The Spit

The Spit is a 3.5-kilometre sand spit at the northern end of the Gold Coast in Main Beach, Queensland, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gold Coast Broadwater. It is a major public open space combining ocean and Broadwater beaches, parklands, and the Federation Walk Coastal Reserve. Notable for its recreational parklands, fishing spots at the Gold Coast Seaway, views of the Surfers Paradise skyline, and proximity to Sea World, it is managed under the Queensland Government's Spit Master Plan.

Visitors can expect a long, narrow coastal peninsula with surf beach on the eastern ocean side and calm Broadwater foreshore on the western side. The area includes landscaped parklands with lawns, picnic shelters and playgrounds, the Federation Walk Coastal Reserve with dune vegetation and walking trails, paved shared paths for walking and cycling, fishing platforms and rock walls at the Gold Coast Seaway, and open views across the Broadwater to Surfers Paradise. Sea World theme park is located on The Spit but is a separate ticketed attraction.

The Spit is a natural sand spit that has been shaped by coastal processes and human intervention. The Gold Coast Seaway was constructed between 1984 and 1986 to provide a stable entrance to the Broadwater and to improve navigation, with associated sand bypassing works. The area has been progressively developed for recreation, with Sea World opening in 1971 and parklands expanded under the Queensland Government's The Spit Master Plan released in 2019 to guide future public open space and conservation.

The Spit is a major recreational and community open space for Gold Coast residents and visitors, valued for beach culture, fishing, and outdoor leisure. The broader Gold Coast Broadwater area is within the traditional lands of the Yugambeh people, including the Kombumerri family group, and the coastal landscape holds ongoing cultural connection for Aboriginal people.