🫸 Property giant waits for green light in Robina
Volume 159: Reedy Creek's Boral ruling | GC Special Olympian releases autism playbook | Star Casino's $500m lifeline | Glowing ruby-like crystals found on Mars | Fuel prices in 2020 and heaps more
G’day and welcome back to another big weekly newsletter.
It’s April 2, and we hope you have a happy and safe Easter egg-stra long weekend 🐣
⛽️ In case you missed it: Check out the GC Minute’s live, local Gold Coast cheap fuel finder, helping you save where you can on the way to your holiday spot.
In today's newsletter
One Big Thing: Property giant mega plan waits for green light in Robina
Gold Coast Special Olympian to: Release autism playbook
Bleijie to rule on: Boral’s billion-dollar blueprint in Reedy Creek
Around The Web: Star Casino’s $500m lifeline, Private rental program for local women impacted by violence, glowing ruby-like crystals found on Mars and heaps more
Trending: Fuel prices in 2020..
Upcoming Events
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Live Housing Price Index
1. One Big Thing: Property giant waits for green light in Robina
By Marshall Hall
What’s Happening: Property giant Walker Corporation is hoping the Queensland Government will quickly green-light a 2,750-dwelling project in the heart of the city at Robina.
Why It Matters: With housing supply under pressure across South East Queensland, projects like this are being positioned as critical to easing demand, if they can get moving quickly enough.
Walker Corporation, which was heavily involved with the development of Hope Island, is awaiting approval of the Lakesview Robina project.
Local Impact: The proposal, which has been submitted to the State Government under its State Facilitated Development program, allows for 50ha of open space
The State Facilitated Development pathway is designed to streamline the approval processes for “shovel-ready” projects on infill land to boost housing supply faster.
By the Numbers
From 1,550 to 2,750 homes is what the project application is waiting for approval on
550 of the homes will be earmarked as affordable housing
15ha of the 50ha in the State Facilitated Development program covers lakes and wetlands
What To Look For Next: More at the full article below 👇
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2.
3. Bleijie to rule on Boral’s billion-dollar blueprint
By Marshall Hall
What’s Happening: The future of a controversial Reedy Creek quarry plan will be known within the next two months.
Why It Matters: After recent legal battles and community pushback, the State Government has bitten the bullet and will now decide the fate of the Boral proposal within 30 days.
Zoom In: Boral, the Australian construction materials giant, has previously sought approval for a multibillion-dollar quarry on the site, but that application was rejected by both the City of Gold Coast and the courts in 2018.
With thousands of people now having submitted written comments about the project to the Government, the outcome will set the tone for how large-scale industrial projects are balanced against residential growth on the Gold Coast.
By the Numbers:
$2 billion: Is the estimated value of the proposed quarry project
2,900+ public submissions have been lodged with the State Government
26% of the 216.7ha site is now earmarked for quarry us
Local Impact: For nearby residents, they have banded together and made it pretty clear they want none of it and are strongly opposed to the project.
What The People Say: Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Mr Bleijie, said the call-in was about providing certainty for the community.
“Queenslanders deserve transparency and confidence in planning decisions, as well as certainty about the future of their area,” Mr Bleijie said.
“After a decade of uncertainty and angst regarding this proposal under Labor, we will calmly and methodically consider both the merits and impacts of this project and deliver certainty for everyone involved. “
What To Look For Next: With the clock now ticking, the State’s ruling will bring long-awaited clarity, either reviving a billion-dollar project or closing the door for good.
4. Around The Web
Priority Project opens safer rentals for women
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Gold Coast and Logan women impacted by violence can now seek safer private rentals through The Priority Project.
Glowing, ruby-like crystals have been: Found on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance Rover
A growing workforce of gig workers who, in exchange for cash, are helping train AI by: Recording themselves performing everyday tasks, so that eventually physical bots can do it in their place.
Queensland’s ‘Silly Sausage Award’ for deciding to cancel the final stage of the GC’s tram project at three-quarters completed, is: Really coming back to haunt it in the middle of this fuel crisis
The Titans take on the Broncos this weekend in an epic battle between two of: The biggest packs in the game, with Brendan Piakura and Xavier Willison going face to face with Titans stars Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Mo Fotuaika.
The most epic: Rocket launch towards the Moon, this morning, since 1972 👇
5. Trending
Recent newsletters
Last week’s top-clicked link was 👇
Weekly Dream Gig
This week - Durack Civil is on the hunt for a Social Media Manager in Varsity Lakes.
Most construction companies’ socials are… well… built on shaky foundations.
Durack’s looking for someone to fix that, turning job sites, big builds and daily grind into content that actually stacks up (and doesn’t just get buried).
You’ll be on the tools creatively, working with media teams, shaping content, and making sure what hits the feed is more “scroll-stopping” than “hard hat mandatory”.
With SEEK putting it at $90,000–$120,000, and real ownership across multiple brands, it’s a solid role for someone ready to lay the groundwork for something bigger than just posting and ghosting.
6. Upcoming Events
🐣 Surfers Paradise Easter on the Esplanade – Fri 3 Apr & Sat 4 Apr, 4–9 pm; the beachfront markets go full Easter mode with more than 100 stalls, live entertainment and plenty of sweet-tooth temptation by the water.
🏉 Gold Coast Titans v Broncos – Sat 4 Apr, 6:35 pm; if you want your weekend with a bit more noise and a lot more tackle, the local derby at Cbus should do the trick. Tickets. (Cbus Super Stadium)
🍔 Dreamworld Night Market – Sat 4 Apr, 5–9 pm; food trucks, live tunes and family fun inside a theme park is a pretty handy way to spend a Saturday night.
🌌 Astra Lumina – Fri 3 Apr & Sat 4 Apr, from 6:30 pm; Currumbin turns into a glowing bushland light walk after dark, which is a strong play if you’re chasing a date-night or family wow-factor moment. Tickets.
🛍️ Carrara Markets – Sat 4 Apr & Sun 5 Apr, 8 am–3 pm; go hard on the weekend wander with hundreds of stalls, snack stops and enough random treasures to justify an overly long browse.
😂 Comedy Underground Saturday Showcase – Sat 4 Apr, 7 pm; HOTA’s basement comedy night lines up a 90-minute hit of sharp stand-up, big personalities and the occasional glorious derailment. Tickets.
🥐 HOTA Farmers and Artisan Market – Sun 5 Apr, 6–11:30 am; kick off the morning with coffee, local produce and a very respectable amount of casual lakeside strolling.
🎉 Harry All The Time: Harry Styles Club Night – Sat 4 Apr, 7 pm; if your idea of cardio is screaming pop bangers with strangers, Miami Marketta has your Saturday sorted. Tickets.
