🏫 Southport's $1.5b retirement tower designs
Volume 155: GC petrol panic buying | Main Beach missing swimmer | Scientists discover trees that light up in storms and heaps more
G’day GC, and welcome back to another big weekly newsletter, March 5.
And, as tensions flare on the other side of the world, it seems some Australians have responded in the only way we know how…. Panic-buying toilet paper and rushing to the servo to top up the tank (and any spare bucket you can find..).
Take it easy out there.
In today's newsletter
One Big Thing: The East Coast Surf Activation Tour celebration
GC’s LuminaX expands: SportsTech focus with NRL partnership for 2026
Designs for the $1.5b retirement tower project in: Southport on the huge Star of the Sea site
Around the web: Last week’s Donald Trump poll results, Search for Main Beach missing swimmer | Another Queensland tropical cyclone | Thousands of Australians lose jobs to AI | Scientists discover trees that light up in storms and heaps more
Trending: GC petrol panic buying..
Upcoming events
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Weekend Weather and Surf
Live Housing Price Index
1. One Big Thing: East Coast Surf Activation Tour celebration
What’s Happening: The East Coast Activation Tour (ECAT) 2026 brought international surfers from nine countries to Australia’s east coast, travelling from the Gold Coast to Sydney between 20 and 26 February to connect surf culture with environmental conservation.
Why It Matters: Following the World Surfing Conservation Conference, the tour is designed to generate global momentum for the surfing conservation movement, strengthening ties between Australia and surf communities worldwide while promoting the protection of our treasured coastal ecosystems.
By the Numbers
22 surfers and delegates: Joined the tour, representing ten countries including Peru, Costa Rica, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile, Mexico, Spain, the United States of America, Indonesia, and Australia.
More than 30 surfboards: Were brought by the convoy, including Peru’s traditional Caballito de Totora reedboard.
Six National Surfing Reserve locations: Were visited along the coast.
Lennox Head
Angourie
Port Macquarie
Manly (the third World Surfing Reserve designated in 2012)
Norah Head, and;
Bondi
What Happens On the Road: The road trip included several unexpected moments.
An early morning shark alert occurred at Lighthouse Beach in Port Macquarie after sightings of a tagged White Pointer and a Bull Shark.
The alert was later confirmed as false through the Shark Smart App.
Another incident occurred when one of the vans carrying surfboards lost its roof load after the straps broke.
The Peruvian reedboard was also strapped to the vehicle at the time.
Fortunately, a potential accident was avoided, and the tour continued toward Sydney.
The group later faced another unexpected situation when the media team became trapped inside a hotel lift for an hour.
Northern Beaches Fire Brigade eventually freed the crew using crowbars.
“They say bad luck comes in threes; thankfully, no more followed.”
What The People Say: Organiser Andrew McKinnon, the wrap-up described the tour as far more than a travelling roadshow.
“The theme was simple, connecting community, culture, and conservation with a good old-fashioned surf safari.”
Although surf conditions were limited, the tour continued with strong participation and engagement.
“Although Wave God Huey was missing in action, it didn’t deter the delegation from enjoying the ride, engaging with local culture, and experiencing the beauty of Australia’s surf coastline.”
Mr McKinnon said the mission focused on raising awareness of surfing conservation.
“The mission was to spread the word about the global surfing conservation movement and how to protect its surfing ecosystems.”
What To Look For Next: A short feature film documenting ECAT 2026 is currently being produced by The Edit Suite.
The film will be submitted to the global Save The Waves Film Festival 2026 and is expected to premiere in June or July.
Mr McKinnon also confirmed that another international tour is already being planned.
“We look forward to the next tour in 2027. Stay tuned for updates via GCWSR.”, he said.
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2.
3. Devine designs $1.5b retirement towers for Southport
By Marshall Hall
What’s Happening: Property developer David Devine has unveiled plans for a $1,500,000,000.00 ($1.5b) retirement-focused apartment development on the long-vacant Star of the Sea site at Southport, featuring three luxury towers overlooking the Broadwater.
Why It Matters: For one of the Gold Coast's most sought-after and sizeable blocks of land, the plans lodged with the City of the Gold Coast by DD Resort Living would comprise three towers offering 600 apartments, a world-class wellness centre, restaurants and shops
By the Numbers
From 1898 until 1986, the site was: Home to The Star of the Sea Catholic girls’ school
Three towers would be built: Each at 59, 54 and 43 storeys, respectively, and mostly designated to over-50’s retirement resort living
The plan allows for:
634 apartments
1,138 bedrooms
846 car parking spaces, and;
19 motorcycle spaces
13,000 sqm of wellness facilities: Are planned to be included, claiming to be among the largest in the southern hemisphere.
Zoom In: Located at 60 Marine Parade in Southport’s Priority Development Area, the project could transform a 1.44-hectare vacant waterfront block into a major residential and lifestyle hub with restaurants, shops and wellness amenities open partly to the public.
Grey Nomads Go Five-Star: Leans into the booming global wellness economy estimated at $9.6 trillion, the 13,000 sqm of wellness space would include spa facilities, fitness studios, recreation spaces and even water features designed to mirror the movement of the Broadwater.
What They Said:
“The proposed development seeks to activate a large vacant and prominent site to establish a world-class, mixed-use development comprising residential and non-residential uses, which lend themselves well to being in the CBD, the development application says.
The design of the towers “draws inspiration from the cone of conifer trees, which is unique and provides significant visual interest”.
“The proposal provides a significant and exceptional landscaping outcome to Marine Parade with unique, large-scale water features which are interspersed with active uses including residential lobbies and commercial activity, which enhance the visual amenity of the Broadwater Parklands, the application says.
What To Look For Next: The full article below.
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4. Trending
5. Around The Web
Scientists have just discovered that treetops emit ultraviolet: Sparkles during thunderstorms for the very first time, having found that leaves produce weak electronic discharges that light up the tip.
Ever wonder where in the world the Gold Coast was about: 750,000,000 years ago? Well, wonder no more with this 3D interactive map that shows you how the GC became to be the best place in the world for sand-bottomed point breaks, and, heaps more
A whopping 4,000 out of 10,000 staff lost their jobs this week at AfterPay’s: Parent company, Block. This come barely a week after Australian company WiseTech Global cut 2,000 jobs, with all of the humans’ 6,000 jobs being replaced by agentic AI
Another Queensland tropical cyclone is brewing, with residents in: The Cairns area preparing for a significant weather event that could start from as early as tomorrow.
Police have identified two teenage boys after they were allegedly seen riding: Electric motorcycles at a Palm Beach sporting complex, towing and flinging a shopping trolley into public equipment, including a light pole and soccer goal.
Looking like a pack of soft-coloured skittles, Apple just dropped its newest: MacBook known as the Neo👇, and a whole bunch of other products
Recent newsletters
Last week’s top-clicked link was 👇
Weekly Dream Gig
This week - Southern Cross University is schooling the job market with a Senior Manager, Professional Experience role in Bilinga, Gold Coast.
If leading placement programs, partnerships and compliance sounds more exciting than a quiet campus, this one pays $142,445–$161,055 plus 17% super.
For the right operator, that’s a pretty smart lesson in career progression..
6. Upcoming Events
🧀 Cheese Masterclass with Sam Studd – Fri 6 Mar, 7 pm; an indulgent, learn-something-delicious session with pairings (and a cheeky cheese cocktail). Tickets
🎪 Duck Pond (Circa) – Fri 6 Mar, 7 pm; Swan Lake gets delightfully unhinged with aerials, acrobatics and sequinned chaos. Tickets
🎪 Duck Pond (Circa) – Sat 7 Mar, 11 am; same show, daytime session—perfect if you’re doing the “early lunch, arts, nap” weekend plan. Tickets
🎸 Barcelona Guitar Trio: Tribute to Paco de Lucía – Sat 7 Mar, 7:30 pm; flamenco-fuelled guitar fireworks for a proper Saturday night out. Tickets
👨👩👧👦 Saltwater Heart Family Day – Sat 7 Mar, 10 am–1 pm; kids’ artmaking + story time + food tasting celebrating the new Children’s Gallery exhibition. Register
🎷 Rhydian and the Residuals (Gold Coast Jazz & Blues Club) – Wed 11 Mar, 7:30 pm; big-band swing energy to break up the midweek slog. Tickets
🛍️ Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets – Wed 11 Mar, 4–9 pm; sunset browsing with 100+ stalls right on the foreshore. Markets
💃 Gold Coast International Women’s Day Lunch – Fri 6 Mar, 12 pm; a feel-good lunch event with speeches and networking at Currumbin RSL. Tickets
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