Did you know....?
Sometimes called Hollywood Downunder, the Gold Coast (designated a Regional Location), is a movie production powerhouse. The largest studios lots, sound stages, and water tanks in the Southern Hemisphere are here, along with a buzzing ecosystem of film production offices, editing suites, wardrobe, makeup, construction, paint, carpentry, post-production, and special effects professionals. Local islands, beaches, rainforests, deserts, and cityscapes are used for location shots that double for anywhere in the world. In fact, Hollywood franchises filmed on the Gold Coast include Godzilla vs. Kong, Aquaman, Pacific Rim, Thor: Ragnarok, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Chronicles of Narnia, and of course Crocodile Dundee among many others.
The city's name was coined in the 1940s. Journalists called the areas south of Brisbane, "the Gold Coast" - it was a good place to buy and sell land in the post-war real estate boom. The nickname became a convenient way to refer to the holiday strip from Southport to Coolangatta and was soon adopted by the emerging tourism industry, prior to the official proclamation in 1959 city in 1959. As an international student on the Gold Coast, can you find your 'gold'?
More about the Gold Coast
With Australia’s most famous beach on one side, subtropical rainforests, and waterfalls on the other, a hub of shopping and entertainment awaits you in between. This is the sun, sand, and surf lifestyle that Australia is famous for. It’s also great for study and business. With 300 days of sunshine a year and long warm days, you’ll fit more into your lifestyle. So come on and join us. A world-class faculty is waiting to train you, and local business is ready to employ you. No wonder the Gold Coast is #AustraliasFavouriteClassroom
The Location
The Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, and second largest in Queensland, it is in the south-east corner of Queensland, just 1 hour drive from Brisbane (with good bus and train services. We have over 70 kilometres of beautiful coastline. With great public transport and cycling networks including over 2400km of bikeways and pathways. There are international airports at the Gold Coast and Brisbane. See the Gold Coast from the air. Our climate is summer all year with 300 days of sunshine. Winter average temperatures are 12° C. Summer average temperatures are 29°, with a yearly average of 25°.
The People
The Gold Coast is youthful (almost 50% of people are under 35 years old), multicultural (almost 30% of people are born overseas), and highly educated with 20% of people holding a Bachelor's degree or higher.
Employment
Gold Coast incomes match Australia’s average with very high employment. Many job opportunities are well suited to students including hospitality and tourism. It is expected there will be 383,900 Gold Coasts jobs by 2024 (14% growth), including;
- childcare and other education (31% growth),
- health (27% growth),
- aged and disability care (26% growth),
- management & administration (26% growth)
- accommodation,
- food & tourism (21% growth),
- warehousing & transportation (18% growth).
The Gold Coast also offers many tourism employment opportunities including theme parks and the local $1.8 billion motion picture industry.
The Lifestyle
The Gold Coast has great shopping, an incredible array of dining choices to cater for every taste and budget. There’s always something cool happening on the Gold Coast, see today’s events. We offer 2,400 km of cycling/running tracks. Warm nights perfect for outdoor fun. Great shopping. Incredible fresh food. We are surrounded by amazing leisure options fishing, snorkelling, diving, parasailing, jet skiing and have 5 major theme parks and water parks. The ultimate mix of sun, sand, surf and sophistication. The perfect location for shopaholics and foodies. If you ever exhaust all that the Gold Coast has to do and see, Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city is only a 1-hour drive away.
Housing
There are many housing options for international students on the Gold Coast. Gold Coast housing is very affordable compared to other Australian cities. The links below are a useful start:
Average weekly living costs:
- $200 rent.
- $100 food.
- $50 travel.
- $150 other.
On average, up to 40% less expensive than Sydney or Melbourne. A strong supply of city, beach, or canal apartments.
Student City
There are so many reasons to study on the Gold Coast. 21% of the population are studying at university or further education, that’s over 30,000 students, and the student population is growing at 11% a year The Gold Coast is multicultural, has a young population, excellent housing and employment opportunities and is ranked #1 in Australia for student affordability with costs 40% less than Sydney or Melbourne.
Useful Links
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