Things to do in Palm Beach with kids

The advantage of staying on Jefferson Lane with children is that the day can start slowly. The sand is at the end of the lawn, so a morning is possible without packing a car: buckets, a shade tent, and the patrolled flags at Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club, a four minute walk north along the sand.

When the surf is up and the beach is too rough for small children, Tallebudgera Creek is five minutes north. The water is clear and there is grass, shade and a café on the Palm Beach side, which makes it an easy family day out. The creek is tidal, though: deep channels and strong currents can form near the mouth, especially when the tide is running. Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, keep children within arm's reach, and check the flags and the Beachsafe app before anyone goes in.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is around the corner — about eight minutes’ drive away — and worth a full day rather than a quick visit. The lorikeet feeding runs every day at 8am and 4pm, and the sanctuary's wildlife hospital, train and treetop ropes course fill the time between. Buying tickets online in advance usually saves both money and the queue.

The beachfront path is the other thing families use without thinking about it. It runs the length of Palm Beach, flat and sealed, and it works for scooters, prams and learner bike riders. Heading north it reaches the mouth of Tallebudgera Creek in about twenty-five minutes on foot; south it runs through to Currumbin. At the southern end, about 950 metres along the sand, Palm Beach Parklands has the Pirate Park playground, shade, outdoor showers, toilets and the Dune Cafe, all of it beachfront, so you can walk the whole way on sand without crossing a road.

For a change of pace, Currumbin RSL is five minutes south and has a playground beside the dining area and reliable meals if nobody wants to cook.

Rainy days are when the house's lift, sauna and spread-out living space earn their keep. Failing that, the Gold Coast's larger attractions — the theme parks north of Surfers Paradise — are a 25 to 35 minute drive and best treated as a planned outing rather than a spontaneous one.

Wet weather is worth planning for rather than improvising. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary stays open in rain with a good deal of it under cover. Closer to home, the house has a sauna, a lift and enough separate living areas that a family of eight is not stuck in one room. There is free parking for up to seven cars — the triple garage plus the driveway — which matters more than it sounds when everyone arrives with boards, bikes and prams.

Practical note: the beach in front of the house is unpatrolled. Always swim between the red and yellow flags — the nearest are at Palm Beach SLSC, about 300 metres north along the beach — and check conditions on the Beachsafe app before you go in.