The Gold Coast Bulletin

‘HIGH LIFE’ ARREST

An unemployed Gold Coast panelbeater living the ‘high-end life’ in one of Clear Island Waters’ ‘most iconic homes’ was detained at an airport and charged with coke trafficking after a tip-off from the state’s bikie-busting squad. The arrest of Clear...

PIG OUT ON EAT LOCAL

There’s never been a better excuse to pig out. Scenic Rim Eat Local Month has released its biggest program in 15 years, with an appetising array of adventures supporting our rural neighbours. Growers, farmers, makers and chefs will open their gates...

‘GOD BLESS BRS’ War hero defends Ben Roberts-Smith

A Gold Coast Vietnam veteran has said the case against accused war criminal Ben RobertsSmith “really bloody stinks” and “God bless (him)” while receiving a long-overdue medal for his courage under fire. Mermaid Beach resident Garry John Chad was...

PILATES HITS THE SAND

When Matilda McKinnon and Frankie White hosted their first free pilates class at Mermaid Beach, nobody showed up. Twelve months later, She’s Spicy has grown to about 200 women rolling out their pilates mats every week for a sunrise class on the...

BALI BAIL JAUNT

The parents of a Gold Coast teen killed in an ebike crash are fuming that the boy charged over the tragedy had his sentencing delayed multiple times before flying straight to Bali on a family holiday – while on bail. Hudson Gagg, 17, died last...

WHIPPING UP A STORM

From Coolangatta to Coomera, cafe lines are stretching around the block. Cost-of-living crisis? Apparently it’s no matcha for cold-foam coffee. The refreshment revolution was born with the Mont Blanc – cold brew capped with cream and orange zest...

SKYE HIGH

Gold Coast’s Skye Nicholson will be fighting for her two brothers when she headlines a Victorian event next week.

REOPEN SURFERS

State MP John-Paul Langbroek has demanded the Gold Coast City Council dump its Surfers Paradise beachfront plaza and reopen The Esplanade to traffic. The controversial closure of the road in mid-2025 has divided business owners and residents, with...

POINT TO PROVE

Nearly 1000 movers and shakers from across Australia are descending on the Gold Coast for the Aussie Dance Tour. In its third year, the four-day event, kicking off on Wednesday at Carrara’s Gold Coast Indoor Sports Complex, brings together...

JUST A BAD DAY

It’s never clinical like it was for Tiger when you’re riding the Rory rollercoaster. Despite breaking his 17-year Masters hoodoo 12 months ago, and racing to a record sixshot halfway lead, Rory McIlroy put himself through hell again before capturing...

BRIGHT DAY FOR DARK KNIGHT

The streets of Broadbeach popped with colour and costumes across the weekend for one of the Gold Coast’s biggest annual events. Crowds of up to 30,000 people descended on the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre for the annual twoday Supanova...

EVERY DAY IS A BATTLE

Gold Coast Paralympic queen Alexa Leary and her family are for the first time sharing their ongoing battle with her traumatic brain injury.

INFLUENCER CAPITAL

Visit Burleigh or Nobby Beach and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into a photo-shoot. Gorgeous twentysomethings in model-off-duty activewear clutch matcha lattes and cold-foam coffees, MacBooks open, hair blown out. This is the new Gold...

VILLAGE TAKEN FOR A RIDE

A senior executive accused of embezzling more than $1m of funds from theme parks operator Village Roadshow had been with the company for 15-20 years, it can be revealed. The man was a widely respected executive and the allegations have rocked the...

REUNITED WITH MY HEROES

Inspirational Paralympic champion Alexa Leary has had a teary reunion with the two Sunshine Coast doctors who gave her a second chance at life. After 111 days in hospital, and daily rehabilitation to learn to walk and talk again, Ms Leary is doing...

COCKTAIL VENUE SHAKES IT UP

A former Burleigh Heads cafe has been transformed into an authentic Mexican cocktail venue. ConKaBar will be the newest addition to the evergrowing Burleigh Heads night-life scene when it opens on April 10. Owner Michelle Ramirez said the...

SHARKS ECLIPSE GOLD COAST SUNS IN VFL

The Southport Sharks have retained the Doc Mackenzie Cup in style with a resounding 145-69 win over the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday in round 3 of the VFL. After an even first term, the Sharks stormed away in the second quarter and did not look back...

READY TO WIN

Titans bosses have warned the days of the cashed-up Broncos stealing their best kids are over as the Gold Coast empire strikes back in the turf war to sign the next Reece Walsh. New Titans co-owner Matt Johns has made it his personal mission to lock...

$1m ‘staff theft’ probe

Village Roadshow Theme Parks is confronting allegations staff embezzled more than $1m in “inappropriate payments”.

PREGNANT PAUSE

halfback Jayden Campbell is anxiously awaiting the birth of his first child ahead of the M1 derby against the Broncos on Saturday. Campbell has been on tenterhooks for the past fortnight as he and partner Teagan prepare for the arrival of their...

THE CRANE CAPITAL

For the first time there are more cranes dominating the Gold Coast’s skyline than in Brisbane, with $7bn dollars of new and stalled tower developments pulled off the shelves and rushed to construction to beat the Olympic rush. The Gold Coast’s...

WORLD RECORD SMASHED

Gold Coast golfer Thomas Fliniks has cemented his place in sports history, receiving his Guinness World Record certificate for the fastest golf ball ever hit. Clocked at an eye-watering 235.1km/h-378.4km/h, the 35-year-old’s feat pushed the boundaries...

DEADLY LOOP HOLE

When beloved Gold Coast teacher Sharon Lee Henningsen (pictured) received the devastating diagnosis of advanced stage-three endometrial cancer, she expected she could access life-saving immunotherapy under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. But while...

HOME SWEET HOME

The Gold Coast Titans are coming home. After a three-week road trip to open the NRL season, the club returns to Cbus Super Stadium this Sunday for its Round 4 clash against the St George Illawarra Dragons. Both teams sit at 0-3, itching for their...

MAYOR-A -LAGO EMBARGO

A leading expert on public integrity says Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has “no choice” but to abstain from deciding the future of the controversial $1.5bn Trump tower development. The Trump Organisation paid for the mayor’s two-day stay at Mar-a-Lago in...

CHEQUES MARK THE SPOT

Gold Coast City Council has plundered millions in parking fines from beachgoers on a single Burleigh street. Data provided to the Bulletin shows tickets worth $3m were dished out at Goodwin Terrace in just two years. That’s more than any other Gold...

PAW-SITIVE ROLE MODELS

An Australian organisation is desperately seeking more puppy volunteers, with a Gold Coast resident saying her adorable pups were the paw-fect success story. Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) is seeking people living within 100km of Gold Coast and...

WORLD-CLASS ACTION HITS COAST INAUGURAL GOLD COAST

A Gold Coast mother-of-two and an American triathlon star have shared the spotlight in inaugural T100 10km run on Sunday – complementing a blockbuster weekend of triathlons. In what might only be described as a stunning entry into competitive distance...

FINE FORM

Gold Coast council’s enforcement priorities have been slammed after 15 dog owners were fined for having off-leash pets while illegal campers remained unpunished. Among the penalised dog owners was a Currumbin resident who received two fines in two...

SECRET’S NOT SAFE

Gold Coast City Council is considering “new options” after it was caught trying to sneak through plans to replace a suburban Miami park with a depot for trucks. Under the plans a playground, picnic bench and trees would have been bulldozed to make way...

TO HAVE BUT NOT HOLD

A Gold Coast dry cleaners has been accused of giving away a bride’s wedding dress, gifted by her late mother, to a charity store that sold it for $80. Peggy Worrell (left) found out recently it had been given away.

HOMELESS BANNED

Antisocial homeless people could be banned from suburbs for up to three months under a statewide crackdown set to begin with the Gold Coast’s CBD. Southport has been blighted in recent years by a dramatic uptick in homeless people, many drug-addled...

‘SHE’S NOT SAFE’

Former NRL star Chris Walker showed “deeply concerning” behaviour towards his estranged wife in the days leading up to his dramatic arrest, a court has heard.

SEAR’S FULL OF CHEERS

At just 18 years old, Samantha Sear is proving the road to international cheerleading glory is paved with interstate miles and relentless discipline. The Gold Coaster has been selected to represent Australia for the second consecutive year at the 2026...

DEMO ROW GROWS

Bulldozers have begun demolishing sections of the $2.25bn Coomera Hospital already completed under the previous state government. But Health Minister Tim Nicholls says it’s a result of Labor’s failed masterplan which had to be redeveloped.

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE

Five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been granted visas by the Australian government and are under police protection.

BLOKE ON THE WATER

On the road, 19-year-old Jai Hunter is restricted by his Pplates, but on the Gold Coast Broadwater on the weekend there was no limit on the throttle for the jet ski racing champion. The speed demon, who lives in Pimpama, won the Pro-Am Runabout 1100...

BATTLING IT OUT

The surf was up and spirits were high as Burleigh Heads hosted the nation’s biggest grassroots surfing series over the weekend. Local families had a swell time at the Australian Boardriders Battle Grand Final event on Sunday, including Burleigh Heads...

HEART OF A TITAN

WITH THE FIRST GAME OF THE NRL SEASON THIS WEEKEND, NEW TITANS HEAD COACH JOSH HANNAY HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM AS HE SEEKS TO MOLD A GRITTY, HARDWORKING TEAM THAT THE GOLD COAST CAN BE PROUD OF

IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL

From the resurgence of longboarding in the mid1980s to becoming a cornerstone of the Gold Coast surf community, the Narrowneck Longboard Club is officially “hanging ten” for its 40th anniversary. To mark the milestone, the club will head to Lennox...

LET US REVIEW THE CEO

An independent review will consider whether councillors should be involved in Gold Coast City Council chief executive Tim Baker’s annual appraisal. Governance chair Brooke Patterson raised concerns about “governance and legal risks” and an...

DV KILLER’S BAIL ‘FAIL’

Two police officers were disciplined over their handling of a Gold Coast woman’s domestic violence complaints in the lead-up to her grisly murder, an inquest has heard. A senior detective breached legislation by granting killer Brian Earl Johnston...

partners in travel

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says travelling with his “right hand man”, CEO Tim Baker, is critical to delivering “gamechanging projects” for the city despite criticism the pair shouldn’t be approving each other’s trips. Councillor Brooke Patterson, who...

DICTATOR KILLED

One of Australia’s most prominent Iranian figures has welcomed the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and says the conflict must be the first step towards peace in the Middle East. US and Israeli forces carried out massive and unrelenting strikes...

IS IT A DON DEAL?

Insiders have revealed how a Gold Coast developer inked a deal with the Trump brand for Australia’s tallest building after nearly a year of clandestine talks.

WAVE OF CONCERN

City leaders are calling in experts to plan for the nightmare scenario of a tsunami reaching Gold Coast shores. Council has recruited specialist consultants to examine what would happen if a “‘one in 2500 year” wave smashed into coastal suburbs. It...

FLAME THROWER

The Paralympic dream of triathlon finalist Sara Tait (pictured) has suffered a crushing setback after a ball of flame tore through $250,000 worth of rowing equipment three weeks out from the national championships.

WE ARE SICK OF TRAVEL BUG

Gold Coast councillor Brooke Patterson, right, has called for “full transparency” on ratepayer-funded travel after it was revealed the CEO and his staff spent $350,000 on overseas trips in a year.

GLOBE TROTTING TOP BOSS

Gold Coast City Council’s CEO Tim Baker, pictured, has spent more than $110,000 of ratepayer’s money on travel in the past 12 months, a new report reveals. That’s equivalent to 11 round-the-world trips, including stops in Tokyo, London, New York and...

PUT ON YOUR SUNS SCREAM

The Gold Coast Suns are hot to go for a new season that club bosses say will be their biggest ever. Hundreds of fans turned out for the club’s season launch and jumper presentation at Carrara’s People First Stadium on Sunday. Fresh from their first...

‘SOAPED’ WITH COKE

The four Gold Coast men charged in connection with an alleged cross-border drug ring in which timber planks were allegedly infused with $14 million worth of cocaine, a process never before seen in Queensland, can finally be identified. This masthead...

KICKED OFF THE BUS

A bus driver is being investigated for kicking a Gold Coast schoolgirl off at the wrong stop during a storm because he feared her route was flooded. The mother of the 10-year-old Tallebudgera State School student said her daughter hid behind a tree in...

‘MY CHILD WAS ABUSED’

A court has heard about a recorded phone call between a Gold Coast tennis coach accused of sex offences and the alleged victim’s mother.

WE’VE LOST CONFIDENCE

The president of one of the Gold Coast’s largest community clubs is facing a vote to remove him from office after its board claims to have “lost confidence” in him. Southport RSL Memorial Club, which trades under the name SOPO, will hold a special...

1 YEAR FOR SON’S DEATH

The parents of a nursing student killed by a driver who lied to police about reaching speeds of at least 119km/h before the crash, are “deeply disappointed” his killer will spend only one year behind bars. Arundel man David Saji Mathew, 23, was...

WELCOME TO THE GOAL COAST

Footy fever is here, with the next generation of players gearing up for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at Cbus Super Stadium. Fans from across Australia and Asia will flock to the Robina venue next month for six international matches featuring Iran, Korea,...

THE S10M OUESTION

Three state MPs have joined the Gold Coast City Council in urging the state government to “call-in” the Reedy Creek quarry application to prevent a potential multi-million dollar legal bill for ratepayers. But the MPs and the council are at odds over...

CEO’S FLIGHTS GROUNDED

Gold Coast Council will now approve the CEO’s travel in a stunning move after it was revealed the top boss and mayor have been signing off on each other’s ratepayer-funded international trips. A Bulletin investigation into council’s travel...

FREQUENT FLYER

Gold Coast City Council must overhaul its travel policy as the CEO (right) prepares for his fifth international trip in just 12 months, a councillor says.

HEY, SOUL SISTER

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has used his ratepayer-funded trip to the Winter Olympics in Italy to lock in the city’s 11th sister city with Ancient Olympia in southern Greece. Mr Tate says the partnership will be critical ahead of 2032.

CHEERS TO SUPER BOWL

WE’VE FOUND OUR LANE

Plans are already being hatched for an even bigger and better Laneway Festival next year after the resounding success of Saturday’s event. More than 35,000 fans packed the Southport Sharks for the 10hour music spectacular headlined by Chappell Roan....

‘MY BODY JUST KNOWS THIS IS HOME’

Netflix star Aisha Dee has made a triumphant return to the Gold Coast this week, arriving back in her hometown ahead of Friday night’s AACTA Awards ceremony with two major nominations to her name – including one for her standout role in one of 2025’s...

WHO IS LANEWAY’S surprise guest?

Fans are speculating whether Robert Irwin or Jacob Elordi will make a surprise appearance at Laneway Festival on the Gold Coast. Chappell Roan, Role Model, Pink Pantheress are set to headline the festival at Southport Sharks on February 7. As...

HOW JOSH CHANGED THE GAME

New Titans coach Josh Hannay has overhauled the “negative” culture at the club as he fights to win back the support of the Gold Coast and create an NRL premiership contender. Hannay has transformed the Titans and brought light to Parkwood since the...

FOUND THREE YEARS LATER

Tweed Heads resident Mikaela Jarvelainen, 33, walked through Gold Coast Airport on Monday cradling something more precious than luggage – her beloved cat Rishi, who vanished three years ago. The former Victorian was in the middle of moving house when...

RAPE CHARGES SERVED

The founder of Gold Coast charity Serving Our People has been accused by prosecutors of “calculated” and “deplorable” sexual assaults against three women after he fronted court on more than 50 charges, including 14 counts of rape. In a statement, the...

CHARITY RAIDED

Detectives from the Gold Coast Criminal Investigation Branch have raided the headquarters of southeast Queensland charity Serving Our People. No arrests had been made at the time of publication. Police said in a statement the search warrant was part...

WAR OF WORDS OVER SKIPPER’S FUTURE

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui’s manager has slammed criticism of the Titans captain as “disgraceful” as a war of words breaks out over the skipper’s future on the Gold Coast. Titans legend Mat Rogers has lobbed a grenade into the Fa’asuamaleaui bunker, claiming...

TRAM-BITION TO AIRPORT

Mayor Tom Tate (right) says he will run for a record fifth term in the 2028 elections to help deliver light rail to the Gold Coast Airport. In a stunning election announcement the Mayor told the Bulletin the trams were his unfinished business. The...

LOVED PILOTS KILLED

A pilot who died after his light plane crashed was a “passionate aviator” who flew people to medical appointments and played a critical role in the industry. Greg Ackman, 73, (inset) and a long-time friend from Sydney died at Heck Field in Jacobs Well...

CHAOS IN THE RIDDLE LANE

Motorists warn signage for driving on the new Coomera Connector is “an absolute joke” and needs urgent upgrading to avoid crashes around Helensvale on the northern Gold Coast. Confusion has reigned on the westbound approach to the new highway’s...

AUS DAY PRIDE: OH WHAT A PEELING

Just over a quarter of a century after taking gold in the Sydney 2000 Olympics race that stopped the nation – the unforgettable 400m sprint that cemented her in national folklore – Cathy Freeman has received the nation’s highest Australia Day...