FAQs

The Gold Coast boasts an impressive 400km of canal foreshores, over 140 urban lakes & wetlands and 52km of ocean beaches and foreshore parklands which draw millions of visitors to the city every year. Our coastal lifestyle supports a significant component of the regional economy and has earned the city an enviable reputation as both a premier tourist destination and a highly sought-after place to live.  

As the population of the Gold Coast and surrounding areas continues to grow, the demand on our beaches, foreshore parks, canals and lakes is increasing, and there is a growing diversity of uses and community expectations around available space. These demands put pressure on our coastal places, impacting our available recreational space, environmental health, cultural identity, economy and tourism of the Gold Coast.

A 10-year strategic plan will ensure these areas are well managed, enhanced and resilient. The new strategy will outline a vision to guide investment and major projects over the next decade and beyond.

The new strategy includes beaches, canals, lakes and adjacent foreshore parks (including parks on natural waterways).

Natural waterways are outside the scope of the new strategy.

There are some coastal areas that are managed by the state Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA). While we work closely with our state counterparts, the following areas are outside the scope of the City strategy:

• Gold Coast tidal waterways – creeks, rivers, and Broadwater

• Parts of South Stradbroke Island
• Wavebreak Island
• Doug Jennings Park at The Spit

GCWA is developing a Waterways Place Strategy to facilitate future planning and investment decision-making in these areas.

Millions of people visit our beaches, canals, lakes and foreshore parks every year. To create the best coastal lifestyle for our residents, we need to understand what residents value about these areas, how they want to use these areas, and how they can be enhanced to suit the needs of our community.

We’ll collate the community feedback and draft a new strategy. We’ll be reaching out to our community stakeholders again in September to get their feedback about the draft strategy and make any necessary changes based on this input. At the end of the year we’ll take the new strategy to Council for endorsement. 

If you’ve would like to be consulted as part of our second round of engagement about the draft strategy, please provide your email address at the end of the GC Have Your Say survey (open 14 May-10 June) so we can reach you again via email.

We’ll be updating this page on the City of Gold Coast website with the latest news about the Our Coastal Lifestyle Strategy.

Email the City’s Beaches and Waterways team at beaches@goldcoast.qld.gov.au