TOOT TOOT IN MAIN BEACH

DESPERATE times tend to result in desperate measures.

And at first blush, that appears to be the plight of the formerly thriving restaurant and boutique retail hub of Main Beach.

The blue-chip beachside suburb’s main drag of Tedder Avenue remains one of the most pleasant spots on the Gold Coast for a wander and spot of laidback socialising.

But it is not the bustling precinct it was only a few years ago. It is not just 2008’s Global Financial Crisis that is to blame.

The rest of the Gold Coast has picked up its game and people have realised their backyard offering is just as good as the former foodie havens of the city.

Tedder Avenue landlords have been stubborn or slow to realise the footpaths of Main Beach are no longer paved with gold for their hard-working tenants.

Competition for the city’s disposable income has never been tougher. Quality food courts and precincts abound from Robina Town Centre, Pacific Fair, Nobby and further south.

It is no surprise now to see the Main Beach Progress Association promoting a new and ambitious – some might say desperate – action plan to win back the hub’s once enviable reputation.

As revealed in today’s edition, the proposal planks include an innovative hop-on, hop-off low-cost train service from Tedder Ave’s light rail station to the northern tip of The Spit and trying to entice America’s Cup yacht racing.

Before any scoffs, the latter wasn’t far off becoming a possibility two years ago when The Boat Works owner and enthusiastic boatie Tony Longhurst led an ambitious city-wide bid to bring the world’s oldest boat race to local waters.

No one silver bullet is going to revive Main Beach and Tedder Avenue’s fortunes but ideas are key and the action plan is a good start.

As Mayor Tom Tate would say, the main thing is to have a crack.