Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501.
Colloquially known as 'Surfers', the suburb has many high-rise apartment buildings and a wide surf beach. The feature of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
is Cavill Mall, which runs through the shopping precinct. Cavill Avenue
Cavill Avenue
Cavill Avenue is a street in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is in the heart of the Surfers Paradise shopping and entertainment district. Between the Surfers Paradise Beach and Orchid Avenue it is a pedestrian mall. It was named in honour of the founder of Surfers Paradise,...
, named after Jim Cavill, an early hotel owner, is one of the busiest shopping strips in Queensland, and the centre of activity for night life. Surfers Paradise's high-rise buildings are the best known feature of the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
's skyline; Burleigh
Burleigh Heads, Queensland
Burleigh Heads is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Burleigh Heads had a population of 7,606.Burleigh Heads is renowned for its surf break, and is an alternative to the more tourist ridden towns of the Gold Coast...
and Coolangatta also have skyscrapers, though shorter and fewer.
History
James Beattie, a farmer, became the first European to settle in the area when he staked out an 80 acres (32.4 ha) farm on the northern bank of the Nerang RiverNerang River
The Nerang River is a river that begins in the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland and runs through Gold Coast City in South East Queensland, Australia...
, close to present-day Cavill Avenue. The farm proved unsuccessful and was sold in 1877 to German immigrant Johan Meyer
Johan Meyer
Johann Heinrich Casper Meyer was a German immigrant to Queensland and a pioneer of the Gold Coast region....
, who turned the land into a sugar farm and mill. Meyer also had little luck growing in the sandy soil and within a decade had auctioned the farm and started a ferry service and built the Main Beach hotel. By 1889, Meyer's hotel had become a post receiving office and subdivisions surrounding it were named Elston, named by the Southport postmaster after his wife's home in Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Main Beach Hotel licence lapsed after Meyer's death in 1901 and for 16 years Elston was a tourist town without a hotel or post office.
In 1917, a land auction was held by Brisbane real estate company Arthur Blackwood to sell subdivided blocks in Elston as the 'Surfers' Paradise Estate', but the auction failed because access was difficult. This was the first recorded reference to Surfers Paradise, but like the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, the title may already have been local vernacular.
Elston began to get more visitors after the opening of Jubilee Bridge and the extension of the South Coast Road in 1925; the area was serviced before then only by Meyer's Ferry at the Nerang River
Nerang River
The Nerang River is a river that begins in the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland and runs through Gold Coast City in South East Queensland, Australia...
. Elston was no longer cut off by the river and speculators began buying land around Elston and Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Heads, Queensland
Burleigh Heads is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Burleigh Heads had a population of 7,606.Burleigh Heads is renowned for its surf break, and is an alternative to the more tourist ridden towns of the Gold Coast...
. Estates down the coast were promoted and hotels opened to accommodate tourists and investors.
Brisbane hotelier Jim Cavill
James Cavill
James Freeman 'Jim' Cavill, a Brisbane hotelier, was one of the pioneers of the Gold Coast, Australia. His parents were Frederick Cavill , a champion swimmer, and Maria Rhodes a cousin of Cecil Rhodes....
opened Surfers Paradise Hotel that year, and the town had its first landmark. Located between the ferry jetty and the white surf beach off the South Coast Road, it became popular and shops and services sprang up around it. In the following years Cavill pushed to have the name Elston changed to the more marketable Surfers' Paradise and in 1933 the town acquired its present name.
The boom of the 1950s and 1960s was centred on this area and the first of the tall apartment buildings were constructed in the decades that followed. Little remains of the early vegetation or natural features of the area and even the historical association of the beachfront development with the river is tenuous. The early subdivision pattern remains, although later reclamation of the islands in the Nerang River
Nerang River
The Nerang River is a river that begins in the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland and runs through Gold Coast City in South East Queensland, Australia...
as housing estates, and the bridges to those islands, have created a contrast reflected in subdivision and building form. Some early remnants survived such as Budd's Beach — a low-scale open area on the river which even in the early history of the area was a centre for boating, fishing and swimming.
Some minor changes have occurred in extending the road along the beachfront since the early subdivision and The Esplanade road is now a focus of activity, with supporting shops and restaurants. The intensity of activity, centred on Cavill, Orchid and Elkhorn Avenues, is reflected in the density of development. Of all places on the Gold Coast the buildings in this area constitute a dominant and enduring image visible from as far south as Coolangatta
Coolangatta, Queensland
Coolangatta is the southernmost suburb of the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It has a population of 4,869 and is named after the schooner Coolangatta which was wrecked there in 1846....
and from the mountain resorts of the hinterland.
Foreshoreways
The Gold Coast OceanwayGold Coast Oceanway
The Gold Coast Oceanway is a foreshoreway along beaches in Gold Coast, Queensland. The Gold Coast Oceanway is a shared use pedestrian and cyclist pathway on the Gold Coast, connecting the Point Danger lighthouse on the New South Wales and Queensland border to the Gold Coast Seaway...
is a foreshoreway
Foreshoreway
A foreshoreway is a type of greenway that provides a public right of way along the edge of a waterbody.Foreshoreways are usually focused on sustainable behaviours and hence are a common facility for sustainable transport. The terminology was derived to assist to avoid the perception of a pavement...
along a beachfront alignment between Narrowneck
Narrowneck, Queensland
Narrowneck is the name of a narrow bit of coastline that separates the anabranch of the Nerang River from the southern end of Main Beach and the northern end of Surfers Paradise beach.-Seawalls:...
and Surfers Central, then inland along a narrow corridor along Garfield and Northcliffe Terraces behind the beachfront highrises. Gold Coast City proposed a new Oceanway pavement along the public road reserve between the highrise buildings and the dunes but there was considerable opposition from local residents.
The Surfers Riverwalk travels along the Nerang River
Nerang River
The Nerang River is a river that begins in the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland and runs through Gold Coast City in South East Queensland, Australia...
foreshores through to Surfers Paradise.
The CavilWest corridor is proposed to link Cavill Mall west to Gold Coast Arts Centre and on through the Bundall business district to the Gold Coast Turf Club. The corridor will encourage pedestrians and cyclists through construction of two greenbridges
Pedestrian separation structure
A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact.This can be considered a type of grade separation structure on the road....
- From Tiki Village Surfers to Tarcoola Avenue Chevron Island.
- From Mawarra Street Chevron Island to Evandale
Events
Schoolies weekSchoolies week
Schoolies or schoolies week refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December."Toolies" refers to older revelers who participate in Schoolies week but are...
is celebrated by around 100,000 high school graduates each November.
Motor Racing
The Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a purpose built motor sport facility which was operational from 1966 to 1987.From 1991 to 2007 the Champ Car World Series has run an annual race on the streets of Surfers Paradise, an event known as the Nikon Indy 300. With the Champ Car/IndyCar merger in 2008, the race saw different cars but some of the same teams and drivers arrive with the IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
. It however proved to be the last as the late October date proved to be unsuitable for IndyCar and moveing the event to an early season date would create too many clashes with Formula One and V8 Supercar events interstate. A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...
was negotiate for 2009 but the series collapsed on the eve of the race, since then primary support category V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
became the event's principal act. The circuit has also been significantly shortened.
Rankings
- Surfers Paradise beach was voted as one of the best beaches in the world by the AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Travel ChannelTravel ChannelThe Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
. - Surfers Paradise beach was judged Queensland's Cleanest Beach in 2006 by the Keep Australia Beautiful Council
- Surfers Paradise was voted Australia's top landmark for destruction.
Notable Residents
- Tabatha CoffeyTabatha CoffeyTabatha Coffey is an Australian hairstylist, salon owner, and American television personality. Her participation as a contestant on the television show, Shear Genius, led to her own television show, Tabatha's Salon Takeover, which airs on the U.S...
, Tabatha's Salon TakeoverTabatha's Salon TakeoverTabatha's Salon Takeover is an American reality television series on the Bravo network, in which former Shear Genius contestant and hair salon owner, Tabatha Coffey helps failing salons turn around in one week...
host and Shear GeniusShear GeniusShear Genius is an American reality television series on the Bravo network that focuses on hair styling. The show first premiered on April 11, 2007....
contestant
Surfers Paradise in song
The musical act, Jaded Cadence has released a song about living in Kallangur and travelling upon the Bruce highway to destinations such as Redcliffe, Mooroochy, and Cavill Avenue (Surfers Paradise).The Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
song "The Boys Light Up
The Boys Light Up (song)
"The Boys Light Up" is the second single and title track released by Australian rock band Australian Crawl from their debut album The Boys Light Up . The song was written by lead singer James Reyne, but sung by Simon Binks!!...
" also mentions the line "That flat in Surfers Paradise, with the ocean view".
The Redgum
Redgum
Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals and Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were soon joined by Chris Timms on violin. All four had been students at Flinders University and...
song Gladstone Pier mentions the line "From Surfers up to Townsville..."