Gold Coast, Queensland

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For other uses of the term see: Gold Coast

Template:Infobox Australian City Gold Coast City is located in the south east corner of Queensland, Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state and the seventh most populous city (after Newcastle, New South Wales) in the country. The Gold Coast City extends from the most northern suburb of Beenleigh on the southern fringe of Logan City, south to Coolangatta situated on the New South Wales border, and west to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. The city is renowned for its sunny subtropical climate, world-class beaches, waterfront properties, wide array of tourist attractions and long, high-rise-dominated skyline.

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 hunting and fishing process.

The area around present day Bundall, across the Nerang 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.

Early European history

English navigator Captain James Cook become the first European to visit the Gold Coast when he sailed past on May 16, 1770. As an explorer under the commission of the British Navy he had the foresight to name Mount Warning (a volcanic outcrop 25km inland) as a natural beacon for a hazardous reef off the mouth of the Tweed River near a rocky outcrop he named Point Danger. Captain Matthew Flinders, an explorer charting the continent north from the colony of New South Wales, sailed past again in 1802 but the region remained uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach, (named after his boat, a cutter called Mermaid). Despite the area's relatively early appearance on colonial maps, it wasn't until New South Wales government surveyors charted the region in 1840 that the area was really brought to the attention of European settlers.

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 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 very popular holiday destination for servicemen returning from World War II, and by the end of the 1940s, real estate speculators and journalists had begun referring to the area as the "Gold Coast". One account claims the term was coined by a popular Courier Mail columnist who joked the area was no longer the South Coast but the 'Gold' Coast, because of increased and relatively extravagant ice cream prices. However, local historians have differing views and debate still continues as to the true origin of the name. Whatever the etymology, many people prefer to think of the name simply as a reference to the "golden" texture of the city's beaches and climate.

As the tourism industry grew into the 1950s, local businesses began to adopt the term in their names, and on 23 October 1958 the South Coast Town Council was renamed "Gold Coast Town Council". The area was proclaimed a city less than one year later.

Specfic Gold Coast areas became the holiday destinations for many who lived inland. Coolangatta had a caravan and camping park on the New South Wales border and numerous families from Ipswich spent their Christmas holidays there. In later times, many holiday rental flats sprung up in the area. The Ipswich roots remain as the Currumbin Lifesavers, share with a similar Ipswich swimming club the title 'Vikings'. Many Vikings swimming club members joined the life saving squads at Currumbin during the holiday periods.

Image:View-from-Q1-looking-north.jpg 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 including Dreamworld, Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet'n'Wild Water World confirmed 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. This boom reached its physical, and economical peak in 2005 with the opening of the 322.5m 'Worlds Tallest Residential Tower' Q1, in Surfers Paradise.

Notable historical figures

James Cavill, first Gold Coast hotelier
Eddie Kornhauser, Gold Coast property developer and owner of Surfers Paradise Hotel
Russ Hinze, influential and controversial Queensland politician
Annette Kellerman, Female swimming pioneer
Johan Meyer, owner of the Meyer's Ferry and the Main Beach Hotel
Sir Bruce Small, businessman, property developer, mayor of the Gold Coast (1967–1973, 1976–1978)

Geography and topography

Image:Pacific.hwy.nth.jpg The Gold Coast is situated in the southeast corner of Queensland, to the south of Brisbane the capital of Queensland. The Gold Coast stretches 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 Template:Coor d, 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 [1], 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:

Average 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

Urban structure

Image:Surfers Paradise Long Shot.jpg Image:Gold Coast (from The Spit).jpg Template:Main

Beaches

Image:DSC02369.JPG The 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 on the Gold Coast. Sharks are caught by using nets and baited drumlines off the major swimming 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.

Governance

Southport Courthouse is the city's major courthouse and has jurisdiction to hear petty criminal offences and civil matters up to AU$250,000.00. Indictable offences, criminal sentencing and civil matters above AU$250,000.00 are heard in the higher Supreme Court of Queensland which is located at George Street, Brisbane. There is a subsidiary Magistrate's Court located at Coolangatta.

Three levels of government exist on the Gold Coast typically known as local, State and Federal. 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, titled Gold Coast City Council. Previous mayors of the new authority include, Gary Baildon and Ray Stevens.

The city is governed at the state level by the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Nine electorates represent Gold Coast namely, Broadwater, Burleigh, Currumbin, Gaven, Mudgeeraba, Robina, Southport and Surfers Paradise.

Federally, Gold Coast is represented by four electorates in the House of Representatives which are Fadden (northern Gold Coast), Moncrieff (central), McPherson (southern) and Forde (western). Historically, Gold Coast has remained a very safe conservative electorate and the three main Gold Coast electorates (Fadden, Moncrieff and McPherson) have each elected a representative from the Liberal Party since 1986.

Economy

According to a study[2] 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 AU$8.9 billion.

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

Gold Coast City is the major film production centre in Queensland and has accounted for 75% of all film production in Queensland since the 1990s, with an expenditure of around $150million per year. Gold Coast is the third largest film production centre in Australia behind Sydney and Melbourne.

Culture

Image:Glitz and Palm Trees.jpg

Sport and recreation

Cycling: The Nerang Velodrome (including the Nerang International Criterium Circuit Velodrome) is a 356m asphalt track with lights for night time use. There is a permanent covered grandstand for 240 people and temporary grandstands for a further 150 people. The Criterium Circuits include 3 hot-mix asphalt circuits. There is a flat 600m circuit, and 900m and 1500m circuits which both include a 200m hill. Famously hosted the pre-2000 Olympic Games training for Great Britain Cycling (Road) and Triathlon Teams, and the Sweden Cycling (track) Team. The nearby Nerang State Forest, with its hiily terrain and well-maintained trails is a favourite recreational area for mountain bike riders.

Golf: Gold Coast boasts over fifty private and public golf courses which vary in the number of holes, par and exclusivity. Generally, golf club members play competitively every Saturday. A short list of eighteen hole golf courses within the city includes: Arundel Hills Golf Club, Emerald Lakes Golf Club, Hope Island - The Links, Parkwood International Golf Course, Royal Pines Resort, Sanctuary Cove - The Palms, Sanctuary Cove - The Pines, Southport Golf Club, The Glades Golf & Spa, Robina Woods, Palm Meadows, Lakelands, The Colonial and Gainsborough Greens.

Horse Racing: Gold Coast Turf Club hosts weekly horse races every Saturday from 12 midday for a minor entry fee. Facilities include bookmaker ring, betting tote through UNItab, four small to large fucntion venues and public food and drink outlets.

Rugby League: on May 27, 2005, it was announced that Gold Coast was successful 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).

Sports Super Centre: located at the northern end of the Gold Coast, in the suburb of Runaway Bay, is the Sports Super Centre[3] which has been earmarked as a world class training facility. The centre includes, nine purpose built villas which provide accommodation 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, a 600m2 gymnasium and health spa.

Stadiums:
Gold Coast Stadium [4], often misconstrued as Carrara Stadium is the city's largest open air, oval stadium with an official capacity of 18,000. The stadium has however on numerous occasions hosted attendances in excess of this official capacity. Gold Coast Stadium was previously the home of now the now relocated Brisbane Bears and now defunct Gold Coast Chargers.

Carrara Indoor Sport Centre [5], as the title suggests, is an indoor arena neighbouring Carrara Stadium. The indoor arena has a seated capacity of 3,000 and was previously the home of defunct NBL team Gold Coast Rollers.

Robina Stadium following the admission of Gold Coast Titans into the NRL competition, Queensland Government, in conjunction with Gold Coast City Council and Robina Land Corporation, announced their intention to construct a new, multi-million dollar, rectangular, all-seated stadium at a site in Robina.

Media

The daily, local newspaper is Gold Coast Bulletin which is published by News Corporation. The Gold Coast Sun and Gold Coast Mail are other local newspapers distributed weekly with limited circulation.

Gold Coast is unique in that it is officially in the television broadcast license area of both the Brisbane metro area and the Northern New South Wales markets. Broadcasts from eight free-to-air channels are available, but as a result of the hilly hinterland terrain there are some reception 'blind spots' sometimes thwarting clear picture for some channels in these areas. The Metro networks are Seven, Nine and Ten, from the Brisbane license area. The Regional affiliates are Prime Television, NBN Television and Southern Cross Ten, from the Northern New South Wales license area. Also broadcasting to the area are The Queensland ABC and SBS television services. Subscription television services Foxtel (via cable) and Austar (via satellite) are also available.

Major FM radio 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 JJJ 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) and 106 ABC Classic FM. Serveral Brisbane AM and FM radio stations can also be received in various areas.

Infrastructure

Health

The Gold Coast Hospital at Southport is the city’s major teaching and referral hospital and the third largest in Queensland, attending to over 500,000 [6] cases a year, and overseeing other services of the Gold Coast Health Service District as its head office. It is the only public hospital in the city, however in a somewhat uncommon arrangement it has a smaller Robina campus with limited facilities by contrast.

A number of private hospitals also exist throughout the city, notably Allamanda Private Hospital located at Southport, Pindara Hospital at Benowa and John Flynn Gold Coast Private Hospital at Tugun in the city's south.

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

Transport

The car is the dominant mode of transport for Gold Coast residents, although locals and visitors alike often walk 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 along the coastline. The Pacific Motorway (M1) is a motorway grade section of the Pacific Highway connecting the Gold Coast with Brisbane. The Gold Coast Highway runs close to the coast for most of its route and through the centres of Southport, Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads and Currumbin. Caution is advised when travelling on hinterland areas. There are many blind entrances to properties and roads are narrow and winding and especially hazardous in wet conditions. Speed limits should be observed at all times.

Trains once travelled the Old South Coast Line from Beenleigh to Southport but the increasing popularity of the motor car forced the closure of the line in 1964, which was subsequently resumed for development. The new Gold Coast railway line was constructed further inland in the mid-1990s and runs roughly parallel to the Pacific Motorway alignment, terminating at Robina. QR CityTrain services connect the Gold Coast with Brisbane, running express between Beenleigh and South Bank stations, with most services continuing onto Brisbane Airport.

The local bus operator is Surfside Buslines, which provides regular services and a network covering most locations. The Gold Coast is part of an integrated public transport network in South East Queensland known as TransLink, which offers integrated fares and tickets across all modes of public transport. Taxis and Limousines operate with no ties to TransLink. Regent Taxis holds the largest fleet of taxicabs on Gold Coast. Yellow Cabs service the city to a lesser degree. Hughes Limousines (also called Gold Coast Limousines), Palm Limos and United Chauffeured Limousines provide luxury transport on the Gold Coast.

Waterfront canal living is a feature of the Gold Coast, and most canal frontage homes have pontoons. The Gold Coast Seaway, between The Spit and South Stradbroke Island, allows vessels direct access to the Pacific Ocean from The Broadwater and many of the city's canal estates. Breakwaters on either side of the Seaway prevent longshore drift and the bar from silting up. A sand pumping operation on the Spit pipes sand under the Seaway to continue this natural process.

Gold Coast Airport is located at Coolangatta, approximately 22 kilometres south of Surfers Paradise. Services are provided to interstate capitals and major cities as well as to major New Zealand cities. Other international destinations include Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

Utilities

Wireless, fixed line voice, data and broadband telecommunication 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.

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. 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. The Government-owned electricity corporation Energex distributes and retails electricity, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and value-added products and services to residential, industrial and commercial customers in South-East Queensland.

The Hinze Dam 15 km southwest of Nerang is the population's main water supply. The Little Nerang Dam 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 for northern suburbs. Water shortage and water restrictions have been current local issues, and a few Gold Coast residential communities have water recycling schemes in place.

Future projects

There is a proposed marine development of the Southport 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.

Tourist attractions

Template:Main Image:Q1 Gold Coast.JPG Image:Superman escape.jpg Image:Dreamworld entrance.jpg Image:Seaworld Dolphin Show.jpg Image:View to beach at Surfers Paradise.JPG Image:Typical view from highrise.JPG

National Parks

Lamington National Park, Springbrook National Park and Tamborine National Park, are located in the Hinterland area.

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. This surpasses the 297 metre high Eureka Tower located in Melbourne, in terms of height to the spire, but falls short of Eureka's 92 floors of liveable space. Eureka's observation deck is also a good 20 stories higher. Q1 tower has a two storey observation deck and a ten storey skygarden. The tower also boasts the world's longest spire at 97.5 metres.

World class hotels

Other attractions

Cavill Mall, Surfers Paradise
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Hard Rock Cafe Surfers Paradise
Gold Coast Arts Centre
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Jupiters Casino
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum
Funtasia, Surfers Paradise
Gold Coast Slingshot
Wax Museum

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)

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		United States of America	Los Angeles, California

External links

References

Template:Australiansurf de:Gold Coast es:Costa Dorada (Australia) fr:Gold Coast (Southport) ja:ゴールドコースト pl:Gold Coast fi:Gold Coast zh:黄金海岸（澳大利亚）

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Categories: Gold Coast, Queensland | Cities in Queensland | Local Government Areas of Queensland | Regions of Queensland

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