Plan to transform Gold Coast into the new Venice

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Plan to transform Gold Coast into the new Venice

Could the Gold Coast be the next Venice?

The Gold Coast City Council and the Gold Coast Water Authority are on a mission to transform its lesser known canal and river network into the Glitter Strip's new jewel.

Water Authority chairman Gary Baildon, also a former mayor of the city, is dreaming big ...

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/plan-to-transform-gold-coast-into-the-new-venice-20140818-105har.html

[aldonius]

Complete with the massive future risk to property from sea level rise!

[ozbob]

Complete with the massive future risk to property from sea level rise!

[James]

I'm sorry, this is pathetic.

The only thing the Gold Coast reminds me of is Florida. Full of old people, drug dealers and New Zealanders and Islanders (the Florida equivalent is persons from Latin America). We even chose to name our suburbs after cities in Florida - Miami, Palm Beach etc.

Maybe the Gold Coast should play to its strengths and become the South Pacific's version of Florida rather than try something as pathetic as becoming "the Venice of the south".

[ozbob]

All in all, bit of a ' fluff ' piece James  agreed ...

Something really amiss with planning in QLD.  I am reminded of this marvellous example here --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9035.0

[SurfRail]

Some people in Brisbane have really taken this completely out of all proportion to what is actually being reported upon.  Brisbane - Gold Coast relations always put me in mind of some humorous diorama of Englishmen giggling at the presumption of upstart colonists.  It's a form of classism that Australians really ought to reject.

Really all that this piece is referring to is something that has long been a goal for GCCC - introducing more publicly and widely accessible moorings at public places like Appel Park, Evandale, shopping centres and the like.  That is a good plan and not something unique to Venice.  What is fairly significant is that the Gold Coast has a higher number of boat registrations than most of the rest of the state put together so it makes eminent sense.  This would have virtually no relevance to Brisbane for the most part because the river is geographically limited in its coverage of town and most of the creeks are not navigable.

Also worth pointing out that the canals actually serve as flood mitigation for the most part, albeit not from sea level rise.  Brisbane isn't exactly Katoomba or even Toowoomba, and has considerably greater and more recent experience being massively afflicted by flooding than we do.  The Gold Coast's equivalent of the Rocklea and Tennyson area - the Guraganbah plain between Carrara and Robina - is virtually empty except for the elevated bits around Merrimac, whereas Rocklea is below the floodline for the most part and always has trouble.  Plus if the Gold Coast is going under due to sea level rise or tsunamis, guess what - you're probably joining us. 

[aldonius]

Brisbane will probably lose the Rocklea area, a large chunk of the Airport and the coastal strip in general (on the plus side the indirectness of the Cleveland line will become irrelevant). And it can put a Thames Barrier as far in as Hamilton without losing too much. New Farm Park if you don't care about Mayne yards.

But Surfers will be gone without serious Dutch style dyke work. Street level is barely above the top of the dunes.


But enough thread derailment from me. Increased usage of the GC internal waterway system is definitely a good thing.

[SurfRail]

The big issue is that it is generally SLOW due to the possible alignments, bridge heights and speed limits due to noise and wash issues.  Not going to matter much as a mass transit system or an on-water highway.

There is plenty of room for more proper pontoons around the place though.