Southport ‘cool, casual, affordable’
IF a picture paints a thousand words, “dead’’ and “unattractive’’ are not among the words communicated by this new Brighton Parade mural.
That’s what Southport MP Rob Molhoek had to say yesterday as he fired back at claims made by a former mayor’s wife that the central suburb is “dead and unattractive”.
Mr Molhoek said the suburb widely considered by many to be the Central Business District was exactly that – and was continuing to progress as a vital component of the Coast.
“I love the Southport of today as much as I ever did,” he said.
“The Southport of today is making a huge comeback and every week day almost 40,000 Gold Coaster turn up to work in my electorate.
“More than 70 per cent are employed full time and earn on average $7000 more a year than others citywide.”
The proudly Southport born and bred parliamentarian produced the figures in response to a Bulletin report yesterday that spoke of empty, boarded up shopfronts, loitering kids and crime.
Former mayor Denis O’Connell told of how in his early years, his parents could go out at night and never lock the back door – something that could not happen now. His wife Lorraine said Southport was dead and unattractive.
But Mr Molhoek highlighted the billions of dollars of investment. “In the last five years more than $10 billion has been invested,” he said.
“The new light rail, thousands of new apartments, home renovations, new hospitals and associated health services, the aquatic centre, Broadwater Parklands, the Games Village, hockey centre, TAFE, Meriton Sundale, road upgrades ($490m), Griffith University, the new boat ramp at Loder’s Creek, the Southport Courts and legal precinct, the Frizelle Group, Lynton’s, the Australia Fair redevelopment, HETC and Browns Colleges, Chinatown and more.
“The vision for Southport is to be ‘CBD Gold Coast’, a centre for business, education, health and support services.
“We are an urban centre of renewal – not a tourism precinct, but a cool, casual, affordable place for retirees, families, couples and students to live away from the Glitter Strip.”
Over the past year, Southport’s developmental and commercial wins have included:
• The former Gold Coast Hospital site which has been earmarked for a $550 million development labelled the “Queen Street Village”;
• The Brickworks on Ferry Road which sold for $137 million in November last year;
• The boutique Woodroffe Hotel, in which all 103 rooms were booked up for the Commonwealth Games well before the structure was completed.
Hospitality businesses have also been investing, including leading health food cafes, Cardamom Pod, Blendlove and Raw Espresso.
The owners of Cardamom Pod as well as Paper Cup Coffee, Wagyu Ya, Frigg Cafe, JFX, Not Tonight (undergoing renovation) and Mr PP’s Rooftop have all either expanded their Southport locations or added a Southport location due to commercial success.
Nerang St upgrades are due to start this year to address safety, aesthetics and amenities.
Southport resident Ariana Margetts, who runs an online community page, said she was sick of Southport “bashing”.
“This marks my eighth year on the Coast, with the majority of it spent living on the southern Gold Coast,” she said.
“I never thought I would end up in Southport, but I’m so glad I did. It allowed me to enter the housing market at 22 years old and the community that is present in Southport changed my whole life for the better.
“There are so many negative one liners thrown around about Southport – and I truly believe these comments are from people who don’t live here, don’t work here, aren’t actively trying to improve the town, don’t benefit from the local gems and the community vibe that’s been strongly and steadily coming to light.
“That’s us, we see that stuff. We live it.”