GOLD COAST GEOGRAPHY

Its location makes for the perfect subtropical climate, with a mild average temperature all year long. The coast gets around 246 days of warm, sunny weather a year, with an average high of 75 °F, and an average low of 52 °F. Rainfall averages 55 inches per year. Gold Coast is known for it’s practically year round, beach vacation weather. The mountain regions are slightly colder with an average temperature drop of 10-15 ° from the coastal temps.

The Gold Coast hinterland is a mixture of many mountain ranges including the Tweed Range, and the Nimmel Range. There is also flat, green wetland, and numerous creeks and rivers. This area has many mountains, some of the highest being Mount Cougal, and Springbrook Mountain. This mountainous area is part of the Great Dividing Range, which is the fourth longest mountain range in the world. Numerous rivers and creeks also flow throughout the hinterland, including Coomera River, and Tallebudgera Creek, with the most important river being the Nerang River, which is widely used for trade.

The city is also home to many national parks, including Lamington National Park. The natural heritage of the park makes it one of the most popular in Queensland. It features caves, waterfalls, mountain views, rainforests, and an array of wildlife. The park’s alluring rainforests include one of the biggest upland subtropical rainforests in the world, and has been listed as a World Heritage area for, "outstanding geological features displayed around shield volcanic craters and the high number of rare and threatened rainforest species. “

Off Pacific Highway is another national park known as Springbrook National Park. Springbrook is filled with dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, and striking views over the Tweed Valley. It features a unique geological formation called the Natural Bridge section, which is a naturally formed rock arch over Cave Creek. It took thousands of years to form, by the continuous movement of the waterfall hitting the rock.

We would like to extend a big thankyou to Coolangatta Accommodation and Burleigh Heads Accommodation who provided us with our outstanding hotels during our school research excursion.

Take a 45-minute drive from the parks and mountains and enter some of the worlds most beautiful, surf-friendly beaches. The city has 35 miles of coastline; Main Beach, The Spit, and Surfers Paradise are just a few of the many beaches that the Gold Coast is famous for. White sand and clear blue water also makes this a top tourist destination all year round. There are also a multitude of beaches off the over 530 miles of passable tidal waterways. The Gold Coast Seaway is the main navigation entrance from the Pacific Ocean into the Gold Coast harbor.

In between the beaches and mountains, there are waterways throughout the city center, with waterfront canal living. There are well over 500 miles of waterfront housing in the city of Gold Coast. The scores of lakes and over 250 miles of manufactured canals shape the network of waterways. Lakes and canals are living waterways, which react to changes in the environment, including natural events affecting the climate, weather and tides, and human influence such as nutrients, pollutants and recreational use.