Surfers Paradise: Orchid Avenue brawl sparks calls for calm after violent scuffle
Gold Coasters have been warned violence in the heart of the Glitter Strip is putting future investment in revitalising the area at risk. It comes after two wild brawls in the heart of the Glitter Strip in front of families and patrons. WATCH THE VIDEO
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VIOLENCE in the heart of the Gold Coast’s tourist hub is putting future investment in revitalising the area at risk, a city councillor warns.
Two violent brawls broke out in Surfers Paradise across the weekend, with a scuffle in Orchid Ave at 5.45pm on Saturday, followed by a separate incident on the sidelines of a soccer game on the Isle of Capri just three hours later.
Surfers Paradise Councillor Darren Taylor condemned the behaviour but said violent incidents were few and far between these days compared to years gone by.
Cr Taylor praised police and the CCTV network for a decline in major incidents but warned street brawls must become a thing of the past if the city was to successfully reboot the party precinct.
“This is exactly the sort of thing we are trying to get far away from,” he said.
“Violence will not be tolerated and if you come into Surfers Paradise and misbehave, I want to make it clear you will not get away with it.
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“If you look at the statistics, the Gold Coast’s rate of resolving these incidents is better than most cities and while we get a lot of negative feedback, we are one of the luckiest and safest cities.”
Cr Taylor is developing a masterplan for Surfers Paradise in a bid to give the area a long-overdue facelift and to stimulate new investment and development in the area.
Cr Taylor said a raft of new projects were in the planning stages and it was important for the city to focus on its future.
“A lot of people have suffered through this year and to see so much new investment is really good,” he said.
“Surfers Paradise is a blank canvas and as long as we can support things, what we are already seeing is that start of that change.”
Saturday’s brawls mark the first large-scale violence on the Glitter Strip’s streets in several years.
Police were called to Orchid Ave about 5.45pm to reports of a group of men allegedly throwing punches at each other in front of families and bar patrons.
Up to 10 people were allegedly involved, with families and other patrons in the vicinity, the spokesman said.
Two Pimpama men were arrested and issued infringement and banning notices.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said two men were throwing punches at “numerous other people”.
Police were reportedly told people were “coming out on to the road and it was stopping traffic”.
A man in his 20 was assessed by paramedics for a minor head injury and taken to Gold Coast University Hospital.
Video of the brawl surfaced, showing a group attacking each other as onlookers watch in shock.
The group involved in the scuffle can be seen running down Orchid Ave before a shirtless man throws a punch at another man.
Those involved can then be seen making their way to the assaulted man on the ground, while others chase the man who threw the punch. The video was posted on Facebook with the caption “Rugby is on”.
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