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Gold Coast, Queensland

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Glitz and palm trees

Stretching from Coolangatta on the New South Wales/Queensland border, to Beenleigh on the southern fringe of Brisbane, Gold Coast is the second most populous Queensland city and the seventh most populous Australian city. Gold Coast is renowned for the sunny subtropical climate, world class beaches, wide array of tourist attractions and long, high-rise-dominated skyline, making it the country's premier holiday destination.

History

Aboriginal History

Archaeological evidence suggests that Aboriginal people had inhabited the Gold Coast region for around 23,000 years before European settlement. By the early 1800s there were eight distinct family groups living between the Tweed and Coomera rivers; the Gugingin, Bullongin, Kombumerri, Minjingbal, Birinburra, Wongerriburra, Mununjali and Migunberri. Collectively they were known as Yugambeh people and spoke the Yugambeh language, although there is evidence of four distinct dialects in the region.

The Yugambeh were hunters and fishers, and are reported to have trained dingos and even dolphins to aid them in the the hunting and fishing process.

The area around present day Bundall, across the river from Surfers Paradise, was an established meeting place for tribes visiting from as far away as Grafton and Maryborough. Great corroborees were held there and traces of aboriginal camps and bora rings were still visible in the area in the early 1900s, before development overtook the land.

As Europeans settled the Gold Coast region and began farming and timber-gathering in the 1800s the Yugambeh were driven from their traditional hunting grounds into the hinterland and by 1890 the remaining few were reportedly relocated onto reserves outside the Gold Coast region.

European Discovery

In 1770, English explorer, Captain James Cook first passed Gold Coast whilst charting the Australian east coast. This voyage was undertaken in the ship HM Bark Endeavour under command of King George III of England. The land remained vastly uninhabited until 1823 when explorer, John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach, which was named after his cutter Mermaid, but it wasn’t until government surveyors charted the region in 1840 that the area was really brought to the attention of the European settlers.

European Settlement

The Gold Coast Hinterland's supply of redcedar began drawing timber cutters to the region in large numbers in the mid 1800s and in 1865 the inland township of Nerang (named after the local aboriginal word neerang, meaning ‘shovel nosed shark’) was surveyed and established as a base for the industry. The surrounding valleys and plains were quickly developed as cattle, sugar and cotton farms and by 1869 settlement had reached the mouth of the Nerang River on the Southern edge of Moreton Bay. The township of Southport was surveyed in 1875 in a location known as Nerang Creek Heads.

In 1885 Queensland Governor Musgrave built a holiday home on a hill just north of Southport and the surrounding coastal area began to get a reputation as a resort for Brisbane's wealthy and influential. The rough bush tracks and numerous creek crossings between Brisbane and Southport made it difficult to reach without a boat, but in 1889 a railway line was extended to the town and numerous guesthouses and hotels were soon established up and down the coastline.

The First Tourists

The permanent population of the region increased slowly until 1925 when a new coastal road was built between Brisbane and Southport. That same year, Jim Cavill built the Surfers Paradise hotel 2km south of Southport in an area between the Nerang River and the beach known as Elston, and the real tourism boom began.

As automobile technology became more and more reliable in the 1930s, the number of holiday makers traveling down the coast road from Brisbane increased, and by 1935 most of the coastal strip between Southport and the New South Wales border had been developed with housing estates and hotels. Elston residents successfully lobbied to change the name of their town to Surfers Paradise in 1933. The Surfers Paradise hotel burnt down in 1936 and was quickly replaced with another much grander structure, which had art deco styling and even included a zoo; complete with kangaroos and other wildlife.

Post War Years and the birth of the name Gold Coast

The South Coast region was a hugely popular holiday destination for servicemen returning from World War II, and by the end of the 1940s, real estate speculators and journalists had begun calling the area ‘The Gold Coast’. It is rumoured that the name had its genesis in a Courier Mail column referring to the rapid increase in the cost of ice cream, and a suggestion that the area was no longer the South Coast, but rather the 'Gold Coast', because everything was so expensive, but local historians are unable to agree on who coined the term first. Despite increasing prices, the local tourism industry continued to grow into the 1950s, and on October 23, 1958 the South Coast Town Council officially adopted the name ‘Gold Coast Town Council’. The area was proclaimed a city less than one year later.

High-rise development

By the 1960s the Gold Coast’s infrastructure had grown considerably, and the local building industry was able to support the development of high-rise holiday apartments and hotels (the first of which, Kinkabool, was completed in 1959). Surfers Paradise had firmly established itself as the leading destination and the introduction of bikini clad ‘Meter Maids’ in 1965 to feed parking meters by the beach to prevent holiday makers from getting parking fines was a particularly popular innovation.

The hi-rise boom continued in earnest during the 1970s and by the time the Gold Coast airport terminal opened in Coolangatta in 1981, the region had become Australia’s most well-known family holiday destination and almost all vacant land within 10km of the coast had been developed. Japanese property investment during the 1980s made the skyline soar, and the construction of modern theme parks such as Dreamworld and Sea World cemented the Gold Coast’s reputation as an international tourist centre.

Recent history

Unethical business people and State Government corruption during the late 1980s tainted the Coast’s reputation as a place of business, and property marketeering (seminars which duped interstate and overseas investors into paying premium prices for new Gold Coast property developments) during the 1990s did little to help the region’s image, but by the turn of the century the Gold Coast had shrugged off its shady past and fully-embraced the real estate boom. The city is now home to the world’s tallest residential tower, Q1, and boasts a population of more than 500,000 people, making it the seventh most populous city in Australia.

Notable Historical figures

  • Sir Bruce Small, businessman, property developer, mayor of the Gold Coast (1967–1973, 1976–1978)
  • James Cavill, first major Gold Coast hotelier and owner of Surfers Paradise Hotel
  • Johan Meyer, owner of the Meyer's Ferry and the Main Beach Hotel

Economy

According to a study[1] completed by the Centre for Economic Policy Modelling (CEPM) at the University of Queensland, Gold Coast regional gross domestic product for financial year ending June 30 2002 was nearly AUD$8.9 billion.

Main industry sectors contributing to the regional gross domestic product included property services, construction, retail trade, business services, transport, tourism (accomodation, cafes and restaurants), finance & insurance, health services, education, wholesale trade and entertainment.

Governance

Gold Coast has one regional courthouse named Southport Courthouse. Generally, Southport Courthouse has jurisdiction to hear petty criminal offences and civil matters up to AUD$250,000.00. Indictable offences, criminal sentencing and civil matters above $250,000.00 are heard in the higher Supreme Court of Queensland, located in George Street, Brisbane.

Three levels of government exist on Gold Coast typically known as local, State and Federal.

Gold Coast City Council

On 23 October 1958, local administrators pronounced the Gold Coast Town Council. In 1995, Albert Shire Council merged with the existing Gold Coast Town Council to form a supra local authority, the Gold Coast City Council.

Mayors of Gold Coast

  • Ron Clarke [2004-Present]
  • Gary Baildon
  • Ray Stevens

Queensland Legislative Assembly

In the Queensland state tier, eight electorates cover the Gold Coast region namely, Broadwater, Gaven, Southport, Surfers Paradise, Robina, Burleigh and Currumbin.

House of Representatives (Lower House) & Senate (Upper house)

Federally, the Gold Coast consists of four electorates with the southern most electorate, McPherson being the oldest, first proclaimed in 1949. Other Federal electorates include Fadden (northern), Forde (western) and Moncrieff (central). Historically, Gold Coast has remained a very safe conservative electorate. From the two leading polical parties, the three main Gold Coast electorates (Fadden, Moncrieff and McPherson) have elected a representative from the Liberal Party of Australia for the past twenty years.

Geography and Topography

The Gold Coast can be reached from Brisbane by Pacific Motorway M1 (blue) and Pacific Highway (Highway 1) from Sydney and Newcastle.

The Gold Coast is situated in the southeast corner of Queensland, stretching from the south end of Logan City And Russell Island to the border with New South Wales. The southernmost town is Coolangatta which includes Point Danger and its lighthouse, and it is twin cities with Tweed Heads across the border. At 28°10′00″S 153°33′00″E / 28.1667°S 153.55°E / -28.1667; 153.55, this is the most easterly point on the Queensland mainland (Point Lookout on the offshore island of North Stradbroke is slightly further east).

From Coolangatta, approximately seventy kilometres of holiday resorts and surfing beaches stretch north as far as the towns of Southport and Surfers Paradise, which together form the Gold Coast's commercial centre (latitude about 27.7 degrees south). The administrative area of the Gold Coast City Council (Gold Coast City Council Website) continues north up to Beenleigh.

The major river in the area is the Nerang River. Much of the land between the coastal strip and the hinterland was once wetlands drained by this river, but the swamps have been converted into manmade waterways (over 260 km [2], or over 9 times that of Venice, Italy) and artificial islands covered in palatial homes. The heavily developed coastal strip sits on a narrow barrier sandbar between these waterways and the sea.

Climate

The Gold Coast has a subtropical climate with warm, mild winters and hot, bright summers.

Some climatic features:

  • Relative humidity range of 59% to 70%. Highest readings are found from December to March.
  • Average summer daily temperature range: 19–29°C
  • Average winter daily temperature range: 9–21°C
  • Average of 287 days of sunshine per year

Infrastructure

Health

Hospitals

The Gold Coast Hospital at Southport is the only public hospital in the city, however the hospital does have a campus at Robina in a somewhat uncommon arrangement. Today the Gold Coast Hospital is is the city’s major teaching and referral hospital and the third largest in Queensland, attending to over 500,000[3] cases a year.

A number of private hospitals exist throughout the city, notably the Allamanda Private Hospital in Southport, Pindara Hospital in Robina and John Flynn Gold Coast Private Hospital in Tugun.

Transport

The car is the dominant mode of transport for Gold Coast residents, although residents and visitors alkie may often enjoy walking as a means of going to the beach, shops or anywhere nearby, particularly so in areas of high-density living. The Gold Coast Oceanway is a 36 km network of pathways following the beaches and coastline. Tour companies offer many flexible and structured tours as a means for people to travel and visit places of interest throughout the city and region.

Road

The state-of-the-art Pacific Motorway (M1), servicing the Gold Coast, is a motorway section of the Pacific Highway leading north into Brisbane, and southward to New South Wales where it becomes (or is known as) the Pacific Highway and follows the coast eventually terminating in Sydney. It features eight traffic lanes at 110 km/h, a configuration which presently only exists between the Logan Motorway, and the Smith Street Motorway which connects to the more central Gold Coast area via Southport.

Most roads in built-up areas are in good repair though caution is advised when travelling on roads in the hinterland. There are many blind entrances and exits to properties and the road can be narrow and hazardous in wet conditions. Speed limits and advisory speed limits should always be observed especially in the hinterland areas such as Austinville, Bonogin, Mudgeeraba, Natural Bridge(Arch), Numinbah and Springbrook. It is known that parking and congestion exist as proplems in some locations.

Rail

Trains once reached Southport as the dominant means of transport to and from the holiday destination, however by 1925 road access from brisbane became available, and saw the resumption of the line to Beenleigh Station some decades later. Today the the line has been extended southward parallel to the Pacific Motorway, now terminating at Robina. It represents the city's only rail infrastructure and is exclusively for passenger movements in the form of Public transport.

Public Transport

The Gold Coast is part of a wider public transport network in South-East Queensland, with standard fares and tickets throughout under a system known as Translink. A number of Gold Coast residents commute daily to Brisbane aboard the QR CityTrain. Services link Gold Coast stations and run express from Beenleigh to Brisbane, with some services continuing to the Brisbane International Airport. The local bus operator is Surfside Buslines, with regular services and a network covering most locations.

Taxis and limousines operate, with no ties to Translink. Regent Taxis holds the largest fleet of taxi cabs on Gold Coast. The city is also serviced to a lesser degree by Yellow Cabs. Hughes Limousines (also known as Gold Coast Limousines) is the largest supplier of luxury transport across the city. Other limousine companies servicing Gold Coast include, United Chauffered Limousines and Palm Limos.

Water

Aside from natural bodies of water, networks of canals lined with luxury houses are found throughout the city. Waterfront living is a feature of the Gold Coast, with most canal frontage homes having pontoons. Canals can be used even to go shopping, with a mooring facility at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach. Whilst most Gold Coast canals are ocean access, some however are part of freshwater lakes with no real transportational use.

The Gold Coast Seaway is the busy passageway allowing vessels to enter and exit The Broadwater directly from the ocean. It is defined by a breakwater on The Spit and another on South Stradbroke Island. The breakwaters ensure the Seaway is not prone to the affects of longshore drift, and a sand pumping jetty on The Spit allows for minimal disruption to this natural process by piping sand under the Seaway.

There is a proposed marine development of the Gold Coast Spit which includes the provision of recreational facilities for a cruise ship terminal , construction of a marina facility for superyachts, recreational and commercial boats at either the Marine Stadium or adjacent to Sea World and the development of 6.2ha of State land south of Sea World. Public submissions on the draft terms of reference for the proposal closed in November 2005 and the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) process has formally commenced. It is hoped that the Gold Coast can tap into the cruise shipping industry, which nation-wide is estimated to be valued at about $200m.

Air

The city's main airport is the Gold Coast Airport which is located on the Gold Coast Highway at Bilinga on the southern end of the Gold Coast about a five minute drive north from Coolangatta. Airlines include Qantas, Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue, Freedom Air, Jetstar and Australian Airlines. International Destinations include Singapore, Hong Kong, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin. Direct domestic destinations include Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle with connecting flights available from other major centres. Visitors also travel to the Gold Coast via The Brisbane International Airport as it has links to other worldwide destinations.

Utilities

Telecommunication

Wireless, fixed line voice, data and broadband services are provided by a range of competing companies including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone Australia, Hutchison 3 and various other Telcos, resellers and service providers. Telstra owns the exchange service area copper local loop which it can resell to other providers who can also co-locate their switch equipment or edge routers at Telstra exchanges.

Energy

Electricity for the Gold Coast is sourced from Powerlink Queensland at bulk supply substations which is provided via the National Electricity Market from an interconnected multi-State power system.

Energy provider ENERGEX distributes and retails electricity, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and value-added products and services to residential, industrial and commercial customers.

In the early 1990s Australian governments commenced a program of deregulation of the electricity sector, which is progressively being introduced in multiple phases known as traunches. Energex is the Government-owned electricity corporation for South-East Queensland.

Water supply

The Hinze Dam 15 km southwest of Nerang is the population's main water supply. The Little Nerang Dams supplents this as a secondary source, and both are managed by the city council directorate Gold Coast Water. Gold Coast City Council also sources water from Wivenhoe Dam, west of Brisbane. Water shortage and water restrictions have been current local issues, and a few Gold Coast residential communities have water recycling schemes in place.

Beaches

Gold Coast (from The Spit)

Gold Coast consists of 57 kilometres of coastline with some of the most famous beaches in Australia including, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Currumbin, Greenmount, Kirra, The Spit and Main Beach, Mermaid Beach, South Stradbroke Island, Surfers Paradise and Tallebudgera.

While the beaches are beautiful and enticing there are also inherent dangers, that is why the Gold Coast has Australia’s largest professional surf lifesaving service to protect people on the beaches and to promote surf safety throughout the community.

The Local Government actively promotes these "Golden Rules" for swimmers:

  • Always swim between the red & yellow flags on patrolled beaches.
  • Always read the Flags and Safety Signs located on the beach and understand what they mean before entering the water.
  • A single Red Flag indicates Dangerous conditions and you are not to enter the water. A single Yellow Flag indicates to swim with Caution.

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries carries out the Queensland Shark Safety Program (SSP) to protect swimmers from sharks. For over 40 years no fatal shark attack has occurred on a protected beach. Sharks are caught by using nets and baited drumlines off the major swimmining beaches. Even with the SSP, sharks do range within sight of the patrolled beaches, lifeguards will clear swimmers from the water if it is considered that there is safety risk.

There are usually high levels of the sun’s ultraviolet rays on the beach and overexposure to these rays can cause skin damage, (sunburn) and skin cancer. Being "Sun Smart" is at all times to wear appropriate clothing which includes long sleeve shirts with proper neck protection, using swimming vests and wetsuits, wearing broad brim hats and sunglasses to the Australian Standard 1067. Apply to exposed areas, at least 15+ broad-spectrum sunscreens and follow the makers directions of when to reapply, especially when being in the water.

Sport & Recreation

General Info

On May 27, 2005, it was announced that Gold Coast was successfull in it's bid to submit a rugby league team into the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The announcement came after much dedication and persistence from managing director, Michael Searle. The Gold Coast team to commence it's inaugral season in 2007 is known as the Gold Coast Titans. The 'Titans' will be the first nationally recognised sporting team for Gold Coast since the collapse and or relocation of other such ventures; Gold Coast Seagulls (Rugby League), Gold Coast Chargers (Rugby League), Gold Coast Rollers (Basketball), Brisbane Bears (VFL/AFL). In conjunction with the Gold Coast Titans, and Gold Coast City Council, the Queensland State Government is currently designing and constructing a multi-million dollar stadium. The stadium is expected to seat up to 25,000 spectators and will be rectangular shaped to offset the current oval shaped, Gold Coast Stadium located in Carrara.

Golf

Gold Coast boasts over thirty private and public golf courses which vary the number of holes, par and exclusivity.

List of 18 Hole Golf Courses

  • Arundel Hills Golf Club
  • Emerald Lakes Golf Club
  • Hope Island - The Links
  • Parkwood International Golf Course
  • Royal Pines Resort
  • Sanctuary Cove - The Palms
  • Sancturay Cove - The Pines
  • Southport Golf Club
  • The Glades Golf & Spa

Sports Super Centre

Located at the northern end of Gold Coast in the suburb of Runaway Bay is the Sports Super Centre[4] which has been earmarked as a world class training facility. The centre includes:

  • Nine purpose built villas which provide accomodation for touring groups or sporting teams
  • FINA approved 50 metre outdoor swimming pool
  • IAAF certified 10 lane, 400 metre athletic track with 3000 seater capactiy stadium
  • 600m2 gymnasium
  • health spa

Suburbs

Looking to Surfers Paradise from Biggera Waters

National Parks

A number of National Parks are in the hinterland, close to the Gold Coast:

Tourist Attractions

Superman Escape Ride at Movie World which opened on December 26th, 2005
Main Entrance to Dreamworld

World's Tallest Residential Tower

Constructed by the Sunland Group and completed in late 2005, Q1 (meaning Queensland Number One) stands 323 metres high or 80 stories, beating the 297 metre high Eureka Tower located in Melbourne. Q1 tower has a two storey observation deck and a ten storey skygarden, as well as the fastest lifts in the southern hemisphere. The tower also boasts the world's longest spire at 97.5 metres.

Theme Parks

World Class Hotels

Night Clubs & Bars

  • Howl at the Moon
  • Quest Lounge Bar & Club
  • Shooters
  • Rose and Crown
  • Melbas Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
  • Mybar
  • Platinum Nightclub
  • The Grand Hotel
  • Coolangatta Hotel
  • The Drink Nightclub

Other Attractions

Shopping centres

see List of shopping centres in Australia

Heathcare

Health and medical services are the city’s sixth largest industry contributing over $500 million to the economy and employs over 10,000 people. There are over 700 medical practitioners and specialists with six hospitals and specialist clinics.

Look here for a directory of Gold Coast doctors, dentists, chemists, cosmetic surgeons, specialists, hospitals and other health professionals.


Secondary and Tertiary Education

Private

Public

  • Broadbeach Primary School
  • Benowa State High School
  • Central Queensland University
  • Coombabah State High School
  • Elanora State High School
  • Gold Coast Institute of TAFE
  • Griffith University
  • Helensvale State High School
  • Keebra Park State High School
  • Merrimac State High School
  • Miami State High School
  • Nerang State High School
  • Pacific Pines State High School
  • Palm Beach Currumbin High
  • Southport State High School
  • Upper Coomera State College
  • Windaroo Valley State High School

Annual Events

  • Magic Millions Racing Carnival (January)
  • Women's Hardcourt Championships (January)
  • Summafieldayze (January)
  • Big Day Out (January)
  • Quiksilver Pro ASP World Tour Event (March)
  • Australian Surf Life Saving Championship (March-April)
  • Gold Coast Triathlon - Luke Harrop Memorial (March)
  • Sanctuary Cove Boat Show (May)
  • Prime Minister's Cup Racing Event (May)
  • Wintersun (June)
  • Gold Coast Marathon (July)
  • Gold Coast Show (September)
  • Indy 300 (October)
  • Pan Pacific Masters Games (November)
  • Schoolies (November)

Media

Newspapers
The local daily newspaper is The Gold Coast Bulletin part of the News Corporation group. The Gold Coast Sun and the Gold Coast Mail are also published on a weekly basis and have more limited circulation. The Tweed Daily News covers the very southern section of the Gold Coast along with the Tweed Valley.

Television
The Gold Coast is unique in that it is officially in the license area of both the metro Brisbane area and the Northern New South Wales markets. Broadcasts from eight free-to-air stations are available, but as the hinterland is hilly there are 'blind spots' that mean not all stations may be available in all areas.

Stations


Radio
FM stations include:

  • 88 BeachFM (tourist info., Top 40)
  • 89.3 4CRB-FM (Christian)
  • 90.9 SEAFM (Top 40, pop)
  • 91.7 Coast FM (contemporary, ABC local news and information)
  • 92.5 Gold 92.5 (mix of 70s, 80s, 90s, and Top 40)
  • 93.5 SBS (Brisbane)
  • 94.1 Radio Hope Island (jazz and swing music)
  • 97.7 4JJJ Triple J (alternative and chart music)
  • 102.9 Hot Tomato (Top 40, pop)
  • 104 4MBS Classic
  • 105.7 Radio Metro (dance, pop, R&B, and leftfield)
  • 106 ABC Classic

AM stations include:

  • 882 4BH (Brisbane)

Sister cities

According to the Gold Coast City Council Website

Country City (and Province or State)
China Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang
France Noumea, New Caledonia island territory
Greece Corfu
Israel Netanya
Japan Kanagawa, Takasu-cho, and Hokkaido
Mongolia Ulaanvaatar
New Zealand Horowhenua
Taiwan Taipei, and Tainan
United Arab Emirates Dubai
United States of America Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

References

  • "Gold Coast City Council". Boating section. March 30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • "Australian Sisters City Association". Register of Sister Cities Affiliations (register_of_affiliations.doc). March 30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • "Tourism Queensland Local Government Area Profile" (PDF). The Gold Coast Region (EA48E99BD71C5B381C3B294DB531EAD5.pdf). December 20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • "Gold Coast City Council". History and Heritage Section. January 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • "Gold Coast City Council Library Services". Local Studies Library. January 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
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