Broadbeach
History
In 1934, the South Coast Bulletin announced a new seaside
township has been surveyed fronting the Pacific Highway and adjoining the Main
Beach, about one mile south of Surfers Paradise. The township has been appropriately named Broadbeach and the first
section of the site has been surveyed into 70 allotments.
Aerial of Broadbeach 1966
Timber Getting
Back in the 19th century, at the junction of Little Tallebudgera Creek
and the Nerang River, timber getter, Ned Harper established an assembly point
for the cedar, beech, ash teak and mahogany logs which had been cut from the
riverbanks upstream. From the deep water frontage of Harpers Wharf, sailing vessels took
aboard the roughly hewn timber destined for Sydney or Brisbane. Alternatively,
the timber was rafted from here to Brisbane.
The Kombumerri
The area south of the original Harpers Wharf is now part of the Cascade
Gardens Reserve.The estuary area around Little Tallebudgera Creek and the superb stretch
of beach to the east was a feasting ground for the aboriginal people of the
area, the Kombumerri People. Apart from moveable feasts, evident from the surviving eugarie shell
middens, archaeologists in the 1960s uncovered an ancient aboriginal burial
ground at Broadbeach. In the 1980s, the ancestral remains from this burial
ground were reinterred in a reserve known as Kombumerri Park.
Sand mining
The Broadbeach sand dunes were also a strategically important resource
during World War 2. Southport Minerals mined the mineral sand rutile from the leased
reserves and exported the concentrated mineral overseas for the production of
special alloy steels and welding equipment. By the mid 1950s, mining had ceased, the dunes were reconstructed,
planted with grasses and trees and the land auctioned for redevelopment.
Lennons Broadbeach Hotel
The commercial and housing development of the area was led by the
construction of the Lennons Broadbeach Hotel completed in 1957. Built on a site which had been mined for mineral sand, the hotel was
often promoted as an oasis in the desert and is in fact now the site of the
Oasis commercial centre in Victoria Avenue.
Broadbeach Waters History
In the late 1950s, a form of land reclamation
and development took place at the Gold Coast that had not been seen before in
this country. Sand pumping technology first used in the
sand mining industry, would change the shape of the rivers and convert low
ground behind the dunes into prime real estate. In the 1960s, the 100 hectare Florida Gardens
Estate project created 1000 allotments and involved the construction of a 30
metre canal linking the Nerang River with Little Tallebudgera Creek. Since that time canal estates have
proliferated within the low lying land behind the coastal dunes. These areas quickly developed their own
character due in part to the necessary subdivisional pattern of courts and cul
de sacs.
Today
Broadbeach is home to one of
Queensland's largest shopping centres, Pacific
Fair, (opened in 1977) which serves as the regional public transport hub,
known as the Pacific Fair Bus Station. The area is also
home to the Jupiters Hotel and Casino, (operational
in 1985) the Gold Coast Convention and
Exhibition Centre (opened in 2004). The GCCEC has won more than 20 awards
since it opened. The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre has conference facilities for up to 6,000 delegates and
10,000 sqm of exhibition space, and the Oasis Shopping Centre. Broadbeach Alliance
manage the precinct and present annual events and festivals such as Blues on
Broadbeach Music Festival and the Broadbeach Jazz Festival.
·
Broadbeach (4218) is a suburb of South Eastern, Gold
Coast & Hinterland, Queensland.
It is about 74 kms from QLD's capital city of Brisbane.
·
In the 2011 Census the population
of Broadbeach is 4,614 and is comprised of 51.3% males and 48.7% females.
·
The median/average age of the Broadbeach population is 37 years
of age,
·
52.8% of people living in Broadbeach were born in Australia. The
other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 9.6%, England 4.5%, India 2.4%, Italy 1.2%, Japan 1.2%.
·
71.1% of people speak English as their first language 1.5%
Japanese, 1.3% Punjabi, 1.3% Italian, 1.1% Spanish, 0.7% Hindi.
·
The religious make up of Broadbeach is 23.6% Catholic, 20.7% No
Religion, 16.8% Anglican, 3.4% Presbyterian and Reformed, 3.4% Uniting Church.
·
33.4% of people are married, 44.8% have never married and 11.8%
are separated or divorced. There are 268 widowed people living in Broadbeach.
·
59.6% of the people living in Broadbeach are employed full time,
28.4% are working on a part time basis. Broadbeach has an unemployment rate of
7.1%.
·
The main occupations of people from Broadbeach are Professionals
18.6%, Managers 14.4%, Community and Personal Service Workers 13.7%,
Technicians and Trades Workers 13.5%, Sales Workers 13.4%, Clerical and
Administrative Workers 11.2%, Labourers 9.2%, Machinery Operators And Drivers
4%.
·
The median individual income is $661.00 per week and the median
household income is $1028.00 per week.
·
24.1% of homes are fully owned, and 16.1% are in the process of
being purchased by home loan mortgage. 56.3% of homes are rented.
·
The median rent in Broadbeach is $330 per week and the median
mortgage repayment is $1746 per month.
·
Broadbeach Waters (4218) is a suburb of South Eastern, Gold
Coast & Hinterland, Queensland.
It is about 72 kms from QLD's capital city of Brisbane.
·
In the 2011 Census the population
of Broadbeach Waters is 7,534 and is comprised of 49.4% males and 50.6%
females.
·
The median/average age of the Broadbeach Waters population is 42
years of age, 5 years above the Australian average.
·
64.4% of people living in Broadbeach Waters were born in
Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 7.5%, England 5%, South Africa 1%, Germany 0.7%, United States of America 0.6%.
·
81.7% of people speak English as their first language 0.8%
Mandarin, 0.7% Japanese, 0.7% Greek, 0.6% Italian, 0.5% Cantonese.
·
The religious make up of Broadbeach Waters is 28.1% Catholic,
22% Anglican, 18.2% No Religion, 5% Uniting Church, 3.1% Presbyterian and
Reformed.
·
48.8% of people are married, 32.2% have never married and 10.5%
are separated or divorced. There are 340 widowed people living in Broadbeach
Waters.
·
55% of the people living in Broadbeach Waters are employed full
time, 32.7% are working on a part time basis. Broadbeach Waters has an
unemployment rate of 6.5%.
·
The main occupations of people from Broadbeach Waters are
Professionals 19.4%, Managers 16.3%, Technicians and Trades Workers 14.8%,
Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.3%, Sales Workers 12.5%, Community and
Personal Service Workers 10.4%, Labourers 7.4%, Machinery Operators And Drivers
2.5%.
·
The median individual income is $604.00 per week and the median
household income is $1257.00 per week.
·
37.8% of homes are fully owned, and 35.6% are in the process of
being purchased by home loan mortgage. 22.8% of homes are rented.
·
The median rent in Broadbeach Waters is $420 per week and the
median mortgage repayment is $2392 per month.
