Suburb of the Month SOUTHPORT, QLD

Suburb of the Month SOUTHPORT, 4215

Location

Southport is a suburb and a business district near the mid-point of the Gold Coast and has one of the city's largest communities. It is located approximately 75 km south-east of the Brisbane CBD and only 9 km east of Nerang.

Description

Southport was so named because it was the southernmost port of the colony of Queensland. Once the traditional central entertainment location of the Gold Coast, Southport has become more settled in recent decades and is now the business centre of the Gold Coast. It is still a well patronised tourist mecca and much of its development and extraordinary growth is tourist driven.

Facilities

Southport has a range of schools which include a public primary school, a public secondary school, Aquinas Catholic College, Guardian Angels Catholic Primary and St. Hilda’s private school. It is also home to the Gold Coast campus of Griffith University which includes the large Gold Coast Athletics Track. For leisure and recreation there is a leagues club, a junior rugby club and a gymnastics club all based within Owen Park.

There is also the extensive Ned Twohill Equestrian Centre as well as a number of parks and reserves which have playgrounds and picnic facilities. Southport is home to the Gold Coast Pistol Club. Australia Fair is the local spot for shopping and is an extensive mall, with supermarkets, department stores, specialty shops and cinemas. There are two hospitals within Southport – Pacific Private Hospital and the Gold Coast Hospital – catering to a range of medical needs.      

Industry and Employment

The local university campus and various schools provide a number of residents with employment in education and administrative positions. Southport is the centre of business on the Gold Coast and accordingly, a large portion of its residents are employed in professional, white collar jobs such as in banking, insurance, accounting and consultancy positions.

Some residents are employed by the Gold Coast’s thriving tourist industry working as tour operators, in hotels, motels, recreation and amusement venues, restaurants and bars. Other Southport residents are employed in retail in local malls and shopping centres.

Population

The population of Southport at the time of the 2006 census was 24,105 which represented a 1% increase from the 2001 census. The predominant age group in Southport is 20-29 years.

Housing Market

There are 6,125 houses and 9,882 units in Southport, for a total of 16,007 dwellings.

Residex Statistics