At a glance
- Patrol hours
- Generally 8am to 5pm at patrolled towers
- All year
- Towers in the first table, for example at Surfers Paradise, Main Beach, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta
- In October
- Towers on September to April schedules are on; towers from November are not on their regular schedule yet
- Not patrolled
- Froggies Beach and South Stradbroke Island
- Emergency
- Triple Zero (000)
- Official pages
- City of Gold Coast Lifeguards and beach pages
Most Gold Coast lifeguard towers are patrolled between 8am and 5pm every day all year round, but a set of towers only open for part of the year. In mid-October the towers that open “every day from September to April” are on, while those that start “between November and April” are not on that schedule yet, although the City also lists them as patrolled during school holidays. Always swim between the red and yellow flags, and if there are no flags, do not swim.
The City of Gold Coast employs the lifeguards and publishes patrol times on each beach’s page. This guide sorts those pages by season. The times are as of 17 October 2026, and a patrol can close at short notice, because the City says a patrol may be closed due to dangerous swimming conditions, unsafe beach conditions or beach maintenance works.
How big is the lifeguard service?
The City’s Lifeguards page lists 54 kilometres of beaches, 28 beaches patrolled year round, 42 beaches patrolled during peak season and school holidays, 41 surveillance towers, 50 permanent lifeguards and 163 casual staff. It adds that casual lifeguards for summer are hired from mid-November. The City’s own count of beaches differs from the number of towers named on each beach page, so the tables below follow the individual beach pages.
Which towers are patrolled every day, all year?
These towers are listed as patrolled by lifeguards between 8am and 5pm, every day all year round (or “year round”):
| Beach | Patrol locations |
|---|---|
| Main Beach | Breaker Street; Macarthur Parade, near Southport Surf Life Saving Club |
| Narrowneck | Main Beach Parade opposite Hi Surf apartments; Main Beach Parade, beach side of Macintosh Island Park |
| The Spit South | Seaworld Drive, beach side of the Sheraton Mirage |
| The Spit North | Seaworld Drive, southern end of the Doug Jennings car park |
| Northcliffe | Thornton Street; Clifford Street |
| Surfers Paradise | The Esplanade at Cavill Avenue, Elkhorn Avenue and Staghorn Avenue |
| Broadbeach | Chelsea Avenue; Wharf Road |
| Kurrawa | Margaret Avenue; Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club |
| Mermaid Beach | Montana Avenue, near Mermaid Beach Surf Lifesaving Club |
| Miami | Hythe Street, near Miami Beach Surf Life Saving Club |
| Nobby Beach | Lavarack Road, near Nobby’s Beach Surf Life Saving Club |
| North Burleigh | Fourth Avenue at The Esplanade; The Esplanade, near North Burleigh Surf Lifesaving Club |
| Burleigh Heads | Mowbray Park Surf Life Saving Club |
| Tallebudgera | Near Tallebudgera Surf Lifesaving Club |
| Currumbin Beach | Pacific Parade, near Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club |
| Kirra | Marine Parade, near Kirra Surf Life Saving Club |
| Greenmount | Marine Parade, near Greenmount Beach Surf Club |
| Coolangatta | Marine Parade, near Coolangatta Surf Club |
| Rainbow Bay | Snapper Rocks Road, Coolangatta |
One more tower is surveillance only. At Currumbin Alley the City says there is no flagged swimming area, and lifeguards are on duty between 8am and 5pm every day year round. The nearest patrolled swimming area is 500 metres south at Tower 11 at Currumbin.
Which towers are on now but not all year?
These towers are on in October because their season starts in September:
| Tower | What the City says |
|---|---|
| Broadbeach, Australia Avenue | 8am to 5pm, every day from September to April and during school holidays |
| Nobby Beach, Seashell Avenue | 8am to 5pm, every day between September and April and during school holidays |
| Palm Beach South, beach side of Palm Beach Parklands | 8am to 5pm, on weekends between September and April and during school holidays |
| Bilinga | “Between 8am and 5pm, all school holidays and weekends between September and April from 8:30am to 3pm” |
| Tallebudgera Creek | Neptune Royal Lifesaving Club patrols 8am to 5pm on weekends and public holidays, from the September school holidays to the first weekend of May |
Where a tower is listed for weekends only, weekday swimmers have no patrol there. The Bilinga line is ambiguous, so check the sign at the beach for the times that apply that day.
Which towers start in November?
These towers are not on their regular schedule yet. The City lists them from November, plus during school holidays, so check the sign if the Queensland school holidays are on:
| Tower | What the City says |
|---|---|
| Kurrawa, Hedges Avenue | 8am to 5pm, every day from November to April and during school holidays |
| Mermaid Beach, Hilda Street | 8am to 5pm, every day between November and April and during school holidays |
| North Kirra, Pacific Parade near North Kirra Surf Life Saving Club | 8am to 5pm, every day between November and April and during school holidays |
| Palm Beach, Tower 14 (Jefferson Lane) and Tower 15 (near Pacific Surf Lifesaving Club) | 8am to 5pm, between November and April and during school holidays |
| Tugun, near Tugun Surf Life Saving Club | 8am to 5pm, every day between November and April and during school holidays |
| Miami, Santa Monica Road | 8am to 5pm, on weekends between November and April and during school holidays |
| The Spit North, Seaworld Drive opposite the Seaworld car park, and at Muriel Henchman Drive | 8am to 5pm, on weekends between November and April and during school holidays |
| The Spit North, northern end of the Doug Jennings car park | Surveillance only, with no flagged swimming area, between November and April and during school holidays. The nearest patrolled swimming area is 300 metres south at Tower 45 (Seaway) |
Which beaches are not patrolled at all?
The City says Froggies Beach is not patrolled and swimming there is not recommended, and suggests Rainbow Bay instead. It says the same about South Stradbroke Island: the beaches are not patrolled and swimming is not recommended.
What are the basic beach safety rules?
The City’s Beach safety page says to call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency and to follow these rules:
- Swim at a patrolled beach, between the red and yellow flags. No flags means no swim.
- Keep children within arm’s reach, and read the safety signs.
- Never swim at night, and never swim after eating or drinking alcohol.
- Never swim near a danger sign, or when the beach is closed.
- No surfing between the red and yellow flags, and no fibreglass or hard plastic surfcraft there.
- Dogs are not permitted within 200 metres of the red and yellow flags in both directions.
If you get into trouble, the City says to stay calm, raise one arm straight up, float and wait for help, and not to struggle against a rip. If you see someone in trouble, alert a lifeguard, or call 000 if no lifeguard is on the beach, and do not enter the water to help.
Where can dogs go?
The City’s page on what is allowed on Gold Coast beaches says dogs are allowed on a leash on most beaches, except in designated dog prohibited areas, and never within 200 metres of flagged areas. It names Tallebudgera Beach, Palm Beach and The Spit as places the City has designated for off-leash exercise. At Northcliffe, the beach from Lifeguard Tower 37 at Higman Street south to Tower 33 at Clifford Street is a dog prohibited area.
Can I check the surf before I go?
The City runs live beach cameras so you can see the surf and how many people are in the water. The City says the cameras should not be used as a safety tool and that safety information should come from official water safety and weather forecasting services. Each beach page also shows a status for its towers, and for several towers it reads “Status unavailable”, so rely on the flags and the lifeguards on the day.
Are any beaches under repair?
The City’s Beach locations page says crews are continuing work to restore the beaches at Main Beach, Narrowneck and The Spit after Tropical Cyclone Alfred. To check whether a beach is closed, use the City’s City alerts page, and read each beach page for patrol hours before you go. The Beach locations page links to all of them.
Sources
- City of Gold Coast — Lifeguards (checked 17 October 2026)
- City of Gold Coast — Beach locations, and each beach page linked from it (patrol times)
- City of Gold Coast — Beach safety
Featured image: lifeguard tower on The Spit beach (photo: Chris Olszewski / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the City of Gold Coast or any surf life saving club. Patrol times can change; check the signs and flags on the beach and the City’s beach pages before you swim.