The Gold Coast Bulletin

BRIDGEY-DIDGE

One of the Gold Coast’s most congested traffic chokepoints is only set to get worse. Despite recently considering a revamp, the council said it won’t go ahead with widening Chevron Island’s western bridge because doing so would encourage more people to...

‘I’M NOT LEAVING SECOND HOME’

“Unicorn” Suns forward Havana Harris has committed her future to Gold Coast through to 2029, declaring the club had become her “second home” as she prepares to lead an extraordinary generation of homegrown talent through the AFLW. The 2024 No.2...

WHO RUNS THE WORLD? GIRLS!

At just 11-years-old, Ayla Armanwood has been named as a finalist for the Gold Coast Women of the Year awards for her passion and entrepreneurship. When she was aged 10, Ayla realised Gold Coasters drink way too much coffee to let the discarded...

21YO SENT HOME

A 21-year-old Pacific Pines man died just hours after being refused admission at Robina Hospital’s mental health unit, despite having 12 stitches from where he tried to take his own life earlier that day. His mother, Paige Campbell, said she found her...

GIVE US A CHANCE

The Great Australian Dream of home ownership is in tatters, with half of all aspiring buyers giving up, stark new research has found. Millions more are resigned to renting for life, as our housing class divide widens to the real estate haves and...

LET’S GO TITANS

The next generation of local rugby league stars are gearing up to watch their heroes battle it out for a spot in the NRLW grand final. The Gold Coast Titans will take on the Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a preliminary...

Strike action looms after workers vote down council offer CITY’S DEAL REJECTED

Gold Coast City Council workers are seeking a wage increase of 13.5 per cent across almost three years after union members voted down the latest offer. Tensions are increasing between the unions and City bosses after failed Enterprise Bargaining...

SKY’S THE LIMIT

The Gold Coast has achieved a record crane count despite construction crosswinds – beating even capital city Brisbane. Mayor Tom Tate welcomed the latest development data, saying it was a measure of confidence and investment in the city. “I have always...

CREATIVE OUTLETS

Netflix’s hit children’s show Gabby’s Dollhouse is coming to life at a Gold Coast shopping centre for the school holidays. Free activities inspired by the DreamWorks production will be held at The Pines Elanora from September 21 to October 4. The...

REGINA’S ‘LOVE LETTER TO THE CITY’

From snaps of Frank Sinatra and Peter Allan to John Farnham, the queen of the Glitter Strip’s social scene has complied her best photos into a new book. Regina King spent 55 years covering the Gold Coast’s hottest events, papping celebrities and...

SILVER SCREEN IS ON A ROLL

The Gold Coast’s film sector is now a $400m juggernaut, with newly commissioned data revealing how critical it is to the city’s increasingly diversified economy.

Developer backs Tate as Trump row grows

The developer behind the failed Trump Tower deal on the Gold Coast has given Mayor Tom Tate his “unequivocal” backing amid questions about Mr Tate having dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-aLago. Altus Property Group chief executive David Young has broken...

FESTIVAL FUN AT MUDGEERABA

A new carnival show with showbags, rides, motocross and petting zoos has landed on the Gold Coast, replacing the hole left by the Mudgeeraba Agricultural Show. The Mudgeeraba Spring Festival officially starts at 4pm on Friday and will keep the lights...

ABOARD FOR THE RECORD

The numbers are in and the opening of the Burleigh light rail link has powered the city’s tram network to its best-ever month. The first four weeks of Stage 3 had 1.6 million people hop on the trams, providing further fuel to calls for an extension to...

GRILLED

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate told an ABC reporter to “f--- off” before storming out of a press conference during a heated confrontation about his controversial trip to Mar-a-Lago. Mr Tate, speaking at the Evandale council chambers, insisted he had dinner...

TOP GYM OWNER’S WARNING

TITANS CHARGE THROUGH KNIGHTS

The Gold Coast Titans will sit out round one of the NRLW finals after securing another impressive win at the weekend. The Titans’ 32-20 defeat of Newcastle was their 10th straight victory of season and their firstever against the Knights in...

COSTLY ADVICE

Gold Coast City Council employee costs have blown out by almost 50 per cent and consultancy fees by more than 60 per cent over three years, after the chief executive was tasked with streamlining operations. Councillors are privately shocked at the...

OLYMPIC HURDLE

Key road promises in the state government’s vaunted Gold Coast Transport Plan have a “post-2032 delivery focus”, including a solution for the city’s most congested M1 exit. Councillors are shocked because it means a real fix for drivers, waiting up to...

POOLING PROFITS

Leaked documents show some Gold Coast aquatic centres and their programs are making almost $7m in revenue and should not have their management privatised, a union has warned. A confidential Major Venues 2025-26 financial year report prepared by...

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Founder of Tenn Designer Dress Hire Jasmine Stewart has built a thriving Gold Coast business that she attributes to her growing team of women supporting women. Ms Stewart, who is nominated for the Gold Coast Bulletin’s 2026 Women of the Year Awards as...

BULL SHARKS BITE BACK

Bond University have stormed from third on the ladder to claim the 2026 QAFLW premiership, upsetting Southport 6.4 (40) to 3.4 (22) in a commanding grand final display at Brighton Homes Arena on Sunday. In front of a vocal travelling Bull Sharks crowd...

WALKING ON AIR

The Titans have locked in the first home preliminary final in Gold Coast rugby league history with a record-equalling 58-0 demolition of the Tigers. Halfback Lauren Brown delivered the finest scoring performance of her career while Jaime Chapman and...

‘GROTESOUE’ ISLAND PLAN

Gold Coast councillors are furious they were not told about Mayor Tom Tate and former chief executive Tim Baker investigating a golf course project on South Stradbroke Island. It comes after the Bulletin exclusively revealed an 18-hole course and...

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...