20 CCTV cameras installed throughout Gold Coast CBD and suburb

TWENTY CCTV cameras have been installed along a busy Varsity Lakes road two years after a daylight brawl between bikie gangs armed with baseball bats.

TWENTY CCTV cameras have been installed along a busy Varsity Lakes road two years after a daylight brawl between bikie gangs armed with baseball bats.

Scattered across Lake Street and Varsity Parade and the area’s CBD, Cr Hermann Vorster hopes the CCTV cameras will deter any gang violence, arson, drug dealers and thugs.

“It’s an urban village CCTV network,” he said.

“There’s one in Burleigh, but this is on a much bigger scale in Varsity Lakes.

“Residents in Varsity wanted this ... and it sends a strong signal, if you want to get up to no good, it does not belong here in Varsity Lakes.”

He said Varsity College, one of the biggest schools on the Gold Coast, would have the added benefit of its exterior being covered by the cameras.

The CCTV cameras would also oversee the new outside gym and basketball courts, now fitted with lights.

Cr Vorster said the city’s largest gym would be a “fantastic asset to the community.”

The two-year project cost $350,000 and was a direct response to local residents wanting to use the park after dark.

Cr Vorster said people wanting to use the basketball court used to shine their car lights onto the court so they could play.

“We want to make sure its as safe for everyone,” he said.

“This gym is catered to the whole family, regardless of your fitness level, so if you’re an aspiring ninja warrior come down and practice your skills, but if you’re recuperating as well ... you can enjoy some soft cardio as well.”

Mayor Tom Tate said the gym was “quintessential” Gold Coast.

“It’s not just for kids, it’s for everybody,” he said, adding the outdoor gym was free.