The one big thing missing from the Surfers Paradise Revitalisation plan

You can feel it everywhere in the visuals. In the design proposed. In the reports. There is something missing, something between the written reports and the visuals. 

I’ve scoured the reports and can declare that nowhere can I find it – the vision.

A simple declaration of intent, an objective that inspires the design connecting theory and practicalities to delivered built form.    

Where Did This Idea Come From?

In December 2020, the Gold Coast City Council released its Surfers Paradise Place Making Plan. At 140 pages, it was a comprehensive survey of the precinct, covering:

Transport & Circulation – how people move around Surfers

Environment & Landscape – the condition of footpaths, trees, lighting

Community & People – safety, activations, leisure resources

Economy – commercial property conditions, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities

There is much to applaud in this plan — it is detailed, thorough, and practical. It summarised that Surfers Paradise had been neglected and it identified 21 projects for improvement, from parks and walkways to streetscape upgrades.

It was a municipal audit. It was diligent ground work. It worked “from the pavement up”. It’s focus was about street furniture, curbing, planters, view lines and pinch points.

Its purpose was never about understanding the Surfers Paradise people or culture. 

The 2023 Revitalisation Concept Design

By 2023, council released its Revitalisation Concept Design. In its texts there are many noble ideals — including a poetic river narrative connecting HOTA to the beach. 

But what was missing was an understanding of the culture they are meant to serve. Sadly the closest attempt only illustrates how little respect was given to our culture in this report.  

There is no attempt to understand why Surfers is so different to the rest of the Gold Coast. What drives its energy? Why do people keep coming back? What are its subcultures? What are the secrets to its success? The concept plan never addresses these questions. The surveys never asked these questions. In avoiding understanding the culture the concept plan avoids delivering a bold unifying objective – a why for the what.   

The document provides four strategies — Open To All, Supercharge The Experience, Grow The Green, Amplify Brand Surfers — but no clear objective. Strategies are not vision. 

Its like having four planes and no agreement on where to fly them to. 

The Missing Why

The simplest vision could have been:

“To enhance the Surfers Paradise lifestyle and show it off to the world.”

But that clarity was missing. The public campaign slogan “Surfers Paradise is changing” reflects the vacuum: change for the sake of change, without a compelling story.

Why It Matters

When there’s no clear vision, design doesn’t gel. Instead of creating a grand, unified Cavill Boulevard, we’ve been left with siloed projects with blurred purposes and no clear objectives.

This project needs more than strategies. It needs a vision. A bold ambition to match the spirit of Surfers Paradise.