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Coast history
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Gold Coast HistoryThe original Aboriginal tribe in the Gold Coast region were the Kom-bumerris. They referred to the area as Kurrungul, which is said to translate into an abundance of hardwood for boomerangs. Many of their camps were in the Bundall area because of supplies of fresh water. Captain James Cook passed this coast in 1770 and named Point Danger and Mount Warning. European settlement of the Gold Coast began in the mid 1800's, with the arrival of timber getters harvesting much prized cedar from the abundant rainforests. They were followed by small groups of workers managing pastoral leases. By 1876, Gold Coast commercial development had begun with the establishment of cotton and sugar plantations and Nerang was the first small township, boasting postal services, a school and a hotel. The town served the needs of a rural population of farmers and timber workers and was a railhead for their produce and supplies after the town was, along with Southport, linked to the railway in 1889. In the early years Nerang was an administrative centre for the region with a courthouse, police station, and meeting place for local councillors. Southport was established as a town in 1902, boasting a population of 1230, and gradually assumed many of these roles and Nerang survived quietly as a picturesque centre of the hinterland. Southport became not only a resort town, but the business centre of the South Coast. Hotels sprang up to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. In 1903, the railway extension from Nerang to Coolangatta and Tweed Heads was completed. By 1904 the first settlers were putting down roots on the hinterland plateau and by 1911, the first school started at Springbrook, enrolling 15 children. In 1915 the land that eventually becomes the central business district of Surfers Paradise was offered for auction and at around the same time 19,000 hectares of rainforest hinterland was proclaimed as the Lamington National Park. In 1925 Jim Cavill built the Surfers Paradise Hotel which 'stood in four acres of garden with a private zoo'. At the southern end of the coast the town of Coolangatta, named after the schooner wrecked in 1846, had been established since 1914, and together with Southport became known as South Coast in December 1948. The first Australian Surf Championships in Queensland were held at Southport and Coolangatta beaches in 1947 and by 1949 Paula Stafford had launched her daring two-piece bathing suits that become known to the world as the bikini. The name 'Gold Coast' was first used by Brisbane newspapers in the late 1940s when referring to real estate investment opportunities on what was then known as the South Coast. By 1959 this lucrative coastal strip was officially known as 'Gold Coast City'. By 1965, the Meter Maid scheme began, with Annette Welch being the first bikini-clad meter maid. In 1972, Sea World opened as the first of the theme parks and Gold Coast tourism was well and truly on its way to becoming the thriving business that we know today. By 1995 the Gold Coast City area has become the seventh largest city, and one of the fastest growing, in Australia. Visitors to the Gold Coast can revisit the historic sites via the many sign posted routes and one of the best ways to do this is with a Gold Coast rental car.
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