Five reasons to be cheerful going into 2025

On 1 January 2024 the outlook for the Gold Coast was grim. Twelve months on things could hardly be more different. This is why.

Cartoon by the Gold Coast Bulletin's Craig Mann.

Welcome to the first day of 2025. And doesn’t it look a heck of a lot better than January 1, 2024?

At that time, a large swath of the northern Gold Coast, across suburbs from Wongawallan to Paradise Point, was dealing with the devastation from the tornado-like storm that hit on Christmas evening.

Tourism – which had suffered so much during Covid-19 – had been whacked again, with cancellations from spooked southerners, and attractions like TopGolf closed due to the damage.

An Upper Coomera house that was destroyed by the Christmas Day storm. Picture: Keith Woods.

Internationally, the world, and Australia, was reeling from the impact of the vile terrorist attacks in Israel the previous October, and the resulting military action.

The economy looked glum too, with interest rates having risen again the previous November, casting a serious pall over the Gold Coast’s key industries.

Yet as we head into 2025, the situation is far brighter.

Here are some reasons to be cheerful.

1. TOURISM FIGHTBACK

It’s fair to say that the tourist industry on the Gold Coast very much lost its way after the pandemic. Analysis of federal government data by the Bulletin showed the city hadn’t done as well as other parts of Australia in attracting visitors back.

The impact was felt keenly at Gold Coast Airport, which lost almost all of its international routes beyond New Zealand.

Experts told this masthead that the city desperately needed to improve its eco-tourism offering. Finally, it appears that message is being heeded.

After years of circular debate, it looks like a cableway showcasing the magnificence of our hinterland will finally get the go-ahead.

Future eco-tourism projects on the Gold Coast. This is part of an application for the Kaiala Sanctuary cableway, west of Dreamworld.

Responsible eco-tourism development has also been flagged for the magnificent natural wonder that is South Stradbroke Island, whose years of neglect are pitifully epitomised by the ruins of Couran Cove Resort.

The rest of Australia has been powering ahead with these kind of tourism attractions for years – witness the work done in Tasmania, or places like Phillip Island in Victoria – and reaping the benefits.

Thank goodness it appears the Gold Coast is finally about to catch up.

Characters inside the new Wizard of Oz precinct at Warner Bros Movie World. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

2. TRIUMPH OF THE THEME PARKS

Speaking of tourism, it has to be noted that while the public sector in its many guises has been all talk and no action, the same cannot be said of the Gold Coast’s theme parks.

In many ways, Dreamworld and Village Roadshow (the owners of parks including Movie World and Sea World), have been the roaring engine room keeping our flagging tourism business alive.

Both companies continue to impress as they enter 2025.

In Dreamworld’s case, it’s no exaggeration to say the park has been completely revitalised in recent years, with the family-friendly new Rivertown precinct opened on December 23 the deeply impressive icing on the cake.

Just days earlier, Movie World welcomed the first guests into its magical new Wizard of Oz precinct.

The city remains very fortunate to have these two excellent companies at its heart.

3. REALISM ABOUT HOUSING

One of the unescapable sad aspects about life on the Gold Coast in the past couple of years has been the growing sight of people sleeping in tents and cars on our streets.

People who have been unable to keep up with the steep rises in the cost of living, in particular rent.

Fixing this problem will not happen quickly, but there are encouraging signs.

For one, although still very high, rents have stabilised in many parts of the city across the past year.

Data from SQM Research shows the average cost of renting a house on the northern Gold Coast is down almost nine per cent on what it was 12 months ago.

There also appears to be greater realism among politicians about what needs to be done to solve the problem.

There is a growing acceptance that encroaching ever further into greenfield areas with limited infrastructure will achieve little more than create new headaches – just look at what’s happened in the Coomera / Pimpama area in recent years – while it makes far more sense to allow higher density in existing suburbs.

Work on Stage 1 North of the Coomera Connector pictured at Monterey Keys in July 2024. Picture: TMR

4. TRAFFIC PAIN ABOUT TO EASE

One of the greatest problems in that Coomera / Pimpama area has been traffic.

Allowing tens of thousands of people to settle there, without doing much more than widening existing roads and upgrading a few junctions, was a predictable recipe for gridlock.

It’s not a perfect solution – there is none – but this columnist cannot help but be impressed watching the much-vaunted Coomera Connector take shape.

Unlike the upgrades to the M1 at the southern end of the city, now no doubt predicted to end sometime in the 2060s, construction of this new road at the northern end has been coming along fast.

So fast in fact, that the first section, from Coomera to Helensvale, is expected to open later this year.

There will be some downsides, particularly for communities at either end of the road, making it imperative that the state cracks on equally quickly with the rest of the road, including stage two to Loganholme.

But expect an immediate improvement to traffic and connectivity in the north of our city, something that will benefit anyone who has to travel the M1 from anywhere on the Gold Coast to Brisbane.

Then Premier Steven Miles promoting 50 cent public transport fares in the lead-up to last year’s state election. The measure has since been made permanent by the new LNP government. Picture: David Clark.

5. AN ELECTION IN THE OFFING

One of the brighter spots in 2024 was the state election.

Forget about what party gets in, the real winners were the electorate, with a serious focus on youth crime and initiatives like 50 cent fares – a no-brainer that should have been implemented years ago – finally pushed through in a bid to win votes.

Expect more of the same in 2025 when the federal pollies must go to the polls.

As irritating as the weeks of campaigning should be, the expected tightness of the election should mean a real focus on the issues that really matter to us mere mortals, with cost of living relief likely to top the agenda.

Happy New Year!

Follow @keithjwoods

Originally published as Five reasons to be cheerful going into 2025