The Southport Spit, referred to by locals as "The Spit", is located north of Main Beach and stretches all the way up to the Gold Coast Seaway. The Spit is home to Sea World, Sea Wold Resort, the Sheraton Mirage Resort and Spa, Palazzo Versace, Marina Mirage and Doug Jennings Park. At the northern end of The Spit is the Gold Coast sand pumping jetty which forms part of the Gold Coast Seaway's Sand Bypassing System.
For more information on The Spit especially the best places to eat visit Destination Gold Coast.
Beach usage
Every beach along our coastline is unique and used for many different activities, such as swimming, surfing and walking the dog. We've been working to understand which beaches are our most popular and how each is used by our community and visitors.
Up to 50,000 people visit The Spit beach every year, most of these visitors are local residents.
The Spit is mostly used for the beach amenity it provides, with more than 60% of people using this beach to exercise, play and relax.
Surfing
The Spit can provide gentle whitewash waves for beginner surfers in the shallow nearshore area to the north of the jetty.
Swimming
Make sure you swim between the red and yellow flags which indicate that the beach is patrolled. The Spit has 2 patrolled lifeguard towers located at:
- Seaworld Drive, opposite the Seaworld car park (beach side). Patrolled between 8am and 5pm on weekends between September and April.
- Seaworld Drive, at the Seaway (southern end of Doug Jennings car park). Patrolled between 8am and 5pm every day between November and April.
Please note all beaches are patrolled during Queensland school holidays.
For more details download our Beach patrol information sheet(PDF, 1MB)
Facilities
The Spit is surrounded by natural parklands which includes the Federation Walk. The northern part of the beach also includes an off leash dog exercise area.
Find this off leash exercise area
The Spit has the following facilities for beachgoers:
Getting there
Parking: There are 2 large outdoor carparks at The Spit – Doug Jennings Park Carpark and Philip Park Carpark. Be sure to take note of any applicable parking signs and/or line markings before heading to the beach. Please note that our beaches can get very busy on weekends and during school holidays, reducing the amount of available parking in the area.
Public transport: Translink buses run along Seaworld Drive, Main Beach. Use Translink's journey planner to plot your trip to the beach.
Active travel: Use our walking and cycling maps for the Central Gold Coast and surrounds to plan your walk, run or bike ride to the beach.