The July school holidays are easy to fill from Isle of Palms, our lakeside resort in Elanora on the southern Gold Coast. Within about twenty minutes of our front door there are five ways to wear the kids out: our own pools and lake, two free playgrounds, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and a calm creek swim. Here is how to plan the week.
Where do you start the day without leaving the resort?
Distance: at your door. Directions: the pools, spas and games room sit within the gardens; Pine Lake wraps the back of the units. Hours: pool areas open dawn to dusk for guests.
Most winter holiday days here begin and end at the water. There are two swimming pools, including a shallow wading pool for the little ones, plus two heated spas that are the real winter win when the afternoon turns cool. When energy dips, the games room has arcade machines and a pool table under cover. Suits every age, prams roll on the flat garden paths, and it is all included for guests. Budget half a day and you have barely left home. Play the heated spa late, once the pool feels brisk, and you buy yourself a calm hour.
Is Pine Lake good for kids?
Distance: at your door. Directions: step off the back deck of the waterfront units onto the lake edge. Hours: any time, though mornings are stillest.
The lake at our back is the quiet surprise of a stay here. Guests keep mentioning fishing off the deck and paddling the flat water, and you can drop a line, take a kayak or a paddleboard out, or simply feed the ducks along the canal walk. It suits all ages with supervision, and the sealed path around the water takes a pram easily. There is no cost for guests, and an hour on the still lake before breakfast is the gentlest way to start a holiday day. Come out early, when the water is glassy and the birdlife is up.
Where is the best free playground near Elanora?
Distance: about 4 to 6 minutes’ drive. Directions: Elizabeth Sloper Gardens sits within Elanora off Guineas Creek Road; Palm Beach Parklands is at the south end of Palm Beach where Currumbin Creek meets the sea. Hours: open all the time, free.
Two playgrounds cover every mood. Elizabeth Sloper Gardens is fully fenced, so you can sit with a coffee while the kids run, and it has a Liberty Swing for wheelchair users. Palm Beach Parklands has the pirate-ship playground with its sails and masts beside the creek, plus free barbecues and shade. Both suit toddlers to about ten, both take a pram on sealed paths, and both are free. The fenced Sloper playground is the safer bet with fast movers; the Parklands fill on fine weekends, so get there early.
Is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary worth a full day?
Distance: about 7 minutes’ drive south. Directions: follow Guineas Creek Road to Currumbin, then Tomewin Street; the Sanctuary is at number 28, opposite Honeyworld. Hours: 9am to 4pm daily, last entry 3.30pm, closed Christmas Day and Anzac Day.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is the full-day option that does the tiring-out for you. There are koalas and kangaroos, the famous rainbow lorikeet feedings morning and afternoon, reptiles, and free-flight bird shows across the day. It suits all ages, and the next-door TreeTop Challenge high ropes takes older kids from four up. The grounds are pram friendly and prams are available to hire. Entry is a paid full-day ticket, so make a day of it. Time your arrival for the morning lorikeet feed and let the long, shaded walk do the rest.
Where can kids swim safely in the July holidays?
Distance: about 8 minutes’ drive north. Directions: take the Gold Coast Highway north towards Burleigh; the car park sits just before the creek bridge. Hours: open all the time, with a patrolled section near the mouth on weekends and holidays.
Tallebudgera Creek is the calm-water favourite, clear and shallow with a gentle current, and it is the safest family swim on the coast. In July the water is brisk, so it suits a paddle and a sandcastle morning more than a long swim, then it is back to the resort’s heated spa to warm up. The foreshore has free barbecues, picnic shelters, a playground and a boardwalk between the water and the mangroves. Best for little ones, pram friendly along the boardwalk, and free. Come at low to mid tide, when the sand flats are widest.
FAQs: July school holidays near Elanora
Are the pools heated at Isle of Palms in winter?
The two spas are heated year round, which is the winter card to play. The swimming pools themselves are not heated, so in July they suit a quick dip and a splash more than a long swim. Warm the kids up in a heated spa afterwards and the pool area still earns its keep on a mild winter afternoon.
When are the 2026 Gold Coast school holidays in winter?
The Queensland winter school holidays run Saturday 27 June to Sunday 12 July 2026, with Queensland students back on 13 July. New South Wales holidays run a little later, 6 to 17 July. The overlap in early July is the busiest window, so book your Elanora stay early if you are travelling then.
Is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary open during the school holidays?
Yes. The Sanctuary is open 9am to 4pm every day except Christmas Day and Anzac Day, with last entry at 3.30pm. School holidays usually bring extra shows and activities, so there is plenty to fill a full day. Arrive for the morning lorikeet feeding and let the walking wear everyone out before lunch.
Where can toddlers play safely near Elanora?
Elizabeth Sloper Gardens in Elanora is fully fenced, so little runners can’t bolt while you grab a coffee, and it includes a Liberty Swing for wheelchair users. Back at Isle of Palms, the shallow wading pool suits the smallest guests. Both are close, both are easy, and both cost nothing beyond the towel you bring.
When the pool, the lake and a day at Currumbin have finally done their job and the kids are still, our self-contained townhouses give everyone room to spread out over two levels. Explore our Elanora and Palm Beach location guide and check availability and book direct for the winter holidays.
Image credit: City of Gold Coast
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