Main Beach, Queensland
| Main Beach Gold Coast, Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Foreshore beach houses, 2015 | |||||||||||||||
  Main Beach | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°58′44″S 153°25′30″E / 27.9788°S 153.425°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 3,998 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 579/km2 (1,501/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4217 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 13 m (43 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6.9 km2 (2.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC 10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | City of Gold Coast | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Surfers Paradise | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Moncrieff | ||||||||||||||
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Main Beach (originally Southport East) is a coastal town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the suburb of Main Beach had a population of 3,998 people.[1]
Geography
[edit]
Historically, the Main Beach area was a narrow strip of coastal sand dunes separating the mouth of the Nerang River (27°58′32″S 153°25′21″E / 27.9755°S 153.4225°E) from the Coral Sea. Narrow Neck formed the southern boundary and to the north was a long sand spit terminated by the bar between the Broadwater and the sea. This created a natural basin for boats at the mouth of the river protected from the sea by the Main Beach area.
As at 2021, the suburb of Main Beach is bounded to the east by the Coral Sea, to the north by the Gold Coast Seaway, to the west by Labrador Channel and South Channel, and Macintosh Island, and to the south by Narrow Neck (27°59′11″S 153°25′47″E / 27.9865°S 153.4297°E).[4]
History
[edit]During the early years in which Southport was the urban centre of recreational activity at the coast, visitors were ferried across the Broadwater to surf at the Main Beach so named because it was the main surf beach for the town of Southport.
Until the 1870s and 1880s the only activity in the sand spit at the northern end were limited to facilities associated with the Southport Yacht Club and other maritime activities.
,_1923.jpg)
The construction of the Jubilee Bridge led to land sales in the area. The Queensland Government surveyed 252 blocks of land for perpetual land leases which it sold in stages from December 1922.[5][6] The area became more popular following the opening of the bridge in 1926, when land was purchased and holiday houses were constructed. Some guest houses were also constructed but little or no permanent population was located in the area. Some evidence remains of the area's early popularity as a surfing beach in the beachfront planting and the kiosk and shelter shed from 1934.
In the 1950s, reclamation of the Nerang River to the west of the earlier subdivision created the area centred on Tedder Avenue. A different subdivision pattern in that portion of Main Beach is the result.
The construction of the Sundale Bridge and the deviation of highway to the west of Main Beach took place in the late 1960s.
Similarly the land to the north of the early subdivision – the sand spit that formed one bank of the bar – was only recently developed. Its use is still limited to resort hotels and theme parks now occupy the land. Revegetation of the Southport Spit followed the construction of the Gold Coast Seaway and gives particular character to this area and acts to link the more intensively developed area to the south with the open areas of the Broadwater and Southern Moreton Bay.
Main Beach property has developed as a high rise area only relatively recently and is focused on the eTedder Avenue which features restaurants, cafes, and boutiques. It has a sense of more permanent residential neighbourhood than other parts of the high-rise coastal strip. Most of the apartment buildings along the foreshore are more modest in scale. The isthmus at Narrowneck acts as a natural barrier to the more intensively developed area to the south.
The Gold Coast Oceanway travels on the seaward side of the Southport SLSC but then diverts inland to travel behind beachfront houses of Main Beach down to Narrowneck. Some local residents would like a new Oceanway pavement constructed along the road reserve between the beachfront houses and the dune area.
A large number of Norfolk Island Pines (Araucaria heterophylla), a conifer that is not native to the area, have been planted on the Main Beach foreshore.
On 1 September 1967, the town of Southport East was officially renamed Main Beach.[2]
Demographics
[edit]In the 2011 census, the suburb of Main Beach had a population of 3,496 people.[7]
In the 2016 census, the suburb of Main Beach had a population of 3,883 people. 59.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 5.6% and England 5.3%. 75.6% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 26.9%, Catholic 23.3% and Anglican 18.1%.[8]
In the 2021 census, the suburb of Main Beach had a population of 3,998 people.[1]
Heritage listings
[edit]
Main Beach has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- off Macarthur Parade: Main Beach Pavilion and Southport Surf Lifesaving Club [9][10]
- Main Beach Parade: the former Southport Cable Hut [11][12]
- Seaworld Drive: Humphreys Boat Shed [13][14]
Education
[edit]There are no schools in Main Beach. The nearest government primary and secondary schools are Southport State School and Southport State High School, both in neighbouring Southport to the west. There are also a number of non-government schools in Southport and nearby.[15]
Amenities
[edit]Southport Yacht Club Marina is a 5.3-hectare (13-acre) marina at 1 Macarthur Parade (27°58′21″S 153°25′33″E / 27.9726°S 153.4257°E).[16][17]
There is a boat ramp, pontoon and floating walkway in Proud Park on Waterways Drive on the south bank of Nerang River (27°58′42″S 153°25′20″E / 27.9782°S 153.4223°E). It is managed by the Gold Coast City Council.[18]
There are two boat ramps and a pontoon in Muriel Henchman Park on Muriel Henchman Drive off Seaworld Drive, The Spit (27°57′05″S 153°25′29″E / 27.9514°S 153.4246°E). They are managed by the Gold Coast City Council.[18]
Gold Coast Seaway has a jetty on at the northern end of The Spit (27°56′19″S 153°25′39″E / 27.9386°S 153.4276°E). It is managed by the Gold Coast Waterways Authority.[18]
There are a number of parks in the suburb:
- Cable Park (27°59′01″S 153°25′45″E / 27.9837°S 153.4292°E)[19]
- Doug Jennings Park (27°56′27″S 153°25′27″E / 27.9408°S 153.4243°E)[19]
- Federation Walk Coastal Reserve (27°56′58″S 153°25′42″E / 27.9494°S 153.4283°E)[19]
- Helen Park (27°58′53″S 153°25′26″E / 27.9815°S 153.4239°E)[19]
- Hindle Reserve (27°58′51″S 153°25′47″E / 27.9809°S 153.4297°E)[19]
- Hollindale Park (27°58′26″S 153°25′44″E / 27.9739°S 153.4289°E)[19]
- Main Beach Place (27°58′33″S 153°25′42″E / 27.9759°S 153.4283°E)[19]
- Mcintosh Island Park (27°59′10″S 153°25′47″E / 27.9862°S 153.4296°E)[19]
- Muriel Henchman Park (27°56′52″S 153°25′31″E / 27.9477°S 153.4253°E)[19]
- Narrowneck (27°59′10″S 153°25′48″E / 27.9860°S 153.4299°E)[19]
- Naval Reserve Memorial Park (27°58′25″S 153°25′35″E / 27.9736°S 153.4264°E)[19]
- Pelican Beach (27°58′37″S 153°25′24″E / 27.9770°S 153.4232°E)[19]
- Philip Park (27°57′54″S 153°25′43″E / 27.9651°S 153.4286°E)[19]
- Proud Park (27°58′36″S 153°25′26″E / 27.9768°S 153.4238°E)[19]
- Ted Dolby Place (27°58′34″S 153°25′33″E / 27.9762°S 153.4258°E)[19]
Attractions
[edit]Sea World is a tourist attraction on Seaworld Drive in the north of the suburb (27°57′30″S 153°25′31″E / 27.9583°S 153.4254°E).[20]
Main Beach Tourist Park is a caravan park on 3600 Main Beach Parade (27°58′38″S 153°25′41″E / 27.9772°S 153.4280°E). It is operated by the Gold Coast City Council.[19][21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Main Beach (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Main Beach – town in City of Gold Coast (entry 43132)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Main Beach – suburb in City of Gold Coast (entry 46540)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Narrow Neck – isthmus in the City of Gold Coast (entry 23901)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "MAIN BEACH ALLOTMENTS". The Queenslander. No. 2947. Queensland, Australia. 24 February 1923. p. 9. Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Government sale of allotments, Main Beach, Southport" (Cadastral map). Queensland Government. 1923. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Main Beach (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Main Beach (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Main Beach Pavilion and Southport Surf Lifesaving Club (entry 601265)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - A to M, pp. 71-72
- ^ "Southport Cable Hut (former) (entry 602611)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - N to Z, pp. 121-122
- ^ "Humphreys Boat Shed & Slipway (entry 602324)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - A to M, pp. 57-58
- ^ "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Marinas - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ "Southport Yacht Club". Southport Yacht Club. 11 September 2024. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Recreational Boating Facilities Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Landmark Areas - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Main Beach". Gold Coast City Council. 13 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
Sources
[edit]- "Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - A to M" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- "Gold Coast Local Heritage Register - N to Z" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
External links
[edit]
- "Main Beach". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
- "Town map of Main Beach". Queensland Government. 1984.
- Main Beach Progress Association Official site
