Gold Coast, Queensland
|
Gold Coast Queensland |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Top from left: Nerang River and the Surfers Paradise skyline, Harbour Town, QLD-NSW border marker at Coolangatta, Q1, Purling Brook Falls in Springbrook National Park, Bermuda Triangle (Sea World), Main Beach
|
|||||||||
 Gold Coast
|
|||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°01′0″S 153°24′0″E / 28.01667°S 153.40000°ECoordinates: 28°01′0″S 153°24′0″E / 28.01667°S 153.40000°E | ||||||||
| Population | 507,642 (2010) (6th) | ||||||||
| • Density | 972/km2 (2,520/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Area | 414.3 km2 (160.0 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||
| Location | 66 km (41 mi) SSE of Brisbane | ||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Gold Coast | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
.JPG)
Gold Coast is a coastal city in the Australian state of Queensland, approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the state capital Brisbane and immediately north of the border with New South Wales. With a population of 494,501 in the 2011 Census, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, making it the largest non-capital city, and the second-largest city in Queensland. The city is counted as part of the Gold Coast–Tweed Heads Significant Urban Area (pop. 624,918, 2015) and the larger South East Queensland Region.
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.
...
Wikipedia