A five-minute walk up the highway to the Sanctuary entrance. Coffee from 6am before the gates open, a courtyard to bring the dog while the kids do the lorikeets, lunch when you’re done. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is the headline — we’re what bookends the day.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary has been on this stretch of the Gold Coast Highway since 1947, run by the National Trust. Most visitors come for three or four hours — the morning lorikeet feeding at 8am, koalas, kangaroos, the wildlife hospital, a wander through the rainforest walkway. The question we hear from Sanctuary visitors who wander down for a coffee afterwards is always the same: “Wait, what is this place?”
Cornerstone Stores is five minutes south on the same highway, sitting directly across from the southern end of the Sanctuary’s grounds. Nine independent businesses arranged around an inward-facing courtyard, designed by Brisbane architects Richards & Spence and built by 3rd and 4th generation Currumbin locals. Stable serves licensed café food from 6am. Quince Cellar pours wine and slices cheese. Locavore Byron is an organic butcher. The Body Method and Barre Body run yoga and pilates. Lost Boys is a proper barber. Kind Curations sells homewares, The Upside is activewear, Nuve Escapes books holiday stays. There’s free parking and a courtyard where dogs are welcome — a useful pair of facts the Sanctuary itself can’t offer.
So: before the Sanctuary opens at 8am, come here for coffee. After your visit, come here for lunch. If the Sanctuary carpark is full — which it often is on school holidays — park at Cornerstone for free (no time limits) and walk the five minutes up.
Pull in to Cornerstone for a flat white at Stable. Take it to the courtyard. Watch the queue build five minutes up the highway. When the Sanctuary opens at 8am, you’re already caffeinated and the lorikeets are about to start feeding.
Lorikeets at 8am, koalas, kangaroos, the wildlife hospital, the rainforest walkway. Three to four hours is the usual sweet spot. Strollers and wheelchairs are fine throughout. Bring a hat — lots of it is outdoors.
Walk five minutes back down the highway for a proper sit-down lunch at Stable. Browse Quince and Kind Curations. Pick up some regenerative meat from Locavore Byron if you’re self-catering. From here, Currumbin Beach is another five minutes east before the drive home.
Cornerstone is at 570 Gold Coast Highway; the Sanctuary’s main entrance is at 28 Tomewin Street — just up the road on the opposite side. It’s a five-minute walk: north along the Gold Coast Highway, right onto Tomewin Street, and you’re at the gates. The Sanctuary’s grounds run along the highway directly across from us, so once you’ve parked at Cornerstone, you can see the precinct as soon as you exit the Sanctuary.
No need to drive between them. On a busy Sanctuary day — school holidays especially — parking once at Cornerstone (free, no time limits) and walking up is genuinely easier than fighting for a spot in the Sanctuary lot.
Coming with a dog? The Sanctuary admits assistance dogs only — pet dogs aren’t allowed inside. The fix is the courtyard at Cornerstone: shaded outdoor tables at Stable, water bowls, a leashed-dog policy. Many families split the day — one person inside with the kids, one in the courtyard with the dog and a coffee, then swap.
Licensed café, open 6am — 2:30pm. Specialty coffee, seasonal breakfast and lunch, plant-based options, kids’ menu, courtyard seating.
Fromagerie & small-producer wine cellar. Cheese boards to eat in, bottles and wedges to take home.
Organic, regenerative butcher. Northern Rivers-sourced meat. Useful if you’re self-catering on holiday.
Barber. Bookings or walk-ins. A tidy-up before a wedding, a holiday haircut, or just a beard trim while the family does the Sanctuary.
Yoga and Pilates studio. Drop-in classes available — a good way to shake out a flight or a long drive.
Australia’s original barre studio — teacher-training HQ. Drop-in classes for visitors.
Homewares and lifestyle boutique — thoughtful gifts, ceramics, candles, linen.
Activewear — Aussie-designed, made for sun, sweat and the school run.
Holiday-stay specialists. Useful if you’re extending the trip beyond a day visit.
3 minutes by car, 12 on foot. Patrolled in season, gentle for swimming, and home to one of the GC’s most loved surf breaks.
Freshwater rock pools 15 minutes inland. A cool detour on a hot day after the Sanctuary.
Quieter than Currumbin Beach. Walk Tugun Street and you’re on the sand. Good for a slow sunset.
The path runs past the precinct. Bikes can be hired at the Sanctuary; walk or roll north to Palm Beach or south to Coolangatta.
8 minutes south. The Quiksilver Pro break, Greenmount, the Coolangatta strip and the QLD/NSW border at Point Danger.
6 minutes north on the Gold Coast Hwy. A natural first-stop on landing or last-stop before flying.
Cornerstone Stores — a boutique retail precinct — sits a 5-minute walk south on the Gold Coast Highway, across the road from the Sanctuary grounds. Café, fromagerie, organic butcher, barber, yoga, pilates, homewares, activewear and a holiday-stay specialist. Currumbin Beach is 3 minutes east; the coastal bike path runs past the precinct.
Stable at Cornerstone Stores is a 5-minute walk south of the Sanctuary on the Gold Coast Highway — licensed café food from 6am, seasonal breakfast and lunch, courtyard seating. Quince Cellar (cheese and wine) and Locavore Byron (organic butcher) are in the same precinct if you’re self-catering. Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Club is 3 minutes east for beachfront dining.
Most visitors spend 3-4 hours. The morning Lorikeet feeding at 8am is a highlight, as are the koala encounters, the wildlife hospital tour and the rainforest walkway. To make a full day of it, plan the Sanctuary in the morning, lunch and a wander at Cornerstone, then Currumbin Beach in the afternoon.
No — only assistance dogs. But Cornerstone’s courtyard, a 5-minute walk south on the highway, is dog-friendly: shaded tables at Stable, water bowls, a leashed-dog policy. Many families split the day — one person inside, one in the courtyard with the dog — then swap.
The Sanctuary has its own paid carpark for ticket-holders. Cornerstone Stores, five minutes south on the Gold Coast Highway, has free on-site parking with no meters and no time limits, plus extra free street parking on Farrell Drive. If the Sanctuary lot is full — common on school holidays — park at Cornerstone for free and walk the five minutes up.
Currumbin Beach (3 minutes east, gentle and patrolled), Currumbin Rock Pools (15 minutes inland, freshwater swimming), and the coastal bike path are all easy with kids. Cornerstone’s courtyard is open grass with no traffic, and Stable has a kids’ menu and ice cream — a useful low-key downshift after a few hours of lorikeets.
The Sanctuary is about 7 minutes by car from Gold Coast Airport (OOL) — 4.8km north on the Gold Coast Highway. Cornerstone is just south of it, 6 minutes from the airport. A common first-stop for early-morning arrivals before the Sanctuary gates open at 8am.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is open 8am — 5pm daily (check their site for seasonal hours and closures). The morning Lorikeet feeding is at 8am, afternoon feeding at 4pm. Stable at Cornerstone opens at 6am — early enough for coffee before the gates open.
Directly opposite Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Open 7 days. Free parking, no time limits. Dog-friendly courtyard. Pull in, park, and the rest of the day is yours.