TRAVEL
COSMOPOLITAN KIRRA, Say It Ain’t So
WORDS: Steve and Estelle Hunt PHOTOGRAPHY Brian Usher - [email protected] and Supplied
Once a quiet surf enclave on the southern Gold Coast, Kirra has transformed into one of Australia’s most exciting coastal destinations — where world-class waves meet luxury stays, rooftop dining and a thriving restaurant scene
Kirra, on the southern Gold Coast, was once a sleepy nook known mainly for two things — its world-class surf and the Healthy Bee, a health food store where exhausted, sun-drenched surfers flocked for burgers and smoothies after hours riding the corduroy lines of Kirra Point.
For years — aside from cyclone season, when Kirra Point lights up with one of the best barrelling point breaks in the world — the suburb was more a thoroughfare to Coolangatta and the Tweed than a destination.
That’s just how the tight-knit locals, many of whom congregated at the infamous Kirra Hotel, liked it. In little more than 15 years, that has changed dramatically. Kirra has evolved into a polished coastal destination, with high-quality resorts and restaurants rivalling the Gold Coast’s better-known hubs.
Much of that transformation has been driven by a wave of high-quality developments that have helped reshape the area. Projects delivered by KTQ, including Miles Residences, the redevelopment of the Kirra Beach Hotel, and Kirra Point Holiday Apartments, alongside the chic Kirra Beach House, have all contributed to breathing new life into what was once a sleepy coastal pocket.
We stayed at Kirra Point Holiday Apartments — a spacious, luxurious three-bedroom residence offering sweeping views across the coastline from Currumbin Alley to Burleigh Heads and the distant Gold Coast skyline. A wave of quality dining has followed. Siblings, a fine-dining restaurant almost touching the sands of Kirra Point, now occupies the site where a Pizza Hut once stood. The transformation feels symbolic.
Whether mid-week or weekend, Siblings hums with diners soaking up the spectacular ocean views. What many people don’t realise is that Kirra is a north-facing beach — like Byron Bay and Noosa — meaning sun all day and prevailing southeast breezes that create ideal beach and surf conditions for much of the year.
When the swell is up, Kirra produces some of the world’s most famous barrels. When it’s not, the ocean often lies calm and lake-like — perfect for swimmers and families enjoying one of Australia’s most pristine beaches. At the heart of the suburb’s revival is the Kirra Beach Hotel precinct. The complex now includes the beloved ground-floor pub, the expansive Kirra Beach House rooftop venue and the Kirra Point Holiday Apartments above.
Opened in 2024, the apartments combine residential style with resort-level facilities, including a 25-metre ocean-view pool, gym, BBQ areas and secure basement parking with EV charging. The one, two and three-bedroom apartments feature wrap-around balconies, full kitchens with modern appliances, laundry facilities, smart TVs and light-filled coastal interiors — all within easy walking distance of Kirra’s cafés and restaurants.
Directly below sits the Kirra Beach House, a rooftop beach-club style venue that has quickly become one of the southern Gold Coast’s most popular social destinations. Blending a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, rooftop bar and entertainment space, the venue rivals Burleigh Pavilion for atmosphere. VIP cabanas line the terrace, DJs and acoustic acts perform regularly, and the interiors mix Gold Coast nostalgia with modern coastal style — arched doorways, linen curtains, mosaic-tiled bars and tropical greenery.
The menu leans into relaxed seaside dining with Mediterranean-inspired share plates, seafood dishes, wood-fired pizzas and generous mains designed for long lunches and sunset dinners. Beyond the Kirra Point precinct, the suburb’s dining scene continues to grow. Siblings remains a standout, offering seafood, steaks and pasta alongside an extensive wine and cocktail list overlooking the beach. Nearby Hanks — its sister restaurant — delivers another refined dining experience, while Billy Chow adds Asian-fusion flair just a few doors down.
Kirra’s appeal is also practical. The suburb sits less than five minutes from Gold Coast Airport, offering interstate and New Zealand visitors an easy alternative to the busier hubs of Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise more than half an hour north.
And then there’s the beach. Protected by its north-facing cove, Kirra Beach offers calm, crystal-blue water for much of the year, where locals and retirees wade daily beneath more than 200 days of sunshine.
But when cyclone swells arrive, the point transforms into something else entirely — long, cylindrical barrels that have inspired surfers from across the world.
Surfing legend Kelly Slater once described the Kirra barrel as his favourite wave. For surfers it may be one of the best waves on earth. For locals, though, Kirra has become something just as special — one of Australia’s great beachside suburbs, now offering something for everyone. After three days and nights experiencing it, it’s hard to disagree.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
The arrival of Siblings overlooking Kirra Point heralds the much-needed arrival of fine dining to the southern Gold Coast. This high-class restaurant is a welcome but somewhat more subtle alternative to the now famed Burleigh Pavilion precinct which includes Rick Shores. Siblings has become a popular hub both on weekends and week days, as locals and visitors flock to take a seat in a restaurant offering some of the best ocean views in Australia.
Our booking was for 12pm on a Monday, and there was no Mondayitis here; instead a thriving, bustling restaurant full of diners eager to sample the exquisite cuisine for which Siblings has become renowned. This is a people friendly establishment, No need for an ipad to book your food, but instead warm, friendly and knowledgeable staff with a great understanding of the menu, and the wine and cocktail list. For starters we had the freshly shucked oysters which were fresh, delicious and served with a seaweed mignonette and lemon. For the purists, you can just enjoy the oysters with the seaweed mignonette on the side. Other standout starters were the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare which had a Mexican twist to it with firecracker mayo, avocado and blue corn tostado chips, and an old favourite from the 70’s, the classic prawn cocktail. For those who don’t like cauliflower, you will after trying the Miso Cauliflower with whipped Tahini, sesame and furikake; another tasty starter.
Then it was time for Siblings’ signature dish – the mouthwatering 500g quality black Angus chateaubriand steak, Moreton Bay bugs and king prawns; enjoyed with charred broccolini and roasted carrots in honey and labneh. The quote on the drinks menu certainly captured the essence of drinking champagne. “I only drink champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.” So if you want to partake in the same champagne as the Monaco royal family, you can order the ‘PJ Perrier-Jouet La Belle Epoque; the princess of French champagne. The wine list is far from extensive; instead curated and tailored to the highest of standards. Listed as High Rollers Club on the menu, one star bottle is a Sauvignon Blanc Viogner from Tuscany, Italy; The Ornellaia Bianco 2019, known as Tuscany’s most precious gem.
The pick of the crop in red wine is Chateau La Fleur-Petrus 2005, a Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot. The wine combines a unique elegance with the generosity and structure typical of the great vineyards of Pomerol with a suave complexity. Not to be outdone, the cocktails are equally lusty, accentuated by the eight naughty names given to the wide variety of margaritas on the menu. Desserts include classic crème brulee, Kaffir lime panacotta, double chocolate baked cheesecake and a Siblings sundae, incorporating a peanut butter brownie and chocolate mousse.
All in all, Siblings is one of our favs – a truly wonderful dining experience, with sensational cuisine and friendly staff, all befitting of the spectacular views the restaurant offers.
Hanks is a literally a sibling to Siblings, with both restaurants under the same ownership. Named after the family’s German Shepherd, Hank, this restaurant has also become a welcome favourite among diners looking for a sophisticated and ambient dining experience on the southern Gold Coast. Hanks is inspired coastal dining with a Mediterranean influence on the menu; its signature dish a luscious wagyu rib eye steak superbly cooked which salivates the taste buds so much that one of our party has since been back for more.
The interior style offers a classy ambience featured by an impressive marble bar, and a modern coastal feel with a touch of mid-century modern furnishings. Hanks has views to Kirra beach and the parkland and beach board walk across Musgrave Street.
Menu items we experienced included Tuna tartare served with the potato crisps – a seemingly odd combination but so tasty when eaten together; the daily special of bruschetta, tender chargrilled octopus, and ‘Cacio e pepe’ arancini. Hanks also make their own fresh, handmade pasta on site which can be paired with local prawns in a linguine with trout roe, or ricotta gnocchi with pistachio pesto, peas, pecorino and mint.
If you want to skip dessert (for a liquid one) your options include Cloud affogato, which includes vanilla bean gelato, ameretto biscuit with a choice of coffee tequila, crème liqueur or Frangelica or the signature liquid dessert, “According to Hanks” which includes coconut vodka, peanut butter whiskey, coffee liqueur, wattle toffee liqueur espresso, salted caramel syrup.
Billy Chow has the best chilli coconut margaritas the Ocean Road cuisine team have ever tasted. But to focus just on the margaritas would be a deflection from the extraordinary blend of Asian fusion that makes Billy Chow one of the gems of the southern Gold Coast. If food is art, Billy Chow’s culinary presentations should be hanging in the Lourve. And that’s before we get to the flavours. Let’s start with the tempura bug rolls shall we? They need no introduction or explanation. They are just divine. Other starters of note include a variety of oyster options, natural with lime, tempura with salmon caviar or oysters with ponzu and pickled banana chilli.
You must try the selection of dumplings; truffle and mushroom, flame tail snapper and squid, or the pork soup dumplings, and Mooloolaba prawn and pork dumplings. We couldn’t decide which we liked the most. The Patagonia miso toothfish cooked over charcoal with pickled daikon, fermented chilli, was another incredible highlight, dripping off the palate – if fish was a dessert this is it!
The restaurant’s feature items are centred around the banquet where you can sit back and relax and choose from one of three banquet options to suit your taste; this includes a vegetarian-vegan banquet.
All in all, Billy Chow is a gem of the southern Gold Coast dining precinct which excels in modern Asian fusion. You will not be disappointed.
Sitting beneath the Kirra Point apartments is Kirra Beach House – a classy, contemporary entertainment venue with an array of dining options that encapsulate the beautiful views to the ocean. The Beach House is a large rooftop beach club-style dining and entertainment precinct directly above the historic Kirra Beach Hotel. The modern coastal venue combines cocktails, entertainment, and events and blends a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, rooftop bar and beach club atmosphere. The Beach House is a southern Gold Coast rival to Burleigh’s Pavilion and has proved popular for diners and party-goers since opening in late 2023.
The Beach House includes VIP cabanas on the terrace for groups and has multiple bars and lounge areas with live DJs and acoustic performances featuring regularly, particularly on weekends. The venue has been tastefully designed to combine Gold Coast nostalgia with modern coastal living, combining arched doorways and linen curtains, mosaic-tiled bars, hanging plants and tropical wallpaper, and mid-century style furniture.
The venue includes a flexible coastal room function space for weddings, corporate events and private dining and has the capacity for large events of up to several hundred guests or smaller, intimate private functions.
The food is centred on mediterranean style dishes and seafood coastal dining, using share plates and relaxed grazing formats inspired by seaside dining. The menu is typically structured around share plates, bowls and lighter dishes, large mains, woodfired pizzas and desserts.
Click here: https://kirrapoint.com.au/accommodation/
Contact: (07) 5690 5000
