Flashback: Gold Coast news items from January 1999

A BOLD plan for an indoor ski-slope was unveiled by developers as fury continued to build over a proposed cableway in the Gold Coast Hinterland

A BOLD plan for an indoor ski slope was unveiled as developers sought to diversify the Gold Coast’s economy.

Gold Coast city leaders chased the chance for our local film studio to host the shooting of a major superhero movie.

Support for a controversial cableway project in the Hinterland.

Odd fashion choices.

In 1999 there were talks about creating an indoor ski run on the Gold Coast (Photo by: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

It sounds like the news of this week but it was in fact what was making headlines across the Gold Coast in the first week of 1999 as the city sat on the edge of the Millennium.

The Glitter Strip welcomed in 1999 with a bang and plenty of revelling but attention soon turned on how to best capitalise on the hype surrounding the end of the 20th century and the upcoming Sydney Olympic Games.

It was the height of summer but locally based developer Eddie Kornhauser was planning a $24 million project in Sydney to open in early 2000 which was to have an indoor ski run.

The Coast is get to get an indoor ski slope Picture: Anthony Keane

Sydney-based company Polar Technologies International looked at potential Coast sites as party of a move to introduce indoor ski-fields to all major cities.

Following the opening of the first run, the Gold Coast was named as the second location.

Polar technologies joint managing director Jack Graham told the Bulletin a site of at least two hectares was needed, with sites on the Coast and north Tweed Heads on the cards.

Plans for A coast ski-run came to nothing but another is currently on the cards for the proposed Songcheng theme park planned for Nerang.

These talks came as discussions surrounding the proposed Naturelink cableway in the Hinterland continued.

The Gold Coast in January 1999.

1999 was seen as the make-or-break year for the project, which was later canned by the State Government in 2000.

Now in 2019 the Gold Coast City Council is looking to do its own cableway as a public-private partnership.

Today the city is basking in the glow of locally shot superhero movie Aquaman, which has topped the global box office over the Christmas and new year period.

But 20 years ago city leaders were salivating over the prospect of hosting a major superhero production – Batman.

Warner Brothers Studio wanted 43-year-old Mel Gibson for the fifth Batman adventure film in a role which was predicted to earn him up to $100m through salary and profit share.

Movie World Studios chairman Terry Jackman confirmed War Bros had held talks with the Oxenford studio about filming the blockbuster.

Mel Gibson in 1999. He was in talks to play Batman in a Gold Coast-shot film.

It came two years after then-Batman star George Clooney had visited the Coast after winning the role.

While the idea was seen as a longshot, there was excitement over discussions of Jack Nicholson returning to the role of the Joker, which he had made famous in the original 1989 film Batman.

The film came to nothing, with Warner Bros eventually choosing to reboot the series entirely.

But possibly the most turn-of-the-Millennium news item from 20 years ago was on the topic of fashion.

Cargo shorts inexplicably became popular.

Plenty of young Gold Coast men were out buying cargo shorts.

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It was declared that cargo shorts were in and footy shorts were out.

Locals talked up the changes to fashion, including the onset of ‘cool’ boxer shorts and baggier pants with visible waistbands.

“Guys either do it for more length in the shorts, because its trendy or they’re simply too loose,” said Tino Polous.

Women’s fashion was also changing, with local fashionistas talking up their love of hotpants, bike pants and short-shorts, as well as their love of board shorts at the beach.