Gold Coast Waters
Gold Coast
31 boat ramps, 1 dive site and 2 photographs.
Boat ramps
31
Boat ramp
Broadbeach, T E Peters Drive
The Broadbeach Waters ramp opposite the Convention Centre – a wide two-lane ramp with a sandy beach beside it, in a park with barbecues and toilets, on the protected canal water of the Nerang system.
Boat ramp
Burleigh Heads, Awoonga Avenue
A single narrow lane into Tallebudgera Creek from a residential street in Burleigh Heads – street parking only, tide-limited, and rated the worst ramp on the coast by the people who have tried them all.
Boat ramp
Carrara, Carrara Road
A small single ramp on the Nerang River at Pidd Family Park, Carrara – six or seven parks, rocky foreshore, and a ramp the council also uses for dredge spoil. Best for small boats heading downriver to Surfers.
Boat ramp
Coomera, Colman Road
The Pimpama River ramp at the end of Colman Road – a single steep lane with a single turning bay and gravel parking in the bush. One boat at a time, but it opens onto the quiet northern rivers and Jumpinpin.
Boat ramp
Coomera, Tallawood Road
A single-lane ramp with a floating pontoon on the Coomera River at the end of Tallawood Road, opposite Sanctuary Cove – nine bays, a park with toilets and barbecues, and not much room to turn a trailer.
Boat ramp
Currumbin, Panorama Drive
The Winders Park ramp on Currumbin Creek – a small single lane with a pontoon, sandy beaches, a fish cleaning table and barbecues, and fewer than ten parks. Get in early, and only cross the bar in good conditions.
Boat ramp
Helensvale, Condamine Crescent
A quiet single ramp on Saltwater Creek at River Downs Park, Helensvale – no facilities, hardly any traffic, and a tide that runs a couple of hours behind the Seaway.
Boat ramp
Hinze Dam (East)
The eastern ramp on Advancetown Lake at Hinze Dam – electric, sail and paddle craft only, no petrol motors, and catch-and-release fishing with a permit.
Boat ramp
Hinze Dam (West)
The main ramp on Advancetown Lake at Hinze Dam, beside the dam wall recreation area – toilets, water and ten bays, for electric, sail and paddle craft only. No petrol motors on the lake.
Boat ramp
Hollywell, Holly Avenue
A single narrow lane straight onto the Broadwater at Hollywell, with a toilet and a handful of on-street parks – a quiet beginners' ramp a hundred metres from its twin at Jasmine Avenue. Watch the shoals at low tide.
Boat ramp
Hollywell, Howard Street
A small single lane onto the Broadwater at Howard Street – sand blows across the ramp, there is no wharf or toilet, and it is exposed to the wind. Ten parks. Jet skis and small four-wheel-drive-towed boats only.
Boat ramp
Hollywell, Jasmine Avenue
The other Hollywell ramp – a small single lane with seven parks beside it, a slight grade, and no wharf. Well kept and quiet, good for beginners and small boats; shoals and rocks from mid tide down.
Boat ramp
Hope Island, Boykambil Esplanade South
The Boykambil ramp on Coombabah Creek at Hope Island – a single lane with a fixed wharf, a wide sandy beach, toilets, barbecues and a playground, and 13 bays. Wind and tide can make the retrieve fiddly.
Boat ramp
Labrador, Southern end of Marine Parade
The Loders Creek ramp at the southern end of Marine Parade, Labrador – two lanes tucked inside the creek mouth, sheltered from the Broadwater weather, with a fish-wash station and toilets but only 20 bays and no jetty.
Boat ramp
Main Beach, Muriel Henchman Drive (Northern)
The northern of the two Spit ramps at Muriel Henchman Park – the closest launch to the Seaway, rebuilt in 2024 with upgraded pontoons and more parking. The 20-tonne load limit is for the charter and tour boats that share it.
Boat ramp
Main Beach, Muriel Henchman Drive (Southern)
The southern Spit ramp at Muriel Henchman Park – the recreational half of the pair, 46 bays, toilets and showers, and the Seaway a short run north. Rebuilt with new pontoons and more parking in 2024.
Boat ramp
Main Beach, Waterways Drive
Proud Park at the mouth of the Nerang River – two lanes and a pontoon on the Main Beach side, 37 bays, toilets and water, with the Broadwater in front and the Seaway a short run north.
Boat ramp
Nerang, Ferry Street
The upriver ramp at Arthur Earle Park, Nerang – two well-kept lanes with toilets and water and ten bays, on the quiet upper Nerang River well away from the coast crowds.
Boat ramp
Oxenford, Old Pacific Hwy
The Coomera River ramp beside the motorway at Oxenford – widened to three lanes with a new pontoon in 2023, one-way traffic through the car park and about 50 bays. Gravel beach, and six-knot zones for the first stretch.
Boat ramp
Palm Beach, Murlong Crescent
The Tallebudgera Creek ramp at Palm Beach – a single lane with a floating walkway, rebuilt in 2024, with toilets, water and a dozen bays. Tinnies and small runabouts; jet skis are banned on the creek.
Boat ramp
Palm Beach, Thrower Drive
The Currumbin Creek ramp on Thrower Drive – two lanes, sandy beaches, a fish cleaning station, showers and about 45 bays, on the Palm Beach bank near the creek mouth. The best-equipped ramp in the south, and the launch for the offshore grounds when the bar allows.
Boat ramp
Paradise Point, Donald Avenue
The Paradise Point boat harbour ramp – three lanes at a gentle grade with a full-length floating walkway, 46 bays, toilets and water, a chandlery and café on the Esplanade, and calm water in front. Ideal for smaller boats and solo launches.
Boat ramp
Paradise Point, Oxley Drive
The Jabiru Island ramp on Oxley Drive – two lanes on the protected south side of the island on Coombabah Creek, 30 bays, toilets, and drive-around access for bigger rigs. Swampy foreshore, still water.
Boat ramp
Paradise Point, Turana Street
A quiet single lane with a fixed jetty on Coombabah Creek at Hollywell Park, Turana Street – 13 bays, no toilet, and a swampy shore that makes the jetty essential. Sheltered, depending on the wind.
Boat ramp
Runaway Bay, Ray Street
Lands End at Runaway Bay – a small single lane onto Biggera Creek off a busy roundabout, with toilets and a tap but only 11 bays. Small boats exploring the canals; the traffic is the intimidating part.
Boat ramp
Southport, Marine Parade & Broad Street
Harley Park on the Labrador foreshore – a twin ramp with a pontoon and small jetty, 62 bays, toilets and water, and the Broadwater cafés at your back. The parking goes very early, and the ramp is exposed to wind and current.
Boat ramp
Southport, Marine Pde & Welch Street
The three-lane ramp at Anzac Park beside the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, at the southern end of Broadwater Parklands – toilets, water and 29 bays, but tide-limited over the flats. The big four-lane ramp is at the northern end of the same park.
Boat ramp
Southport, North Street
The Broadwater Parklands ramp – two double-width launching bays, three floating walkways and a landing pontoon at Fisherman's Lawn, with parking for about 90 rigs and the Seaway a short run away. The Gold Coast's go-to ramp, repaired and re-walkwayed in 2025.
Boat ramp
Surfers Paradise, Birt Avenue
Budds Beach on the Nerang River at Surfers Paradise – a small single ramp with a gentle slope onto a wide sandy beach, on-street parking only. Kayaks, canoes and jet skis; the sand covers the concrete.
Boat ramp
Surfers Paradise, Naples Avenue
The Isle of Capri ramp on the Nerang River – a single lane with six parks, no jetty, and a tidal current that runs hard past the ramp. Experienced users only.
Boat ramp
Upper Coomera, Gawler Place
A single ramp at John Siganto Park on the upper Coomera River – gravel beaches, eight parks, toilets, a dog park and a playground, in a peaceful spot at the top of the navigable river. Rocks in the calm water.