The Gold Coast Bulletin

STAND IN UNITY

Mayor Tom Tate has called on Gold Coasters to give a “middle finger to the terrorists”, announcing a significant increase in security for Australia Day after the foiling of an alleged terrorist plot targeting the city’s festivities.

AUS DAY TERROR

A PHD student with the CSIRO has faced court on a terror charge with police alleging he had planned to throw molotov cocktails during a riot on the Gold Coast on Australia Day. Sepehr Saryazdi, 24 of Bellbowrie, is charged with a single count of act in...

TRUMP TOWER SPLITS COAST

A young Gold Coast worker has started a petition to support the Trump Tower in Surfers Paradise as the development faces a wave of opposition. Jordan Quoc-Tien Hoai Nguyen, 26, a resident, worker and investor, says the prime vacant beachfront site...

BRASS BARBECUE COOKS UP STORM

A Gold Coast funk band is gearing up to hit the stage this weekend for the Big Brass Barbeque at HOTA, Home of the Arts. Heavy Wax, an eightmember group from the Coast known for its soulful tunes, will perform at Saturday’s event. The 26-piece...

BEST FOOT FORWARD NEW RUN CONFIRMED

Gold Coasters will be lacing up their running shoes ahead of a new 10km race at Surfers Paradise this year. As part of the inaugural Gold Coast T100 Triathlon, a 10km fun run will be held on March 22. The flat course starts at the Broadwater...

OFF TO A FLIER

Gold Coast racing and political leaders have dubbed the 2026 Magic Millions carnival to be the best in years, kickstarting a bumper 12 months for events in the city. “The Millions brand is fabulous and what it does for the city is great,” Gold Coast...

TRUMP CARD

Australia’s first ‘Trump tower’ is being planned for a beachfront Gold Coast site. Council sources say the Trump family is planning to build the tower – which will be emblazoned with iconic gold Trump lettering – on site of the old Iluka building.

MORE MAGIC ON THE HORIZON

Hooves thundered and thoroughbred buyers plundered as the TAB Gold Coast Magic Millions carnival hit top gear with the traditional beach gallop, and a horse went for $2m on the opening day of the 40th annual yearling sales. Top jockeys joined Magic...

STARS IN OUR EYES

The TAB Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival has bolted out of the gate with a stunning opening weekend which included a twilight meeting on Saturday hailed as an “outstanding” success by race bosses. “The vista of racing under lights, going from the...

CAGED IN HOMES

Homeowners in an affluent Gold Coast enclave are considering selling after alleged violent arguments, screaming, verbal abuse and sexual activity in their own backyard.

ATTACK DOGS GUARD TRACK

Attack dogs, infra-red cameras that detect night movement and hi-tech alarms are part of beefed-up security measures to protect the Gold Coast track from another poisoning drama ahead of the rich Magic Millions carnival.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Two young girls in Bonogin Valley are spending these school holidays learning lifelong skills and stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Sisters Fleur (10) and Chloe (7) Blackburn, are running their own roadside business – selling homemade dog...

SPLASHED OUT OF THE PARK

Gold Coast theme parks have experienced a sizzling start to the holidays with record numbers coming through the gates. Investment in new rides and attractions combined with idyllic summer days have been credited with the visitor surge at Dreamworld,...

DUBAI’S THE LIMIT

Billionaire NSW racing identity John Camilleri’s development company has unveiled plans to build a giant beachfront twin supertower project in Surfers Paradise which draws inspiration from Dubai and Singapore. It comes as 2026 shapes up to be one of...

FACES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2026

JACOB ELORDI Nominated for two Golden Globes for his acclaimed work in Frankenstein, Elordi’s star in Hollywood continues to rise. Already talk of the town for his good looks and for dating some big names, the Aussie raised actor is set to shine...

VISION OF PARADISE

Surfers Paradise starts the New Year on the cusp of what is hoped will be a new golden age, with a host of major projects to revitalise the Gold Coast’s tourist heart. Construction will start this month on the Gold Coast Civic and Music Hall in...

CHEER WE GO

Locals from across the Gold Coast can ring in the New Year with fireworks, food and free family entertainment from Coomera to Coolangatta. Gold Coast City Council will run free events and fireworks at Broadwater Parklands and Coomera, and fireworks at...

MERRY CHRISTMAS ... AND A SNAPPY NEW YEAR

Four American alligators have arrived on the Gold Coast and are settling into their new home at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. The male reptiles – named Ace, Cal, Big John and The Rock – will join the sanctuary’s long-term alligator Patty. They will...

CARNAGE

A wild storm caused a trail of destruction on the Gold Coast on Christmas Day, severely damaging homes, tearing boats from their moorings and toppling a crane. Ben Wilson and his son Stone, 4, were at home when their roof collapsed.

SLAM DUNK F R THE GC

The National Basketball League is in “advanced” talks to create an expansion team for the Gold Coast. NBL chief operating officer Vince Crivelli has confirmed the league is ready to create a new franchise in the city but only if it has the right...

HOW GOLD COASTERS ARE SPENDING FESTIVE SEASON + RELEASING STRESS

Gold Coast personalities have shared their Christmas Day plans, from the joy of mandatory Santa surfs, to sad milestones of a first holiday without loved ones. Here’s what these Gold Coasters, including Mayor Tom Tate, Burleigh Pavilion owner Ben May...

TEEN’S $500K EMPIRE

A Gold Coast teen has built a paw-some empire – turning over half-a-million dollars a year, at just 17 years old. When she was 14, Nea Fernandes battled major health issues, missing out on school for months on end. She decided to create a luxury pet...

CRACKER FESTIVE FORECAST

Hot, sunny and slightly unpredictable: the Gold Coast’s Christmas forecast is officially in, and the crowds are already embracing the beach ahead of the “cracking” weather on Christmas morning. A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said Gold Coasters...

THOUGHT I WAS DEAD

A Gold Coast teenager is speaking out about the dangers of modifying electric mobility devices after a shocking crash that almost cost him his life. Sebastian Jordan (above) was just 14 when the modified electric skateboard he was riding crashed into...

A SHORE THING

The Gold Coast’s famous waterfront fishing trawlers will be retained on The Spit under a $500m redevelopment of the precinct. The state government unveiled a pair of new developments for the Broadwater peninsula on Wednesday morning which will see the...

SPIT & POLISH

New resorts, hotels and a giant 100-berth commercial marina will be built on The Spit as part of a more than half a billiondollar transformation. The state government will unveil a pair of new developments for the Broadwater peninsula on Wednesday...

RABBI: STAND UP TO HATE | NATION MOURNS | HERO TACKLED TERRORIST

Rabbi Mosheh Serebryanski says it’s time for all Australians to stand up against anti-Jewish rhetoric plaguing the country, after the terror attack on a Jewish gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The Gold Coast Jewish community figurehead said the...

SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

A teenage girl has cheated death thanks to generous donations from Gold Coast locals. What started as influenza A nearly killed Ballina’s Sophie Moran when her lungs and heart started to fail her when she was just 16. She spent 118 days at Gold Coast...

OLYMPIC HOLE IN 1

Royal Pines Resort is planning to demolish and redevelop one of its worldclass golf courses into housing ahead of it becoming the Gold Coast’s 2032 Olympic Games Athletes Village.

BOWLED OVER

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate (below) has confirmed his consortium has sold the controversial Surfers Paradise Bowls Club site, understood to be worth at least $30 million, to the developer and owner of the Jewel towers.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A HOME

A Gold Coast pensioner is spending his Christmas and new year trying to find a new home in the housing crisis as he faces eviction from his Bundall rental of 30 years. After five months of searching, Stephen Scale, 81, is yet to find a suitable place...

E-BIKE CRASH CHAOS

A young driver has slammed reckless e-bike hoons after a rider failed to give way and smashed into her car, embedding a piece of flesh into the glass and sending two teens to hospital. Poppi Watson, 19, (pictured) was driving on Tahiti Ave, Palm Beach,...

DECK THE HULLS

The Gold Coast’s Broadwater was awash with red and green as more than 100 Santas, elves and grinches churned through the water on their summer sleighs for charity on Sunday. The annual Santa Jetski Ride raises funds and awareness for the charity...

FEATHER IN HER CAP

Australian Paralympic champion Alexa Leary is a world record Para-swimmer, gold medallist — and now a New York marathoner

GUNMAN ATTEMPS BREAK-IN

Two men armed with a gun and meat cleaver have spent more than six minutes trying to break into a Mermaid Water home as police hunt the offenders. The terrifying incident unfolded at a Kurrawa Ave property around 3.25am on Wednesday. The property...

YOU GET A CAR

A Gold Coast councillor who won a car in a raffle on the council corporate credit card has vowed to gift it back to charity weeks after her name was pulled from the barrel. Southport councillor Brooke Patterson wants to gain backing from colleagues to...

LOVED TEEN KILLED IN WORKPLACE TRAGEDY

A teenage boy is being remembered as a cherished son and beloved friend after he died in a freak workplace accident on the Gold Coast. Beau Bradford was working at a construction site at Surfers Paradise about 7am on Monday when he was struck by a...

ON CLOUD NINE AS AIRSHOW RETURNS

The Pacific Airshow will return bigger and better to the Gold Coast in 2026 after the August event was sensationally cancelled due to beach erosion from Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The event will be held on the Surfers Paradise shoreline from August...

RAINBOW BAY BOOM

Developers are reporting strong sales of their Rainbow Bay towers, with new units which sold less than five years ago doubling in value. The Gold Coast’s southern most precinct has been a hub of development in the post-Covid era.

NATIONAL CRISIS MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IS BROKEN: EXPERTS

A state investigation into youth mental health care on the Gold Coast — triggered by the death of Giaan Ramsay — is a red flag that Australia’s system is in total meltdown, experts warn. As investigators this week met with the parents of Giaan, the...

SURF SUITS THE CAUSE

Gold Coast businesses will swap their suits and ties for board shorts and a surfboard to raise money for a devastating muscle-wasting disease. Club Wyndham Corporate Surf Challenge will be held on November 28 at The Spit at Main Beach. The event will...

FLIGHT RISK

A furore has erupted within Gold Coast City Council after Mayor Tom Tate (right) was approved to travel to the Winter Olympics in northeast Italy and chief executive Tim Baker (left) billed ratepayers for a US technology conference as part of...

SCHOOLIES SEX UNI

Two well-known sex workers say they are bringing “real life” sexual education to Schoolies on the Gold Coast. But an academic warned the stunts risked normalising “porn culture”.

FIVE NEAR MISSES

In the weeks before the Sea World helicopter crash that killed four people, investigators claim there had been multiple near collisions, raising fresh questions about safety procedures. The long-awaited public inquest into the deadly crash opened in...

SUMMER OF FUN

More than 15,000 Schoolies have hit Surfers Paradise over the weekend with police, paramedics and Red Frogs volunteers out in force to keep party goers safe. Thousands celebrated on the sand on Saturday night for the official Schoolies events before...

‘APPALLING’ DV HISTORY

A Queensland man who was involved in a crash that killed his three-year-old son last month has been jailed for a string of “appalling” domestic violence bashings against the little boy’s mum. Beenleigh’s Samuel Ian Paterson, 24, appeared in Southport...

RESORT’S BOOST

A new eco resort on South Stradbroke Island and an adventure hub featuring Australia’s longest zip line are one step closer to becoming reality after securing council backing. The push to supercharge the Gold Coast’s nature-based tourism offerings is...

DECISION PARKED

The 7am early start for paid parking across prime Gold Coast parking spots such as Burleigh Heads has been overturned.

PALMY HEIGHT REVIEW

Building heights on the beachfront at Palm Beach could be reduced back from 13 to four floors, under a proposed planning change to be investigated by the City. The move came during an update on the new City Plan where Councillor Josh Martin was backed...

SHINING A LIGHT FOR GIAAN

The state government has launched an investigation into Child Youth Mental Health Services on the Gold Coast following a number of teen deaths and claims of patient mistreatment. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the state’s Chief Psychiatrist will...

BEAT OF THE ARTS

Sia’s powerhouse vocals met pirouettes and pliés on Thursday night as Queensland Ballet’s world premiere of Elastic Hearts landed at Home Of The Arts (HOTA). The high-energy fusion of pop music and contemporary dance reimagines the global sensation’s...

BATTING ABOVE

Young Gold Coast cricketers have been bowled over by legends on the sand ahead of Thursday’s historic T20I match on the Gold Coast. Steve Waugh, Shane Watson, Michael Kasprowicz and Matt Short joined aspiring youngsters at Kurrawa Beach on Wednesday,...

KOOKABURRA LANDS ON BRIDE DURING WEDDING

E-BIKE DEATH TRAP

A furious Mayor Tom Tate has accused the state government of “diminished leadership” for refusing to fast-track its response to Queensland’s e-bike crisis.

PREMIUM PAINS

As cost of living continues to soar, Gold Coast businesses are being slugged with rising insurance premiums. Co-owner of Kynd Hair Collective in Varsity Lakes, Debra Bailey, said her business insurance premium had doubled in recent years to $800 a...

LOVE SAVES PARADISE

This is a love story. It starts in 1980 when a young Peter Gash first set eyes on Lady Elliot Island – a coral cay on the southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef. He fell in love – with the island, and with a 16-year-old scuba diver called Julie...

HAUNTED HUNT BEGINS

Whether it’s a trick or a treat, Paradise Centre is the heart of Halloween on the Gold Coast. The Surfers Paradise centre will tomorrow open its doors to host the familyfriendly Paradise Pumpkin Hunt, alongside the grand opening of Door Seven – a...

FINALLY FOR SALE

The Sultan of Brunei is finally selling his giant Surfers Paradise property (inset) after nearly 30 years and never turning the sod on a tower. The Sultan, who bought the longvacant site in 1997, has ignored all calls to redevelop it, including...

HOMES ON THE VERGE

More than 500 Gold Coast properties will be impacted as the City resumes land to widen roads in a bid to ease traffic gridlock. At least two petitions have been lodged with the biggest protest from about 800 residents at Burleigh Heads.

MERMAID’S TALE MAKES BIG WAVES STORY, P7

A real-life “mermaid” who has swum through rubbishfilled waters overseas has penned a children’s book to help make waves back home. Professional free diver, marine activist and children’s entertainer Teneille Douglas, 39, was inspired to write Aussie...

LET’S BACK AUSTRALIA

A $100 a week spend on Aussie-made products could generate $16bn a year and create 40,000 jobs according to new research for a campaign which launches today and is supported by some of Australia’s most iconic businesses.

TREATED LIKE A PRISONER

A 25-year-old woman is speaking out after spending five years trapped in the health system, where she claims she was locked away, forced to clean her own vomit off the floor, strip-searched and refused family visitations.

LET THE RACING BEGIN

New data indicates light rail will deliver millions of passengers each year to the new Burleigh Heads terminus, evidence that the opposition said showed Gold Coasters “love light rail”. The state opposition sought to obtain figures that could shed...

TRAINER’S SHOCK METHOD

A Gold Coast dog trainer has defended his use of e-collars as a training aid as a former client shares what they allege was a “horrendous” experience. A group of local dog trainers have questioned the methods of Happy Dog Training owner Mike Snell.

BUSES DRIVE SHOCK COSTS

The state government is facing a $1bn-plus bill to build eastwest public transport corridors on the Gold Coast before the 2032 Olympics, according to cost estimates. A review locks the government into upgrading two key corridors with a “high frequency...

CRACKS START TO SHOW

The opening of the $3.5bn Coomera Connector motorway has been delayed after the shock discovery of cracks in a newly built bridge. State Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg was unable to say when the road would open to the public.

A LITTLE BIT O’ COUNTRY

The Gold Coast’s premier country music festival, Groundwater, has concluded with a bang, with headlining act Troy Cassar-Daley thrilled with the 2025 edition. “Closing at the show was amazing and to be able to see Surf Pde full like that after so many...

INVOLUNTARY REACTION

Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls (right) says he is “concerned” by recent allegations raised by families of young mental health patients treated by the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service. It comes as Queensland Mental Health Commissioner...

ABERRANT BEHAVIOUR

The mother of a star Broncos player facing three counts of manslaughter was displaying unusual behaviour in the lead up to a horrific collision on the Gold Coast, a court has heard. Uiatu “Joan” Taufua is accused of killing three people.

PARLOUR GAMES

A massage parlour promising “erotic” experiences with “sexy girls” has set up shop in a quiet Gold Coast shopping strip, sandwiched between a medical centre and a family pizza restaurant. The parlour opened in the quiet suburban strip in Carrara...

$500M DEVELOPMENT COMING TO MIAMI

An ultra-luxury $500m residential development on the Miami foreshore has been given the green light. Construction of the 45-unit NALU development from Monaco Property Group will begin in the new year, replacing the famous 1960s-era Nobby’s Outlook...

WE’VE GOT MUSCLE POWER

The Gold Coast has secured another major swimming coup in the lead-up to the 2032 Games, with the 2026 World Para Series to be held in the city in February next year. The competition, to be held at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, will attract the...

RISING TIDE

City leaders say the southern Gold Coast’s development boom will ramp up, rather than wind back, despite the axing of light rail stage four. Mayor Tom Tate and Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel say the need for housing to cope with a population heading towards...

‘SAY WHAT I COULDN’T’

A teenager's haunting final words to her sister – "don’t let me be forgotten, don’t let my strength go to waste. Be what I couldn’t, say what I couldn’t" – have exposed shocking claims about Queensland’s mental health system. Today the Bulletin...