Having fun and staying active on the Gold Coast is easy – and in most cases also free! Hhere’s how.
If there’s one city of Queensland where you’d never hear the word “boredom” used, it’s the Gold Coast. Apart from all the amazing natural wonders including the surf, the sand and the relaxing salt air, you’ll also find a host of free (yep, FREE!) and low-cost activities getting locals and visitors alike, outdoors and active – all thanks to Gold Coast City Council.
Council’s Active & Healthy program is one of the most comprehensive programs of its kind across the state. With 11 years of history in the area and running for 48 weeks of every year, the local Active & Healthy committee coordinates 180-200 sessions every week. Activities are held right across the Gold Coast, from Ormeau in the north to Coolangatta in the south, and utilise the city’s local parks, community centres, aquatic centres, libraries and more.
Among the sessions on offer are fitness-based activities such as group training, boxing, aqua aerobics, tai chi, yoga and Pilates, as well as recreational activities like skateboarding and scooter workshops for kids and nature-based activities including guided bush walks. Council is also looking after people’s wellbeing with additional sessions focused on healthy cooking classes, meditation groups and even chronic illness prevention workshops, for example.
And it doesn’t matter what age you are – there’s an Active & Healthy session perfect for you. Kids are catered for via some great after-school classes, new parents are catered for via group exercise classes (where strollers and preschool-aged kids are welcome) and over-50s classes also feature in the program.
“Active & Healthy is a great opportunity to get out into our city’s magnificent parklands and green space to boost your fitness and wellbeing,” Deputy Mayor Donna Gates says.
Gold Coast City Council Active & Healthy program coordinators confirm that these sessions are available to residents of the city as well as holidaymakers staying in the area and those southern-based “winter migrants” who pass through our beautiful part of the world chasing the sunshine. For a full list of the current Gold Coast City Council Active & Healthy sessions near you, search the council website.
Free for all
Here’s scout magazine’s pick of the Gold Coast City Council Active & Healthy sessions – a week of freebies, just for you!
- Mondays, 7pm, Sahaja Yoga at Southport Community Centre
- Tuesdays, 8am, Academy of Yang Tsin Su tai chi classes at Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens
- Thursdays, 5.15pm, Heart Foundation group walks at Broadwater Parklands
- Fridays, 9am, Essence of Living Pilates at Carrara Community Centre