If you asked most people outside of the Gold Coast – and likely even some who live here – where Bilinga is, you will be met with a blank stare.
Tucked between Tugun and Coolangatta, Bilinga has long been one of the Gold Coast’s best-kept secrets – a sleepy seaside suburb known mostly to locals and frequent flyers. But with the better-known beachside hubs of Burleigh Heads and Palm Beach becoming increasingly competitive, this quiet coastal strip is drawing fresh attention from buyers and developers alike.
According to the latest Cotality data, Bilinga is home to 1,662 residents. More than 50 per cent of those have arrived in the past five years – a reflection of the suburb’s rising profile and the new wave of homeowners seeking a quieter, more accessible coastal lifestyle.
The shift in population has been matched by strong growth in property values. In the five years to May 2025, house prices in Bilinga surged by 90.8 per cent, while apartment values soared by 102.2 per cent. With just 341 houses and 927 apartments across the entire suburb, limited stock has helped fuel demand and maintain upward pressure on prices.
Golden Four Drive and Pacific Parade are the suburb’s premium streets and the focus of new development. Nine new projects have been approved along these beachfront strips in recent years, with several already completed and others underway.
Among those projects is Navini, a nine-storey project on Golden Four Drive offering just 16 absolute beachfront residences with sweeping coastal views and oversized floorplans. Sold out prior to construction and due to settle this month, Kollosche New Projects achieved a record result for the penthouse, which sold for a Bilinga apartment record of $5,395,000.
High-profile sales further underscore Bilinga’s ascent. In April 2025, world champion surfer Mick Fanning sold his beachfront residence on Golden Four Drive for $16,050,000 prior to auction. The national campaign, managed by Kollosche agents Troy Dowker and James Roberts, attracted significant interest, with 126 enquiries and 28 private inspections.
“Beachfront property from Burleigh to Bilinga remains among the most tightly held on the coast,” says Troy, who has been marketing real estate in the area for more than two decades. “Opportunities to purchase are few and far between.”
That appeal revolves very much around the pace of life, and the accessibility both in terms of location and pricing. Locals enjoy early beach walks, quiet streets, and the kind of direct ocean access that’s become increasingly hard to find. There are no high-rises here, no tourist crowds – just a relaxed village atmosphere that continues to draw people in.
“You’ve got a lot of generational holding, people who inherited homes from their parents… they’re creating memories for their own kids like their parents did for them,” says Troy.
Proximity to Gold Coast Airport makes Bilinga especially appealing to interstate buyers and frequent travellers, while Coolangatta’s vibrant dining scene and retail mix are only a few minutes away. With fewer crowds than its northern neighbours and an authentic atmosphere, Bilinga offers a rare combination of calm, connection and potential, and it’s finally being recognised for it.
