Gold Coast, Queensland
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The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nation's largest regional city, and Queensland's second-largest city after Brisbane. The city's Central Business District is located roughly in the centre of the Gold Coast in the suburb of Southport, with the suburb holding more corporate office space than anywhere else in the city. The urban area of the Gold Coast is concentrated along the coast sprawling almost 60 kilometers, joining up with the Greater Brisbane Metropolitan Area to the north and to the state border with New South Wales to the south.
Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the Yugambeh people. The demonym for the Gold Coast is Gold Coaster.
The Gold Coast is a major tourist destination with a ...Read more
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nation's largest regional city, and Queensland's second-largest city after Brisbane. The city's Central Business District is located roughly in the centre of the Gold Coast in the suburb of Southport, with the suburb holding more corporate office space than anywhere else in the city. The urban area of the Gold Coast is concentrated along the coast sprawling almost 60 kilometers, joining up with the Greater Brisbane Metropolitan Area to the north and to the state border with New South Wales to the south.
Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the Yugambeh people. The demonym for the Gold Coast is Gold Coaster.
The Gold Coast is a major tourist destination with a sunny, subtropical climate and has become widely known for its world-class surfing beaches, high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland. The city is part of the nation's entertainment industry with television productions and a major film industry.
The Gold Coast is the ancestral home of a number of Indigenous clans of the Yugambeh people,[1] including the Kombumerri,[2] Mununjali, and Wangerriburra[3] clans. Europeans arrived in 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century.
A number of small townships developed along the coast and in the hinterland. The western suburb of Nerang was surveyed and established as a base for the industry and by 1870 a town reserve had been set aside.[4] By 1873, the town reserve of Burleigh Heads had also been surveyed and successful land sales had taken place.[5] In 1875, the small settlement opposite the boat passage at the head of the Nerang River, known as Nerang Heads or Nerang Creek Heads, was surveyed and renamed Southport, with the first land sales scheduled to take place in Beenleigh.[6] Southport quickly grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents.
Post-World War One Era saw the rise of the “seaside shack”. The seaside shack provided the opportunity for the coastal “getaway” with modest investment. From 1914 to 1946, they popped up all along the South Coast. Seaside shacks were exceedingly cheap and were an early use of the concept of recycling. Many were built of disused or second grade timber, all kinds of materials were used for the holiday seaside shack – including fibro cement, metal containers, and left-over farm sheds; even disused trams were sold off as seaside shacks.[7]
After the establishment of the Surfers Paradise Hotel in the late 1920s, the Gold Coast region grew significantly.[8][9] The Gold Coast was originally known as the South Coast (because it was south of Brisbane). However, over-inflated prices for real estate and other goods and services led to the nickname of "Gold Coast" from 1950.[10][11][12][13][14] South Coast locals initially considered the name "Gold Coast" derogatory.[15][16] However, soon the "Gold Coast" simply became a convenient way to refer to the holiday strip from Southport to Coolangatta.[17][18][19][20][21] The Town of South Coast was formed through the amalgamation of Town of Coolangatta and Town of Southport along with the coastal areas (such as Burleigh Heads) from the Shire of Nerang on 17 June 1949 with the effect of having the present-day Gold Coast coastal strip as a single local government area. As the tourism industry grew into the 1950s, local businesses began to adopt the term Gold Coast in their names, and on 23 October 1958 the Town of South Coast was renamed Town of Gold Coast.[22] The area was proclaimed a city, despite the lack of a cathedral, less than one year later on 16 May 1959.[23]
The area boomed in the 1980s as a leading tourist destination. In 1994, the City of Gold Coast local government area was expanded to include the Shire of Albert,[24] becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane.[citation needed]
In 2007, the Gold Coast overtook the population of Newcastle, New South Wales, to become the sixth largest city in Australia and the largest non-capital city.[25]
In the 2016 census, the urban area of the Gold Coast had a population of 540,559 people.[26] According to the 2016 census, the population of the Gold Coast including rural areas was 569,997. The median age was 39 years old, 1 year older than the nationwide median. The male-to-female ratio was 48.6-to-51.4.[27] The most commonly nominated ancestries were English (29.3%), Australian (22.5%), Irish (8.2%), Scottish (7.5%), and German (3.6%). 64% of people were born in Australia, while the other most common countries of birth were New Zealand (7.9%), England (5.2%), China and South Africa (1.2% each), and Japan (0.7%). Indigenous Australians accounted for 1.7% of the population.[27] The most commonly spoken languages other than English were Mandarin (1.6%), Japanese (1.0%), Korean and Spanish (0.6% each), and Cantonese (0.5%). The most common religious affiliations reported were none (31.8%), Catholic (20.7%), Anglican (16.2%), and Uniting Church (3.9%).[27]
The Gold Coast hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[28]
This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Shacks, sheds and cottages: Queensland “Weekenders” in the early 20th century (7 October 2022) by Christina Ealing-Godbold published by the State Library of Queensland under CC-BY licence, accessed on 24 January 2023.
^ "Real Estate". Daily Mail. No. 7091. Brisbane. 18 November 1924. p. 16. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Another Pioneer Passes". South Coast Bulletin. No. 1248. Queensland, Australia. 12 March 1952. p. 8. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Beaches Now Not so Golden – Boom for Land Is Ebbing". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 29 October 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Talk of the Town". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 24 December 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "DAY by DAY". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 28 August 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "DAY by DAY". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 22 November 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Can get it-at a price". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 26 December 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Guidesify (16 October 2019). "The Best of Gold Coast Australia: 8 Things To Do (Top Attractions)". Guidesify. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
^ "Don'ts for South Coast 1951-52". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 18 November 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "DAY by DAY". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 14 November 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ""Gold Coast" jinks". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 29 December 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "NSW will have own Riviera". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 17 February 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Day by Day". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 18 February 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Talk of the Town". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 24 February 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Agency ID 2476, South Coast Town Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
^ "Agency ID 10379, Gold Coast Town Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
^ "Council history". Gold Coast City Council. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
^ McCarthy, John; Stolz, Greg (11 November 2007). "Gold Coast sixth largest city". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012.
^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gold Coast (UCL)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gold Coast (Statistical Area Level 4)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
^ "Gold Coast chosen to host 2018 Commonwealth Games". BBC Sport. 11 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
