Surfers Paradise – a hub of arts and culture

When you buy real estate in Surfers Paradise, you're surrounding yourself with a huge arts and culture scene that's making the Gold Coast into so much more than just a beach tourism area. Here's a guide to getting your culture on in one of the Gold Coast's premium property hotspots. 

1. The Arts Centre Gold Coast

The Arts Centre Gold Coast can be found on Bundall Road and was originally opened in 1986. Since then, it's evolved into a complex that houses the Arts Theatre, Gold Coast City Gallery, two cinemas and the Arts Cafe. There are also several function rooms, a chapel and two small performance spaces.

The Gold Coast City Gallery is one of Australia's biggest regional art galleries, and hosts a number of different exhibitions with a focus on contemporary art. The gallery works closely with the community to support local artists, including hosting two annual awards – the Gold Coast Art Prize and The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award. Recently, exhibitions have focused on fashion photography (incorporating work by Mario Testino and David Bailey), as well as pop art and abstraction in Australia.

The Arts Theatre, meanwhile, puts on a number of different dramatic and visual performances, including physical theatre, dance and a number of family friendly shows. There are also live screenings of the plays being shown at Great Britain's National Theatre, so you can watch some of the world's best performances without ever having to leave Queensland. 

Music, film and comedy also take some of the limelight, with regular gigs, festivals and movie screenings. These include both recent releases and classic films, with a particular highlight the annual Gold Coast Film Festival. 

2. Urban Paradise Gallery

This not-for-profit gallery, right in the heart of the town, is run by local artists in the Surfers Paradise area. The range of artists contributing to the gallery means you'll discover something new every time you go. They don't just host traditional paintings either – a range of photography, crafts and sculptures are included. 

If you do decide you want to take anything home to help decorate your Gold Coast property, you can be happy knowing that all the money is going to the artists who made the work. This is especially important considering some of Urban Paradise's recent exhibitions have focused on aboriginal artwork. 

3. Spirit of Australia Gallery

This is Surfers Paradise's only art gallery that solely focuses on indigenous artwork. It displays pieces by some of Australia's most famous aboriginal artists, including Walangkura Napanangka, the Petyarre family, Abie Loy, Evelyn Pultara, Margaret Lewis Napangardi and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa. Many contemporary aboriginal artworks are also exhibited, and you can see live paintings being done in store most days. 

This isn't just a gallery, however – it's also a shop. Spirit of Australia sells merchandise made all over Australia, including housing the Gold Coast's largest collection of didgeridoos. With over 200 authentic, termite-eaten didgeridoos, the store also offers lessons for those not yet familiar with the instrument. 

The shop's other products include aboriginal jewellery and crafts, and a large collection of opals from Alanrise, Coober Pedy and other inland opal-mining centres. They also sell hats and clothes, Australian-made toys, crocodile and kangaroo leather accessories and boomerangs. 

With such a range of Australian products on offer, it's no surprise that this gallery and store is a hit with both locals and tourists alike. 

Though the beach will always be a major selling point for all Surfer's Paradise properties, it's important that the place where you buy real estate has other things to offer as well. Surfer's Paradise has a thriving arts and culture scene that makes it a great Gold Coast real estate option.