Gold Coast night life booming, outer suburbs population exploding with party-goers
WE sent out our journalists to check out the nightlife at the Gold Coast’s most popular precincts. So which areas are booming — and which are faltering?
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GOLD Coasters are no longer travelling for a good night out, they’re deciding now to play in their own backyards.
The gentrification of the outer ’burbs has opened up more options for locals scouting their perfect night out.
Restaurant Industry Support Group Gold Coast president Glen Day said “the smarter people have opened up restaurants in the suburbs”.
“If people are on to a good thing, everyone wants to be there,” he said.
“A lot of the places once seen as the smaller suburbs, are now becoming dining precincts, with more and more restaurants establishing themselves.”
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Recent data from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation shows that growth in the number of restaurants in the suburbs is far outstripping that of Main Beach, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach – places once considered the Coast’s main dining precincts.
According to the data the number of restaurants in the three hubs jumped from 266 in 2010 to 314 in 2017, a growth rate of 18 per cent.
However, in the same time the number of dining choices in the suburbs exploded from 314 to 553, a growth rate of an astonishing 76 per cent.
“People are finding them a lot more casual and convenient than going into Surfers or Broadbeach,” he said.
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“But it’s a very competitive world. I think we have far too many restaurants for the population, considering there’s only really one peak time over Christmas. Where numbers jump from 500,000 to two million.
“The suburbs will continue to surge, until they get too saturated with restaurants, and places start shutting down.
“But good luck to the people who find the right spot, and find the right method.”
Surfers Paradise Alliance CEO Mike Winlaw said the “landscape” in Surfers Paradise was changing regarding its night-time offering going more up-market and a lot more variety, dragging in tourists and residents alike.
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Mr Winlaw said stretching from the Crown Plaza to the Marriott Surfers Paradise contained about half the city’s hotel rooms and the night economy was crucial to that.
“People don’t appreciate the night economy and its importance and it does come back to the hotel rooms. People do want to come and stay, go out, have fun and party and it’s part of the puzzle to ensure we continue to boost tourism numbers.
“The landscape is changing too, there are more boutique bars.”
House of Brews owner Sacha Kanaghines said venues packed out when SPA put on quality free entertainment such as Seafire international fireworks display two weeks ago and Surfers Paradise LIVE music festival headlined this year by Jimmy Barnes.
“There should be more of that. Anything family friendly and free that SPA puts on only boosts Surfers Paradise as a destination. It should just be continuous conversation, event to event to event.”
Mr Kanaghines, who launched House of Brews on the party strip three years ago, said Surfers was still stigmatised to a degree by Gold Coasters with an outdated view of it: “But people who come in realise it’s different. It’s a far gentler place than it was five years ago.
“I love Surfers right now. I’m having a great time in here. The police have cleaned it up”
The new dining hubs are certainly causing a stir across the board, but Mr Winlaw said he believes it will only bolster the Glitter Strip, and its potential.
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“It just adds to the diversity of entertainment offerings here on the Gold Coast. The city has always been recognised as a series of villages from Coomera to Coolangatta — so I don’t see any support for the local economy as a bad thing.”
PALM BEACH:
By Michael Saunders
“WE’RE busier than ever”.
That is the overwhelming statement from restaurant and bar staff at a number of Palm Beach establishments.
In the recent years the once quiet beachside suburb has flourished into night-life hotspot with bars, cafes and restaurants popping up on every corner.
Balboa manager Giergia Zanzani said patronage has been high since the Italian restaurant opening 18 months ago.
She said diners often need to book as far as three weeks out to secure a table at the venue.
“It has been steady the entire time since we opened up and it looks to be even busier than this time last year,” Ms Zanzani said.
“It is pretty busy all around Palm Beach because more restaurants have opened up which us bringing people to different places. There are a lot of choices and it is a nice place to be.”
Across the road at multi-restaurant venue The Collective, tables were booked out and crowds were bustling to take advantage of the open-planned space.
“We were pretty quiet during the Commonwealth Games but it has picked right up and is back to booking out,” said one venue manager.
“Most of our customers are locals but we do get the odd group who make the trip here from Brisbane and up north.”
Just north of the Collective, groups can be seen walking between some of Palm Beach’s newest watering holes including Wildernis, 8th Avenue and The Scottish Prince whiskey bar.
“This is the quietest time of the year but we still average about 100 people a night during the weekends,” Scottish Prince head bartender Luke Kelly said.
“The weekdays can be quiet but on the whole our patronage has been steady. We have some loyal locals.”
SURFERS PARADISE:
By Ryan Keen
VISITORS from Sydney Lauren Holland, 23, and Ann-Kathrin Scheider, 32, are at Surfers Paradise institution the Avenue — not for the first time this week.
It’s 11pm on Saturday night and the venue along with the rest of Orchid Avenue’s party strip is bustling with patrons.
The Sydneysiders have been on the Gold Coast a fortnight and it’s their fourth night bar-hopping in Surfers. The only problem they are having is deciding where to try next.
“This is the night-life hub and it’s a good place to go out. I want to try Bedroom,” Miss Holland says enthusiastically.
“There is a lot of variety. In Sydney you can walk a kilometre and find one club. Here there are a lot of options, no big lines like Sydney and safety wise, it’s 100 per cent fine.”
Beside them are Bond University rugby players Lachlan Connors and Josh Flatley, both 18, who have just watched the Wallabies versus Ireland at nearby Landsdowne Road Irish Tavern before relocating — Mr Connors says compared to the Brisbane bar scene “it seems be people of all ages out here whereas Brisbane it’s just people in their 20s”.
Avenue manager Shannon Surch, a born-and-bred Gold Coaster, says he loves the precinct and after years of construction impacts with light rail plus the Soul and Hilton towers, it is making a comeback.
“There are so many different venues catering to so many different people now.”
Nearby Central bar has a decent crowd, mostly local with a sprinkling of visitors, and promotions boss Sam Gostelow said for a colder time of year the precinct was busy
He believes light rail access, new development and the mix of venues have Surfers “looking really good” — while Usain Bolt’s five nights in a row at Sin City nightclub during the Commonwealth Games did wonders for the party precinct’s reputation.
“We are doing really good numbers of people through the doors.”
BROADBEACH:
By Amanda Robbemond
BROADBEACH just doesn’t do it for Gold Coast locals anymore.
It’s a Saturday night at 8pm and the precinct is a “deadzone,” according to local restaurant owner Camille Khoury.
Owner of decade-old institution Max Seafood Restaurant on Victoria Avenue Mr Khoury said he was down to 30 per cent of his usual numbers compared to the same time last year.
“And after Blues on Broadbeach it’s a deadzone, conferences drop … and it’s the end of the financial year,” he said.
“We’re down to 30 per cent, and that’s only because I’ve got regulars.”
He’s not alone. Across Broadbeach restaurants are only half full.
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Only a handful of restaurants seem to be pulling in the customers, including Koi, The Loose Moose, Moo Moo Bar and Grill, Mamasan Kitchen and Bar and Harajuku Gyoza.
It doesn’t get better as the night wears on, with a bar owner, who declined to be identified, confirming on Friday night they had made just $500. They used to make $10,000.
“Broadbeach is dead,” she said, adding the only customers she had tonight were regulars and friends.
“When the road closed that’s when everything started to go south. People just stopped coming here.”
Locals were also disappointed with how Broadbeach was faring, with Jodie Sheppard of Nerang out for the night to celebrate her birthday with friends.
“I think even tonight there’s not many people for a Saturday,” she said.
“Broadbeach doesn’t seem to have as much (events) every weekend like Surfers Paradise.”
The only solace is that tourists tended to think Broadbeach was pumping — and continued to come back. A number of people out and about were older return tourists.
Younger tourists were left wondering why restaurants had already shut and where the bars were.
NOBBY BEACH:
By Sally Coates
COMPARED to the other entertainment precincts on the Coast, Nobby Beach is tiny, but of a night-time it packs a serious punch.
People travel from north, south and west to hit the array of dining and drinking destinations, of which there are a huge variety.
You’ve got chilled bars Nobbys Arc, Bine Bar and Mexicali that pack out with people who went for an afternoon beer and accidentally (but gladly) stayed a little too long.
Cambus Wallace has no trouble hitting capacity, the big wooden doors hiding a world of raucous rum appreciation.
There are top notch, award-winning eateries Fire Cue, Gemellini and Sparrow, who serve up some of the best food on the Coast — and Queensland if the Delicious. 100 is anything to go by (it is) — and lead the way in the cocktail revolution.
Then there’s Hellenika, a two tier restaurant and bar with such a presence it has changed the Gold Coast for good.
General manager Theo Kampolis says the strip overall reminds him of home in Europe, where young and old come together and everyone bonds over food and drink.
“It reminds me a lot of Europe — you have the Italian, Mexican, Greek, relaxed places, high quality places all within a hundred metres of each other,” he said.
“And it doesn’t matter who you’re with, or if you are alone, you’ll always find a friend.”
BURLEIGH HEADS:
By Nicholas McElroy
Burleigh Heads has well and truly picked up on a global trend of partying where you live.
On most weekends bars, restaurants and pubs in the Gold Coast hamlet are as packed as the small units which surround the famous headland the suburb is named after.
If you ask Scott Imlach, owner of Nightjar in a back alley parallel with James Street, Burleigh is busier than Broadbeach most nights.
“Some nights seem busier than Broadbeach, but that’s not to bag Broadbeach but it only takes about 100 people to pack out a venue (in Burleigh),” Mr Imlach said.
He said precinct from the Miami Shark Bar south to Ze Pickle in the north, enjoy a strong local patronage.
“People feel a lot safer in their own neighbourhood, a $10 cab fare makes it a lot easier too,” Mr Imlach said.
“Midnight closing times don’t seem to phase many people either, nothing good happens after 12am.
“It this is happening all around the world and the Gold Coast is finally starting to catch up.
“Burleigh is such a trendy little area and most people walk to where the go out, it’s something the Gold Coast has been missing.”
COOLANGATTA:
By Campbell Gellie
COOLANGATTA was bulging at the sides over the weekend as Cooly Rocks On attracted thousands of people with red bandannas, lipstick and polka dot dresses.
Cooly Hotel manager Mike Jenkins was busy on Saturday night with a pub that was full all day.
“There are a lot of locals here too,” he said.
“These events are good especially during the winter when there aren’t as many tourists around.”
He said generally business had been steady, buoyed by a constant flow of locals.
“Winter hits business on the Gold Coast a little bit, numbers do drop when the temperature drops below 22 degrees because everyone gets cold,” he said.
“But we have a good crew of locals that keep us moving along quite well, a good reputation, plus it helps we are an institution that has been here for a long time.”
Selfish at The Strand owner Adrian Wright said business from Cooly Rocks On was good for restauranteurs after what felt like a long quiet period.
He said because of the disruption from the Commonwealth Games which started in February there was a perception business wasn’t as good as it usually is.
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“Typically we have a busy Easter and then a quite period, things pick up a little but during the July school holidays which tie us through to September,” he said.
“But this year because we didn’t have the big Easter and school holidays, it feels like it has been quiet for a long time.”
However, after lunching in Broadbeach he said Coolangatta restaurateurs were in a better position.
“We still have a steady flow of customers for lunch and then dinner, although they are coming in earlier now,” he said.
“I think Coolangatta is still growing at about 5 per cent each year and by September it will be back to normal.”
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