Gold Coast (Côte d’Or) is an Australian conurbation / city located approximately 94 km south-east of Brisbane in the South-eastern area of Queensland.
Gold Coast – Tourist Magnet
A top tourist city in Australia, Gold Coast spans 56 kilometers in diameter, this urban area of 538,263 inhabitants results from a long process of slow population growth that started around the year 1950, and with the official “birth” fo the city on May 16th, 1959.
Borders
Gold Coast stretches from Beenleigh and Russell Island in the north to the border between Queensland and New South Wales to the south. It currently constitutes the sixth largest city in Australia.
The area certainly is beautiful, and here is a video made to promote visiting Gold Coast that certainly does its job in making the place look purely magical!
The Q1
It has the famous tower called the Q1 which rises to a height of 323 m and 78 floors, which is located at Surfers Paradise, a great tourist hotspot in Australia at the edge of the South Pacific Ocean. The Q1 was built in 2002 and cost about 250 million to make. It is the world’s second largest residential tower, losing out to the Marina Torch in Dubai in 2011.
Here’s a quick view from the top, overlooking the famous Gold Coast coastline.
In the vicinity are located many amusement parks including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World and Wet’n’Wild Water World.
For instance, here’s some video of Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World in Gold Coast, Australia. Look fun?
Hydrography
The Nerang River is the main river that runs through Gold Coast, from north to south parallel to the coast, feeding the marshes located inland, which have been converted into marinas.
The Nerang is great for any kind of board, from wake boarding, to paddle boarding, to water skiing. Definitely worth checking out.
Beaches
The city consists of 57 kilometers of coastline with some of the most popular surfing spots in Australia and around the world, including South Stradbroke Island, The Spit, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami, Burleigh Beach, Burleigh Heads, Tallebudgera Beach, Palm Beach, Currumbin Beach Tugun, Bilinga, Kirra, Coolangatta, Greenmount, Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Froggies Beach.
Duranbah Beach is one of the most famous in the world for surfing and is often considered part of Gold Coast City, but is actually just across the border of New South Wales. The official name of the beach is Flagstaff Beach. Duranbah is a small town about 12 kilometers south-west of the beach, but the name Duranbah Beach has become its accepted identity.
Popular inland beaches include Southport, Budds Beach, Marine Stadium, Currumbin Alley, Tallebudgera Estuary, Jabiru Island, Paradise Point, Harley Park, Santa Barbara, and Boykambil Evandale Lake.
Gold Coast Climate
Gold Coast has a humid subtropical climate with over 300 days of sunshine and 1 218.2 mm of rain per year. The seasons are very marked, with an annual average temperature of 25.1 ° C in the afternoon and 17.2 ° C in the morning. For Gold Coast, there is no winter or fall, there is only a dry season (spring) and a wet season (summer).
The average maximum temperature in “Winter” is 20 -21 ° C and minimum of 11 -12 ° C . The average high temperature in summer is 27 -28 ° C and low of 22 ° C . The Pacific Ocean bordering Gold Coast is all year round between 21 ° “winter” and 27 ° in summer.
For comparison’s sake, here’s what winter looks like in place like, say, Alberta, Canada…snowball fight anyone?
And here is some “winter” fun in Gold Coast, Australia…
Got it?
Health
The Gold Coast Hospital in Southport is the primary teaching hospital of the city and the third in Queensland, treating more than 58 000 cases per year. It is the established headquarters of health services in this area.
There is a second public hospital in Robina which is currently being expanded to increase its capacity to 364 beds. Current services include rehabilitation, psychiatry and palliative care and emergency and intensive care departments.
Private hospitals in the city are Allamanda Private Hospital located in Southport, Pindara Hospital at Benowa and John Flynn Gold Coast Hospital at Tugun in the south of the city.
Gold Coast University Hospital
Work on the new Gold Coast University Hospital Centre began in late 2008. The facility, which cost $ 1.76 billion for a capacity of 750 beds, more than three times the size of the hospital Southport. It was built on a green field site in Southport Parklands Southport to replace the hospital. The work was completed in December 2012.
Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) opened September 28, 2013, while former University Hospital received its last patient in the afternoon. A total of 219 patients were transferred from the old hospital on the Gold Coast to GCUH over two days and the old hospital is now closed.
Transportation Around The City
The Gold Coast modes of transport include cars, taxis, buses, ferries, trains and monorail to get to work, visiting attractions.
The car is the dominant mode of transport in Gold Coast with over 70% of people using the car as the only mode of transport to get to work. A number of major roads connect the Gold Coast with Brisbane, New South Wales, and the surrounding areas.
The Pacific Highway (M1) is the main highway in the area. Starting from Logan Highway (M6) in Brisbane, it travels through the area and links to the border between New South Wales and Queensland near Tweed Heads.
The Gold Coast Highway services the coastal suburbs of the Gold Coast, including Surfers Paradise, Southport, and Burleigh Heads. From the Pacific Highway at Tweed Heads, it is parallel to the coast until it reaches Labrador, where it turns inland to rejoin the Pacific Highway at Helensvale.
Other roads include Smith Street, Reedy Creek Road, Nerang Broadbeach Road, and Surfers Paradise Boulevard.
Buslines
The main Gold Coast bus provider is Surfside Buslines. This is part of the TransLink initiative by the Queensland Government, to coordinate public transport providers in Brisbane and the surrounding areas.
The majority of bus lines operating flows along the Gold Coast Highway. Services are frequent during the day, with intervals as short as five minutes between Southport and Burleigh Heads. Queensland Rail operates rail services from Brisbane to the Gold Coast along the Gold Coast railway line.
The line follows the same route as the railway line Beenleigh, continuing after reaching Beenleigh. There then follows a similar route to that of the Pacific Highway, it passes through the stations of Coomera, Helensvale, Nerang and Robina before its terminus in Varsity Lakes. An extension to Coolangatta and the Gold Coast Airport is proposed.
The increase in population has resulted in an increase in traffic congestion. This led the state government of Queensland and the city of Gold Coast to try harder by investing in sustainable transportation.
Examples include public transport, including a new ferry service, community bike rental and a light rail line and infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists as the Gold Coast Oceanway. The light rail line will open in June 2014 and in particular serve Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. It will link Gold Coast University Hospital to Broadbeach South.
Airport
The Gold Coast Airport is located in Coolangatta, about 25 km south of Surfers Paradise. it provides access to the capital and major interstate towns and big cities of New Zealand, the international airport of Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia, but also Japan and Singapore.
Urbanization And History Of Gold Coast
Over forty skyscrapers rise in Gold Coast which the Q1 is the highest skyscraper of Australia with its 322 meters in height.
Lieutenant James Cook was the first European to visit the region when he sailed along the coast, May 16, 1770 aboard the Endeavour, followed by Captain Matthew Flinders in 1802. Here’s a “short” 1-hour documentary about Captain Cook…
The area remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823, despite the fact that escaped from the prison colony of Moreton Bay came to hide in. John Oxley was the first explorer to set foot on the site, Mermaid Beach , which was named after the name of his boat a cutter named Mermaid, that is to say “the siren.”
The western suburb of Nerang then saw establish itself as a base for industry. Later in 1875, Southport was introduced and quickly gained the reputation of holiday destination for the upper class residents of Brisbane.
History Continued…
In 1925, the tourism industry in the region quickly took momentum after the opening of the coastal road between Brisbane to Southport. Meanwhile, Jim Cavill established the Surfers Paradise Hotel, which transformed Hard Rock Cafe and Paradise Towers in an apartment complex.
The population grew steadily to support the tourism industry. During the 1940s , real estate speculators and journalists began to refer to the region as the “Gold Coast”, a term whose true origin is still not certain, although it might be easy to guess why.
The name was officially implemented in 1958 in the local government area covering Southport and Coolangatta, although the urban area and the local government area have never had the same boundaries.
Gold Coast Construction Boom
The construction boom has been greatly improved when restrictions on planning regulations were lifted in 1952. In the 1970s , developers have gained a dominant role in local politics, and skyscrapers began dominate the area now known as the Surfers Paradise . Finally, the airport was established in 1981.
In 2007, Gold Coast exceeded the population of Newcastle in New South Wales to become the sixth largest city in Australia and Australia’s largest urban area with no state capital status.
Economy
The Gold Coast region is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia.
In fifty years, Gold Coast City has grown from a small holiday destination by the sea in the sixth largest city in Australia (and most populous country outside the capital). Some diversification took place, with the city now has a naval base formed industrial, education, communication and information technology, food, tourism, creation, environment and sports industries.
These new areas have been identified as key industries by the City Council Gold Coast to ensure the economic prosperity of the city. Unemployment Gold Coast City (5.6 percent) is lower than the national level (5.9 percent).
Tourism Is Bumpin’
About 10 million tourists visit the Gold Coast every year region: 849 114 international visitors, 3,468,000 domestic overnight visitors and 5,366,000 visitors during the day. Tourism is the largest industry in the region, directly contributing to more than $ 4.4 billion in the city’s economy each year and directly represents one in four jobs in the city.
There are about 65 000 hotel rooms, 60 km the beach, 600 km canal, 100 000 hectares of nature reserve, 500 restaurants, 40 golf courses and five major theme parks in the city. There were different perspectives and proposals raised for even more theme parks than the current five.
International services from Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia also land at Gold Coast Airport with airlines Flyscoot , Jetstar , Qantas , Air New Zealand , Virgin Australia and AirAsia X . Brisbane Airport is less than an hour from the Gold Coast center and trains run from Brisbane airport to Gold Coast.
In fact, tourism is the main industry of Gold Coast City, generating a total of $ 2.5 billion in revenue per year. Gold Coast is the most popular tourist destination in Queensland. It is the fifth most visited destination in Australia by international tourists. Tourist attractions include surf beaches and theme parks, including Dreamworld, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild, Seaworld, Movie World, WhiteWater World, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, David Fleay Wildlife Park, Australian Outback Spectacular and Paradise Country.
Since the opening of what was then the tallest residential tower in the world in 2005 (it is now in fifth place), the Q1 has been a destination for tourists and locals. This is the second highest point of view the Southern Hemisphere rank after the Eureka Tower in Melbourne. The observation platform at 77 is the highest of Queensland and views in all directions, from Brisbane to Byron Bay. It dominates the skyline of Surfers Paradise, with the observation point at 230 meters high. Overall, the Q1 is 324 meters high.
Education
Gold Coast’s education infrastructure includes:
Universities – Three major campuses (Southern Cross University Beachside, which offers undergraduate and graduate congresses business management cycle of events, studies, international tourism management and law and paralegal leap University Robina and Griffith University, integrating the schools of medicine and dentistry and oral health at the Hospital of the Gold Coast and the main campus at Southport) and the smaller Central Queensland University campus at Southport.
Demographics
The population of Gold Coast, which is constantly increasing, makes the city the second in the state of Queensland behind Brisbane . Between June 2010 and June 2011 , Gold Coast increases its population of 9600 inhabitants. This increase is relative, however, to the extent that nearly 90% of state cities experiencing an increase in population during this period. Yet the people of Gold Coast rose by 1.8% between 2010 and 2011, while Brisbane will increase by only 1.3% 2 .
Sports
The city of Gold Coast will host the XXI th edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Gold Coast has two professional sports teams, the Gold Coast Titans, playing in the National Rugby League in 2007 and the Gold Coast Suns, playing in the Australian Football League since 2011 .
Aussie Football
The team of Gold Coast United FC plays in the championship of Australia since 2008. She takes the stage Skilled Park , the rugby league team in town. The club was dissolved in 2012.
The Gold Coast Suns played in the Australian Football League in 2011. Their stadium is the Metricon Stadium.
Rugby League
The Gold Coast Titans played in the National Rugby League in 2007. Their stadium is the Skilled Park .
The Gold Coast Breakers play in the Queensland Premier Rugby , third in the rugby division.
Gold Coast Events
Gold Coast 600 (formerly known as Lexmark Indy 300) is a car race that takes place each year, usually in October. The race takes place on the streets of Surfers Paradise and Main Beach. The GC 600 includes many other events.
Every July, more than 25 000 participants gather on the Gold Coast to run the marathon Gold Coast. It is also the largest annual sporting event held in Gold Coast.
In late November to early December sees thousands of school leavers across the country descend on the Gold Coast Schoolies, a two-week period of celebration and parties throughout Surfers Paradise, hosted by the city of Gold Coast.
The event is often criticized nationally and locally for alcohol and violence, but all the efforts of the police and the Queensland state government to ensure that all young people who leave school have a good time are in place, including people walking the streets and keeping an eye on people in need of help. Hard to imagine why parents would not approve…
At the beginning of each year, Gold Coast hosts a stage of the World Tour ASP surf, where some of the best surfers in the world compete in the Quiksilver Pro at Coolangatta.
Movies & TV
Television series H2O and The Sirens of Mako roll film there. Gold Coast is the major center of film production in Queensland and represented 75% of film production in Queensland since the 1990s, with expenditures of approximately $ 150 million per year.
Gold Coast is the third largest film production center in Australia behind Sydney and Melbourne. Warner Brothers are located just outside the city, Oxenford were the film shooting locations such as Scooby Doo . Many films Bollywood also use Near Gold Coast as a filming location.
Roadshow Studios village is next to the Warner Bros Movie World Theme Park at Oxenford. The studios consist of eight recording studio, production rooms, editing rooms, a costume shop, construction workshops, water tanks. The studio vary in size and have a total area of 10,844 m 2 , this studio Warner Roadshow one of the largest studio lots in the southern hemisphere.
Music
Since 1994 takes place every year the music festival Big Day Out . Musicians Casey Barnes, Cody Simpson and Ricki-Lee Coulter are from Gold Coast, as well as newer bands like Operator Please…
4 Famous people born in Gold Coast
- Cody Simpson, pop singer
- Casey Barnes
- Margot Robbie , actress
- Adam Hansen , professional cyclist
Thanks for reading about Gold Coast, Australia… that’s all we have for you for today!
