One of only four places around the globe that is classified as being on the 'Sunshine Belt', the Gold Coast maintains a daily maximum average annual temperature of 25c. That not only makes it the most livable City in Australia but also a very nice place to go for a holiday. In fact, known as the countries play ground, the Gold Coast has visitors and residents from the colder, southern states of Victoria and New South Wales visiting year round to enjoy the warmer climate.
In addition to the bounty of interstate visitors, the Gold Coast is also frequented by many tourists from Asia. In particular, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and more recently China. In 2001 a study of Japanese who had, or were planning a visit to Australia, found that the top three reasons why they wanted to come was to; 1. Hug a Koala, 2. Shop and 3. See the beautiful beaches. Its no wonder then that they choose the Gold Coast as a destination. With over 50 kilometres of sandy white beaches between Stradbroke Island and Coolangatta, as well as a wide selection of shopping centres such as Pacific Fair and Australia Fair just metres from their pristine waters, then most visitors can tick two of these items off their list in just a day. As for Koala hugging? Well, the Gold Coast gets the trifecta here. Dreamworld and the Currumbin Sanctuary both have Koala displays and the opportunity to meet our little furry friends up close.
But for most its the sun and the beach as well as days spent with the family at the countries leading theme parks, Movieworld, Seaworld and Wet'n'Wild. In the evening, it is the thriving night life that attracts them back for more. Downtown Surfers Paradise lights up at night and the selection of Bars, Clubs and Restaurants is endless. Jupiter's Casino, just a few kilometres to the south, in Broadbeach, has Cabaret Shows running all year round and next door Dracula's theme restaurant is also very popular with visitors.
Almost 1 million International visitors arrive each year and an additional 3.5 million Australians choose the Gold Coast as their holiday destination. A further 50,000 Australians, looking for a sea change, relocate to the region annually. With the numbers increasing steadily over the past few years and the ongoing development of the City and its infrastructure, it has already become the sixth most populous city in Australia. With the pressures of every day life and inner CBD living growing, the relaxing and fun environment that the Gold Coast offers will continue to attract visitors from the Capital cities for many years to come.
Noted by James Cook in 1770 as he sailed past, the Gold Coast was left uninhabited until 1823 when John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach and promptly named it after his ship, Mermaid. The rich forest areas of the Gold Coast Hinterland provided large quantities of Red Cedar and industry was established in Nerang by the middle of the century. In 1875, Southport proved to be an ideal spot for holidaying and became popular with the residents of Brisbane in the North, a trend that has remained until this very day.
However it was not until 1925 when Jim Cavill opened the Surfers Paradise Hotel, on what is now the hub of the tourist strip, that tourism became the main export of the region and the population began to grow to support it. In 1958, on the back of Real Estate speculators references to the area, the name 'Gold Coast' was official given to it.
It was the 70's that really started to change the face of the Gold Coast. High Rise buildings begun to spring up in the Surfers Paradise area, holiday homes on beachfront sand dunes became permanent residences and the population, as did property values skyrocketed. Today the skyline features buildings in excess of 70 stories, including Q1 which stands some 322.5m (1,028 feet) making it the tallest residential building in the world and the 20th highest building overall.
2007 has seen the further progress of the City. Local Council and State Government have commenced initiatives to provide for the rapidly increasing population. Real Estate developers can not seem to keep up with the demand for new accommodations and apartments and baggage handlers at the local airport are fast becoming the busiest in the country. Still, all the hard work and development seems to be masked into the background as the excitement and opportunity oozes from the Gold Coast.
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