Initially, people called the Gold Coast the South Coast since it is located south of Brisbane. But why is it called the Gold Coast Australia?
Why is it called the Gold Coast Australia? Due to the over-inflated real estate prices and other products and services in the coastal city in 1950, the name Gold Coast emerged.
Let’s take a look back at the history of the Gold Coast Australia and how it got its name in this post:
A Look Back at History of the Gold Coast Australia
Several Indigenous Yugambeh clans, including the Kombumerri, Wangerriburra, and Mununjali clans, have their ancestral lands on the Goldie.
It was in 1823 when John Oxley, an explorer, landed at Mermaid Beach, the first Europeans arrived on the Goldie. The abundance of red cedar in the hinterland drew people to the area in the mid-nineteenth century.
Small townships sprouted up in the hinterland and along the coast. The surveyors surveyed the western suburb of Nerang. Then, the place was developed as a base for the industry. It was 1870 when a town reserve had been allocated.
The Burleigh Heads town reserve had also been surveyed. Afterwards, there had been large-scale land sales by 1873. The small community called Nerang Creek Heads or Nerang Heads, located across from the boat passage at the source of Nerang River, was measured and surveyed. Then, it was given the new name of Southport in 1875. The first sales of land were slated to happen in Beenleigh.
The town quickly established itself as a secluded vacation destination for the area’s wealthy residents. The region grew much more rapidly after the Surfers Paradise Hotel was established.
The Convenient Way To Call The Holiday Strip
So, why do they call it the Gold Coast again? It’s because of how costly everything is on the Gold Coast back 1950s. The locals on the South Coast initially thought that the name “Gold Coast” was insulting. The term soon became a common phrase for the stretch of beach towns stretching from Southport to Coolangatta.
The towns of Coolangatta and Southport were combined to become the South Coast. Other South Coast coastal areas include Burleigh Heads. This area was separated from the Shire of Nerang on June 17 1949. It has resulted in the present-day Gold Coast coastal strip comprising a single local government area.
Businesses first used the term Gold Coast on the South Coast in the 1950s, and on October 25 1958, the town was renamed the Town of Gold Coast. Less than a year later, on May 16, 1959, the region was officially proclaimed as a city despite not having a cathedral.
The area became a top tourist destination in the 1980s. The expansion into the Goldie’s local government area was completed in 1994, then the Gold Coast population increased, making it the number two most populous local government area in Australia.