Ann Wason Moore: Gold Coast rooftop bar leaves residents ‘split’ over night time noise

With the start of 2021 the Gold Coast is pumping - literally. Now Ann Wason Moore asks the question: Is there too much nightlife on the Gold Coast?

The Coast is pumping.

From my own 80s megamix blasting on New Year’s Eve to the distant strains of bass-lines echoing from the nearby Nobby party precinct, our city was down to stay up to watch the exit of 2020 … and our relief was literally audible.

Together we sent that ‘unprecedented’ year a message: don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.

While the Moore household is now ready to return to its regular schedule of early night-time retirement, that’s certainly not the same for the rest of my suburb - nor much of the city.

Exterior shots of the Restaurant "SPLIT" at Nobby Beach. Picture Glenn Hampson

Look, it’s fantastic to see so many restaurants and pubs packed out after what was an incredibly tough year for our hospitality industry, and I honestly believe our poor Millennials have earned their right to party, but the changing face of the city means that entertainment for these night-owls is not always a welcome addition in new environments.

Where once Surfers was the only destination if you loved the night-life, if you got to boogie (sorry, that’s the disco party megamix in my head), now the options are, if not endless, at least multiple.

Broadbeach, Burleigh, Nobby’s, Miami, Palm Beach, Coolangatta, even Robina … the burbs are booming.

And I mean booming … like ‘doosh doosh’ booming.

Is there too much Gold Coast nightlife? Picture Glenn Hampson

In Nobby’s, the recent opening of rooftop bar Split has residents,.. well.., split.

Some love the addition of an outdoor venue and certainly the popularity of this beachside strip means there’s more than enough business for new players.

But others aren’t happy about this noisy new neighbour. On social media (of course), there is heated debate (of course) about the volume of music emanating from this new source.

Many local residents point out that despite multiple bars and open-air restaurants in the neighbourhood, noise has never been an issue before.

“We have a baby and we are listening to rave music 8 hours a day every day now,” commented one. “It hasn’t always been this way and it’s terrible to feel like you may be forced out of your long-term home because of it. I feel so stressed.”

Another agreed, writing: “been here 20+ years and the majority of the operators have been respectful and aware this is a largely residential area”.

While some of these comments resulted in the residents being dubbed ‘Karens’ (of course), this noise problem actually speaks to a bigger issue that is growing in volume … how to blend our burbs.

It’s great that our city is now of a size that it can support not just multiple entertainment precincts, but multiple entertainment precincts that cater to different crowds and offer a distinct character.

While building heights and density have been the focus of our growing pains so far, the changes in our city are not limited to only these areas. Areas always deemed commercial may now attract a different sort of commercial client … transforming from a fish and chip shop to an upscale bar.

Aerial photo of Nobby Beach.

As residents we really need to think about what we want and what we can live with, while businesses need to think about how to be a good neighbour. Because if they don’t have the support of locals, they are ultimately doomed.

But equally, it’s not good enough for locals to simply long for the past and bemoan any change or progress. No one lives in a time capsule, nothing stays the same … and after the year we’ve all just had, let’s be bloody grateful for that.

The blending of the old and new in our burbs is yet another reason that adopting neighbourhood plans is so important. We need to investigate the demographics of an area and look at who lives there, who wants to live there, why people come there … and make those factors a priority for preservation.

Nobody wants to replicate Surfers up and down the coastline, even if we do succeed in reimagining and rebuilding the heart of the city, but it’s not good enough to just throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks.

There’s a reason that newer entertainment precincts like Nobby’s and Burleigh have become popular.

We need to make sure that the influx of investment in the shape of new venues and businesses contributes to that character … rather than drowning it out.