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Suburb Profiles
Ashmore 4214
Ashmore is located about nine kilometres from Surfers Paradise and has become one of the most diverse residential suburbs of the Gold Coast, offering everything from acreage homes to villas.
Ashmore’s central location, between Southport and Benowa, offers local residents quick and easy access to the Gold Coast’s beaches, the CBD, the Pacific Motorway and the rail link.
A feature of the area is its undulating hills that allow some of the homes good views to Surfers; the hinterland; and even Royal Pines Golf Course.
The suburb boasts tree-lined streets, a variety of architecture, proximity to shopping centres and schools, and a diversity of lifestyles.
Ashmore was developed in the early ’70s and ’80s to meet the demand for traditional quarter acre residential homes of that era. Since then Ashmore has come to offer acreage homes, quarter acre homes, zero lot line homes, villas, townhouses as well as deluxe resort style housing at The Royal Pines Estate.
The most prominent lifestyle in the area is that of the family, with seven schools located in the vicinity. Among them are Ashmore and Bellevue Park State Primary, Trinity Lutheran Primary, Keebra State High and Aquinas Catholic College.
The family orientated lifestyle is balanced with a solid retiree population. There are three retirement/aged care facilities in the area including: the Ashmore Lodge, Domain Retirement Country Club and Amity Gardens.
Adding to Ashmore’s attraction is its proximity to Ashmore Plaza and the Ashmore City Shopping Complex.
Centrally located, it is a five-minute drive to Australia Fair Shopping Centre and the Centro Southport shopping complex.
Over the years, Ashmore has been a solid performer in terms of price growth and popularity.
This trend is expected to be further strengthened by the continued interstate migration of families from the Southern States who are looking for a more affordable lifestyle, which Ashmore can offer.
Labrador 4215
Once regarded as the best kept secrets on the Gold Coast, Labrador’s first class water facilities and beautiful shore-lined parks have now brought the area very much into the limelight.
Centrally located, Labrador provides a beachfront lifestyle with close proximity to Griffith University and Surfers Paradise.The Broadwater has excellent access areas to the water for windsurfing, sailing, para-flying, jet-skiing, boating, fishing and swimming – making this once sleepy suburb a popular retreat for holidaymakers.Although there is no absolute beachfront property in Labrador, apartments and houses along Marine Parade offer beautiful views over the Broadwater. New developments are slowly moving in providing some excellent quality accommodation apartments for investors and rentals.
Just minutes from Helensvale train station and the Pacific Motorway, Labrador is also serviced by Surfside Buslines.
No vacant land remains in Labrador, with older homes now being replaced with newer developments. This is providing a significant facelift for the area which continues to grow in popularity.
Not only do locals enjoy the café culture of Tedder Avenue, but it is also a popular hangout for visiting international and Australian celebrities, with many a famous face and expensive sports car spotted along the renowned restaurant strip.
Main Beach was the talk of the town early this year (2005) when a humble two-storey beach shack on 963 square metres of prime Main Beach beachfront sold to a mystery buyer for $13 million moments before it was due to be auctioned, in what is thought to be a record for a Queensland residential property.
Many wealthy personalities and retirees own second residences at Main Beach – further evidence of the desirability of this location.
With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Nerang River Broadwater on the other, this suburb has no more room to expand which explains the premium price tags attached to Main Beach properties.
The median house price for Main Beach rose by 194.4 per cent in the five years to March, with the year to March recording a median of $1,325,000 – considerably higher than the wider Gold Coast’s median of $345,000 for the same period.
Units and townhouses have also grown in value, climbing by 53.8 per cent in the five years to March. The median price achieved for a unit/townhouse in the March quarter was $458,750 – again ahead of the wider city’s median of $260,000.
Main Beach recorded a rental yield of 3.4 per cent for units and townhouses over the March quarter, less than the Gold Coast’s rental return of 4.8 per cent.
According to the 2001 Census, there were 30,416 people living in the Surfers Paradise region which includes Main Beach. The median age was 40, compared to the wider Gold Coast’s median age of 38.
The median individual income was between $400 and $499 – less than the city’s median of between $600 and $699.
Of all occupied private dwellings, 32.4 per cent were either fully owned or being purchased and 39.5 per cent were being rented.
Sea World is located at Main Beach, along with the acclaimed Marina Mirage shopping complex, Sheraton Mirage and the world’s first Palazzo Versace. North of Main Beach is The Spit where dune vegetation exists in its natural state.
Breathtaking views have been capitalised on by developers who have built a number of high-rises to the east of Tedder Avenue. However, high-rise development is prohibited to the west, with stunning homes, villas and townhouses featured here instead.
Surfers Paradise has been at the centre of major development of the Gold Coast throughout the past 30 years and while development has spread north and south, it remains the heart of the Gold Coast.
With inauspicious beginnings as a place called Elston, Surfers Paradise has continued to flourish since the introduction of the Surfers Paradise Hotel by Jim Cavill in 1925.
Occupying a relatively narrow stretch of land across the Nerang River from Southport, Surfers Paradise is one of the most famous beaches in Australia.
Riverside subdivisions in 1949 brought a number of restaurants, boutiques, specialist gift shops, and a cosmopolitan population to the area.
By 1960 central Surfers Paradise could boast its first high-rise apartment block, Kinkabool, and within seven years the now-familiar skyline of apartment buildings was visible from a distance.
Surfers Paradise has a diverse population of around 20,000 people, comprising of families, couples and retirees. The population grows enormously during peak tourist seasons allowing the Gold Coast tourism market to provide a dynamic employment base for residents.
Following the trend toward inner-city living, the area has enjoyed a resurgence of interest and demand for centrally located properties.
Attracting more than four million visitors each year, this world famous suburb is home to the world’s tallest residential tower Q1. This 80 level landmark reaches 322 metres in the sky capturing breathtaking ocean and hinterland views. The Hiton Surfers Paradise Hotel and Residences is one of the suburb’s newest developments and is due to be completed in 2010.
With development sites few and far between and given the continuing demand for centrally located properties, increased interstate migration and the continual upgrading of the Surfers Paradise retail precinct, the future of residential investment in the area looks bright.