The Gold Coast Bulletin

KEEBRA CROWNED QUEENS

All that stands between Keebra Park being crowned the NRL Schoolgirls Cup champion is a NSW powerhouse following a comprehensive state final win over Trinity Bay on Thursday. Under the scorching sun at Langlands Park, Keebra twin sisters Isabella...

BOGEY OR HOLE IN ONE?

A leading golf expert from Tasmania flew to the Gold Coast to give first-hand advice to Mayor Tom Tate on creating an 18-hole course on South Stradbroke Island. The Bulletin exclusively revealed plans for the course and a surf wellness retreat, which...

STRADDIE BOMBSHELL

An 18-hole golf course and a surf wellness retreat could transform South Stradbroke Island under a controversial plan developed in secret by Gold Coast City Council.

LITTLE MIRACLE

One-year-old Adaline has taken the title as cutest toddler on the Gold Coast in her stride and her mum says the boot definitely fits. Adaline Martin is the winner of the annual Bulletin competition and her mum Priciel Martin, 42, said she wasn’t...

NIGHTCLUB CLOSED

One of Australia’s longestrunning nightclubs has suddenly shut its doors, bringing down the curtain on good times dating back to the 1980s. Cocktails, previously known as Cocktails and Dreams, announced over the weekend it was shutting down...

HEIGHT FRIGHT

Gold Coast City Council’s second-in-charge wants to stop developers from being able to increase heights by 50 per cent, to allay fears about the city’s growth. Developers can currently increase the height of their properties if they can meet...

SURROGATE BUB HERS

A Queensland mother who gave birth to twins while acting as a surrogate has found out one of the babies is biologically hers. In an Australian first, the unnamed woman gave birth to two babies last year but only found out the baby boy was biologically...

RAGS TO RICHES

Old clothes are getting a stylish second life this September, with young fashionistas swapping fast fashion for scissors, sewing machines and serious runway swagger. Fashion Machine is one of 28 events at this year’s Kids Take Over festival, HOTA’s...

IT’S IN THE BAG

Millions of cases of tooth decay could be prevented if Australia introduced a 20 per cent tax on sugar, new research has found. Professor Lennert Veerman from Griffith University said a sugar tax could significantly improve the oral health of...

$4BN RISK HITS HOME

More than $4bn in construction work is at risk on the Gold Coast after a bombshell Court of Appeal decision threw doubt over significant height increases on high rise developments. Gold Coast City Council senior planners have received an industry...

FUNDING STALLS

The state government quietly cut $230,000 in funding allocated to progress the $4.5bn heavy rail link to the Gold Coast Airport, documents reveal.

$2BN TWIN TOWERS

An international developer will make its Queensland debut with a planned $2bn twin-tower project in the heart of Broadbeach. Arada Group’s chief executive Ahmed Alkhoshaibi (pictured) revealed plans for the residential development across from the Gold...

A BITTER BLOW

The northern Gold Coast’s historic Rocky Point sugar mill, operating for almost 150 years, is set to close next year in a shock decision for the remaining 45 families running cane farms. The 2027 season is likely to be the mill’s last.

TREASURE TROVE OF THRILLS

Dreamworld has lifted the lid on its next multimillion-dollar attraction, revealing plans for Australia’s first “immersive” ATV-style ride as part of a major expansion of the theme park’s popular Rivertown precinct. The near-$20m “family thrill...

TEACHER KEPT HIS LICENCE

A sacked Gold Coast teacher accused of creating sexually explicit AI-generated images of children and teachers was allowed to keep his Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) registration for months after a police investigation began. Dr Robert John...

MARATHON COMEBACK

Gold Coast mum Kelly Cunningham went from running a half-marathon and being at her fittest to barely being able to walk to her letterbox after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The now-53-year-old was “religious” about getting scans every six...

AIRBORNE

Gold Coast’s Pacific Airshow has been locked and loaded for another two years after a record-breaking weekend. An estimated 300,000 spectators descended on the Surfers Paradise beachfront for the high-octane aviation extravaganza which ran across three...

EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING

Roaring engines and wall-towall crowds marked day one of the highly anticipated Pacific Airshow. Returning to Surfers Paradise beach after two years, Airshow boss Kevin Elliott said Friday had exceeded expectations and he was excited to bring another...

POOL PLAN SINKS

A controversial move to privatise management of Gold Coast City Council’s pools has been stalled despite a new operating model revealing it would save ratepayers more than $22 million in the next 10 years. The plan, which proposes council’s four pools...

WATCHDOG FAILED BOY

A blunder by the NDIS watchdog allowed a mum who was charged with a sex offence against a boy with a disability, the opportunity to work with children for months before she was banned. Wendy Anne Hewetson, 50, a registered behavioural support...

JOBS ON THE MENU 500 CHEFS NEEDED BY 2028

The Gold Coast needs 500 more chefs by 2028 – and 20 of the city’s biggest hospitality players are coming together this month to start filling that gap. More than 250 jobs will be on the table at Experience Gold Coast’s Hospitality and Tourism...

Travel cost cut

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate (below) is expected to travel overseas with his chief of staff, saving ratepayers $19,000 from the initial first-class trip proposed with the outgoing CEO. In early July councillors approved a $26,760 bill for then chief...

MAKING TRACKS

After 104 months of waiting, four years of construction, three prime ministers and the mother of all funding battles, Gold Coasters are finally riding the tram to Burleigh.

RAIL LINE ‘CIRCUS’ IS OVER

Surviving four years of construction that drove many venues to close, Nobby Beach and Burleigh Heads business owners have described Sunday’s impending light rail opening as “like climbing Mount Everest”. Passengers will at last be able to ride the...

$200M ISLAND RESORT

HOPPY BIRTHDAY TO ICONIC BREWERY

BURLEIGH BREWING’S OWNERS HAVE LET OUT AN ‘ALE YEAH’ TO 20 YEARS OF POURING THEIR PASSION INTO PINTS, CEMENTING THEMSELVES AS THE GOLD COAST’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT BEER MAKER.

BLOOMS OF HOPE

A Gold Coast florist is absorbing the cost of hospital delivery fees in a bid to make local lives brighter. For the past 30 years, Flowers of Southport has been delivering blooms to families across the city, but when owners Carolina Subero and her...

HOW WE BUILT EATERY EMPIRE

The Gold Coast’s most prolific restaurateur isn’t dining out on her success. She’s whisking dishes from the kitchen, greeting and seating diners and whispering into the hidden headsets that make service seem seamless at the newly opened Lim Nahm...

WORKING SMARTER

1. DR DINESH PALIPANA OAM A car accident during medical school left Dinesh Palipana paralysed from the chest down aged just 25. Now, he’s leading cuttingedge research using virtual-reality technology to help people like him one day walk again. As...

HOWZAT

Premier David Crisafulli says he is pushing for the Gold Coast to host cricket and surf life saving events at the 2032 Olympic Games as part of an ambitious sporting agenda for the city.

EAST-WEST CONFIRMED

Two metro-style bus services will fill the “missing link” connecting the light and heavy rails on the Gold Coast. The next stage of the GC Surfer bus services will run from Broadbeach to Nerang and Miami to Robina, and will include major road...

CABLEWAY LEFT HANGING OVER $500M COST

Councillors concerned about the spending of ratepayer money on the $500m Springbrook cableway have brought the project to a sudden halt. Voting records reveal three councillors changed their position — Dan Doran, Donna Gates and Brooke Patterson —...

ACTING BOSS NAMED

Experienced commercial and public service executive Paul Callander (left) will take on the role of Gold Coast City Council’s acting chief executive, as Tim Baker (above) prepares his exit. Councillors were advised by Mayor Tom Tate that Mr Callander...

A LOVE LETTER TO OUR SISTER

Purple was her favourite colour. She loved cats, collected bracelets and stickers, and never went anywhere without her headphones blasting Radiohead on repeat. One year ago, Justine Ramsay lost her little sister. While the investigations, reforms and...

NO MORE STALLED ESTATES

The Gold Coast’s few remaining greenfield development sites must be opened up to allow for tens of thousands of stalled house and unit developments to be built, industry experts say. More than 40,000 units and houses have been approved in the past...

TEACHER CHARGED

A popular Gold Coast chemistry teacher has been charged over allegations he used artificial intelligence to generate explicit images of children, as well as teachers at one of the city’s most prestigious private schools. Dr Robert John Thomas, 73...

EXPLICIT AI PICS OF KIDS, STAFF

A Gold Coast secondary teacher who was sacked from one of the city’s most elite private schools (above) is being investigated for allegedly creating explicit AI-generated images of students and teachers. As part of the investigation, Queensland Police...

CITY’S TOP BOSS EXITS

The Gold Coast City Council’s underfire top boss will leave the organisation, the Mayor has confirmed. A City source on Wednesday told the Bulletin: “(Chief executive) Tim Baker will be exiting the organisation. He will not see out his...

SPEED THRILLS

f one thing captures attention in global sport it’s when the fastest man or woman in history steps up to perform, and when it comes to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, that alpha dog is Australian swimming sprint king Cameron McEvoy. He is the No.1...

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Get ready for a whole new Dreamworld. A $200m hotel and resort complex is set to open its doors at Australia’s biggest theme park by 2032 after its masterplanned expansion was given the green light. The expansion of Dreamworld at Coomera will rapidly...

ASCENSION

The Gold Coast has the potential to become Australia’s innovation hub, with civic leaders pitching the city as the cutting edge of the nation. The days of sun, sand and surf being the Gold Coast’s sole exports are long over, with artificial...

INSTINCT SAVED ME

Ally Frizelle (far right) thought she must have just put on a bit of weight. “It was on a work trip to Adelaide that I realised my clothes weren’t fitting me like they normally did,” she said. “It seemed odd because I had been exercising and eating...

MAJOR FIRE RISK LOOMS

Large swathes of the Gold Coast face significant bushfire risk, amid predictions of a ‘Super El Nino’ event that will bring longer-lasting heatwaves and tinderbox conditions.

COUNCIL JOB ROW

An investigation into Gold Coast City Council’s employment of a manager on more than $300,000 but without anyone reporting to them will be launched after councillors raised concerns. The external legal investigation will start once Mayor Tom Tate...

TEEN’S WAKE-UP CALL

A Gold Coast teenager is heading to Italy to take on the world’s best wakeboarders. Zac Rizzoli, 16, from Hope Island, who qualified for the Junior Pro Division at the IWWF World Wakeboard Championships in Lake Como next month, said he was “stoked” to...

NEW LEASH ON LIFE

They say it takes a village. For 80-year-old Jeanne Wells, that village wasn’t built with bricks and mortar, but with a single biscuit and an open heart. The Burleigh Waters legend, known as the Dog Treat Lady, sets up every morning at Nook Espresso...

‘BROMANCE’ TO BUILD HOMES

Southport’s ‘failed’ priority development status must be fixed and other suburbs put on the same fast-track to supercharge the delivery of housing, Gold Coast Acting Mayor Mark Hammel says. Southport was declared a Priority Development Area (PDA) in...

FLOAT BUSINESS SINKS

A Gold Coast couple in their 70s claim they’ve been left homeless and broke after an ASX-listed shopping centre approved a boxing gym next to their float therapy business, resulting in a high stakes legal battle. Henry and Lorry Koster (right) opened...

TITANS CHASE NATIONAL TITLE

The Gold Coast Titans Wheelchair team is locked and loaded as it prepares for battle in the NRL Wheelchair National Championships at Coomera Sports Centre this weekend. It kicks off an action-packed weekend for the Titans as they prepare to make their...

ARRESTED OVER ‘EXTREMIST MATERIAL’ PYSCH’S TERROR CHARGE

A Gold Coast psychologist whose eldest son was previously charged with sharing violent extremist material has now also been arrested and charged by the Australian Federal Police. Pacific Pines man Dr Ghassan Eltatary, 51, a consultant psychiatrist and...

TINO HONOURS ARTIE & DAD p31

NSW’s most successful coach, Phil Gould, has labelled Queensland hooker Harry Grant a “cheat”. Gould took aim at the onfield antics of Queensland’s dummy half, who relentlessly questions and scrutinises refereeing decisions. NSW players are more than...

A LEAP OF FAITH

A young Gold Coaster, who almost walked away from dancing, has landed a coveted scholarship to one of the world’s most prestigious ballet schools. Charlotte White, 20, from Arundel, was awarded a four-week Summer Intensive Scholarship to the Joffrey...

FIRED UP

The 2026 Gold Coast Marathon has been declared a huge success which is set to inject up to $90m into the economy. Organisers are turning their attention to how to make it bigger and better after the weekend saw Haftu Strintzos become the first...

RACE READY

They’re the true blue cowboys and cowgirls doing it for Dolly at this weekend’s Gold Coast Marathon. A group of farm workers from across the country have united for a special cause in the big race, raising money for the Dolly’s Dream charity to...

RUN AWAY WITH THE CIRCUS

Australia’s longest-running performing arts dynasty has pitched its big top on the Gold Coast once again. The Great Australian Circus has returned to Broadwater Parklands, transforming it into a world of acrobatics, comedy and high-octane stunts...

ACT OF VIOLENCE

Chantay Logan, Chelsea Bunting and Andrew Potts Police believe a man deliberately lit a fire inside a locked room in his ex-partner’s home, killing himself, severely burning two others, and forcing another two to jump from a balcony to safety.

A MODEL SOLUTION

Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel has thrown his support behind creating a modular housing industry, warning there is “no other way” for the city to rapidly increase its supply. Factory-built modular housing has been a standard building practice in...

BALLERINA’S BIG LEAP

A 13-year-old Palm Beach girl has become one of a handful of dancers from around the globe selected for a full scholarship to one of the world’s most elite ballet academies. Palm Beach Currumbin High School student Lani Gehling has been accepted into...

FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

BLOCKBUSTER CLAIMS

A former Village Roadshow staffer allegedly stole and sold a truck used in the movie Aquaman, while he and a colleague colluded with a contractor to funnel company funds into private mansion renovations and traded thousands of Sea World tickets for...

DINO-MITE TIME

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is going back to the prehistoric era these school holidays, giving kids a Jurassic experience on the Gold Coast. Dinomania will bring life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, roaming dinosaurs characters and a conservation trail...

HOMELESS CATCH-22

A relentless game of cat-and-mouse is playing out across the parks, dunes and main roads of the Gold Coast. As the housing crisis deepens, Southport’s rough sleepers said they were caught in a bureaucratic trap: ordered to move by authorities, but...

BATMAN & MORRIN

Titans forward Kurtis Morrin has extended his time on the Gold Coast until the end of the 2029 season after signing a new deal following a stellar campaign. The 26-year-old joined the Titans from the Bulldogs this season and has quickly made an impact...

REAL FAKE

The Gold Coast’s most prestigious art award has been rocked by copying claims after a winning entry (above) sat undetected for more than a year before organisers exposed it as an ‘imitation’. The ‘imitation’, painted by Lennox Head artist Jane Allan,...

RAPID BUS NETWORK

Metro-style buses will run to the Gold Coast Airport every 10 minutes and trams will travel from the university hospital to Harbour Town shopping centre under a new state government transport plan. A controversial call to quash extension of the light...

MY MUM’S FINAL WISH

Gold Coast teacher’s aide Nat Woods’ selfless last act was the culmination of a life devoted to caring for others. Now her brave teenage daughter Molly, below, is ensuring her legacy doesn’t stop there. The 19-year-old is taking part in Dry July to...

DEVIL IN DISGUISE

The Gold Coast theme park where a Tasmanian devil leapt over a 1.4m fence to go on a two-week adventure is making alterations to its exhibits. Mary the Tasmanian devil was found by wildlife keepers on Tuesday at 8.30pm in bushland 2km from Paradise...

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

A Gold Coast village is celebrating its booming food and arts scene in the most charming way possible. The Mudgeeraba Food and Art Trail, a not-for-profit concept to support local businesses, will run Letterbox Love from the Artists from June 19 to...

TAKE A CHANCE

A Tallebudgera woman is set for a major full-circle moment when she takes the stage as Sophie Sheridan in the upcoming production of Mamma Mia! at The Star Gold Coast this September. Emily Monsma recently returned home to the Gold Coast following an...

NURSE CHARGED

A Gold Coast pediatric mental health nurse who allegedly stalked and abused six young eating disorder patients, had a foot fetish, a sexual interest in “slender young girls,” and continued to work for more than a year after complaints were first made...

DRAWN TO THE COAST

Artist Chris Riley moved down the M1 to the Gold Coast for the sunshine – and stayed for the energy. The former automotive spray painter has replaced workshop panels with luxury canvases. Riley’s transition from tradie to internationally sought-after...

WALKING MIRACLE

A Gold Coast mum whose baby underwent major surgery while inutero has just watched the little girl she thought would never walk take her first steps. When Jenaya Ward (pictured) was four months pregnant, doctors told her baby Lucinda had spina...

PULLING ON THE HARP STRINGS

The Gold Coast Chamber Orchestra is set to celebrate a 15-year milestone with its upcoming recital, echoing a massive growth in the city’s appetite for classical music. On July 5 at Bond University’s Abedian School of Architecture, French Connection...

BUDGET BRAWL

Gold Coast councillor Brooke Patterson, above, has questioned the “value for money” of four council-controlled entities after it was revealed they will cost ratepayers $190 million in 2026-27. But Mayor Tom Tate says they deliver, do not duplicate...

MUSCLE MEMORY

From rock’n’roll and classic cars to vintage fashion and Elvis impersonators, the Gold Coast travelled back in time on the weekend for the Cooly Rocks On Festival. Tens of thousands descended on Coolangatta from around Australia and the globe for the...

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE

AI-generated pictures and pranks calls are hurting the search for a Tasmanian devil that escaped a Gold Coast wildlife park earlier this week, authorities say. Mary, 2, escaped her enclosure at Village Roadshow’s Paradise Country with some credible...