The Gold Coast is a metropolitan region and coastal city south of Brisbane on Australia’s east coast, famed for its long sandy beaches, surfing and elaborate system of inland canals and waterways. It’s also home to the Dreamworld, Sea World and Wet’n’Wild theme parks. Inland, hiking trails crisscross Lamington National Park’s mountain ridges and valleys, home to rare birds and rainforest.
Gold Coast City is the second most populous city in the state, the most populous non-capital city, part of the sixth most populous urban area in the country, and part of the largest cross-state metropolitan area in Australia.
The city’s northernmost point at Ormeau is located 42 kilometres south-east of the Brisbane central business district, and the metropolitan area extends south along the coast to Tweed Heads, New South Wales. The Gold Coast metropolitan area converges with that of Greater Brisbane, forming part of an urban conurbation of over 3 million people.
The first settlement in what is now South East Queensland was as a penal colony at Redcliffe. The Gold Coast region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 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. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established and grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents.
The Gold Coast region grew significantly after the establishment of the Surfers Paradise hotel in the late 1920s. The area boomed in the 1980s as a leading tourist destination and in 1994, the City of Gold Coast local government area was expanded to encompass the majority of Gold Coast’s metropolitan area, becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane. Gold Coast is today a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland, making tourism one of its most significant industries. Gold Coast will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
