Gold Coast
Gold Coast is a vibrant coastal city located in South East Queensland, Australia, known for its stunning beaches and strong tourism industry. With a population exceeding 625,000, it ranks as Queensland's second-largest city and Australia's sixth largest overall. The city is situated approximately 66 kilometers south-southeast of Brisbane and features 57 kilometers of coastline, along with numerous suburbs and localities. Historically, Gold Coast was originally inhabited by the Yugambeh people, and European settlement began in the 1820s, driven by the region's rich natural resources. Over time, it evolved into a popular holiday destination, particularly noted for its surfing culture, highlighted by the iconic Surfers Paradise.
Gold Coast enjoys a humid subtropical climate, characterized by warm winters and hot, humid summers, making it attractive to both residents and visitors. The city prides itself on its ecological diversity, hosting extensive native vegetation and recognized international wetlands. Economically, tourism remains the backbone of Gold Coast’s economy, with millions of visitors drawn annually to its beaches, theme parks, and recreational opportunities. The city also boasts a growing film industry and a strong healthcare sector, reflecting its diverse economic landscape. Demographically, Gold Coast is a melting pot of cultures, with a significant portion of its residents born in Australia, alongside a notable international presence.
Gold Coast
With a population (according to the 2021 Census) of more than 625,000, Gold Coast is the second largest city in Queensland, and is Australia’s sixth largest city and largest non-capital city. Gold Coast is in the South East Queensland Region and covers 57 km of coastline between Tweeds Head in the south and Beenleigh in the north, and is composed of fifty-two suburbs and twenty-nine localities. Gold Coast is located 66 km south-southeast of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city, and centred on historic Surfers Paradise. Gold Coast is a local and international tourist destination known for its sunny beaches and excellent surfing conditions.
Historical Perspective
Gold Coast was originally home to the Yugambeh people. The Yugambeh lived in family clans mostly along the region’s estuaries and river valleys. Several localities still have the original Yugambeh names, such as Nerang and Coombabah. In the 1820s, the region started to appeal to wood cutters, European settlers who were attracted by the rich supply of red cedar. Several small settlements were started, which grew as cattle stations were started to supply the growing population of Brisbane.
In the late 1800s, residents of Brisbane started using the seaside area as a holiday destination. In 1925, the Surfers Paradise Hotel was erected, and a new coastal road was built linking Brisbane to the beaches. By 1933, the town of Surfers Paradise had grown up around the hotel. The beach towns in the area became a rest and relaxation spot for Australian and Allied armed forces during World War II.
In 1949, the beach towns amalgamated to form the Town of the Gold Coast, a reference representative of the golden sand and sunshine, but also a description of the real estate boom. Albert Shire was amalgamated in 1995 into the City of Gold Coast. In 2007, Gold Coast became the sixth largest city in Australia.
Geography and Climate
Gold Coast has a humid subtropical climate. The winters are warm, with an average minimum temperature of 12.0 degrees C and an average maximum temperature of 21.2 degrees C. The summers are hot (average minimum temperature of 21.8 degrees C and average maximum of 28.8 degrees C) and humid with substantial precipitation in the form of thunderstorms and heavy showers that sometimes last for a week. Sea temperatures range from 21.5 degrees C in winter to 27.1 degrees C in summer.
Gold Coast has been called Australia’s most biologically diverse city, with 1,737 species of native plants, nearly 600 species of native animals, and a number of migratory birds. Of these, many are locally and nationally endangered. Native vegetation covers over 50 percent of the city’s land area (129,339 hectares). Much of Gold Coast’s coastal wetlands and islands are recognized by Ramsar as wetlands of international importance. Gold Coast also contains 4524.8 hectares of Gondwana Rainforest. This rainforest is named the Gondwana Rainforest because fossil records indicate that the forest has a similar species composition to the rainforests that covered Gondwana. Gold Coast contains a small but ecologically valuable portion of the Gondwana Rainforest recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Economy
From the outset, Gold Coast’s economy has been driven by tourism. Tourists are attracted by the 57 km of sand beaches, the numerous canals and the world-class surfing. In 2023, an estimated 12.2 million people visited the Gold Coast, spending about $7.8 billion.
While the city’s largest industry of employment is health care, many of the Gold Coast’s residents are employed in tourism. Gold Coast has over 65,000 hotel beds, the southern hemisphere’s highest concentration of theme parks, and 40 golf courses. Other important industries include sports, marine, education, environmental and information communication and technology industries. Film is also a growing industry, making the Gold Coast the third largest film production centre in Australia.
In 2018, Gold Coast hosted the Commonwealth Games. Economically, the results were mixed in that the promised crowds arriving for the games drove away local tourists. However, some analyses suggest that the investment by the city in infrastructure to accommodate the games turned a profit and built a useful infrastructure that has already been seen to generate income for the city.
Demographics
Gold Coast is parcelled in several different ways locally and nationally. It is often grouped with Tweed Heads, as Tweed Heads and Gold Coast form a significant urban area. According to this delineation, there were 625,087 people in the greater Gold Coast – Tweed Heads area as per the 2021 census. The region is one of the fastest growing in Australia.
Most residents identified themselves as English (40%) or Australian (30.7%). Other common ancestries include Irish (10.4%), Scottish (10%) and German (4.7%). Regardless of ancestry, 65.2 per cent had been born in Australia. Other most common countries of birth were New Zealand (7.1%), England (4.9%), China (1.4%, excluding SARs and Taiwan), South Africa (1.4%) and India (1.1%). Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.2 per cent of the population. At any given time, the population will be composed partly of tourists.
Bibliography
“Climate Statistics for Australian Locations: Gold Coast Seaway.” Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 14 Feb. 2019. www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw‗040764‗All.shtml. Accessed 11 June 2024.
“Our Environment.” City of Gold Coast, 2024, www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/Environment-sustainability/Our-environment. Accessed 11 June 2024.
“Gold Coast.” Australian Bureau of Statistics, abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/LGA33430. Accessed 11 June 2024.
“Gold Coast Water Temperature.” World Sea Temperatures. www.seatemperature.org/australia-pacific/australia/gold-coast.htm. Accessed 11 June 2024.
Pile, Tim. “The Good, Bad and Ugly Sides to a Holiday on Australia’s Gold Coast.” Post Magazine, 23 Nov. 2017, www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/2121029/good-bad-and-ugly-sides-holiday-australias-gold-coast. Accessed 11 June 2024.
Smith, Andrew. “How the Gold Coast Games Transformed a Resort Region into a City.” The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2018, theconversation.com/how-the-gold-coast-games-transformed-a-resort-region-into-a-city-94877. Accessed 11 June 2024.