City Overview

THE CITY of Gold Coast is unique. It is youthful and ever-changing, vibrant and somewhat extravagant, constantly evolving and rapidly maturing. It is acknowledged for its unapologetic independence and optimism.

Its physical presence is distinctive. The city hugs a stunning stretch of Australia’s east coast, spanning an area just south of Brisbane to the Queensland/New South Wales border. It is a city of colour. The sharp blues and white of the coast contrast with a verdant mountain backdrop. The weather is sub-tropical and the surf is famous.

Currently home to a permanent population of nearly 600,000, the city is predicted to grow to nearly 800,000 residents by 2031. And the Gold Coast’s beauty, youthful exuberance and welcoming character make it a natural holiday choice for nearly 12 million visitors each year.

The Gold Coast defies traditional concentric urban patterns in its linear shape and distributed functions. It has a number of business centres and tourist precincts and an urban form which embraces its many waterways, from its creeks, rivers and canals to the coast.

It has always held a unique and exciting position in Australian cultural life. Its surf and sand made it the ‘must-do’ motoring holiday destination of the 1950s and 60s. Themed, beachfront motels sprang up, enticing holiday-makers and honeymooners and day-trippers. Canal estates offered an endless summer lifestyle for retirees and city escapees. From Hokey Pokey dances on Coolangatta Beach and Pyjama Parties at the Beachcomber Motel at Broadbeach, to gold-bikini clad parking Meter Maids in Surfers Paradise, the Gold Coast has long held a reputation for not taking itself too seriously.

Today’s famous Gold Coast surf culture, fashions, art and music still echo the Gold Coast’s playful past. And while they thrive - embedded in the city’s much-envied lifestyle and evident across the suburbs – they lack a true centre of gravity. The chosen site for that centre is Evandale.

Read the full Gold Coast Urban Heritage and Character Study 1997

You can briefly experience the Evandale site through a video at the top of this page. It celebrates some of the site’s features, including expansive parklands and Evandale Lake, as well as existing buildings. It also takes in the site’s broader context of the Nerang River, surrounding road networks, proximity to the beach, Surfers Paradise, Chevron Island and the office precinct of Bundall.

Distances from Evandale to other relevant landmarks

The street address of the Arts Centre Gold Coast is: 
135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise, QLD 4217, Australia.