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You know what they say about the best secrets hiding in plain sight: we usually miss them because we're looking for something else. That saying rings true on the Gold Coast. Most holidaymakers spend their days swept up in the city’s beautiful beaches, epic theme parks and buzzy nightlife strips, completely bypassing the spectacular, $60.5 million cultural precinct sitting just across the river from Surfers Paradise. Let me introduce you to HOTA, Home of the Arts – what I’m calling one of Australia’s most underrated cultural destinations.
Officially opened in 2021, HOTA is the beating heart of the Gold Coast’s arts and entertainment landscape. Its world-class contemporary art gallery is housed within a colourful, six-storey building that’s as striking as the artwork inside.
As the country’s largest regional public gallery, HOTA's dedicated 1,000-square-metre touring gallery space has drawn some massive global names. Highlights from the past five years include an Aussie-exclusive exhibition featuring iconic pop art by Andy Warhol and Keith Haring (2023), a record-breaking interactive Lego brick exhibit by Brickman Ryan McNaught (2022), and the global debut of rare historical literary treasures from the British Library and London’s National Portrait Gallery (2025).
While a standout for me was a nostalgic, solo retrospective by beloved Australian artist Ken Done (2025), HOTA continues to push boundaries with its current headliner. Until October 11, the gallery is presenting This Moment: Highlights from the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art. It features 35 daring and experimental artworks on loan from Sydney’s White Rabbit Gallery – home to one of the world’s largest collections of 21st-century Chinese art.
Beyond the gallery walls, HOTA unfolds as a massive, 17-hectare tropical playground. A sprawling green lawn connects the main building to the spectacular, double-decker HOTA Amphitheatre – the ultimate open-air stage for blockbuster live music, theatre, dance and comedy acts. It's so schmick that we honestly wouldn't be surprised if Taylor Swift stopped here on her next Aussie tour. The surrounding tropical parkland is packed with hidden gems: a free outdoor sculpture walk, a dedicated kids' adventure trail and the swimmable Evandale Lake. Plus, on weekends it hosts a free, five-kilometre community Parkrun and the local Sunday Farmers & Artisan Markets.
My absolute highlight at HOTA is Palette – a fine-dining restaurant serving seasonal tasting menus, where every dish is artfully inspired by a piece currently on display. There’s also the rooftop Exhibitionist Bar (perhaps named in playful homage to the practice of nude sunbathing), which offers 360-degree views across the Gold Coast region.
So, while I love roller coasters and ocean dips, I highly recommend you carve out time on your Gold Coast trip to visit this incredible arts and entertainment precinct. Where else in Australia can you wander through a multi-million-dollar gallery, dive into a swimming lagoon, catch a classic film in a boutique theatre, and eat a degustation inspired by local art?