – Currumbin Waters/various locations

Adventure race event equipment
Deliver an initiative to expand the Gold Coast’s capacity to host adventure racing events, a rapidly growing sport in Australia that combines trekking, mountain biking, and kayaking over unmarked courses. The project will strengthen safety and live tracking systems essential for managing events in remote areas with limited mobile coverage.

10Historic Rivermill – Mount Nathan

Commercial kitchen upgrade to meet growing tourism demand
Deliver a strategic infrastructure enhancement to support a more seamless visitor experience in the riverside hinterland setting. The upgrade will expand service capacity and elevate Historic Rivermill’s nature-based hospitality offerings, providing a strong foundation for further new product development in the future.

11Southern Cross Tours – various locations

Gold Coast day tour launch and Kangaroos and mountain views tour enhancements
Deliver website upgrades and new content creation to grow visitation, digital engagement and awareness for new tour products that go beyond sightseeing to foster meaningful engagement with nature.

12Go Ballooning – Maudsland

Back to the Skies: Hot air ballooning after Cyclone Alfred
Deliver website upgrades and new content creation to promote the return of sunrise balloon flights, supporting regional recovery, reconnecting visitors with the beauty of the Gold Coast through refreshed visuals and local partnerships.

13Get Wet Surf School – Main Beach

ECO certification for Get Wet Surf School
Support for Get Wet Surf School to achieve official ECO Certification through Ecotourism Australia. This initiative reinforces the school’s commitment to sustainable tourism and environmental stewardship.