Ashmore, located to the west of Southport, takes its name from a farming property once owned by the Hicks Family. The family farm near Benowa was called Ashmore after a locality or family property in England. Ashmore Road connected Benowa to the Nerang Road and was a local thoroughfare. By 1976, when a housing estate was developed in the area, the name was perpetuated when the estate was called Ashmore Village. Ashmore is a popular, well established suburb built on rolling hills and surrounded by elderly trees.

Due to its elevated location, some Ashmore homes can enjoy views to the beach and ocean and back towards the Hinterland. Ashmore is just that little bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast yet it is so opportunely centered near the beach, CBD, retail precincts and M1 and rail links. The suburb definitely has a strong community feel which is concentrated on family life. There is also a large amount of older residents in the area, which is helped by the great retirement facilities located in Ashmore. The strong sense of community is present in Ashmore as you drive the streets you are privy to the many Community Centres and sporting grounds.

According to the latest census, Ashmore’s population is 11,515, and consists of mostly couples with children (42%) and couples without children (39%).  71% of the properties in Ashmore are houses.  There are 5,000 properties in Ashmore.  The median sale price of properties in Ashmore in 2010 was $437,500.  The Post Code for Ashmore is 4214.

Beaudesert is the major regional hub of the Scenic Rim Regional Council. It is 64km south of Brisbane and 72km inland from the Gold Coast.  A town of about 5000 people, it houses the Beaudesert Shire Council's administration centre, a shopping precinct, public hospital, residential areas, schools, churches, sports facilities and commercial centres. Population growth has been modest in recent years, with the most significant developments being the establishment of two relatively upmarket residential areas - Brayford Estate, 2km east of the town, and Tullamore Downs 4km north. And it all began as a pastoral station. 

In 1842 Edward Hawkins took up 50,000 acres of farmland extending from the coast to the Logan River. The town of Beaudesert started to develop around the homestead.  Beaudesert now has childcare centres, two primary schools and a high school, TAFE classes and two aged people’s complexes.  Locals can enjoy the Olympic swimming pool, public library and a range of sports such as rugby league, rugby union, soccer, cricket, lawn bowls, touch football, golf, netball, tennis, pony club, turf club, basketball, swimming, fishing, gymnastics, motorcycling, pistols, restored autos, rifles, bicycles, tae kwon do and karate.  The town's broad range of goods and services includes hardware stores, banks, TAB, post office, auto shop, chiropractor, computer store, veterinary clinics, trophy shop, electrical and furniture store, fabric shop, optometrist, shoe stores, chemists, medical centre and general practitioners, dentist, butchers, hairdressers, barbers, video shops, fruit and vegetable markets, clothes stores, photo shops, hotels, motels, newsagents, takeaway food shops, cafes, bakeries, credit union, laundromat, accountants, solicitors, restaurant, motels, shopping centre and real estate agents.  Beaudesert has several service stations and garages with an industrial estate to the north.  A bus company provides a daily service to Brisbane from Monday to Friday.

According to the latest census, Beaudesert’s population is 5,383, and consists of mostly couples with children (37%) and couples without children (41%).  86% of the properties in Beaudesert are houses.  There are 2,620 properties in Beaudesert.  The median sale price of properties in Beaudesert in 2010 was $305,000.  The Post Code for Beaudesert is 4285.

Canungra is a small picturesque rural town in South East Queensland, Australia. Its economy depends on tourism, being a popular destination for short drives from the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Canungra, also called the "Valley of the Owls", is situated in the Gold Coast Hinterland, 35 kilometres (22 miles) west of Surfers Paradise and 90 kilometres (56 miles) south of Brisbane. One of the origins of the town's name comes from the Aboriginal word for small owls, "Caningera”.  It’s widely believed that the most notable owl found in the area is the Southern Boobook Owl, which appears in various logos & symbols associated with Canungra. In 2005 the local Post Office released a special limited-release frank featuring Canungra & the Boobook Owl. 

Canungra owes its existence to the timber industry and once boasted one of one of the largest stands of timber in the colony. By the 1940s most of the timber had been cut and sawmills were closing. Following this era the area became popular for beef cattle and dairy farming.  Canungra offers eateries, wineries, accommodation and shops to its visitors. The historic Lahey's Tramway Tunnel is the only existence of the past sawmilling activities in the area.  From 2 July 1915 until 1 July 1955 Queensland Railways connected Canungra with the Beaudesert Line at Logan Village.  Residents and business in Canungra get their water supply from Canungra Creek, a tributary of Albert River. The slopes around Canungra are steep and forested with some cleared farmlands and rural homes in the flatter valley areas.

Canungra is regarded as the springboard to the World Heritage Lamington National Park - O'Reilly's & Binna Burra resorts. It's a great place to stay and explore the surrounding district.  Lamington National Park covers 20,590ha and boasts extensive walking tracks along the McPherson Range, which allow visitors to explore the area's forests, creeks and waterfalls. Dramatic lookouts afford views over the Gold Coast, south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The township is also a meeting place for Hang-Gliders, Paragliders, Birdwatchers & Bushwalkers who visit the area annually to take advantage of what the Canungra Valley has to offer. The vast variety of native Flora & Fauna, coupled with friendly good old country hospitality make a visit to Canungra something to remember for a long time. 

According to the latest census, Canungra’s population is 1,171, and consists of mostly couples with children (44%) and couples without children (38%).  94% of the properties in Canungra are houses.  There are 526 properties in Canungra.  The median sale price of properties in Canungra in 2010 was $371,500. The Post Code for Canungra is 4275.

Clagiraba Creek is a tributary of the Coomera River and the name is derived from the aboriginal name 'Kalagareebah' meaning young or single men's ground. This was a region where young men were taken on tour during their initiation ceremony. It is an equal distance between the bora rings, which once existed at Nerang and Canungra. Clagiraba has many beautiful acreage and horse properties among the rolling hills.

According to the latest census, Clagiraba’s population is 751, and consists of mostly couples with children (50%) and couples without children (41%).  100% of the properties in Clagiraba are houses.  There are 264 properties in Clagiraba.  The median sale price of properties in Clagiraba in 2010 was $500,000.  The average land size in Clagiraba is 2.45 hectares.  The Post Code for Clagiraba is 4211.

Main Beach, located on the eastern side of the Nerang River estuary (The Broadwater) is bounded to the north by The Spit and by  a narrow isthmus (Narrowneck)  extending to  Surfers Paradise in the south. The name Main Beach is descriptive, since it was the main surf beach for the town of Southport, the earliest surveyed town in the immediate area.  Prior to the construction of the Jubilee Bridge, visitors were ferried across the Nerang River to surf at the main beach. Following the construction of the Jubilee Bridge in 1925, land was auctioned and holiday houses were constructed here. Visitors were important to the local economy and the Southport Town Council opened the Main Beach Bathing Pavilion in 1934.  Land reclamation to the west of the surf beaches began as early as the 1930s. Today, Main Beach high-rise buildings are focused on Tedder Avenue with a permanent residential neighborhood, restaurants and coffee shops.

According to the latest census, Main Beach’s population is 16,065 and consists of mostly couples with children (18%) and couples without children (70%).  71% of the properties in Main Beach are units.  There are 1,428 properties in Main Beach.  The median sale price of properties in Main Beach in 2010 was $775,000.  The Post Code for Main Beach is 4217.

As you head west from Nerang towards Beaudesert, on the Beaudesert-Nerang Road you will drive through Mount Nathan.  Mount Nathan is a popular area because it offers a diverse range of small acreage properties, yet it is just a few minutes from the Nerang CBD and around 20 minutes drive to Surfers Paradise beach.   Situated on the eastern side of the Coomera River from Clagiraba, Mount Nathan was named after the Queensland Governor (1920-25), Sir Matthew Nathan. The mountain is in a descending range in the north of the suburb, and the eastern side of the range includes the Nathan Forest Estate.  The Silkwood Steiner School (1997) is in the east of Mount Nathan, near Nerang.

According to the latest census, Mount Nathan’s population is 843, and consists of mostly couples with children (50%) and couples without children (44%).  98% of the properties in Mount Nathan are houses.  There are 450 properties in Mount Nathan.  The median sale price of properties in Mount Nathan in 2010 was $635,000.  The average land size in Mount Nathan is 1.29 hectares.  The Post Code for Mount Nathan is 4211.

Mount Tamborine is a popular tourist destination in the Gold Coast Hinterland.  It provides a lovely escape from the busy Gold Coast city.  The charming village offers old-fashioned country hospitality and is ideal for a meal or a coffee. The region houses nine national parks and is home to a range of native plants and animals. With rainforests and bushland making up much of the area, it is a photogenic and picturesque place to visit.

The climate and rich soil in the area have also made it a popular spot with many wineries being established here. The stunning region is popular among retirees and families alike for the laidback lifestyle it offers. Once immersed in the natural beauty of Mount Tamborine, it is hard to believe the bright lights of Surfers Paradise are so close.  Small shops and cafes line the main street selling local produce and arts and crafts. The Mount Tamborine markets, held on the second Sunday of every month, are well known and very popular. With everything from local produce and arts and crafts to plants, the markets are a lovely day out. Local shopping centres at North Tamborine and Eagle Heights service locals.

Mundoolun is a rural area to the south of Jimboomba and to the east of Beaudesert.  The Mundoolun Estate is a portion of the original Mundoolun land holding, one of four claims in the Beaudesert Shire registered with the land commissioner in Sydney in 1842.  In June 1844 John and Anne Collins travelled from Kangaroo Point. At that time, Brisbane had a population of some 750. The journey to Mundoolun took three days along the route of the Mt Lindsay Highway (a trip that today takes about 45 minutes in a car). 

Queensland became a state in 1859 and in 1868 the Government of the day passed the Queensland Lands Act, and resumed some of the land that had been settled previously in order to make room for more settlers. They gave the original settlers the opportunity to freehold the balance. The terms were 15 shillings ($1.50) per acre for good agricultural land, 10 shillings per acre for first class grazing land and 5 shillings per acre for second class, with 10-year terms.  The original freehold titles to The Mundoolun Estate have stayed in the one family since 1877.

John and Anne Collins remained at Mundoolun for the rest of their lives. Anne passed away in 1891 and John in 1898. Their children, Jane, Robert Martin, William, John George and Anne Bertha Fraser had the church of St John’s Mundoolun built on a hill overlooking the homestead in memory of their parents. The church foundation stone was laid in 1900 and the building completed and consecrated in 1902.

According to the latest census, Mundoolun’s population is 731, and consists of mostly couples with children (49%) and couples without children (41%).  99% of the properties in Mundoolun are houses.  There are 503 properties in Mundoolun.  The median sale price of properties in Mundoolun in 2010 was $472,500.  The Post Code for Mundoolun is 4285.

In the early years Nerang was an administrative centre for the region, with a courthouse, police station and meeting place for local councilors. Gradually, Southport assumed many of these roles and Nerang survived quietly as a picturesque centre of the Hinterland. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Gold Coast’s population grew rapidly and many people made their homes in the new estates  which had expanded into the hinterland. Considerable commercial, services and light industrial development has grown around the town of Nerang.

Land was first sold in Nerang in 1871.  Daily Cobb & Co coach services from Brisbane began the same year and river transport to the settlement became more regular. With an abundant supply of red cedar amongst other tree species, the first industry to flourish in the area was timber cutting.  Sugar and maize were grown by farmers along the upper reaches of the Nerang River. The arrival of the railway in 1887 gave added impetus to the town.

The former sleepy hamlet is once again a centre for a number of significant communities.  The story of the Nerang Township began with the development of cotton and sugar plantations on the Nerang River at Carrara, Bundall and Benowa. In 1865, after completing survey work at Benowa Plantation, Government Surveyor, Martin Lavelle, selected a site for a township on a slope overlooking the Nerang River. 

According to the latest census, Nerang’s population is 16,065 and consists of mostly couples with children (41%) and couples without children (36%).  73% of the properties in Nerang are houses.  There are 5,921 properties in Nerang.  The median sale price of properties in Nerang in 2010 was $380,000.  The Post Code for Nerang is 4211.

As early as 1860 a village reserve was proposed opposite the ‘Boat Passage’ but it would be some time before this village was surveyed. Meanwhile, many selectors took up farming properties which would later be included in the town. Richard Gardiner built a home and a wharf near the river end of Queen Street and the Loder Family established a farm beside a salt water creek to the south of this reserve. In 1875, George Pratten was finally commissioned to survey a township on the Crown Reserve at Nerang Creek Heads.

Sale of land was slow but news of the excellent fishing and accounts of Southport’s potential as an idyllic seaside resort spread to the Brisbane community. An increase in visitors motivated land sales and the construction of holiday accommodation. By the 1890s, Southport was the favoured seaside destination for the Queensland Governor, Sir Anthony Musgrave and his entourage. Southport became a fashionable seaside resort. The Southport Town Council encouraged tree planting, various sideshow amusements, the construction of the Southport Pier and picture theatre.

The Southport jetty (later known as the Pier) was originally built for practical reasons. The main means of contact with Brisbane in the early days was by cutter or steamer. On arrival in the Broadwater, a small boat would row into shore to deliver passengers or supplies. Around 1880, the local people gathered donations from the community and built a small jetty, extended by 1883 to a length of 800 feet. Steamers such as the Natone or the President, providing a regular service to Brisbane before the railway was built, docked at the pier and visitors could easily walk to the shoreline. In later years, swimming baths were built, and a kiosk erected. After the railway was linked to Southport, the pier and nearby kiosk and park were enjoyed by weekend railway excursionists, who could promenade upon the jetty or listen to the town band playing or check the catch of a local fisherman.

Southport was one of the earliest centres of the Gold Coast. Its early dominance, its location facing the Broadwater, providing access by sea combined with its position as the railway terminus from Brisbane, all ensured its role as an administrative and business centre. Today, The Southport School, St Hilda’s, the hospitals, court house and commercial and administrative headquarters reflect these developments.

According to the latest census, Southport’s population is 24,098 and consists of mostly couples with children (29%) and couples without children (46%).  40% of the properties in Southport are houses, whilst 35% are units and 24% are villas, duplexes or town-houses.  There are 9,910 properties in Southport.  The median sale price of properties in Southport in 2010 was $390,000.  The Post Code for Southport is 4215.

In 1869, James Beattie was one of many first selectors or farmers to travel down to the South Coast and Hinterland. Beattie settled south of an area which the Kombumerri  people called Jarri Parila (today's Narrowneck). He selected 80 acres on the northern bank of the Nerang River. The location of his farm was not far from the future Cavill Avenue. Beattie built a shingle-roomed cottage, a barn for his produce and a jetty on the river bank. Around him, farmers were  just barely surviving on their farms or selections, growing crops such as maize and sugar cane.

Around 1920, Brisbane hotelier, Jim Cavill acquired twenty-five acres (10 hectares) of land in an area known as Elston - the place we know now as Surfers Paradise. The name Jim Cavill is always connected with the history of Surfers Paradise. However, to understand the full story, we need to first look back at an earlier age. By 1888, a horse and coach service was operating from Surfers Paradise three times a week. The coach crossed the Nerang River at Meyers Ferry and then traveled along the beach. Johann Meyer's family operated a horse and buggy service from the Surfers Paradise hotels, offering visitors a pleasure trip to the Main Surf Beach. In 1889, Meyer's Main Beach Hotel was declared a postal receiving office, officially titled Elston. A postal address meant an official place name and a mark on the map. People would still refer to the place for a long time as Meyer's Ferry. As early as 1917, a Brisbane real estate company, Arthur Blackwood Ltd offered for sale the 'Surfers Paradise Estate'. The auction was unsuccessful, partly because access to the area was still difficult. It was a great promotional name though and  in Jim Cavill's day, he lobbied strongly to have the name Elston changed to Surfers Paradise. The nearest railway station to Elston was located over the unbridged Nerang River at the town of Surfers Paradise.

The opening of the Jubilee Bridge in 1925 (celebrating 50 years since the first auction of land at Surfers Paradise in 1875)  and the extension of the South Coast Road brought a revolution to the South Coast. Motor cars could now travel along a road which bordered the seaside villages of Elston and Burleigh Heads. Estates such as Ocean Wave, Northcliffe, Mermaid Beach and Miami Shores were promoted as sure fire investments. Investors and visitors needed a place to stay on the coast and in 1925, three hotels, the Surfers Paradise, the Miami and the Burleigh Heads Hotel opened to take advantage of a tourist boom.In 1925, at a relatively isolated spot near a long white surf beach, Jim Cavill opened his 16 bedroom hotel at the intersection of the South Coast Road and the old coach track which ran from Meyers Ferry to the beach. Around the hotel, the township of Elston came to life as local people re-opened the post office, provided refreshments and facilities for campers and holiday-makers. A man with a keen eye for promotion, Jim Cavill, with the support of locals, lobbied hard until the place name Elston was changed to the more glamorous Surfers Paradise in 1933.

According to the latest census, Surfers Paradise’s population is 18,501 and consists of mostly couples with children (22%) and couples without children (62%).  74% of the properties in Surfers Paradise are units and 16% are houses.  There are 7,516 properties in Surfers Paradise.  The median sale price of properties in Surfers Paradise in 2010 was $390,000.  The Post Code for Surfers Paradise is 4217.

Tamborine is situated approximately 60 kilometres South of Brisbane via the M1 motorway.  It is South of Cedar Creek, West of Eagle Heights, East of Mundoolun and North of Boyland.  Facilities in Tamborine include the Bearded Dragon Hotel, a general store, service station and produce store.  It is a popular area due to its proximity to Brisbane and the relaxed lifestyle. 

According to the latest census, Tamborine’s population is 3,174 and consists of mostly couples with children (50%) and couples without children (37%).  98% of the properties in Tamborine are houses.  There are 1,377 properties in Canungra.  The median sale price of properties in Tamborine in 2010 was $555,000. The majority of properties are small 1-5 acre allotments.

The Post Code for Tamborine is 4270.