The Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is a metropolitan region south of Brisbane on Australia’s east coast. It's famed for its long sandy beaches, surfing spots and elaborate system of inland canals and waterways. It’s also home to theme parks such as Dreamworld, Sea World and Wet’n’Wild. Inland, hiking trails crisscross Lamington National Park’s mountain ridges and valleys, home to rare birds and rainforest.

The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the Australian state of Queensland, approximately 66 kilometers (41 mi) south-southeast of the state capital Brisbane and immediately north of the border with New South Wales. With an estimated population of 679,127, in June 2018 (including 76,779 in the adjacent Tweed Valley of New South Wales), the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, making it the largest non-capital city, and Queensland's second-largest city.

Gold Coast is a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate and has become widely known for its surfing beaches, high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland. The city is part of the nation's entertainment industry with television productions and the major film industry. The city hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games which ran from 4 to 15 April 2018.

Cairns

Cairns considered the gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, is a city in tropical Far North Queensland. Its Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park tells the stories of indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with music and dance. Cairns Esplanade, lined with bars and restaurants, has a swimming lagoon. Northwest of the city, Daintree National Park spans mountainous rainforest, gorges, and beaches.

Cairns is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the east coast of Far North Queensland. The city is the 5th-most-populous in Queensland and ranks 14th overall in Australia.

Cairns was founded in 1876 and named after Sir William Wellington Cairns, Governor of Queensland from 1875 to 1877. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield but declined when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold and other metals, minerals and agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas and the Atherton Tableland region.

The population of the Cairns urban area in June 2018 was 152,729, having grown on average 1.1% year-on-year over the preceding five years.[1] Based on 2015 data, the associated local government area had experienced an average annual growth rate of 2.3% over the previous 10 years. According to Cairns Regional Council in February 2020, Cairns had experienced an annual growth rate of 1.9% over the previous ten years.