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1770
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Point Danger and Mt Warning was
discovered and named by Captain Cook in 1770. |
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1842
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The first accurate map of the Gold
Coast was produced in 1842 by the English-born surveyor Robert
Dixon. At the time of the mapping Queensland was not a state but was
still part of New South Wales. |
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1845 |
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By 1845 there were only 1,599 white
people in what was to become Queensland. |
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1859
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The new colony of Queensland was
declared. |
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1861
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Queensland’s population had grown to
32,838. |
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1885
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A Governor of Queensland, Governor
Musgrave, built a seaside home near Southport in 1885, setting a
trend for the Coast becoming a fashionable resort for the wealthy
and influential. |
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1902
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Southport was established as a town in
1902, boasting a population of 1230, Southport became not only a
resort town, but the business centre of the South Coast. Hotels
sprang up to accommodate the increasing number of visitors.
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1925 |
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Pioneer developer Jim Cavill built the
Surfers Paradise Hotel in an area known as Elston. |
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1933 |
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Jim Cavill and Elston residents
successfully lobbied to change the name of Elston to Surfers
Paradise and Australia’s most famous beach resort was born. |
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1936 |
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An emergency airport strip was created
at Coolangatta for planes flying between Sydney and Brisbane, in the
same location it is now Australia’s seventh busiest airport, Gold
Coast Airport. |
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1940 |
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These seaside towns of the South Coast
(now Gold Coast) became well known to the thousands of Australian
and US armed servicemen who came for recreational leave during the
Second World War. |
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1940 |
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In the late 1940s, Brisbane journalists
called the coast, south of Brisbane, ‘the Gold Coast” – it was the
place to buy and sell land in the post war real estate boom. |
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1949 |
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Town of South Coast created through the amalgamation of
Coolangatta and Southport. |
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10 March: 1949 Queensland Airlines Lockheed Lodestar
crash in Bilinga. |
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1950 |
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Development increased rapidly. Serviced
holiday apartments and shopping arcades were built. The canal
Estates of Paradise Island, Chevron Island and Isle of Capri were
some of the first modern major land developments. |
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1958 |
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With a growing tourism industry local
businesses began to adopt the term ‘Gold Coast’ in their names, and
on 23 October 1958 the South Coast Town Council was renamed “Gold
Coast Town Council”. The Queensland State Government proclaimed the
Gold Coast a City on May 16th 1959.
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1959 |
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The first high rise on the Gold Coast ,
Kinkabool, was built in 1959 at Surfers Paradise and still stands
today. |
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Town of Gold Coast renamed City of Gold Coast. |
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1962 |
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Lido Arcade in Surfers Paradise opens. |
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1963 |
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Gold Coast Bulletin newspaper in publication. |
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1964 |
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Southport-Brisbane South Coast railway line closes. |
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1965 |
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The area was becoming a popular
destination and in 1965 the Meter Maid scheme began topping up the
empty parking meters of visitors, with Annette Welch being the first
bikini-clad meter maid. |
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1966 |
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The Sands (building) and Paradise Towers constructed in
Surfers Paradise. |
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Gold Coast Bridge rebuilt. |
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1967 |
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Garfield Towers built in Surfers Paradise. |
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Bruce Small elected mayor. |
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1970 |
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The hi-rise boom continued in earnest
during the 1970s. |
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1971 |
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Sea World park opens in Southport. |
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Population: 75,862. |
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1972 |
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The first theme park opened, Sea World
(formerly Ski Gardens based at Carrara). Originally developed by
Keith Williams now owned by Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow. |
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1973 |
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Robert Neumann elected mayor. |
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1974 |
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Currumbin Estuary Bridge opens. |
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1979 |
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Gold Coast Marathon begins. |
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1980
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Japanese property investment during the
1980s continued to change the face of the Gold Coast with hi-rise
developments and golf resorts. |
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1981
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Dreamworld, the original creation of
John LongHurst, opens at Coomera. Now owned by Macquarie Leisure
Trust. |
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Population: 177,264. |
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1982 |
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Coolangatta Airport Terminal opens and
runway upgraded for larger aircraft(B737 and A300). |
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1984
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Cades County Waterpark opens to be
later renamed to Wet n Wild.
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The Coolangatta Gold ironman race begins. |
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1986 |
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Gold Coast City Art Gallery opens. |
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1987 |
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Carrara Stadium opens. |
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1988 |
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Bond University opens in Robina. |
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1990 |
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Gold Coast and Albert Genealogical Society active. |
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Australia Fair Shopping Centre in business in Southport. |
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1991
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Warner Bros. Movie World opens. |
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Population: 301,559. |
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1995 |
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the Gold Coast was amalgamated with the
hinterland and northern areas of the Albert Shire Council to form
today’s City of the Gold Coast and become the seventh largest city,
and one of the fastest growing, in Australia.
Shire of Albert becomes part of Gold Coast City.
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Ray Stevens becomes mayor. |
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1996 |
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Moroccan (building) constructed in Surfers Paradise. |
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1997 |
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Gary Baildon becomes mayor. |
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1999 |
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Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame opens. |
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2000 |
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Palazzo Versace Australia hotel in business. |
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Towers of Chevron Renaissance and Pacific Motorway
built. |
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2004 |
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Ron Clarke becomes mayor. |
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Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre opens in
Broadbeach. |
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2005 |
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Q1 (building) constructed. |
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2006 |
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The Wave (building) constructed. |
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2007 |
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Gold Coast Titans rugby club formed. |
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Circle on Cavill and Southport Central built. |
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2008 |
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November: 2008 Queensland storms. |
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Robina Stadium opens. |
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2009 |
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Gold Coast Football Club formed. |
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2010 |
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The Oracle constructed. |
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2011 |
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Australian Sevens rugby contest relocates to Gold Coast. |
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Population: 557,822 |
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2012 |
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Soul (building) constructed. |
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Tom Tate becomes mayor. |
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2013 |
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January: Cyclone Oswald. |
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City Plan drafted. |
