120-399: Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing ), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water , which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found on ocean shores, but can also be found as standing waves in the open ocean, in lakes , in rivers in the form of
240-500: A World Heritage area in recognition of its "outstanding geological features displayed around shield volcanic craters and the high number of rare and threatened rainforest species". The area attracts bushwalkers and day-trippers. Important rainforest pollinating and seed-dispersing Black flying foxes (Pteropus alecto) are found in the area and may be heard foraging at night. The City of Gold Coast includes suburbs, localities, towns and rural districts . The declaration of Southport as
360-580: A balsilla caballero , or sitting stubbornly cutting the waves of the sea, which is rough where they fish, they looked like the Tritons, or Neptunes, who paint upon the water. In Polynesian culture , surfing was an important activity. Modern surfing as we know it today is thought to have originated in Hawaii . The history of surfing dates to c. AD 400 in Polynesia, where Polynesians began to make their way to
480-488: A tidal bore , or wave pools . The term surfing refers to a person riding a wave using a board, regardless of the stance. There are several types of boards. The Moche of Peru would often surf on reed craft, while the native peoples of the Pacific surfed waves on alaia , paipo, and other such water craft. Ancient cultures often surfed on their belly and knees, while the modern-day definition of surfing most often refers to
600-530: A "flat spell", when no waves are available. Completely artificial wave pools aim to solve that problem by controlling all the elements that go into creating perfect surf, however there are only a handful of wave pools that can simulate good surfing waves, owing primarily to construction and operation costs and potential liability. Most wave pools generate waves that are too small and lack the power necessary to surf. The Seagaia Ocean Dome , located in Miyazaki, Japan,
720-567: A Priority Development Area (PDA) and new investment into the CBD is driving transformative change and creating new business and investment opportunities. Waterfront canal living is a feature of the Gold Coast. Most canal frontage homes have pontoons. The Gold Coast Seaway , between The Spit and South Stradbroke Island , allows vessels direct access to the Pacific Ocean from The Broadwater and many of
840-580: A break from their boarding school, St. Matthew's Hall in San Mateo , and came to cool off in Santa Cruz, California . There, David Kawānanakoa , Edward Keliʻiahonui and Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole surfed the mouth of the San Lorenzo River on custom-shaped redwood boards, according to surf historians Kim Stoner and Geoff Dunn. In 1890, the pioneer in agricultural education John Wrightson reputedly became
960-410: A crane, at speeds between 10 mph (wakesurfing) to 25 mph (some professional wakeboarders). Kneeboarding is an aquatic sport where the participant is towed kneeling on a buoyant, convex, and hydrodynamically shaped board at a planing speed, most often behind a motorboat. A hydrofoil is towed water ski where the participant is seated on the ski. The ski consists of a seat tower and board, as well as
1080-422: A division of the city. Businessman Tom Tate is the current Mayor of the Gold Coast , first elected in 2012. Former mayors include Ron Clake , Gary Baildon, Lex Bell , Ray Stevens , Ern Harley and Sir Bruce Small , who was responsible for the development of many of the canal estates that are now home to thousands of Gold Coast residents. At the state level, the Gold Coast area is represented by eleven members in
1200-503: A few weeks at a time giving residents "the summer blues", while winter is pleasantly mild to warm with little rain. In fact, it is for this pleasant winter weather that both the city and the Sunshine Coast —the coastal region north of Brisbane—are internationally renowned. Extreme temperatures recorded at Gold Coast Seaway have ranged from 2.5 °C (36 °F) on 19 July 2007 to 40.5 °C (105 °F) on 22 February 2005, although
1320-412: A foil, which rides beneath the water’s surface, with front and rear wings. The participant straps into the hydrofoil ski and secures the safety straps on the seat tower and the foot bindings. After the deep water start, the skier can ski, jump, and attempt aerial tricks launching the hydrofoil off the water and off boat wake. Other variants include a wake surfboard with a foil attached to the back underneath
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#17328698549001440-733: 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 . The Gold Coast
1560-467: A large company of naked natives of both sexes and all ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf-bathing." References to surf riding on planks and single canoe hulls are also verified for pre-contact Samoa , where surfing was called fa'ase'e or se'egalu (see Augustin Krämer, The Samoa Islands ), and Tonga , far pre-dating the practice of surfing by Hawaiians and eastern Polynesians by over
1680-437: A layer of water against a smooth structure mimicking the shape of a breaking wave. Because of the velocity of the rushing water, the wave and the surfer can remain stationary while the water rushes by under the surfboard. Artificial waves of this kind provide the opportunity to try surfing and learn its basics in a moderately small and controlled environment near or far from locations with natural surf. Standup surfing begins when
1800-411: A more turbulent part of the wave (often completely submerged by whitewater). In contrast, surfers who instead ride a hydrofoil feel substantially less drag and may ride unbroken waves in the open ocean. Three major subdivisions within stand-up surfing are stand-up paddling , long boarding and short boarding with several major differences including the board design and length, the riding style and
1920-421: A naturally unpredictable backdrop—an organic environment that is, by turns, graceful and serene, violent and formidable. Windsurfing is a sport involving travel over water on a small 2–4.7 metre board powered by wind acting on a single sail. The sail is connected to the board by a flexible joint. The sport is a hybrid between sailing and surfing. The sail board might be considered the most minimalistic version of
2040-471: A new generation of women surfers. In January 1939, Hawkins was appointed head of the women’s auxiliary group of the Santa Monica Paddle Club and rose to vice president by January 1940. Her surfing peers frequently lauded her achievements, with "Whitey" Harrison describing her as "the best tandem rider." Throughout her career, Hawkins exemplified grace and athleticism, leaving an indelible mark on
2160-533: A reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents. Post-World War One Era saw the rise of the "seaside shack". The seaside shack provided the opportunity for the coastal "getaway" with modest investment. From 1914 to 1946, they popped up all along the South Coast. Seaside shacks were exceedingly cheap and were an early use of the concept of recycling. Many were built of disused or second grade timber, all kinds of materials were used for
2280-444: A rigid binding, they have rubber molded binding, in which the skier's feet are placed. Skiers are pulled along by a rope with a handle fitted at one end and attached to a powerboat at the other. There are two types of waterskiing: doubles and slalom. When skiing doubles, you use two skis. When skiing slalom, one ski is used. Slalom skiing is notably harder than doubles. Boardsports are sports that are played with some sort of board as
2400-501: A rise of 61 percent. Tourism remains fundamental to Gold Coast City's economy, with almost 10 million visitors a year to the area. In the past the economy was driven by the population derived industries of construction, tourism and retail. Some diversification has taken place, with the city now having an industrial base formed of marine, education, information communication and technology, food, tourism, creative, environment and sports industries. These nine industries have been identified as
2520-770: A series of works for Gold Coast Beaches including Gold Coast Seaway , works at Narrow Neck that resulted in the Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy and works at the Tweed River that became the Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project. By 2005 most of the recommendations of the 1971 Delft Report had been implemented. City of Gold Coast commenced implementation of the Palm Beach Protection Strategy but ran into considerable opposition from
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#17328698549002640-475: A significant portion of the Gold Coast at the federal level since 1949; the three Gold Coast divisions have only returned Liberals since 1984. At the state level, Labor was fairly competitive in the Gold Coast for most of the early part of the 21st century. However, as part of its massive landslide in the 2012 state election , the Liberal National Party won every seat there. The LNP repeated its sweep of
2760-463: A skimboard either on an outgoing wave, or in shallow water, where instead of going for waves the rider may attempt to ride a rail or do "tech" tricks. Surfing is a recreational activity in which individuals paddle into a wave on a surfboard, jump to their feet, and are propelled across the water by the force of the wave. Surfing's appeal probably derives from an unusual confluence of elements: adrenaline, skill, and high paced maneuvering are set against
2880-508: A small beachside holiday destination to Australia's sixth largest city (and the country's most populous non-capital city). Situated within South East Queensland's growth corridor, the Gold Coast is one of Australia's fastest growing large cities, with a 5-year annual average population growth rate to 2015 of 1.8%, compared to 1.5% nationally. Gross Regional Product has risen from A$ 9.7 billion in 2001, to A$ 15.6 billion in 2008,
3000-409: A surfboard or bodyboard. Bodysurfers typically equip themselves only with a pair of specialized swimfins that stay on during turbulent conditions and optimize propulsion. Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast , also known by its initials, GC , is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland , Australia, located approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of
3120-447: A surfer riding a wave standing on a surfboard ; this is also referred to as stand-up surfing. Another prominent form of surfing is body boarding , where a surfer rides the wave on a bodyboard, either lying on their belly, drop knee (one foot and one knee on the board), or sometimes even standing up on a body board. Other types of surfing include knee boarding, surf matting (riding inflatable mats) and using foils. Body surfing , in which
3240-454: A surfing location, but also dissipate wave energy and shelter the coastline from erosion. Ships such as Seli 1 that have accidentally stranded on sandy bottoms, can create sandbanks that give rise to good waves. An artificial reef known as Chevron Reef was constructed in El Segundo, California in hopes of creating a new surfing area. However, the reef failed to produce any quality waves and
3360-651: A thousand years. West Africans (e.g., Ghana , Ivory Coast , Liberia , Senegal ) and western Central Africans (e.g., Cameroon ) independently developed the skill of surfing. Amid the 1640s CE, Michael Hemmersam provided an account of surfing in the Gold Coast : “the parents ‘tie their children to boards and throw them into the water.’” In 1679 CE, Barbot provided an account of surfing among Elmina children in Ghana: “children at Elmina learned “to swim, on bits of boards, or small bundles of rushes, fasten’d under their stomachs, which
3480-548: A tourist-centred image, there is evidence of local resident-driven culture (such as surf gangs ) in geographical pockets and a broader 'Gold Coaster' identity drawn from globalised resort and real estate marketing material. The Gold Coast hosts cultural activities that attract tourists and residents alike. Music groups in this region include the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra and Operator Please . Musicians Cody Simpson and Ricki-Lee Coulter are from
3600-399: A wakeboard tower, which places the pull point higher above water's surface which makes it easier to jump. Wakeboarding boats have a ballast system that pumps water into tanks to increase displacement , and enlarge the wake. Wakeskating is an adaptation of wakeboarding that employs a similar design of board manufactured from maple or fibreglass. Unlike wakeboarding, the rider is not bound to
3720-539: A wave as it travels since a wave reaching the end of a fetch behaves as if the wind died. During summer, heavy swells are generated when cyclones form in the tropics. Tropical cyclones form over warm seas, so their occurrence is influenced by El Niño and La Niña cycles. Their movements are unpredictable. Surf travel and some surf camps offer surfers access to remote, tropical locations, where tradewinds ensure offshore conditions. Since winter swells are generated by mid-latitude cyclones , their regularity coincides with
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3840-535: A way to entice visitors to his own budding resort community south of Venice where he had heavily invested in real estate, he hired Freeth as a lifeguard and to give surfing exhibitions in front of the Hotel Redondo . Another native Hawaiian, Duke Kahanamoku , spread surfing to both the U.S. and Australia, riding the waves after displaying the swimming prowess that won him Olympic gold medals in 1912 and 1920. Mary Ann Hawkins, inspired by Duke Kahanamoku's surfing during
3960-697: Is a good diversion to the spectators.” James Alexander provided an account of surfing in Accra , Ghana in 1834 CE: “From the beach, meanwhile, might be seen boys swimming into the sea, with light boards under their stomachs. They waited for a surf; and came rolling like a cloud on top of it. But I was told that sharks occasionally dart in behind the rocks and ‘yam’ them.” Thomas Hutchinson provided an account of surfing in southern Cameroon in 1861: “Fishermen rode small dugouts ‘no more than six feet in length, fourteen to sixteen inches in width, and from four to six inches in depth.’” In July 1885, three teenage Hawaiian princes took
4080-578: Is a late-20th century alternative boardsport incorporating elements of surfing, bodyboarding, skateboarding, skimboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding. Flowriding takes place on an artificial wave machine, called the FlowRider or the FlowBarrel, created by Wave Loch . Kiteboarding , also known as kitesurfing, and sometimes as flysurfing, involves using a power kite to pull a small surfboard with bindings. Jetboarding , also known as motorized surfboarding,
4200-536: Is a twin city with Tweed Heads located directly across the NSW border. At 28°10′00″S 153°33′00″E / 28.1667°S 153.55°E / -28.1667; 153.55 , this is the most easterly point on the Queensland mainland (Point Lookout on the offshore island of North Stradbroke is slightly further east). From Coolangatta, approximately forty kilometres of holiday resorts and surfing beaches stretch north to
4320-468: Is a type of water sport that involves riding a surfboard with electric- or petrol-powered system. Riders can achieve high speed to 70 km/h in a very short of period with a hand controller. Paddleboarding is an activity in which a person paddles a long streamlined surfboard with their hands. This is done while laying or kneeling on the board. Paddleboards are raced throughout the world. Standup paddleboarding (SUP), also known as standup paddle surfing,
4440-465: Is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Stand up paddle boarders stand on boards that are floating on the water, and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. In riverboarding , also known as hydrospeed or white-water sledging, the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. Skimboarding is a boardsport which involves riding
4560-633: Is aided by advances in information technology. Mathematical modeling graphically depicts the size and direction of swells around the globe. Swell regularity varies across the globe and throughout the year. During winter, heavy swells are generated in the mid-latitudes, when the North and South polar fronts shift toward the Equator . The predominantly Westerly winds generate swells that advance Eastward, so waves tend to be largest on West coasts during winter months. However, an endless train of mid-latitude cyclones cause
4680-883: Is almost 42 km of unbroken beachfront. Duranbah Beach is one of the world's best known surfing beaches and is often thought of as being part of Gold Coast City, but is actually just across the New South Wales state border in the Tweed Shire . There are also beaches along many of the Gold Coast's 860 km (530 mi) of navigable tidal waterways. Popular inland beaches include Southport , Budds Beach, Marine Stadium, Currumbin Alley , Tallebudgera Estuary, Jacobs Well, Jabiru Island, Paradise Point, Harley Park Labrador, Santa Barbara, Boykambil and Evandale Lake. Beach safety and management The Gold Coast has Australia's largest professional surf lifesaving service to protect people on
4800-512: Is also a subsidiary Magistrates Court, located at the southern suburb of Coolangatta . In 2013 a brawl between members of Outlaw motorcycle gangs also called "bikies" who fought each other outside a Broadbeach restaurant caused mass fear to restaurant patrons and police. This led to the toughest anti-bikie laws introduced in Australia known as Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013 . In fifty years, Gold Coast City has grown from
4920-511: Is also investing into the quality and capacity of the Gold Coast Oceanway that provides sustainable transport along Gold Coast beaches. The Gold Coast experiences a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa/Cwa ), with mild to warm winters and hot, humid summers. The city experiences substantial summer precipitation mostly concentrated in thunderstorms and heavy showers with rain events occasionally lasting up to
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5040-427: Is having just one foot near the front, with five toes off the edge. Cutback: Generating speed down the line and then turning back to reverse direction. Snap: Quickly turning along the face or top of the wave, almost as if snapping the board back towards the wave. Typically done on steeper waves. Blowtail: Pushing the tail of the board out of the back of the wave so that the fins leave the water. Floater: Suspending
5160-654: Is less than one hour from the centre of Gold Coast, and direct trains operate. Gold Coast City has over 13,000 available guest rooms contributing over $ 335 million to the local economy each year. Accommodation options available range from hostels to five star resorts and hotels. Tourist attractions include surf beaches, and theme parks including Dreamworld , Sea World , Wet'n'Wild Water World , Warner Bros. Movie World , WhiteWater World , Topgolf , Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary , David Fleay Wildlife Park , Australian Outback Spectacular, and Paradise Country. Since
5280-524: Is the ancestral home of a number of Indigenous clans of the Yugambeh people, including the Kombumerri , Mununjali , and Wangerriburra clans. Europeans arrived in 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. A number of small townships developed along the coast and in the hinterland. The western suburb of Nerang
5400-411: Is the angle between the wave front and the horizontal projection of the point of break over time, which in a regular break is most easily represented by the line of white water left after the break. A break that closes out, or breaks all at once along its length, leaves white water parallel to the wave front, and has a peel angle of 0°. This is unsurfable as it would require infinite speed to progress along
5520-607: Is the region's biggest industry, directly contributing more than $ 4.4 billion into the city economy every year and directly accounting for one in four jobs in the city There are approximately 65,000 beds, 60 kilometres (37 mi) of beach, 600 kilometres (370 mi) of canal, 100,000 hectares of nature reserve, 500 restaurants, 40 golf courses and five major theme parks in the city. Gold Coast Airport provides connection across Australia and internationally with airlines including Flyscoot , Jetstar , Qantas , Air New Zealand , Virgin Australia and Airasia X . Brisbane Airport
5640-427: Is where a large, usually circular, rubber tube is towed behind a boat at fast speeds. The general aim is to hold on as long as possible without falling off due to the boat's sharp turns; more experienced biscuiters also try to jump the boat's wake and become airborne. Wake sports are sports that involves riding a wake while being towed by a motorboat, personal watercraft, close-course cable systems, ski lifts, winches or
5760-518: The 2018 Commonwealth Games . In the 2016 census , the urban area of the Gold Coast had a population of 540,559 people. According to the 2016 census , the population of the Gold Coast including rural areas was 569,997. The median age was 39 years old, 1 year older than the nationwide median. The male-to-female ratio was 48.6-to-51.4. The most commonly nominated ancestries were English (29.3%), Australian (22.5%), Irish (8.2%), Scottish (7.5%), and German (3.6%). 64% of people were born in Australia, while
5880-607: The 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan. The first gold medalists of the Tokyo 2020 surfing men and women's competitions were, respectively, the Brazilian Ítalo Ferreira and the American from Hawaii, Carissa Moore . About three to five thousand years ago, cultures in ancient Peru fished in kayak-like watercraft ( mochica ) made of reeds that the fishermen surfed back to shore. The Moche culture used
6000-581: The Hawaiian Islands from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands . They brought many of their customs with them including playing in the surf on Paipo (belly/body) boards. It was in Hawaii that the art of standing and surfing upright on boards was invented. Various European explorers witnessed surfing in Polynesia . Surfing may have been observed by British explorers at Tahiti in 1767. Samuel Wallis and
6120-519: The Legislative Assembly of Queensland . The seats they hold are: Bonney , Broadwater , Burleigh , Coomera , Currumbin , Gaven , Mermaid Beach , Mudgeeraba , Southport , Surfers Paradise and Theodore . Federally, the Gold Coast area is split between five divisions in the House of Representatives : Fadden (northern), Moncrieff (central) and McPherson (southern) are located entirely within
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#17328698549006240-615: The Queensland Ballet . Musicals, plays and a variety of performances are regularly scheduled. The city is also home to the Gold Coast City Art Gallery . Film festivals and the Comedy Club host international artists. A redeveloped Gold Coast cultural precinct opened before the city hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games . The two most popular sports on the Gold Coast are Australian rules football and rugby league , of which
6360-559: The Shire of Nerang on 17 June 1949 with the effect of having the present-day Gold Coast coastal strip as a single local government area. As the tourism industry grew into the 1950s, local businesses began to adopt the term Gold Coast in their names, and on 23 October 1958 the Town of South Coast was renamed Town of Gold Coast . The area was proclaimed a city, despite the lack of a cathedral, less than one year later on 16 May 1959. The area boomed in
6480-610: The Surfers Paradise skyline, with the observation deck 230 metres (750 feet) high, and the spire extending nearly another hundred metres up. In total, the Q1 is 322.5 metres (1,058 feet) high, making it the tallest building in Australia . Another famous tourist attraction are the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids , instituted in 1965 to put a positive spin on new parking regulations. To avoid tickets being issued for expired parking,
6600-574: The caballito de totora (little horse of totora ), with archaeological evidence showing its use around 200 CE. An early description of the Inca surfing in Callao was documented by Jesuit missionary José de Acosta in his 1590 publication Historia natural y moral de las Indias , writing: It is true to see them go fishing in Callao de Lima, was for me a thing of great recreation, because there were many and each one in
6720-420: The floater (riding on top of the breaking curl of the wave), and off the lip (banking off crest of the breaking wave). A newer addition to surfing is the progression of the air, whereby a surfer propels off the wave entirely up into the air and then successfully lands the board back on the wave. The tube ride is considered to be the ultimate maneuver in surfing. As a wave breaks, if the conditions are ideal,
6840-498: The isobars to become undulated, redirecting swells at regular intervals toward the tropics. East coasts also receive heavy winter swells when low-pressure cells form in the sub-tropics, where slow moving highs inhibit their movement. These lows produce a shorter fetch than polar fronts, however, they can still generate heavy swells since their slower movement increases the duration of a particular wind direction. The variables of fetch and duration both influence how long wind acts over
6960-409: The state capital , Brisbane . It is Queensland's second-largest city after Brisbane, as well as Australia's sixth-largest city and the most populous non-capital city. 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
7080-483: 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
7200-483: The 1980s as a leading tourist destination. In 1994, the City of Gold Coast local government area was expanded to include the Shire of Albert , becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane . In 2007, the Gold Coast overtook the population of Newcastle, New South Wales , to become the sixth largest city in Australia and the largest non-capital city. The Gold Coast hosted
7320-448: The 1990s, with an expenditure of around $ 150 million per year. The Gold Coast is the third largest film production centre in Australia, behind Sydney and Melbourne. It is the filming site for major motion pictures including Muriel's Wedding (1994), Ghost Ship (2002), Scooby-Doo (2002), House of Wax (2005), Superman Returns (2006), Unbroken (2014), The Inbetweeners 2 (2014), San Andreas (2015), Pirates of
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#17328698549007440-789: The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Aquaman (2018), Dora the Explorer (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). Village Roadshow Studios are adjacent to the Warner Bros Movie World Theme Park at Oxenford . The Studios consists of eight sound stages, production offices, editing rooms, wardrobe, construction workshops, water tanks and commissary. These sound stages vary in size and have an overall floor area of 10,844 sq metres, making Warner Roadshow Studio one of
7560-475: The Gold Coast seats at the 2015 election , and retained all but one Gold Coast seat at the 2017 state election . Southport Courthouse is the city's major courthouse and has jurisdiction to hear petty criminal offences and civil matters up to A$ 250,000. Indictable offences, criminal sentencing and civil matters above A$ 250,000 are heard in the higher Supreme Court of Queensland which is located in Brisbane. There
7680-470: The Gold Coast, while Forde (north-west) and Wright (south-west) encompass parts of the Gold Coast and other areas of Southeast Queensland. Politically, the Gold Coast has often tilted conservative. It was a Country Party bastion for most of the first three decades after World War II, but increasing urbanisation has made it a Liberal stronghold. Labor has historically only done well around Labrador and Coolangatta. Only one Labor MP has ever represented
7800-587: The Gold Coast. Music events include Big Day Out , Good Vibrations Festival , Summafieldayze, the Blues on Broadbeach Festival and V Festival (2007–2009). Home of the Arts (HOTA) is the Gold Coast's premier cultural facility for visual and performing arts with a performance theatre, two cinemas and an underground venue. The theatre has hosted performance by the Imperial Russian Ballet , The Australian Ballet and
7920-491: 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. 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
8040-578: The Meter Maids dispense coins into the meter and leave a calling card under the windscreen wiper of the vehicle. The Maids are still a part of the Surfers Paradise culture but the scheme is now run by private enterprise. Chinatown, Gold Coast , is an integral part of the revitalisation of Southport as an international CBD. The Gold Coast is the major film production hub in Queensland and has accounted for 75% of all film production in Queensland since
8160-523: The beaches and to promote surf safety throughout the community. The Queensland Department of Primary Industries carries out the Queensland Shark Control Program (SCP) to protect swimmers from sharks. Sharks are caught by using nets and baited drumlines off the major swimming beaches. Even with the SCP, sharks do range within sight of the patrolled beaches . Lifeguards will clear swimmers from
8280-530: The best waves in the world. Surfers from around the world flock to breaks like Backdoor, Waimea Bay , and Pipeline . However, there are still many popular surf spots around the world: Teahupo'o , located off the coast of Tahiti ; Mavericks , California , United States; Cloudbreak, Tavarua Island, Fiji ; Superbank, Gold Coast, Australia. In 2016 surfing was added by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as an Olympic sport to begin at
8400-538: The board atop the wave. Very popular on small waves. List of surface water sports The following is a list of surface water sports . These are sports which are performed atop a body of water . Environmental impact includes noise, pollutants, shoreline degradation, and disturbance and dislocation of wildlife, and the governing body, the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) has been acting to reduce this impact. The IWWF also governs
8520-409: The board in any way, similar to the skateboard, from which the name derives. The rider is able to do more complicated tricks than on a wakeboard such as kick flips because of the absence of bindings. Wakesurfing differs from other wake sports in that the boat does not tow a rider (continuously). The rider uses a tow rope to help them get up in the wake. After doing so, they drop the rope and then ride
8640-468: The breaking formation of the wave. Waves are generally recognized by the surfaces over which they break. For example, there are beach breaks, reef breaks and point breaks. The most important influence on wave shape is the topography of the seabed directly behind and immediately beneath the breaking wave. Each break is different since each location's underwater topography is unique. At beach breaks, sandbanks change shape from week to week. Surf forecasting
8760-433: The breaking part (whitewash) of the wave, in the so-called 'pocket'. It is difficult for beginners to catch the wave at all. Surfers' skills are tested by their ability to control their board in difficult conditions, riding challenging waves, and executing maneuvers such as strong turns and cutbacks (turning board back to the breaking wave) and carving (a series of strong back-to-back maneuvers). More advanced skills include
8880-555: The city rarely experiences temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F) in summer or below 5 °C (41 °F) in winter. The average temperature of the sea at Surfers Paradise ranges from 21.5 °C (70.7 °F) in July and August to 27.1 °C (80.8 °F) in February. Administratively, the Gold Coast is a local government area called the City of Gold Coast . The City of Gold Coast Council has 14 elected councillors, each representing
9000-621: The city that is home to over 80,000 residents. The city consists of 70 kilometres (43 mi) of coastline, with some of the most popular surf breaks in Australia and the world, including South Stradbroke Island , The Spit , Main Beach , Surfers Paradise , Broadbeach , Mermaid Beach, Nobby's Beach, Miami , North Burleigh Beach, Burleigh Beach, Burleigh Heads , Tallebudgera Beach, Palm Beach , South Palm Beach, Currumbin Beach, Tugun, Bilinga , North Kirra Beach Kirra , Coolangatta , Greenmount , Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Froggies Beach. There
9120-652: The city's canal estates. Breakwaters on either side of the Seaway prevent longshore drift and the bar from silting up. A sand pumping operation on the Spit pipes sand under the Seaway to continue this natural process. Residential canals were first built in the Gold Coast in the 1950s and construction continues. Most canals are extensions to the Nerang River, but there are more to the south along Tallebudgera Creek and Currumbin Creek and to
9240-410: 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$ 45.3 billion as of 2023. The city ranks highly as one of the country's cultural and creative hotspots, alongside content creators ,
9360-587: The community participating in a NO REEF protest campaign. The City of Gold Coast Council then committed to completing a review of beach management practices to update the Delft Report. The Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan will be delivered by organisations including the Environmental Protection Agency , City of Gold Coast and the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management. Gold Coast City
9480-651: The crew members of HMS Dolphin were the first Britons to visit the island in June of that year. Another candidate is the botanist Joseph Banks who was part of the first voyage of James Cook on HMS Endeavour , arriving on Tahiti on 10 April 1769. Lieutenant James King was the first person to write about the art of surfing on Hawaii, when he was completing the journals of Captain James Cook (upon Cook's death in 1779). In Herman Melville 's 1849 novel Mardi , based on his experiences in Polynesia earlier that decade,
9600-696: The eclectic interests of land developer Abbot Kinney (founder of Venice of America, now Venice, California) helped bring Freeth to California. Freeth had sought the help of the Hawaii Promotion Committee (HPC) in Honolulu to sponsor him on a trip to California to give surfing exhibitions. The HPC arranged through their contacts in Los Angeles to secure a contract for Freeth to perform at Venice of America in July, 1907. Later that year, land baron Henry E. Huntington brought surfing to Redondo Beach . Looking for
9720-496: The face fast enough to keep up with the break. A break which advances along the wave face more slowly will leave a line of new white water at an angle to the line of the wave face. Where: In most cases a peel angle less than 25° is too fast to surf. The type of break depends on shoaling rate. Breaking waves can be classified as four basic types: spilling (ξ b <0.4), plunging (0.4<ξ b <2), collapsing (ξ b >2) and surging (ξ b >2), and which type occurs depends on
9840-408: The first British surfer when instructed by two Hawaiian students at his college. George Freeth (1883–1919), of English and Native Hawaiian descent, is generally credited as the person who had done more than anyone else to renew interest in surfing at Waikiki in the early twentieth century after the sport had declined in popularity in Hawaii during the latter half of the nineteenth century. In 1907,
9960-536: The framework for the city's long-term growth and prosperity. The strategy outlines actions in the following areas, Innovation, Culture, Infrastructure, Competitive business, Workforce, International. The Gold Coast is the most popular tourist destination in Queensland. It is Australia's 5th most visited destination by international tourists. Around 10 million tourists visit the Gold Coast area every year consisting of 849,114 international visitors, 3,468,000 domestic overnight visitors and 5,366,000 daytrip visitors. Tourism
10080-407: The history of women’s surfing and paddleboarding. In 1975, a professional tour started. That year Margo Oberg became the first female professional surfer. Swell is generated when the wind blows consistently over a large space of open water, called the wind's fetch . The size of a swell is determined by the strength of the wind, and the length of its fetch and duration. Because of these factors,
10200-506: The holiday seaside shack – including fibro cement, metal containers, and left-over farm sheds; even disused trams were sold off as seaside shacks. After the establishment of the Surfers Paradise Hotel in the late 1920s, the Gold Coast region grew significantly. The Gold Coast was originally known as the South Coast (because it was south of Brisbane). However, over-inflated prices for real estate and other goods and services led to
10320-509: The key industries by the City of Gold Coast Council to deliver the city's economic prosperity. Gold Coast City's unemployment rate (5.6 per cent) is below the national level (5.9 per cent). The declaration of Southport as the Gold Coast central business district (CBD) and a Priority Development Area (PDA), as well as new investment into the CBD, is driving transformative change and creating new business and investment opportunities. The Gold Coast Economic Development Strategy 2013–2023 outlines
10440-650: The kind of wave that is ridden. In tow-in surfing (most often, but not exclusively, associated with big wave surfing ), a motorized water vehicle such as a personal watercraft , tows the surfer into the wave front, helping the surfer match a large wave's speed, which is generally a higher speed than a self-propelled surfer can produce. Surfing-related sports such as paddle boarding and sea kayaking that are self-propelled by hand paddles do not require waves, and other derivative sports such as kite surfing and windsurfing rely primarily on wind for power, yet all of these platforms may also be used to ride waves. Recently with
10560-568: The largest studio lots in the Southern Hemisphere. The Queensland Government actively supports the film and television production industry in Queensland and provides both non-financial and financial assistance through the Pacific Film and Television Commission. The Gold Coast's culture has been affected by rapid development and traditional marketing programs orbiting around 'sun, sand, surf and sex.' Despite rapid socio-economic changes and
10680-491: The late 1920s, developed a lifelong passion for surfing. In 1935, her family relocated to Santa Monica , providing her with opportunities to further immerse herself in surfing and paddleboarding. On September 12, 1936, Hawkins achieved a historic milestone by winning California’s first women’s paddleboard race at the Santa Monica Breakwater. She continued to dominate the sport, winning numerous competitions, including
10800-517: The length of the canals of Venice , Italy) and artificial islands covered in upmarket homes. The heavily developed coastal strip sits on a narrow barrier sandbar between these waterways and the sea. To the west, the city borders a part of the Great Dividing Range commonly referred to as the Gold Coast hinterland . A 206 km (80 sq mi) section of the mountain range is protected by Lamington National Park and has been listed as
10920-409: The modern sailboat, with the major exception that steering is accomplished by the rider tilting the mast and sail or, when planing, carving the board, rather than with a rudder. Wing foiling or wingsurfing is a sport where an individual holds a lightweight wing on a surf board with a hydrofoil . Bodysurfing is the art and sport of riding a wave without the assistance of any buoyant device such as
11040-558: The most common religious affiliations in Gold Coast reported were none (43.4%), Catholic (18.2%), Anglican (11.9%), Uniting Church (2.9%), Non-denominational Christian (3.1%), Presbyterian and Reformed (1.9%), Buddhism (1.4%), Pentecostal (1.3%), Baptist (1.1%), Hinduism (1.1%) and Islam (1.0%). The Gold Coast is approximately half covered by forests of various types. This includes small patches of near-pristine ancient rainforest, mangrove-covered islands, and patches of coastal heathlands and farmland with areas of uncleared eucalyptus forest. Of
11160-430: The narrator describes the "Rare Sport at Ohonoo" (title of chap. 90): “For this sport, a surf-board is indispensable: some five feet in length; the width of a man's body; convex on both sides; highly polished; and rounded at the ends. It is held in high estimation; invariably oiled after use; and hung up conspicuously in the dwelling of the owner.” When Mark Twain visited Hawaii in 1866 he wrote, "In one place, we came upon
11280-418: The nickname of "Gold Coast" from 1950. South Coast locals initially considered the name "Gold Coast" derogatory. However, soon the "Gold Coast" simply became a convenient way to refer to the holiday strip from Southport to Coolangatta . The Town of South Coast was formed through the amalgamation of Town of Coolangatta and Town of Southport along with the coastal areas (such as Burleigh Heads) from
11400-472: The north along the Gold Coast Broadwater , South Stradbroke Island , Coomera River and southern Moreton Bay. Early canals included Florida Gardens and Isle of Capri which were under construction at the time of a 1954 flood. Recently constructed canals include Harbour Quays and Riverlinks completed in 2007. There are over 890 kilometres (550 mi) of constructed residential waterfront land within
11520-651: The opening of what was then the world's highest residential tower in 2005 (it is now the 17th highest), the Q1 building has been a destination for tourists and locals alike. It is the second highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere after the Eureka Tower in Melbourne. The observation deck at level 77 is the highest of its kind in Queensland and offers views in all directions, from Brisbane to Byron Bay . It towers over
11640-469: The other most common countries of birth were New Zealand (7.9%), England (5.2%), China and South Africa (1.2% each), and Japan (0.7%). Indigenous Australians accounted for 1.7% of the population. The most commonly spoken languages other than English were Mandarin (1.6%), Japanese (1.0%), Korean and Spanish (0.6% each), and Cantonese (0.5%). According to the Australian Official Census in 2021,
11760-465: The passage of these lows. Swells arrive in pulses, each lasting for a couple of days, with a few days between each swell. The availability of free model data from the NOAA has allowed the creation of several surf forecasting websites. Tube shape is defined by length to width ratio. A perfectly cylindrical vortex has a ratio of 1:1. Other forms include: Peel or peeling off as a descriptive term for
11880-473: The plantation pine forests that were planted in the 1950s and 1960s, when commercial forest planting for tax minimisation was encouraged by the Commonwealth government, tiny remnants remain. Most of the Gold Coast area was covered by forest prior to European human settlement and extensive land clearing in the 19th century. Gold Coast City lies in the southeast corner of Queensland , to the south of Brisbane ,
12000-449: The primary equipment. The following aquatic boardsports are those that are not towed behind a boat: A bodyboard is an instrument of wave riding consisting of a small roughly rectangular piece of foam, shaped to a hydrodynamic form. The bodyboard is ridden predominantly lying down, (or 'prone'). It can also be ridden in a half-standing stance (known as 'dropknee') or can even be ridden standing up. Flowriding , also known as flowboarding,
12120-402: The quality of a break has been defined as "a fast, clean, evenly falling curl line, perfect for surfing, and usually found at pointbreaks." Tube speed is the rate of advance of the break along the length of the wave, and is the speed at which the surfer must move along the wave to keep up with the advance of the tube. Tube speed can be described using the peel angle and wave celerity. Peel angle
12240-425: The related sports of barefoot skiing , cable skiing , cable wakeboard, disabled ski, racing, show ski, water skiing , and wakesurfing . Skurfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is towed on a surfboard, behind a boat, with a ski rope. It is not a professional sport and has no competitions; it is a freestyle sport with a highly individualistic style and form. Tubing , also known as biscuiting,
12360-430: The seabed before the break. The breaker type index and Iribarren number allow classification of breaker type as a function of wave steepness and seabed slope. The value of good surf in attracting surf tourism has prompted the construction of artificial reefs and sand bars. Artificial surfing reefs can be built with durable sandbags or concrete, and resemble a submerged breakwater. These artificial reefs not only provide
12480-403: The slope of the bottom. Waves suitable for surfing break as spilling or plunging types, and when they also have a suitable peel angle, their value for surfing is enhanced. Other factors such as wave height and period, and wind strength and direction can also influence steepness and intensity of the break, but the major influence on the type and shape of breaking waves is determined by the slope of
12600-680: The state capital. The Albert River separates the Gold Coast from Logan City , a local government area south of the City of Brisbane . Gold Coast City stretches from the Albert River, Logan River , and Southern Moreton Bay to the border with New South Wales (NSW) approximately 56 km (35 mi) south, and extends from the coast west to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in World Heritage listed Lamington National Park . The southernmost town of Gold Coast City, Coolangatta , includes Point Danger and its lighthouse . Coolangatta
12720-487: The suburb of Main Beach, and then further on Stradbroke Island. The suburbs of Southport and Surfers Paradise form the Gold Coast's commercial centre. The major river in the area is the Nerang River . Much of the land between the coastal strip and the hinterland were once wetlands drained by this river, but the swamps have been converted into man-made waterways (over 260 kilometres (160 mi) in length or over 9 times
12840-454: The surf tends to be larger and more prevalent on coastlines exposed to large expanses of ocean traversed by intense low pressure systems . Local wind conditions affect wave quality since the surface of a wave can become choppy in blustery conditions. Ideal conditions include a light to moderate "offshore" wind, because it blows into the front of the wave, making it a "barrel" or "tube" wave. Waves are left-handed and right-handed depending upon
12960-401: The surfer paddles toward shore in an attempt to match the speed of the wave (the same applies whether the surfer is standup paddling, bodysurfing, boogie-boarding or using some other type of watercraft, such as a waveski or kayak). Once the wave begins to carry the surfer forward, the surfer stands up and proceeds to ride the wave. The basic idea is to position the surfboard so it is just ahead of
13080-531: The use of V-drive boats, Wakesurfing , in which one surfs on the wake of a boat, has emerged. As of 2023, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized a 26.2 m (86 ft) wave ride by Sebastian Steudtner at Nazaré , Portugal as the largest wave ever surfed. During the winter season in the northern hemisphere, the North Shore of Oahu , the third-largest island of Hawaii , is known for having some of
13200-597: The wake as they would when surfing. The rider is also much closer to the boat than with other water sports such as wakeboarding. Water skiing is an aquatic sport and recreational activity and is popular in many countries around the world where appropriate conditions exist - an expanse of water unaffected by wave motion. Rivers, lakes, and sheltered bays are all popular for water skiing. Standard water skis were originally made of wood but now are usually constructed out of fibreglass-based composites. They are of similar length to downhill snow skis but are somewhat wider. Instead of
13320-459: The water if it is considered that there is a safety risk. Gold Coast beaches have experienced periods of severe beach erosion . In 1967, a series of 11 cyclones removed most of the sand from Gold Coast beaches. The Government of Queensland engaged engineers from Delft University in the Netherlands to advise what to do about the beach erosion. The Delft Report was published in 1971 and outlined
13440-476: The water. The board can move up and down out of the water based on the position of the rider’s weight. Hydrofoiling is most often done behind a motorboat or jet ski. In wakeboarding , the participant is towed standing on a small board, riding a wake produced by the towing boat, and attempts to do tricks. Events are organized by the World Wakeboarding Association. A special wakeboard boat has
13560-433: The wave is caught and ridden using the surfer's own body rather than a board, is very common and is considered by some surfers to be the purest form of surfing. The closest form of body surfing using a board is a handboard which normally has one strap over it to fit on one hand. Surfers who body board, body surf, or handboard feel more drag as they move through the water than stand up surfers do. This holds body surfers into
13680-444: The wave will break in an orderly line from the middle to the shoulder, enabling the experienced surfer to position themselves inside the wave as it is breaking. This is known as a tube ride. Viewed from the shore, the tube rider may disappear from view as the wave breaks over the rider's head. The longer the surfer remains in the tube, the more successful the ride. This is referred to as getting tubed, barrelled, shacked or pitted. Some of
13800-484: The women’s half-mile paddleboard race and the Venice Breakwater event in 1938, both held on the same day. Hawkins was also a pioneer in tandem surfing , a discipline that highlights synchronized surfing between two individuals on a single board. She gained further recognition in 1939 when she performed exhibition paddleboarding and tandem surfing displays at various Southern California beaches, inspiring
13920-518: The world's best-known waves for tube riding include Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Teahupoo in Tahiti and G-Land in Java. Other names for the tube include "the barrel", and "the pit". Hanging ten and hanging five are moves usually specific to longboarding. Hanging Ten refers to having both feet on the front end of the board with all of the surfer's toes off the edge, also known as nose-riding. Hanging Five
14040-449: Was an example of a surfable wave pool. Able to generate waves with up to 3 m (10 ft) faces, the specialized pump held water in 20 vertical tanks positioned along the back edge of the pool. This allowed the waves to be directed as they approach the artificial sea floor. Lefts, Rights, and A-frames could be directed from this pump design providing for rippable surf and barrel rides. The Ocean Dome cost about $ 2 billion to build and
14160-477: Was expensive to maintain. The Ocean Dome was closed in 2007. In England, construction is nearing completion on the Wave, situated near Bristol , which will enable people unable to get to the coast to enjoy the waves in a controlled environment, set in the heart of nature. There are two main types of artificial waves that exist today. One being artificial or stationary waves which simulate a moving, breaking wave by pumping
14280-529: Was removed in 2008. In Kovalam , South West India, an artificial reef has successfully provided the local community with a quality lefthander, stabilized coastal soil erosion, and provided good habitat for marine life . ASR Ltd., a New Zealand-based company, constructed the Kovalam reef and is working on another reef in Boscombe, England. Even with artificial reefs in place, a tourist's vacation time may coincide with
14400-532: Was surveyed and established as a base for the industry and by 1870 a town reserve had been set aside. By 1873, the town reserve of Burleigh Heads had also been surveyed and successful land sales had taken place. In 1875, the small settlement opposite the boat passage at the head of the Nerang River , known as Nerang Heads or Nerang Creek Heads, was surveyed and renamed Southport , with the first land sales scheduled to take place in Beenleigh. Southport quickly grew
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