Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast, often referred to by its initials G.C., is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is Australia’s sixth-largest city, the most populous non-capital city, and the state's second-largest city after Brisbane, with a population over 600,000. The Gold Coast is a coastal city and region located approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. The city's central business district is located roughly in the centre of the Gold Coast in the suburb of Southport. The urban area of the Gold Coast is concentrated along the coast, sprawling almost 60 kilometres, joining up with the Greater Brisbane metropolitan region to the north and to the state border with New South Wales to the south. Nicknames of the city include the ‘Glitter Strip’ and the ‘Goldy’. The demonym of a Gold Coast resident is Gold Coaster.
| Gold Coast Queensland | |||||||||
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Q1 and the Gold Coast skyline Isle of Capri Canals Light Rail on Surfers Paradise Boulevard Roxy Theatre at Warner Bros. Movie World | |||||||||
Gold Coast | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°01′0″S 153°24′0″E | ||||||||
| Population | 640,778 (2021) (6th) | ||||||||
| • Density | 972/km2 (2,520/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Area | 414.3 km2 (160.0 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||
| Location | 66 km (41 mi) SSE of Brisbane | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Gold Coast | ||||||||
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The area that became the Gold Coast was originally inhabited by the indigenous Yugambeh people. The city grew from a collection of small townships, the earliest being Nerang in 1865. From the 1920s onwards, tourism led to significant economic growth in the region, and by 1959 the Gold Coast was declared a city, with its first skyscraper being built in 1960. The Gold Coast boomed from the 1980s onwards with skyscraper construction. This era was defined by the city's ‘white-shoe brigade' developers, neon lights, and organised crime, particularly the yakuza and the Russian mafia. The late 20th century saw the city's tourism diversify with theme park openings, and in the early 21st century became an international destination for film production.
The Gold Coast has a diverse economy with strengths in health, tourism, arts and culture, and construction, with a GDP of AU$40.9 billion. The city ranks highly as one of the country's cultural and creative hotspots, alongside content creators, a growing video games industry, and leads Australia in startups per capita. The Gold Coast is central to the nation's entertainment industry with a major film and television production industry, leading to the city's metonym of Goldywood. The Gold Coast is also host of the AACTA Awards and the Gold Coast Film Festival.
The Gold Coast is a major tourist destination with a sunny, subtropical climate and has become widely known for its surfing beaches (such as Surfers Paradise), high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland.