Blackman draws on original material and the work of many earlier researchers to paint a verbal picture of the evolution of a remarkable city. In an easy-to-read style, he highlights some of the conditions, key events, and individuals that have led to the development of Australia’s Gold Coast. The story of the City of Gold Coast is more than just any story. It describes the growth of Australia’s sixth-largest city, the nation’s most populous city that is not a state capital. A city of more than 600,000, it has grown at a rate of four per cent yearly since the 1950s. It sustains a growth rate well ahead of its infrastructure and its economy’s capacity to provide full-time employment to the many new arrivals. A city heavily reliant on tourism and construction, it is regularly subjected to the boom and bust of a fickle world economy. But it continues to expand and evolve. And, like so many coastal towns worldwide, this Gold Coast may soon be threatened by the tides. This book is essential for students, researchers, anyone interested in industry and urban development and those seeking to understand the city where they live, work, and play.

"Blackman draws on original material and the work of many earlier researchers to paint a verbal picture of the evolution of a remarkable city. In an easy-to-read style, Blackman highlights some of the conditions, key events, and individuals that have led to the development of Australia's Gold Coast. The story of the City of Gold Coast is not just any story. It describes the growth of Australia's sixth-largest city and the nation's most populous that is not a state capital. A city of more than six hundred thousand, it has grown at a rate of four per cent yearly since the 1950s. It sustains a growth rate well ahead of its infrastructure and economy's capacity to provide full-time employment annually to the many new arrivals. A city heavily reliant on tourism and construction, it is regularly subjected to the boom and bust of a fickle world economy. But it continues to expand and evolve. And, like so many coastal towns worldwide, this Gold Coast may soon be threatened by the tides. This book is essential for students, researchers, anyone interested in industry and urban development and those seeking to understand the city where they live, work, and play"--

A property developer recounts the how the Gold Coast area has grown since the 1960's, and what issues it will face in the coming decades.

Hollywood films and television programs are watched by a global audience. While many of these productions are still made in southern-California, the last twenty years have seen new production centres emerge in the US, Canada and other locations worldwide. Global Hollywood has been made possible by this growing number of Local Hollywoods: locations equipped with the requisite facilities, resources and labour, as well as the political will and tax incentives, to attract and retain high-budget, Hollywood-standard projects. This book gives an unprecedented insight into how the Gold Coast became the first outpost of Hollywood in Australia. When a combination of forces drove studios and producers to work outside California, the Gold Coast's unique blend of government tax support, innovative entrepreneurs and diverse natural settings made it a perfect choice to host Hollywood productions. Local Hollywood makes an essential contribution to the field of film and media studies, as well as giving movie buffs a behind-the-scenes tour of the film industry. Book jacket.

The Gold Coast is a well-known and loved destination for local and international tourists, a city of surf and sun, pleasure and leisure. However, it is also one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, occupying the largest urban footprint outside the state capitals. How did the Gold Coast come to be what it is today? Off the Plan is the first in-depth, multidisciplinary academic study on the urbanisation and development of the Gold Coast. It addresses the historical circumstances, both accidental and intentional, that led to the Gold Coast’s infamous transition from a collection of settlements unburdened by planning regulations or a city centre to become Australia’s sixth largest city. With chapters on tourism, environment, media, architecture, governance and politics, planning, transportation, real estate development and demographics, Off the Plan demonstrates the importance that historical analysis has in understanding present-day planning problems and the value of the Gold Coast as a model for the rapidly evolving western city.

Relates how the Gold Rush in California led Edward Hargraves to discover gold in Australia and traces the subsequent frantic period of Australian history.