Rainbow Bay

Rainbow Bay is a sheltered sandy beach at Coolangatta on the southern Gold Coast, Queensland, enclosed by Snapper Rocks and Greenmount Hill. Known for calm, clear water and a patrolled swimming area, it is popular with families, swimmers and snorkellers. The bay faces north, offering protected conditions compared to open surf beaches. It is backed by a park, surf club and promenade, and forms part of the Gold Coast's renowned Superbank surf stretch.

Visitors can expect a curved, north-facing sandy bay with calm, clear water sheltered by Snapper Rocks, a patrolled swimming area, and views to Greenmount Hill and Point Danger. The foreshore has a grassy park, picnic shelters, barbecue facilities, a promenade and the Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club. The beach is suitable for swimming and snorkelling around the rocks, with walking paths connecting to Greenmount and Coolangatta beaches and lookouts over the Superbank.

Rainbow Bay developed as the central swimming beach for Coolangatta, the southernmost Gold Coast town established in the late 19th century. The Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club, established in the early 20th century, has long provided surf lifesaving services. The bay and adjacent Snapper Rocks are central to the evolution of Gold Coast surf culture and coastal protection works that formed the Superbank.

Rainbow Bay is a focal point for Gold Coast beach and surf culture, hosting community swimming, surf lifesaving activities and forming the southern end of the Superbank, one of Australia's most famous surf stretches. The foreshore park and surf club are community gathering places for locals and visitors.