Timeline of Gold Coast, Queensland

The following is a timeline of history of the city of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This article is part of a series on the

History of
Australia

Timeline and periods

| Prehistory| to c. 1788

|

Maritime exploration| 1606–1803
Inland exploration| 1813–1860s
Colonial Australia| 1788–1850
First Fleet| 1788
Convict Era| 1788–1868
Gold Rush and Nationhood| 1851–1900
Australian gold rushes| 1851–1890s
Australian colonies| 1851–1900
Federation| 1901
Early 20th century| 1901–1945
World War I| 1914–1918
Great Depression| 1929–1939
World War II| 1939–1945
Postwar to early 21st century| 1945–2022
Post-war immigration| 1945–1970s
1967 Referendum| 1967
1975 Constitutional crisis| 1975
Contemporary Australia| 2022–present

Topics

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* African Australian
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By region

|  State/Territory|  Capital

|

ACT|  Canberra
New South Wales|  Sydney
Northern Territory|  Darwin
Queensland|  Brisbane
South Australia|  Adelaide
Tasmania|  Hobart
Victoria|  Melbourne
Western Australia|  Perth

* Outline
* List of years
* Historiography
* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

## 19th Century

[edit]

* Pre 1846
* Yugambeh people inhabit the region now known as the Gold Coast.
* 1846
* The schooner Coolangatta is wrecked on the coast close to the later town.
* 1865
* The township of Nerang was surveyed by Martin Lavelle in June.
* 1874
* The town of Southport is founded.
* 1875
* Johan Meyer buys land near Nerang River and begins developing sugar and transportation.
* 1883
* The town of Coolangatta is founded.
* 1889
* The South Coast railway reaches Southport.
* 1892
* Catholic parish of Southport established.[1]

## 20th Century

[edit]

* 1901
* The Southport School established.
* 1902
* Pacific Cable Station opened, connecting Australia to North America by telegraph.
* 1912
* St Hilda's School established.
* 1914
* Yatala Pie Shop opens.
* 1919
* The 1918 flu pandemic closes the QLD-NSW border.
* 1922
* Southport War Memorial built.
* 1925
* Opening of the Jubilee Bridge, connecting Elston to Southport.
* Jim Cavill opens Surfers Paradise Hotel.
* 1928
* Jazzland Dance Hall opened at Coolangatta.
* 1933
* The town of Elston is officially renamed Surfers Paradise.
* 1934
* Broadbeach is surveyed.
* 1938
* Hotel Cecil in Art Deco style opened at Southport.
* 1939
* First passenger flights from Coolangatta Airport (later Gold Coast Airport).
* 1947
* Currumbin Bird Sanctuary (later Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary) opens.
* 1949
* Town of South Coast created through the amalgamation of Coolangatta and Southport.
* 10 March: 1949 Queensland Airlines Lockheed Lodestar crash in Bilinga.
* 1954
* An unnamed cyclone hits, leading to at least 26 deaths and extensive flooding.[2]
* 1958
* Town of South Coast renamed to Town of Gold Coast.
* 1959
* Town of Gold Coast renamed City of Gold Coast.[3]
* Isle of Capri canal development under way.
* 1960
* Gold Coast Hospital opened.
* Kinkabool (building) constructed in Surfers Paradise.[4]
* 1962
* Lido Arcade in Surfers Paradise opens.[3]
* Magic Mountain, Nobby Beach opens.
* 1963
* Gold Coast Bulletin newspaper in publication.[5]
* 1964
* Southport-Brisbane South Coast railway line closes.[3]
* Kirra surfer Phyllis O'Donnell wins first Women's World Surfing Championship.
* 1965
* Entrepreneur Bernie Elsey organises Surfers Paradise Meter Maids to save motorists from parking fines.
* 1966
* The Sands (building) and Paradise Towers constructed in Surfers Paradise.[4]
* Gold Coast Bridge rebuilt.[3]
* 1967
* Garfield Towers built in Surfers Paradise.[4]
* Bruce Small elected mayor.[3]
* 1971
* Sea World park opens in Southport.
* Point Danger Light built.
* Population: 75,862.[6]
* 1973
* Robert Neumann elected mayor.[3]
* Billabong surfwear founded.
* 1974
* Currumbin Estuary Bridge opens.[3]
* Surfers Paradise floods.
* 1976
* Death of Gladys Moncrieff at Pindara Private Hospital
* 1979
* Gold Coast Marathon begins.
* 1980
* First Schoolies week celebrated, centred on Broadbeach Hotel[citation needed]
* 1981
* Dreamworld amusement park in business in Coomera.[3]
* Population: 177,264.[6]
* 1983
* Ray Barrett stars in Goodbye Paradise as washed-up ex-policeman investigating crime.
* 1984
* The Coolangatta Gold ironman race begins.
* Cade's County Waterpark in business in Oxenford.
* Coolangatta Centenary commemorations.
* 1985
* Conrad Jupiters Casino (later The Star Gold Coast) opens.
* 1986
* Gold Coast City Art Gallery opens.
* 1987
* Carrara Stadium opens.
* Gold Coast College of Advanced Education established.
* 1988
* Bond University opens in Robina.[3]
* Gated community of Sanctuary Cove opened with performance by Frank Sinatra.
* 1989
* Gold Coast College of Advanced Education is merged with Griffith University under the Dawkins Revolution of tertiary education.
* 1990
* Gold Coast and Albert Genealogical Society active.[7]
* Australia Fair Shopping Centre in business in Southport.
* 1991
* Movie World amusement park opens in Oxenford.[3]
* Village Roadshow Studios begin operation.
* Magic Mountain, Nobby Beach shuts its doors.
* Population: 301,559.[6]
* 1992
* Peter Goldsworthy's comedic novel Honk If You Are Jesus set in fictional Gold Coast bible college.
* 1994
* Muriel's Wedding's fictional Porpoise Spit shot in Coolangatta and other Gold Coast locations.
* Teen model Kristy Hinze appears in Vogue Australia.
* 1995
* Shire of Albert becomes part of Gold Coast City.[3]
* Ray Stevens becomes mayor.
* Yugambeh Museum, Language and Heritage Research Centre opens. [1]
* BusTech company formed to manufacture buses.
* 1996
* Moroccan (building) constructed in Surfers Paradise.[4]
* 1997
* Gary Baildon becomes mayor.
* 1999
* Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame opens.[8]

## 21st Century

[edit]

* 2000
* Palazzo Versace Australia hotel in business.
* Towers of Chevron Renaissance and Pacific Motorway[3] built.
* 2001
* First series of reality TV show Big Brother shot at Dreamworld compound.
* 2004
* Ron Clarke becomes mayor.[3]
* Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre opens in Broadbeach.[3]
* 2005
* Q1 (building) constructed.[3]
* 2006
* The Wave (building) constructed.
* First series of teen fantasy TV drama H2O: Just Add Water.
* WhiteWater World water park opened.
* 2007
* Gold Coast Titans rugby club formed.
* Circle on Cavill and Southport Central built.
* 2008
* November: 2008 Queensland storms.
* Robina Stadium opens.
* 2009
* Gold Coast Football Club formed.
* 2010
* The Oracle constructed.
* 2011
* Australian Sevens rugby contest relocates to Gold Coast.
* Population: 557,822 (urban agglomeration).[9]
* 2012
* Soul (building) constructed.
* Tom Tate becomes mayor.[10]
* 2013
* City Plan drafted.[11]
* Gold Coast University Hospital built by Griffith University.
* 2014
* The G:link light rail is built.
* Factual TV series Gold Coast Cops follows police work.
* 2016
* Four killed in accident on Thunder River Rapids Ride at Dreamworld.
* 2018
* 4–15 April: 2018 Commonwealth Games hosted by the city.
* 2023
* Four killed in mid-air helicopter collision.
* 2025
* Damage from Cyclone Alfred.

## See also

[edit]

* Queensland portal

* History of Gold Coast, Queensland
* List of mayors of Gold Coast
* List of films shot on the Gold Coast
* List of tallest buildings on the Gold Coast
* List of schools in Gold Coast, Queensland

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Slingsby, Jim. "Parish History". Catholic Parish of Southport. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
2. ^ Damien Larkins (18 February 2014). "The Great Gold Coast Cyclone - February 1954". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gold Coast Bulletin 2009.
4. ^ a b c d City Council 1997.
5. ^ "Gold Coast (Qld.) - Newspapers". Catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
6. ^ a b c Hajdu 1993.
7. ^ "About Us". Gold Coast Family History Society. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
8. ^ Ian McDougall, ed. (3 November 2013), "Golden day for elite sports people", Southport Star, Queensland - via State Library of Queensland "Ask a Librarian"
9. ^ "Population of Capital Cities and Cities of 100,000 or More Inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 2012. United Nations Statistics Division. 2013.
10. ^ "Tom Tate new Gold Coast mayor". Brisbane Times. 28 April 2012.
11. ^ "City Plan 2015". Council of the City of Gold Coast. Retrieved 30 May 2014.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* P. Mullins (1984), P. Williams (ed.), "Hedonism and real estate - resort tourism and Gold Coast development", Urban Studies Yearbook, vol. 2, Sydney
* P. Mullins (1990), "Tourist Cities as New Cities: Australia's Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast", Australian Planner, 28, doi:10.1080/07293682.1990.9657471
* Joseph Hajdu (1993). "The Gold Coast, Australia: Spatial Model of Its Development and the Impact of the Cycle of Foreign Investment in Property during the Late 1980s". Erdkunde. 47. JSTOR 25646442.
* Margo Daly; et al. (1997), "Southeast Queensland: Gold Coast", Australia (3rd ed.), Rough Guides, p. 330+, OL 24375556M
* "Tall Buildings Brochure". Gold Coast Heritage: Publications. Gold Coast City Council. 1997.
* "50 Years: a Timeline", Gold Coast Bulletin (Paradise ed.), Australia, 16 May 2009 - via LexisNexis Academic (subscription required)

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gold Coast, Queensland.

* "Local Studies Library, Southport Branch Library". Libraries. Gold Coast City Council.
* "Community museums and local history". Gold Coast Heritage. Gold Coast City Council.

28°01′00″S 153°24′00″E﻿ / ﻿28.016667°S 153.4°E﻿ / -28.016667; 153.4

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Gold Coast, Queensland

* History
* Timeline
* Transportation
* Tallest buildings
* Schools
* Suburbs

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Years in Australia (1788–present)

18th century|

* 1788
* 1789
* 1790
* 1791
* 1792
* 1793
* 1794
* 1795
* 1796
* 1797
* 1798
* 1799
* 1800

19th century|

* 1801
* 1802
* 1803
* 1804
* 1805
* 1806
* 1807
* 1808
* 1809
* 1810
* 1811
* 1812
* 1813
* 1814
* 1815
* 1816
* 1817
* 1818
* 1819
* 1820
* 1821
* 1822
* 1823
* 1824
* 1825
* 1826
* 1827
* 1828
* 1829
* 1830
* 1831
* 1832
* 1833
* 1834
* 1835
* 1836
* 1837
* 1838
* 1839
* 1840
* 1841
* 1842
* 1843
* 1844
* 1845
* 1846
* 1847
* 1848
* 1849
* 1850
* 1851
* 1852
* 1853
* 1854
* 1855
* 1856
* 1857
* 1858
* 1859
* 1860
* 1861
* 1862
* 1863
* 1864
* 1865
* 1866
* 1867
* 1868
* 1869
* 1870
* 1871
* 1872
* 1873
* 1874
* 1875
* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900

20th century|

* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000

21st century|

* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Timeline of Australian history

* v
* t
* e

Landmarks and culture on the Gold Coast

City precincts|

* Central Business District
* Chinatown
* Health & Knowledge Precinct
* Nightlife Precinct
* Sports Precinct

Cultural institutions|

* The Art Gallery
* Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
* David Fleay Wildlife Park
* Home of the Arts (HOTA)
* Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre
* Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum

Entertainment|

* Big Brother
* Dreamworld
* Funtime
* Infinity Attraction
* Magic Millions
* Paradise Country
* Schoolies week
* Sea World
* SkyPoint Observation Deck
* Surfers Paradise Meter Maids
* Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk
* The Star Gold Coast
* Tropical Fruit World
* Warner Bros. Movie World
* Wet'n'Wild Water World
* WhiteWater World

Islands and beaches|

* Bilinga Beach
* Broadbeach
* Burleigh Beach
* Coolangatta Beach
* Currumbin Beach
* Greenmount Beach
* Kirra Beach
* Main Beach
* Mermaid Beach
* Miami Beach
* Palm Beach
* South Stradbroke Island
* Surfers Paradise Beach
* Tugun Beach

Nature|

* Gold Coast hinterland
* Lamington National Park
* Mount Nimmel
* Natural Bridge
* Nerang National Park
* Nerang River
* Numinbah Valley
* Purling Brook Falls
* Springbrook Mountain
* Springbrook National Park
* Tamborine Mountain
* Tamborine National Park

Parks and spaces|

* Pizzey Park
* Regional Botanic Gardens
* Sir Bruce Small Park
* Southport Broadwater Parklands

Prominent figures|

* James Cavill
* James Cook
* Bernie Elsey
* Russ Hinze
* Eddie Kornhauser
* Johan Meyer
* Anthony Musgrave
* John Oxley
* Sir Bruce Small

Shopping|

* Australia Fair Shopping Centre
* Chevron Renaissance
* Harbour Town
* Oasis Shopping Centre
* Pacific Fair
* Paradise Centre
* Robina Town Centre
* The Pines
* The Strand at Coolangatta
* The 4217
* Westfield Coomera
* Westfield Helensvale

Sports venues|

* Aquatic Centre
* Carrara Stadium (Metricon Stadium)
* Carrara Indoor Stadium
* Gold Coast Arena (planned)
* Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
* Gold Coast Sports & Leisure Centre
* Gold Coast Turf Club
* Robina Stadium (Cbus Super Stadium)
* Surfers Paradise Street Circuit

Structures and buildings|

* Chevron Renaissance
* Circle on Cavill
* Gold Coast Town Hall
* Q1 Tower
* Soul
* Southport Pier

Transport|

* Dreamworld Express
* G:link
* Gold Coast Airport
* Gold Coast railway line
* Kinetic Gold Coast
* Sea World Monorail System
* SkyBus
* Surfers Paradise Transit Centre

Related articles|

* History of the Gold Coast, Queensland
* Timeline of Gold Coast, Queensland
* Transport on the Gold Coast, Queensland
* List of mayors of Gold Coast
* List of tallest buildings on the Gold Coast
* List of films shot on the Gold Coast

* v
* t
* e

Suburbs and localities, Gold Coast City, Queensland

* Advancetown
* Alberton
* Arundel
* Ashmore
* Austinville
* Benowa
* Biggera Waters
* Bilinga
* Bonogin
* Broadbeach
* Broadbeach Waters
* Bundall
* Burleigh Heads
* Burleigh Waters
* Carrara
* Cedar Creek
* Clagiraba
* Clear Island Waters
* Coolangatta
* Coombabah
* Coomera
* Currumbin
* Currumbin Valley
* Currumbin Waters
* Elanora
* Gaven
* Gilberton
* Gilston
* Guanaba
* Helensvale
* Highland Park
* Hollywell
* Hope Island
* Jacobs Well
* Kingsholme
* Labrador
* Lower Beechmont
* Luscombe
* Main Beach
* Maudsland
* Mermaid Beach
* Mermaid Waters
* Merrimac
* Miami
* Molendinar
* Mount Nathan
* Mudgeeraba
* Natural Bridge
* Nerang
* Neranwood
* Norwell
* Numinbah Valley
* Ormeau
* Ormeau Hills
* Oxenford
* Pacific Pines
* Palm Beach
* Paradise Point
* Parkwood
* Pimpama
* Reedy Creek
* Robina
* Runaway Bay
* South Stradbroke Island
* Southern Moreton Bay Islands
* Southport
* Springbrook
* Stapylton
* Steiglitz
* Surfers Paradise
* Tallai
* Tallebudgera
* Tallebudgera Valley
* Tugun
* Upper Coomera
* Varsity Lakes
* Willow Vale
* Wongawallan
* Woongoolba
* Worongary
* Yatala

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