Koala Park: The Gold Coast’s Hidden Jewel Revealed

WORDS: Steve Waterman PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

A tightly held pocket between Tallebudgera Creek and Burleigh Headland, Koala Park remains one of the Coast’s most secluded and breathtaking enclaves — where national park, waterfront living and secret locals-only trails converge

Koala Park, ever heard of it?

If you live north of, say Miami, and south of Palm Beach, and if you weren’t born on the Gold Coast, chances are you’ve either never heard of, or know very little about this tiny little suburb.

Let’s just say it’s a little nugget – tucked away in arguably one of the best spots of the Gold Coast .

Koala Park and its immediate surrounds are a favourite for locals who know too well the secret spots of a suburb blessed to be surrounded by a national park and the stunning Tallebudgera Creek.

Stand Up Paddle Boarder, Tallebudgera Creek.

Tucked away on the northern reaches of ‘Tally Creek’ as the locals call it, the suburb is almost a stone’s throw as the crow flies from Palm Beach but also far enough away from the throng of people hurling themselves off Tallebudgera bridge during the summer weekends and holidays.

You want hustle? You’ll find it a short stroll over the hill to Burleigh Heads and bustling James Street.

You want to rustle? That will be through primitive sub-tropical rainforests that envelop Koala Park without suffocating it; on the contrary which make it breathe. This suburb offers the national park and the creek in a kind of exclusivity unheard of in any other part of the busy GC.

The locals are going to hate me for it, but here is where it gets better.

Koala Park is cradled into a pocket like a baby in a womb, offering quietness ahead of exquisite new experiences in all directions; some of which very few people have seen or had the knowledge to access.

It has a walking network runs parallel to the creek heading east to the Burleigh Headland – and if you know where to find the access point, a beautiful walk takes you westward on a path less travelled to the well-known Fleay’s Wildlife Park.

In certain areas of the track you can deviate ‘off piste’, where you can stop and take a swim in hidden pockets of the creek inaccessible by any form of vehicle.

“If you’re not walking or coming in by a small tinnie, ski or other watercraft, you’re not able to get in there and it is a very special, pristine and untouched part of the creek,” says born and bred Gold Coaster, long-time local and Ocean Road contributor Estelle Hunt.

“There’s no cars, no motorcycles, no ebikes – no bikes able to access this area of the creek which is arguably the best part of the creek.

“We grew up playing around the creek and even though the Gold Coast has become so busy, it is still possible to enjoy parts of the Tallebudgera Creek from Koala Park with very few people around.

“You can swim safely and swim over to small natural sand islands that are so isolated can sometimes you feel like you’re along on your own tropical island.

“Nothing’s changed here even though everything else around it has.”

The suburb is very tightly held by locals, but now and again new projects enter the market, such as AMÉR – an exclusive new collection of stunning waterfront residences – enters the market – that allows a lucky new residents into the suburb.

This super-premium project comprises just four luxurious full-floor homes ranging from 280m² to 380m², each boasting its own private pool and uninterrupted views over one of the Gold Coast’s most idyllic waterways.

Koala Park’s newest showpiece development is being undertaken by an award-winning family business headed by local couple Veronica and Rohit Singla.

The project offers view over the stunning Tally Creek and is a walk away from the national park to the east, James Street and the ‘Fleays walk’ to the west.

Nearby Fleays was was founded by the naturalist David Fleay in the 1950s and is now run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service after being gifted to the Queensland Government in 1980s.

While overshadowed by the larger parks such as Dreamworld and the nearby Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Fleays offers an array of up close, natural wildlife experiences which is both informative and underrated.

These include up-close interactions with Australia’s renowned native animals such as kangaroos, wallabies, possums and platypus, including rare and endangered species such as the Bridled Nail Tailed Wallaby.

Oh, so let’s move eastward shall we? The best part perhaps? A short stroll onto the Tally Creek foreshore from your hidden nook in Koala Park, and you’re straight into the national park on the other side of the Gold Coast Highway, joining the throngs of people who take advantage of one of the few national parks located within a city in Australia. Very Noosa, but with more opportunities.

A network of walks that can take you around the headland overlooking the beautiful ocean outlook for your morning ‘bird watch’ and coffee in Burleigh Heads proper; or over the hills directly if you want some steps and cardio.

Let’s not talk about access to one of the world’s best point breaks shall we?

I could go on about this hidden jewel Koala Park, but then it wouldn’t be hidden.

I feel I’ve sold my soul already.