South East Queensland region in Australia was highlighted in IPCC AR4 report as a climate change hotspot. This paper analyses the ability of the local plans and policies in place to achieve coastal climate adaptation in the City of Gold Coast in South East Queensland relative to best practice coastal climate adaptation and queries what it needs to do to better adapt. To answer these questions first best practice coastal climate adaptation strategies are identified through a systematic quantitative literature review. This review informs the development of a policy evaluation framework and the current plans and policies relevant to coastal management and development on the Gold Coast are then evaluated against this framework. The findings suggest that while some best practice coastal climate adaptation strategies are currently used on the Gold Coast, the city is fundamentally underperforming in terms of best practice. The factors that affect the Gold Coast’s ability to improve the most include lack of higher order policy guidance, collaboration between government bodies, and a local coastal climate adaptation strategy. The findings suggest that local climate adaptation cannot be successful without the help and support of higher level governments.